Mac McClung
Appearances
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Dude, Howard, it's an honor. What an intro. I feel like I should just bow out now, Costanza style. But no, I'm stoked to be here. Thank you for having me. I apologize to all the Real Ones listeners for not being Raja.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
There would be a number of times when you're watching a game and you're feeling like a big play happens and you're sort of expecting a big pop from the crowd. And sometimes there just wouldn't – or it wouldn't be as much as you thought it would be. You know what I mean?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
It felt – it almost felt like kind of an AAU sort of setup in a way where there's like – the fans – or the teams do have fans there, but not so many fans that it's ever going to be like the roof's coming off the place.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And – that was kind of the vibe that I had there. It just was, it never, the atmosphere itself never, uh, got in concert with the product on the floor in the way that I think you would want if you're trying to make this tournament a big thing. Because the fans matter. You talked about the Knicks playing at MSG on Christmas.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
When there's a big-time game happening at MSG and both teams are in it and things are really cooking, you feel that in the crowd and that elevates the viewing experience. It makes everything more intense and more exciting. And not having that for any of the three games there, it just, it, it, it made it feel like something was missing the whole time.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
There was, it just, it was something was always felt like it was off by a half, you know? It like, I wonder if they, part of the thing that I, I think I mentioned in the piece or it might've got cut, but like,
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
trying to experiment maybe with like, maybe the semis are home games for whichever, you know, team has the better record or, you know, it to try to do something to, um, sort of gift the fans of these teams too. You know what I mean? Like, and, and, and to elevate the stakes a little bit, it, uh, yeah, it just, there was something a little sleepy about the whole thing.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
No, I get that.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
No, never, never. No, I've, I've screamed at him about that. I've, I've called him names, but, uh, no, he, we do, we do, we do have something in the can where, uh, Logan might be making an appearance on a, the new Parker tiles. Uh, but we, but that's, you know, I've not had the pleasure of being on The Real Ones until today. So I'm very excited. Thank you.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Thousand percent. I mean, you talk about summer league. When you go to Vegas for Summer League, you are hit over the head constantly with the fact that it exists. You know what I mean? The whole city. It's the whole town. Tons of marketing. And obviously there are a number of factors for that. All 30 teams are there. All their staff are there. All their fans are there.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
It's just naturally there's going to be more of a bustle in that sort of situation. But... just from a, uh, from a vibes perspective going there and it really feeling like just sort of another thing to do in Vegas. You know what I mean? That it was just, it was, it was another option for entertainment. It wasn't like the NBA didn't come there and take over in the way that I think you would, uh,
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
like it to feel like they keep they i feel like they keep liking likening it a little bit to like the super bowl like a smaller version of that yeah and when the super bowl comes to town everybody knows it and that was not the case with with the nba cup this year it just it uh it felt like it was whispering the whole time to be honest with you like hey here's this
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
this secret fun thing, come check it out. But there wasn't, it just wasn't blasting you. You know what I mean? There wasn't, there wasn't constant ads. There weren't people walking around in their team's gear, sort of, you know, reigniting all that stuff. It just, yeah, it just, it, it didn't feel as big as I thought it was going to feel.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I got there thinking that the energy was going to be kind of intense. And last year in the final, it was, but that was because the Lakers were there and Lakers fans travel well in LA, super close to Vegas, a lot of LeBron, a lot of reasons for that. Right. So I kind of thought like, okay, like the energy, it won't hit that, but it'll be similar. Yeah. And yeah, it just it never did.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And you and you wind up feeling feeling for the players because you see how hard they're going.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And it feels like it's happening almost in a vacuum. Your your your point about it feeling like. When, you know, a certain number of fans were allowed back in the arenas, but, you know, you can't pack them yet post-COVID. I mean, it was louder than that, but it was that sort of thing where the arena never felt full, really. It felt close to it sometimes, but you could always see empty seats.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You know what I mean? Yeah. It just wasn't, even in the concourse when you're walking around, like there's not that feeling when you're at a big game and you're walking around and you feel everybody excited and tense and they're worried, but they're also just like so happy to be there and they're locked in in that way.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
it didn't feel like that it was sort of it yeah um did it's a line in your story did this did the emcee on saturday during the semifinals actually refer to it as the quote infamous nba cup semifinals i did unless my ears are totally uh out of whack yes oh boy that's uh yeah I think I put this in the piece, too, where they're doing the game ball presentation.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
