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Willard and Dibs debate if they want Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg to once again go at Luka Doncic of the Lakers after what happened to open the season.
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00:00Here's Steve Kerr with us yesterday on Yaxo Luka Part Deux.
00:05I think what happened last week was great.
00:08He said what he said, put himself out there, and now he's got to guard Luka again.
00:13Hopefully he will have learned from the first game.
00:16He was kind of astonished after that game at the way the game was played
00:21and the tricks that Luka was playing on him and the officiating and everything else.
00:25And I told him this is a completely different game than the college game.
00:29And you have to get used to all those tricks.
00:31And so he's got five games under his belt, but one against Luka.
00:37So we'll see how he handles it tomorrow because you have to be really crafty
00:41to avoid the reach-in fouls, jumping at pump fakes,
00:45that kind of stuff when you play against Luka.
00:47So during our last break, I had to go use the restroom.
00:54And I come out of the restroom, and our boss, Matt Nahagian, goes,
00:57Dude, I am fired up for tonight.
01:01Okay.
01:02Again, this is the result of Yaxa Lindeborg and what happened with Luka last week.
01:10It is game six of the NBA season, and last week, people were like,
01:16this team's going to win 22 games.
01:17I can't watch them.
01:20This is annoying the hell out of me.
01:22This feels so dark.
01:23I have no idea where to put my Warrior fandom.
01:26A week later, for game six on a Friday night, people were like,
01:31I cannot wait for this thing to tip off.
01:34That's the effect that this guy has had.
01:37Well, it's also the effect of the first game with the trash talk.
01:40Yes, but he's playing great, and it is the Lakers,
01:43which always ratchets things up for Warrior fans.
01:46Anytime that you take on the Los Angeles Lakers,
01:48and you've won a couple in a row.
01:50So if they were 0-5, would you still be totally fired up?
01:53You absolutely would be, and that would be because of game one
01:57with the Luka and the Axel.
01:59But I do think it increases a bit,
02:01knowing that they've actually won a couple of games,
02:03and they could be better than what we thought after their first three games.
02:07Yeah, Grandy, what's up?
02:08So Steve Kerr there essentially said we had no problem
02:10with what Yaxel did against Luka last time,
02:12and maybe he learns from some of the tricks,
02:14like don't fall for the pump fake or whatever it is.
02:17Do you want Yaxel to go at Luka similarly again today,
02:21or do you want maybe him to take a step back in that regard?
02:23What do you mean by go at him?
02:25Like get involved in all the talk back and forth.
02:28No, I would rather let it.
02:30I would like to see his play do the talking this time.
02:32But less like talk to get Luka going potentially.
02:35Well, I don't mind it.
02:36Look, I think Luka's already going to be got.
02:39You know what I mean?
02:39Like I think he's going to be all juiced up already.
02:41And we know Yaxel is.
02:43I mean, he's talked about this after almost every game.
02:48They keep, oh, Luka next.
02:49Yeah, let's go.
02:51Let's, you know, let's bring it.
02:52So I think their motivation is going to be all the way up already.
02:57But it almost like, you know what got me about watching that last week?
03:02I don't know what you guys think about this.
03:04Luka had the smile on his face.
03:06He had the knowing grin of like, I know how this is going to go.
03:11You know, like you're going to get the tech and I won't.
03:15And Yaxel looked frustrated by it all.
03:17And in fact, that's even what he said after the game.
03:19I lost all respect and all the whining and complaining.
03:21Okay, I'd love to see Yaxel tonight be the one with the knowing grin.
03:27You're at home tonight.
03:28Now you've been through this.
03:30In other words, don't let it get to you.
03:32Whatever it is that comes.
03:34But yeah, I would like to see the play do the talking more than the mouths do the talking tonight.
03:39I would like to see both.
03:41Like let the talking do the talking because the two of them will go back and forth.
03:44And it's been three games now since Yaxel got a tech.
03:48So that's good.
03:49I think he learned on the opening night what he can and can't say in that trash talk moment.
03:54And then game two, which was the home opener, he got another tech.
03:57And that was more getting tangled up with somebody.
04:00So go out there and talk the talk, Yaxel.
04:02And then back it up with your play, which is what he's done since.
04:06This was not after the Laker game.
