The Pickup Game with Tim Williams - The Unified Theory of MVP Debates

The Unified Theory of MVP Debates

04/14/17 • 43 min

Every MVP debate boils down to the same core argument. That's not to say it's boring. It's one of the most fun things for sports fans to discuss. This year in the NBA, the whole discussion has gone to a new level. This is the most fun MVP debate I have ever encountered, and I had to bring Jim Williams on to discuss the whole thing. Westbrook? Harden? We break it down from a fan angle. There's a case for LeBron. There's a case for Kawhi. After that, we look into the NBA Playoffs that tip off this weekend. Can Cleveland be beaten in the Eastern Conference? How good are the Spurs? It's an exciting postseason coming up. Speaking of exciting postseasons, there is nothing like playoff hockey. We talk about the Washington Capitals, and the brutal nature of playoff hockey. To finish, Jim honors a football legend, and I give a pitch for the whole country to celebrate Patriots' Day.

Previous Episode

About Last Night - Super Bowl LI

One of the greatest games in Super Bowl history is in the books, Tom Brady has his fifth ring, and the Patriots are champions once again. A set of Sports Talk Florida writers joins The Pickup Game with Tim Williams this week to break it all down and put everything in its proper historical place. We talk about the Patriots' comeback. When did you realize what was going on? Is it a case of Atlanta blowing it or New England winning it? Allison Leslie offers a perspective on exactly where the Falcons let the Patriots back in it. How did Julio Jones catch that fourth quarter pass? How did Julian Edelman even imagine making his great catch? There is a lot to process and we try to take it piece by piece. What does this do to Tom Brady's role in history? We try and compare Brady to some of the more transcendant figures in other sports, where Gabi Reina has a historical comparison that might be a little more apt than the Michael Jordan comparison I invoked. Jim Williams inspires a more Boston-centric perspective, bringing up a New England legend to compare to the Super Bowl MVP. This plus a little bit of talk about the ads played during the big game. Where has the humor gone? How does the tone of the ads reflect the attitude around us these days? The panel wraps up by sharing their other big sports moments of a busy weekend, including Gabi Reina's quick Phoenix Open thoughts, a clash of Super Bowl Halftime titans, and my favorite cure for the post-Big-Game blues. It's About Last Night on The Pickup Game, on Sports Talk Florida and Blog Talk Radio! (Tim's latest column: The Next Jordan)

Next Episode

NFL Draft Talk with The Film Room's Brett Kollmann

Draft experts can be a different breed, but even among them it takes the truly devoted to put 50-90 hours a week in outside of work to break down draft film. Brett Kollmann, hero of NFL fans on Youtube everywhere, is just such a person. From the top picks of the draft to guys who might slip into the second round, Brett breaks down the draft for us. Who surprised him? Who might be due for a fall? Which team might use the first round to make the leap into the playoffs? We talk about all of it, before getting into who the Buccaneers might draft, and how teams sometimes are forced to look for quick fixes. Brett also breaks down some off-field reasons players fall, and some things that teams worry about too much. This spills into a discussion of the league's drug policy, and general attitude toward marijuana in specific. It seems like many of the players who tumble in the draft because of cannabis related issues turn out pretty talented in the end. Maybe it's time the league had an attitude-adjustment about that. The Film Room can be found behind this link, and check in to his channel next week as Brett gives you his very first public mock draft.