The Emirates cabin crew is coming out there and delivering the game ball. And after that, right before the tip-off, I'm pretty sure the PA announcer said, you are cleared for takeoff. I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure. Okay. And that's one of those things where it's like, did you have to give Emirates that too? Like, you had to do that too?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
They probably would have given you all the money without doing that. Yeah, probably. But yeah, there were just... And, and I mean, I, and I don't mean to like shit on the MCs at all. Like they're doing yeoman's work, trying to get people pumped up for these things and trying to get people excited.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And so it's, but yeah, you'd like to, uh, uh, see them be given a script that isn't quite as, uh, eyebrow raising as the, something that has existed for one year, all of a sudden being infamous.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Oh yeah. I'd see. I didn't even, I think I had turned the TV off at that point.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
No, I got to keep my cap. But actually, now that you say that, I don't think I bought a bottle of water. I think I was just skimming from the press room. And those had caps. Did they take caps off at Summer League?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
It is absolutely kid gloves in every way. It's asking the server for a plastic cup for your kid because you don't trust them with handling glass. Yeah. I mean, it just, yeah.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
No, I mean, it's certainly not good for the cup. You know what I mean? It, it, it, you can argue, um, how bad it is for it. Uh, but it doesn't, it doesn't make it look as important as the NBA wants it to look. It, it, it, uh, it loses some sheen. You know what I mean? Uh, uh,
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
having all those uh completely full mick ultras there it's you know that's just it did make me sad i want to know where those went who got to drink those ultimately did they did they go to like uh some charitable cause uh yeah i mean hopefully they gave it to just people that are working in the arena having that would be having to deal with all that um the i also i mean that the the uh
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Skeptic in me also started thinking like, wait, they're in Vegas. They probably just went to celebrate somewhere else. Yeah. Like they probably found a way to enjoy that accomplishment.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah. Yeah, that's a great point. Great point. Um, no, the, it, uh, yeah, I was, I thought it was kind of silly, you know, like when I saw it, it was sort of like, um, uh,
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
it's like that guy when, you know, you're, there's five seconds left in the game and you just hit a shot to go up one and you're, and the other team calls a timeout and you're coming back to the bench and some guy, some guy on the bench comes out and he's saying like, we just need one stop. And it's like, well, yeah, duh. We, this is sort of like, this is performative seriousness here.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Like we know that, that we just need one, you know, like the, the kind of, uh, It almost felt like more of a show to not celebrate than it would have. I don't think anybody watched the Lakers celebrate last year and thought, oh, this is silly. When they put up the banner, yes, very silly. The banner is infinitely silly and will be silly forever.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Like guys celebrating a tournament that was just made up. Like, sure. What do I care? They're going to go do it afterwards anyways. If they want to do it in the locker room, that's fine. So I kind of thought it was silly. I think it's very funny if Darvin Ham did have a big say in this.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
as if them celebrating hard when they won the NBA Cup last year is the reason that they didn't have a great second half of the season. It's just sort of, you know, I find all that to be a little much. But yeah, like, I don't know. You win a wild card game in baseball, you celebrate like crazy. Like, Who cares? Nobody has a problem with that.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah, I'm one of the, like, celebrate your victories. Sure. Like, have a good time. If we're all big boys and girls here, then obviously we all know that there's something more out there and that we can't rest on our laurels and we got to get locked in for the second half. You know what I mean? Like, it's just sort of, yeah.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yes.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Well, you can never have too many, you know?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
No.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Part of it's like the way that they lost where just like a historically bad shooting night. You know what I mean? It just sort of feels like it's a variance sort of thing. And that was a night where they just didn't have it and they didn't have it so much that it could only be that, you know? Yeah. I like... Yes, I think it would be great if the Thunder added another knockdown shooter.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Those sorts of questions that arise from a performance like that. Sometimes I think they're silly. Sometimes I think they're fine. If you have really the only... knock-down, dead-eye, they-gotta-fly-at-em kind of guy the Thunder have right now is Isaiah Joe.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
They have other guys that can shoot well within the system and sometimes have great shooting games, but you're not necessarily guarding them like, oh, no, that guy's open. We have to change the way that we're guarding, you know what I mean? So I think that those are fair things to bring up, but all in all, like, They still guarded very, very well. Yes.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Right, right. Yeah, I mean, they didn't guard Giannis well, but everything else they kind of kept in check. And I think it's also with sort of throughout this season, during the times when he's been out, like anytime anything kind of goes wrong, you do, at least I do in the back of my head, think like, well, yeah, Chet's out. He's coming back. That would have... Chet's not going to be able to...