04:08This was after the Warriors lost to the Grizzlies last Friday night.
04:13And they kept talking to him about Luka.
04:15And here's some of what he said.
04:17I'm not supposed to talk to him or something like that.
04:20Like, I ain't never been no.
04:22Like, come on now.
04:23He's going to say what he want to say.
04:24I'm going to say what I want to say.
04:25You know, it's like I'm out of faith to talk to nobody, man.
04:27He's not Michael Jordan.
04:28Like, come on now.
04:29So, I mean, it's fun trash talk.
04:31I feel like I did kind of take it overboard in the media.
04:35But, I mean, you know, it is what it is.
04:37And then Luka, this is what he said about the exchange after their game last week.
04:45Yeah, I mean, he was talking crazy.
04:46I wasn't trying to talk back, you know, this season.
04:49I'm not trying to get texts.
04:51So, it was the first time that I was not a double tap because I didn't say nothing.
04:54So, I'm working on it.
04:55But, as you see, I think it worked great.
04:57Ugh, shut up, dude.
04:58This year I've been trying not to get texts?
05:00See, when I hear that, that's when, that's when, see, it was not a double tech.
05:04I didn't say a word, dog.
05:06We can see you.
05:07Well, he didn't say the words that Yaxl said.
05:08And I thought it should have been a double tech.
05:10Of course it should have been.
05:11But, Luka's saying that, you know, I like the fact that he is aware that he needs to not get
05:15so many texts.
05:16And so, he's trying not to get texts this year.
05:18Yaxl got rucked.
05:20Yeah, that's the way it goes.
05:21Yes, that's the way it goes.
05:22That's the nature of the business.
05:23That's how it goes.
05:24It does.
05:25But, I cannot like that nature of the business.
05:28Like, I mean, if, you know what I mean?
05:29Like, that's like saying when the defensive lineman gets to the quarterback, it's like, well, you know, you're not allowed
05:36to breathe on the quarterback, so that's a flag.
05:38Well, we can hate that.
05:39You can.
05:39We can hate that.
05:40And I do.
05:41You can hate a lot of things.
05:41Yeah.
05:42And you can hate the fact that they gave only a technical to the rookie.
05:46And I thought that it should have been a garden variety double, but it wasn't.
05:50And it's because one guy's Luka and one guy's Yaxl.
05:53So, Warrior fans, do you want part two, in other words?
05:57Like, how do you want this to look tonight?
05:59Do you want more jawing?
06:01Do you want less jawing?
06:03Yaxl, Luka, part two.
06:05They're definitely going to match up with one another.
06:07Steve Kerr said it.
06:08Okay, young fella.
06:10Like, go do it again.
06:12Now you know.
06:13Now you know some of the tricks.
06:14So, 888-957-9570.
06:17Would you like the actual chatter to continue?
06:20Let's go to Jonathan in the city.
06:22Hi, Jonathan.
06:22Thanks for calling.
06:24For your question, Mark, I would like Yaxl to be like a mime and just put a wall in front
06:32of Luka and dominate him that way and talk later.
06:36But the first thing I would like to talk about is I want to give him all the credit in
06:43the world because, you know, he's been saying Thundercats for so many years in his airwaves.
06:47And, hey, Guru, Thundercats, we have him.
06:50Not one, not two, but three.
06:53You know, first he got Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers, QB1.
06:58Now he's the best passer in the history of the league.
07:01Help willing.
07:02He'll just be consistent like this.
07:03The dude's going to walk straight to the Hall of Fame.
07:06And then Thundercat number two, center, forward, Michael Celebrini.
07:11His first, what, two, three years in the league.
07:14His numbers compared to the great one, Wayne Gretzky.
07:17So another dude that, you know, if he's consistent and health willing, he's going to walk straight to the Hall
07:22of Fame.
07:23Now, latest to join the Thundercat party is the actual landmark.
07:27I mean, this is mind-bending stuff, if you ask me.
07:31Exciting, exciting times to be Bay Area sports fans.
07:35I'm just hoping that not one, if not two, if not all three give us that happy ending.
07:41And tomorrow, I dare you, Valkyries, to make it a purple Halloween.
07:48Love it.
07:48Jonathan, thank you very much.
07:50Appreciate that.