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
But I'm I'm happy to just be him for the pot if you'd like.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
deal any blows back to Giannis physically but he's going to be another deterrent in there that makes things harder that makes rebounding easier having him and Hartenstein on the floor together I think could do some stuff where Chet's able to you know come over and help and things like that just you know make Giannis see a few more arms stuff like that so that it at least from a Thunder fan perspective those are things that are always kind of
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
in your head. You're just sort of thinking like, well, this isn't actually... what it'll look like later on in the season whenever it's, you know.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I did see that this morning. It's jarring, right?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I get it. Which I think is another aspect of why the loss doesn't hurt quite as much. You know what I mean? Yeah, it doesn't matter. None of these stats matter. The game disappears from existence. You know what I mean?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah, no. And he was devastated by that. He was really, really frustrated that there wasn't more press coverage.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You're exactly right.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
That's a good question. I haven't actually thought about weighing one era against the other in that way. Those early Durant-Westbrook teams, they were so exciting because of the... just sheer force that they would play with. You know what I mean? There was an avalanche kind of vibe to them whenever they got going. They guarded well for the most part.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Those defenses were always pretty highly ranked, but it was... kind of what they could do on offense that would kind of take the ceiling off. You know what I mean? And they were also just wildly athletic. I mean, young Ibaka was bananas.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And you add him in there with, if it's like a small ball lineup, which they didn't play enough in those days, but if you've got Ibaka at the five, whatever they had around him, They could really get up and go. And the vibes were really good at that time. I would say, though, that there was always this kind of like, well, will it work?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Like, is the fit too wonky for the team to actually get over the hump? There was also a lot of, like, noise from the outside, from, you know, national media and even local media, right, where you're sort of like – Well, should Russ be giving up more shots than he's given up to Durant? Like, you know, that sort of stuff. There was a lot of – the fit did not feel seamless in any way.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
So there was – it would be a little tenuous sometimes. You know what I mean? More doubt would creep into your fan head than you would like it to.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Right. No, I think the foundation is way more solid with this crew, and I think that all the pieces make sense. And I think that when you combine that stuff with the level that Shea has gotten to and that Dagnall is such a good coach, and not just such a good coach, but a good coach for this particular group, and that he has been –
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
uh fine-tuning and implementing this like offense and this defense throughout these rough tanking years that happened before you know the last couple it uh when you look at everything it all feels of a piece you know what i mean there doesn't feel like something that sticks out
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You know, we always used to drive into Muskogee and go to the Garden of Lights that they have there at Honor Heights Park. And yeah, it's just kind of like you'd see in a lot of other gardens and stuff like that where they've... got little light displays throughout. We used to always do that. Go get some ice cream at Brahms, things like that. Nothing too, nothing too sexy, nothing too strange.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
as well this isn't quite in line with everything else or this is the big big weak spot you know like yes they could use more shooting but you wouldn't say that it's like a glaring issue you know what I mean like there's there's a yeah there's just there's just more I think there are more assets this time around and More depth in ways that can't even be computed compared to what it used to be.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
They would have Derek Fisher closing important playoff games. you know, uh, uh, Randy Foy, you know, it, it, you know, I, I remember thinking that Daquan cook was the missing piece for those teams. You know, you're just, you're begging them to find a, a fifth guy. Reggie Jackson, Eric Maynard. Yes. Yes. Oh God.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I mean, remember the, remember the month where everybody was like trade Westbrook, Eric Maynard's ready. You know what I mean? It's just like it, some of that stuff, it was just, everything was just so charged up at that point. And they just could never quite find that fifth dude here. There's just, Dagnall is not afraid to play a lot of guys.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
All those guys know that even if they've gotten DNPs for four straight games, there's absolutely a good chance that they'll all of a sudden play 15 that night. They've developed a... team that feels very mature for how young they are. Very just professional. You know what I mean? Like, it's just like these, this is a, this is a group where every guy does their job and make sure that they're ready.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And there's not a lot of complaint. I mean, Caruso and Hartenstein have fit perfectly because you can play them as much or as little as you feel like, and no one's going to get too pissy about it. Um, and it, uh, I think that because the defense in particular is so strong and because Shea is such an unbelievable closer and scorer, they feel more ready for extended playoff runs than...
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
some of those Thunder teams did. For as good as Durant was and for as good as Westbrook was, Scott Brooks was probably never going to draw up something or have some game plan where – and there were exceptions, but on the whole, there was something missing from the bench, I think, on those teams. It doesn't feel like that here. This is a team that puts their guys in the best –
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
positions to be successful in the way that all good teams do. And yeah, like you say, everything just feels a lot more, a lot more stable. All the guys, all the guys like each other, like the, the, the bench vibes are great. There's just, there's not a lot of finger pointing. Yeah. I just, the, the waters feel a lot calmer with this one.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And I think I think I think Shay is naturally the way that he is. But I think that that he also enjoys leaving a little off the table. Yeah. For the for public consumption. I think he enjoys the mystery.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
He made himself known in other ways.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Um, nice. Yeah. No, it was great. It was, uh, you know, you turn your radio to a certain dial and they've got the songs already pre-programmed for you while you're going through there. So it's nice. Yeah. They do a lot of the work for you.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I think that's fair. I think the one thing I would push back on is, I think that Russ and Durant were... loud about loud when they played their playing styles were, I mean, Durant a little bit quieter sometimes, but definitely had the ability to like, you know, push it up a few octaves.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Obviously Russ is one of the just loudest players ever in terms of play style, in terms of personality on the court, whatever, confrontations, all that sort of stuff. Like it was just, it was, you were standing right by the amp the whole time. You know what I mean? With that team. And, and this, but I would say that Shea, Shay does just as much wild.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I can't believe he did that shit type of stuff as the other two. It's just, he's not as, um, uh, over the top about it. If that makes sense. There's like some of the stuff that Shay does, like ball handling wise is absolutely like other than Kyrie, uh,
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You're probably not going to see anything better in the league right now just in terms of handle, wiggle, shiftiness with the ball, the way he can slide through space and time and just kind of flow. He is... I find him very...
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
very very exciting and very rewarding to watch and a guy that like invites you to go look at his highlights and kind of look a little bit closer like wait what did he do that like how that looked weird for some reason but it went in and it also looked kind of smooth like but I didn't it was so subtle. I didn't catch it on the first go around. You know what I mean?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I think, I think that there's something to like, he has gotten like, I mean, he's a leopard out there. Like there's just so much grace and fluidity and strength now that, um,
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
to me, he's really, really exciting to watch, uh, just because he's one of the few guys now where I feel like I might see a finish that I haven't seen before, or at least not seen a lot of, um, both going to the rim and like the fadeaways, the turnarounds, these things that he's getting better and better at. Like it, uh,
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
he's reclining on some of these fadeaways and still making them over good contests. I think he's I think he's a guy that deserves just as much shine as Russ and at least as much as Russ got. Durant is a freak of nature scorer, the likes of which we will probably never see again, or at least not for a long time. But... Shea is also a singular scorer, I think. You know what I mean?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
In a much different way, yeah. Yeah, there are fathers to his game, right? You can see Kobe in there. You can see different little Steve Nash kind of things or whatever. But there's not... he's not doing a karaoke version of anybody. You know what I mean? Like he's, he's very much himself.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And in that way, I think he is truly special, uh, just because he leaves open the possibility for so many things that you never even knew you wanted to see. But that, you know, I'm also a massive homer and can't be trusted. But yeah, that's how I feel about that. Chet is quiet. I'll be interested to see how Chet evolves, like, not just on the court, but... in his person.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
How expressive he gets because he can be kind of loud sometimes on some of these finishes and everything. Defensively, he's just so stellar at the rim. There's going to be opportunities for explosive plays from him on that end too. I'm interested to see where that goes in the next few years, but Yeah, I think it's a very different type of Thunder team than existed before.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
That makes sense.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You did say Chris Paul the first time. You're good. Okay, good.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I'm with you. I think the crazy underrated aspect of this is that they did it with only one top five pick. They didn't, I mean, they, Never got the number one overall pick during any of this time. They have hit big on Jalen Williams, who went 12th, right? Like, they've gotten... Quezon, who went 10th, I'm pretty sure. They've just...