07:51Thundercats, actually, if you really want to dive deep into the Sharks, I think they've got more than just one
07:57Thundercat.
07:58I know Macklin Celebrini's the guy everybody knows, and he's definitely the best one.
08:02They have so many good young players on that team.
08:06They got electric at the tank last night when they were down, came back and won.
08:11But, yeah, like, to keep it about Yaxel, I would almost love, what I would love to see Yaxel do
08:18tonight is sort of the basketball version of what we've been talking about from the people that give out the
08:24dental floss on Halloween.
08:26Like, let's give passive-aggressive trash talk.
08:31So, maybe not so much with the mouth, because the mouth gets you a technical foul.
08:37But remember last week when he said, I was considering locking my hands behind my back when I did defensive
08:46slides?
08:47Because that was a way to tell the refs, I'm not fouling.
08:50I will lock my hands behind my...
08:52I'd love to see more like that.
08:55Like, the trash talk, but not with your mouth.
08:58The trash talk almost with your actions rather than your words.
09:02And I'm trying to think of the boxer who would come out and just put both hands behind his back
09:06and, you know, kind of bop, bop, bop in.
09:09Was it Sugar Ray?
09:10Might have been Sugar Ray against Roberto Duran in the No Moss fight.
09:13But that is when you have complete control and you have rented space in the other person's head where your
09:20hands are down and I dare you to hit me because you can't.
09:23You can't actually hit me.
09:24So, yeah, Yax will go ahead and guard hands behind the back and see what Luka does.
09:28You're listening to 95.7 The Game, KGMZ, FM, and HZ1 San Francisco in Odyssey Sports Station.
09:33And the home of the Golden State Warriors and Valkyries is always live on the free Odyssey app.
09:36And coming to you live from the Laughing Monk Studios.
09:38Look, he was the only one who did a good job guarding Luka the other night.
09:44He did a really good job.
09:47Just ask him.
09:48Right.
09:49So, if he feels that confident, it would be great for him to get out there and let him put
09:56the smile on his face.
09:58Let him just look at Luka and be like, you can't score on me, dude.
10:04And then see where that goes.
10:06But, you know, without the eye roll and the huff puff and that frustration, allowing Luka to start clapping and
10:16smiling and all of that.
10:17Like, I wonder if that's part of the learning process, too.
10:20They're talking about the tricks of the trade with Luka in terms of X's and O's and basketball and the
10:26way to get officials kind of on your side.
10:29Now, Yaxel's got that game under his belt, a few more.
10:33Let's not act like he hasn't gone toe-to-toe with some other great players since then.
10:38The guy looked at Nikola Jokic and was like, I'm going to take the ball right to you.
10:42Nobody does that in this league.
10:44Nobody takes it to Jokic's chest.
10:46But Yaxel did.
10:47So, you know, take that knowing with you to the game tonight.
10:51And you're the home player.
10:53I know you're still a rookie.
10:54But believe me, and you know this, like these things tend to swing back in the other direction when they
11:02get a lot of attention.
11:04So I think, and I sort of expect some of that tonight.
11:08I expect it to swing a little bit back in his direction.
11:10Into Yaxel's direction.
11:11It depends on how the game is officiated and also it depends on how he defends Luka Doncic.
11:17And I think the idea of hands behind your back, it's a fun kind of a quaint optic.
11:22But if you do that, Luka's just going to pull it and hit a three.
11:25And if that happens, well, that's not what you want defensively, even though you're trying to taunt him or bait
11:31him.
11:31The key is to defend with your hands in a neutral position and be aware of when Luka's going to
11:37try to raise up into you,
11:38which is what Shea Gildas Alexander is so good at, you know, getting his arms into your arms.
11:43And so I'm just looking forward to the evolution of Yaxel in that way.
11:47Defending Luka without fouling, you can't always defend without fouling,
11:51but avoiding the pump fake and avoiding the contact where he bumps you and then he goes flying, all those
11:57little things.
11:58Stephan in Texas is next here on Withered and Dibs.
12:01Hi, Stephan. Thanks for calling, man.
12:05What's up?
12:06Hey, guys, I think that Yaxel shouldn't have put his hands behind his back.
12:13I think that was showing up the refs, and the refs gave him a text to teach him a lesson.
12:18I think they should let him talk and let the refs stay out of it.