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
They pick up Isaiah Joe off the Sixers scrap heap after they drop him. They've just been very opportunistic with dudes like that. And, yeah, the scouting's just been very, very on point with a couple of these. I mean, like, you know, there are misses, right? RIP to Poku. But that was like – he was like the 17th pick, right? Like, you're not –
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
There you're allowed to take a little bit of a swing where you don't know how it's going to turn out.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Exactly, yeah. And so it... I... I think the turnaround is nuts. During some of that time, I know there would be some fans who would be like, God, they've been tanking forever. And it's like, well, no, COVID happened. And so that season is weird and is longer in your memory than a season actually is.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Also, before that season, there was all that talk of like, well, maybe they'll just ship Chris Paul out immediately and start the tank then. And so everyone was, and they had Gallo at that point, same thing. They were like, maybe we'll ship him out. There was a lot of discussion about the possibility of the Thunderbottoming out at that point. And so it was kind of already in the water.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And then when it did happen, I think people kind of acted like it had all, it, it had been happening before that, which wasn't like you say, like the, that, that Chris Paul team with, with, uh, him Schroeder and Shay as kind of a three headed monster there. Like, They were very, very effective. Steven Adams was still doing some stuff. Gallo couldn't move at all, but he could still shoot.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And so that was a good team considering what they had just sort of come from. This team now, I mean, their point differential is 11.9. and we're still way early in the season, that's third all-time. The only two teams that have a better point differential than that are the 96 Bulls and the 97 Bulls. This 11.9 is above the 11.6 that those 2017 Warriors the first year of Durant.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
They're in rarefied air right now. Anything can happen. The injury bug has not left them alone this year in the way that it did last year. Obviously, all those caveats need caveats. You can take the kid out of Oklahoma. You know what I mean? There are plenty of ways you can hedge your bets here, but right now...
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
The combination of this defense and just how hard driving the offense is, how hard they are to guard and how many different ways they can come at you. It's it's historic stuff right now. It doesn't mean it's going to stay that way. But. If. if they had had a little bit more success last year, if they had got to the Western conference finals, you know what I mean?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Or even the finals or something like that. I, I think that people would be doing a better job of putting in proper context, just how nuts they are right now. I mean, they're, they're, they're first, as far as this season goes, the next closest to them point differential wise is the calves at like, I think it's like 10.6 or something. And so it's, they are, uh, way above the crowd on that.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And that doesn't mean everything, obviously. But this is a very, very scary team that has a very, very high floor because of how hard they play defense. And
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
It's hard to catch them on a night where you're not going to see them sleepy in the way that you would see some of those Paul George, Carmelo, Russ teams where they would show up and you'd just be like, you all know the game started like five minutes ago, right?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I think that's the weirdest part is like, it's not as if they were a surprise. It's not like when the, you know, a couple years ago when the Grizzlies all of a sudden are kind of, you know, dynamite and up at the top of the West and people maybe didn't think that. Like it... They were the one seed in the West last year. Everybody knew they were going to be better.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
His... It's always... you always, I mean, I will forget it too sometimes because it was, I mean, it was just for a year and there were so many other, uh, issues going on with that. You know, you don't, yeah. And I mean, there, there's, you know, uh, Andre Robertson got hurt that year in a game in, uh, uh,
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
in Detroit, I think he broke, he either broke his leg or something with his knee or something like that. I think it was on like December 17th and up till that point, like the thunder were rolling. And then after that, just, it shouldn't have been the case, but Roberson was holding up the defense in ways that nobody understood at that point. And so, you know,
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
the ground falls out and there's also a problem if Andre Robertson goes out and everything goes to shit, right? Like you have deeper issues if that's the case. I love him to death, but that just, I just feels like a fact. Um, but yeah, this, this is, this is, it's kind of bonkers what they're doing right now.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And if it continues like post all-star, we've got, we've got some, we've got something pretty historic on our hands.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I mean, getting to start your rebuild with somebody like that, uh, who has just improved every single year. Like, he just keeps showing you can't really put a ceiling on what he's going to be because just every year he gets better. But, yeah, I mean, I think that pick and write coach-wise with Dagnall is huge. That was, you know, like...
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Dagnall had been in the Thunder system since he arrived in the league from Florida whenever Presti picked him, sort of plucked him out of there. And, you know, he had been the Thunder G League coach for a little while. It wasn't some splashy, you know, let's go get somebody who knows how to win kind of thing. You know what I mean?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Like they, to their credit, they knew what they had and it's paid off.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Everybody knew they'd added Caruso and Hartenstein and that they just projected to go up a notch. You know what I mean? So, yeah, when the slate dropped, I was pretty – it's one of those things like you're surprised and at the same time you're like, well, of course, that's how –
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
cautious optimist it there there is a strong part of me howard that's like very uh thinking about this in the way that durant uh is thinking about this which is can we just go back to east west like what is why do i gotta learn all these no i know i know it's but like it did it and it did there but sometimes i do think like can we quit with the tinkering
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
In this case, the reason that I am cautiously optimistic is, A, play into 40. I think that's really smart because teams will know where they stand the whole time. They can't wait until the fourth to maybe start trying. there's incentive for them to be locked in and locked in early.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I mean, it was a minute, I think, before even those Russ KD teams, you know, and they had sort of more immediate wattage than this current Thunder team. Like, it was even a minute before they kind of started acknowledging them as, like, a thing. You know what I mean? So, I think it's stupid. I think it's not good for the league to not highlight the...
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I think, I think the young kids play in the old guys thing is smart because I do think there'll be, this is a way for the young kids to show out a little bit and kind of explore the space with these older dudes. And I think the older dudes are not going to want to get shown up by them. I think that will definitely be, bump up the competition.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
So because of those two things, I am, I'll definitely be watching. You know what I mean? Like it, there, there are some years where you turn it on in the first quarter goes the way it goes. And you're just kind of like, all right, like what's on, what's on HBO right now. This is enough. Like, but it, uh, the, that play in the 40 thing, I think is smart.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Having a target score like that, I think will, um, You're not going to let a guy just... I mean, maybe they will. I don't know. But it feels like they would be less likely to let some guy dribble into a three just easily three times in a row. There's going to be less kind of runways for dunks, right?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Because every now and again, they're just giving up entirely on... I mean, pretty much the whole game, right? They're just... Transition defense is not a thing. guys are just going to the rim and players are giving them the opportunity to do the coolest thing they can possibly do. There is a part of me that likes that, but more of me likes that.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
We might actually see some collisions at the rim now. You know what I mean? Like I, it, uh, I like that. And I like there being not just two teams, you know what I mean? Like that there's going to be able to be... That allows for more alphas, you know, kind of, I think. And yeah, I just think you'll get a better sense for... how guys play together in those sorts of situations.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You know what I mean? Like the, there's so much just individual play in these all-star games. It's, you know, if they're assists, it's one Pat it's, you know,
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Even the fans that are fine with that, with those lobs and threes and everything, it's not as if they're not going to be more fine with highly competitive basketball. The people that like that stuff and enjoy it, they will also be enjoying... It will still be there. Yes.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
best teams that you have the best talent and product that you have on the floor i think that that's uh small market or not i think it's just a little bit foolish um and yeah they've kind of uh they've done some strange stuff i mean before the before the final of the uh in-season tournament Or the NBA Cup, rather. Excuse me. Apologies to Emirates.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah, that first year with the Elam ending and when it was LeBron's team versus Giannis' team that first year, I think that fourth quarter, because they were playing for the two different charities too, it was like if LeBron's team won.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And they had the kids there from their respective charities. I thought that game was very intense. That was one of Embiid's finest moments, that game, if I recall. Guys went hard. And then, like you say, it did fall off a cliff.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Oh, dude. Had a great, great time. I appreciate you having me.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I'm great, man. How are you doing?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You sound great. No, you sound good.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I think that's the most common term. I think you hit the nail on the head.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Before that, the NBA, I saw in a tweet, I think, did a little get-to-know-Shea kind of thing. And it's like, hey, y'all shouldn't really feel the need to do this. This is an all-NBA dude. That you think that it's necessary is showing that y'all have not invested enough in making sure that the public is aware of this guy.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah, I mean, I've been on a couple different two-ways, so I've kind of used this a little bit. But I think also this is the first year I've started somewhere on a contract. And, you know, just the balancing. Speaking of the break and the general, like, being able to follow this schedule, you know, you balance –
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
being ready for the NBA when you get your opportunity, but also trying to be successful in the G League while you're there. So that's why I'm super excited about these series and these episodes coming out because people can see how sometimes difficult and exciting this lifestyle is, man. So yeah, being my first time starting out on an NBA contract, it's an honor and really cool.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah, I think that when you're not on a two-way, you want a two-way. And then when you're on the two-way, you want to protect the two-way. So it's a double-edged sword there. But I think also Orlando is so good with communicating with everybody. I trust this organization when they tell they want to see certain things out of me. So I'm really just trying to do – what they need from me.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And, you know, when the time's right, if there is time, I'll be ready, you know? And, um, yeah, I can only say great things about this organization and how they've really treated me and been open with me.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah. I mean, like you said, it's tough. Rosters change everything. I think, um, I was put in a really good situation by my coach and teammates, and, you know, I felt like I've had strong years in the G, and it kind of just worked out time and place. But I think really what helped me is each year I don't focus on certain goals, but the only one thing is, like, how do I get better? My goals are –