12:23Don't do anything to incur more.
12:26Just play ball.
12:28Let your play do the talking.
12:31I mean, for the most part, and Stephan, thanks.
12:33I agree with that, and he has a point with regard to the locking of hands behind the back is
12:40not a shot at Luka.
12:41It's a shot at the refs.
12:42A little bit, yep.
12:43You know what I mean?
12:44Like, Luka, that's Yaxel's way of saying, how can I get you to stop calling these stupid fouls?
12:50How about if I just lock my hand?
12:51What if I put my hands in my shirt?
12:53How about that, ref?
12:54So I get that, and did that have something to do with the tech?
12:59Maybe.
12:59May have, yeah.
13:00Maybe.
13:01I mean, showing up the refs as a rook, let alone in your first game as a rook, probably not
13:06a great tack to take,
13:07and right now he's in a seven-way tie for the lead in the association for technicals with two,
13:14so I would keep my eyes on Draymond Green tonight, who's probably looking at this and thinking,
13:18you're not getting more techs than me, rook.
13:20I'm going to have to get one tonight just to show you.
13:22Well, I mean, Draymond, if he does see his role, let's borrow from the Sharks and hockey again.
13:29If Draymond is your enforcer, then he does view it as partially his job to protect Yaxel as he goes
13:37into this fight,
13:38if you want to call it that.
13:40It's his job.
13:41Right.
13:41It's his job to protect him.
13:43And that means, you know, you go out there and you, if you're using the hockey analogy,
13:47you drop the gloves and get out there and brawl with somebody, and in this case, it would be, you
13:52know,
13:52if things don't go Yaxel's way with a couple of calls, Draymond Green will step in and give the refs
13:57an earful just to protect the rook.
13:59Right.
13:59Or Draymond Green can do whatever his voodoo tricks are to try to get into Luka because that's what, I
14:07mean, he's been doing it for years.
14:09He's been doing it since well before Luka was in the league.
14:12So he can get in on that conversation.
14:16I know it's a little bit different.
14:17This feels like this mano a mano thing.
14:20You know, Yaxel really, he is activated by the idea of how he can guard Luka.
14:27There was this comment last week as well.
14:29I think I did a great job guarding him until the foul was called.
14:32I tried my best with the hands thing because we were talking about the whole time,
14:35like the main thing was don't fall into the fouls.
14:37But I thought I did a good job at that.
14:40I don't know how many feed those he shot, but it felt like he shot 30.
14:42So I don't know, man.
14:44As far as just the basketball perspective, I think I did a good job sliding my feed,
14:47trying to, you know, read what he does.
14:48I know he loves to step back on the left side.
14:50So, you know, just trying to contest that.
14:52Tried my best to not foul.
14:53Ended up with four fouls, but, you know, living and I learned, man.
14:56First game.
14:57Yep.
14:57First game.
14:59Now he's a grizzled vet.
15:01This is his sixth game.
15:03Exactly.
15:04I mean, he's been doing it now for quite some time.
15:06He's 80% more experienced than he was last time they played.
15:10No doubt.
15:11And, you know, Luka is a guy who's going to come in and just do what he does.
15:14And so I just hope that Yaxl can, you know, contain the emotions to the extent that it doesn't affect
15:20how he plays.
15:21And he admitted it in the opener.
15:23He kind of let it get the best of him.
15:24Yeah.
15:25Yeah.
15:25No doubt.
15:26Yeah.
15:26Grande, what's up?
15:26By the way, did you guys see how Yaxl arrived to the arena today?
15:30No.
15:30For the game?
15:31No.
15:31He's in costume and he's dressed up as Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise.
15:36Oh, I was hoping he would come as Luka.
15:39I was thinking the same thing.
15:40Yeah, he should have.
15:41I mean, just, if we're going to do this, just do it.
15:45Do it.
15:47Troll the guy.
15:48I don't know how you dress up as Luka.
15:50Oh, you come as Fat Luka in a Mavericks jersey with padding in your stomach and a cigarette.
15:55Holding a beer.
15:56Six-pack.
15:56One of those old six-packs with the plastic rings.
16:00Okay, that would have been incredible.
16:03That would have been so viral.
16:05He just rolls in as, and I'm Fat Luka.