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
taking my weaknesses each year and becoming more each year. How can I be better than I was last year? And that's really my only mindset. And I feel like that kind of helps me from thinking of distractions or wanting certain things that maybe aren't right for me. So shout out to the development team with the G League and the front office.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
They all helped me grow and gave me some pointers they wanted me to work on. And, you know, my game was flowing near the end of the season. And I was really honored to get that award. That award meant a lot to me and made me feel great. you know, really good.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
A lot of it's timing, you know, and you don't wish anything bad upon anybody. And I think my goal for this year is really just to be – you know, I've shown a lot in the G League of scoring and, you know, won a championship and those things. And I think this year is about managing the game, being a point guard, really showing that I can dominate off –
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
not scoring you know and passing and being a leader that's important for me this year and you know i think a lot of it is god's timing and and it being the right situation for you and But I don't look at it like that. You know what I mean? I'm going to apply pressure as much as possible. That's important for me to apply pressure each year.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I think it's ridiculous, but I also it wasn't your jaw's not on the floor, right? This is how the league operates. They're pushing Wimby. I think they knew the Spurs weren't going to be that good this year, but they're pushing Wimby hard. And so they're going to put them there. They're very invested in Anthony Edwards, like an American star on the come up. So they're going to have them there.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Most definitely. I think, you know, teams do the research and they know players. And I think, and if, you know, you have a horrible game, I don't think it represents you for the rest of the year or anything, but I think, um, I've seen players change their lives off of this showcase.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You know, I've seen players get a call up and be on that team for two years, you know, and like, I've obviously this, so many call-ups come from this showcase right here. I know everyone feels, um, that moment, but I think it's also important to be yourself, you know, play the right way, play the game, but like be yourself. Don't, don't put too much pressure on it.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You know, we work too hard for too long to, you know, put too much pressure on this weekend, you know, just be yourself and play the right way.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I mean, I kind of like it because I can, you know, people comes, you know, I hear people in the crowd dunk, dunk. But like it's like a chance to like me show you like, yo, I can hoop. I can't wait to show you guys like I'm a lot more than a dunker. And, you know, I can dominate the game in different ways. And that's that's something that always excites me, almost like as like a challenge.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
So I don't ever feel pressure to dunk. I feel like it's like an opportunity to show people like other exciting points in my game and, you know, how I play basketball.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah, I think the first time when we met and, you know, you asking that question, I was so lost because I think that weekend I remember I had like. 10 interviews in 10 hours, you know, straight. And it was all the biggest ones. And I was like, man, this is incredible, blah, blah, blah. But like, there was so much going on.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Like you said, like when I go to the airport, you know, right after, obviously the tension is higher than ever. And I was so overwhelmed. I wouldn't say lost. Let me read. I was so overwhelmed and trying to adjust to all of it. Coming to it last year, I had a little bit more comfortability knowing what was going to happen. I do feel like,
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You know, it was, you know, maybe people that didn't watch the year before watched that. I felt like it built it up more. And I felt like I definitely felt, you know, more than I have when I first started the G League. People noticing me and, you know, coming up to me. And, you know, I think those contests have definitely changed my life in that aspect.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
But it has also brought really cool partnerships, cool people, and great relationships into my life as well. So there's definitely a positive more than negative.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Really just... I think just my boys being able to be a part of it, man. I can't explain how much, like I have such cool best friends, you know, and they always come and us just being able to live that life together. I'll never forget those memories. Us just being there and feeling like, you know, the world was watching for, you know, that first time. That's how it felt, you know?
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And it was so cool to be from such a small town and then like be able to experience that with my best friends. Like I'll never take that for granted.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah, I had to have him a part of it for sure.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You know, the sons, the warriors, the Lakers, the Mavs, like these are all, you know, large market teams with some wattage behind them. Uh, uh, that is either still earning that wattage or is coasting off what they've done in the past. You know what I mean? But it wasn't something that blew me away, but it was definitely disappointing.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah, I don't think I can relate to the level of attention. I don't think I have to deal with as near as much attention as he does, and I can't relate to that. I think... You know, it must be incredibly hard for something to go well one day and everyone celebrates you. And I'll stop myself.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I heard a quote once, you know, people will say you're the best thing that ever happened, and then they'll say you're the worst thing that ever happened, and you're neither of those things. And I think, you know, I think Bronny's on God's plans for him, and I'm wishing him the absolute best. I think he's doing a great job. I think –
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
none of us in the g league have had to deal with the pressure he has right now but um you know i believe in him and i think the best is yet to come for him have you seen much of him just in terms of play and i assume you guys gonna be checking each other this weekend that you have a sense of what that matchup will be like yeah i mean how could you not i think he's all over the internet and i um i've seen him play i think he's a good player man i think um we all go through growing pains good and bad and i think um
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I think he's doing a great job.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I always joke and say you're the first person to ask me that. But I think it's fine.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
No, it's funny. No, I understand. I think the most funny of all this is like every time it's over with, you want to be like, man, like I won the dunk contest. You know, that's it. You know, then the first question, you're going to do it again next year. And every time that's the first question. And then those questions just keep rumbling in. But I think I'm really thinking and praying on it.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I think that if I do it, I really want to be prepared and I want to put a lot of effort into it. So I'm just seeing if it's right for me right now. And I'm really thinking on it.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yeah, that's very tough. I'll start off by saying, yeah, it's extremely tough to think of more things, but it being the NBA dunk contest, it deserves that pressure. It's such an amazing contest that Yeah, it deserves that pressure. It should be. It's such a special stage that I like that pressure. You know what I mean? I'm going to if I do it, I'm going to work my tail off.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
You know, each year I've worked so hard to try to make great dunks and think of new things. But yes, it is extremely challenging on your mind and body and stressful because you want the fans to love what you do and they want you want them to see the hard work you put in. So. Yeah, I'm just going to pray on a thing if it's right for me.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And I probably won't do it if I feel like I haven't, you know, put enough time in or and have something that the people will like.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
For me now, yeah, I think gratitude is always the key to happiness for me. And I think just enjoy becoming. Each year I'm trying to become more, and it's so important for me this year in my mind just to enjoy becoming. I don't know what's going to happen in my life, but I'm trying to become more as a person, as a player every day, and I enjoy the process of that, and that makes me happy.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Absolutely.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Right.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Sure.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
And, and was for, I mean, the first team all NBA, I think like it, it, I think the weird thing for me is like, if Shea was American, they'd be playing on Christmas. Yeah. That's kind of how I feel, honestly.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Oh, no. I love our neighbors to the north. Yeah. I've thought before, and I'm sure other people have brought this up, but- part of me thinks like in the way that, you know, NFL will kind of flex certain games and things like that.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Like, I almost wonder if you can have a set sort of schedule, like, okay, these teams are playing on Christmas, but Hey, Sixers, if you're absolutely garbage, then you might not get to like, if it's not a, if it's not a Sixers home game or something like that, you know what I mean? Like, cause sometimes when, when, a team has just shit the bed, frankly, in a certain season and not wound up
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
where everyone thought they were going to be like made total sense at the beginning of the year to have them in that slot. Um, but now it's just a little anticlimactic there. You know what I mean? And so I, it, that I'm sure that's not, uh, possible for the schedules ours.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I'm sure that there are a number of factors that I'm not considering, but you'd like to see them be able to be a little bit more, um, adaptable to make sure that all the games that they are going to be showing are games with like the potential to be compelling. You know what I mean? It, uh, yeah.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
It really did come out of nowhere.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
No, I hear you.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
Yes.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
I would say I'm leaning towards your skeptical, agnostic kind of vibe, to be honest with you. The weird thing is that the basketball, up until the final when the Thunder just got roasted, right? But the basketball up until then was very good. And both semifinals were hotly contested, teams actually guarding and really getting down and making things happen. The games were in question late.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
There were plenty of opportunities for the crowd to get into it. Because it's at a neutral court and because it's at a time where a lot of people are about to be traveling for the holidays and probably can't hop on another plane this quickly sort of out of nowhere, not, or not out of nowhere, but you don't know if you're going to, if your team's going to make it or not. Right.
The Ringer NBA Show
NBA Cup Thunder Takeaways and New All-Star Format With Tyler Parker. Plus, Mac McClung on the G-League, ‘The Break,’ and His Dunk Contest Future. | Real Ones
So it's kind of, you, you have the making people have to, uh, be flexible with their travel arrangements and things like that. Plus it being at a neutral court, uh, Not as many fans of the teams are going to be there. And so there was just a lack of energy sometimes in the building that was at odds with what was happening on the court. You know what I mean?