16:08I'm not fat shaming a pro athlete, but that was one of the reasons why, behind the scenes,
16:13Luka wasn't working hard.
16:14He was drinking beer and smoking cigs.
16:16He would just come in a Luka Mavericks jersey with, like...
16:20Holding a six-pack.
16:21You remember those old plastic sixers?
16:23Of course I do.
16:23Of course.
16:25And maybe...
16:25Plastic sixer.
16:26Little pillowcase in the belly.
16:28Not with the pillow, just the pillowcase.
16:30And at least one cigarette in his mouth, if not two.
16:33Yeah.
16:34And sunglasses.
16:35Sure.
16:36Yeah.
16:37Now that, that's a costume.
16:39And Michael Myers, great.
16:40And he's got the full jumpsuit on, he's got the mask, and he has, you know, a prop knife as
16:45well.
16:46Listen, dude, this dude, this dude.
16:49Did anyone else come in costume that you know of?
16:51I haven't seen anyone else, but maybe a few, I don't know.
16:54This dude.
16:56Listen, this is what I'm trying to say right now.
16:59Luka, it's going to be a horror show for you tonight.
17:01I'm Michael Myers.
17:03Reet, reet, reet, reet.
17:05Oh.
17:06That's from Psycho, I know, but...
17:07He really, he really should have tried to troll Luka.
17:10That would have been fantastic.
17:13I mean, at this point, why not?
17:15You know what I mean?
17:16I, I, I raised one minor thing about this when he did it last week, just because I'd never
17:22seen someone do that in their first game of their career.
17:25And I had said, it's not necessarily great for the Warriors, because now one of the greats
17:29of the game is going to be on his game tonight.
17:32He's going to be all motivated and jacked up and all of that stuff.
17:35However, um, I'm not saying I'll take an L on that, but like, I can tell where this
17:40is all going.
17:42Everybody is green lighting this, including the Warriors.
17:45So if we're going to do this, we'll just do it.
17:47Let's go.
17:49Let's go.
17:50Dress as Luka for all the games the rest of the year.
17:53What the hell?
17:55Like, what the hell?
17:56Or you could just get every game, just pick a different thing.
17:59Like you're playing Philly.
18:00So you dress up as LeBron and then you have like a little brawny doll that you just carry
18:04in.
18:05Look, I'm LeBron and here's Bronny.
18:07Just poking at it.
18:08Didn't Kittle have a Dallas sucks t-shirt on under his jersey years ago for Sunday night
18:14football?
18:15Yeah.
18:15Yeah.
18:15Let's just do that.
18:17Just show up in a Luka sucks t-shirt all the nights.
18:23Let's go.
18:25Make a feud.
18:26So you don't want them to back down at all.
18:28You want them to still go at it.
18:29It's not.
18:30Well, at this point, I think it's pointless.
18:33This is a toothpaste.
18:34Toothpaste is out of the tube.
18:35Boy, toothpaste is having a good show today.
18:37But anyway, that's what I'm saying.
18:41I'm saying that anybody, and even if I was one of them, if you had any concerns or any
18:46thoughts about the way last week went down, it's over.
18:50Those concerns have been blown off by the organization.
18:54If everyone's just going to lean into this, well, okay, then let's go.
18:59Let's go.
18:59I hope at the podium tonight, sure.
19:03Sure.
19:04Let's get personal.
19:06Yeah.
19:07Luka, cigarettes, beer, overweight, whatever.
19:11You know what I mean?
19:11Boy, I hope I never get traded in the middle of the night when I don't see it coming.
19:15I mean, like, this apparently is what everyone wants.
19:19I'm looking at a slow motion video from NBC Sports Warriors at NBC Sports Warriors, and
19:26this is maybe the scariest thing I've ever seen.
19:29What?
19:29Yaxl is 6'10", and he has the Michael Myers mask on.
19:33He's got the giant blue jumpsuit, and the knife looks real to me.
19:37Real or fake, it doesn't matter.
19:38Maybe it's the slow-mo nature of the video, but it's one thing to get stalked by a psychopathic
19:45serial killer.
19:45It's another thing if he's 6'10", 240.
19:48There you go.
19:49So take that, Luka.
19:50He brought a knife.
19:52Yeah.
19:53I mean, he brought a knife.
19:55Hopefully not to a gunfight.