Mitchell on Adebayo's 83-point performance, the greatness of the game and surpassing Bryant's record

Sam is a fashionable guy. Here he is, our TSN NBA analyst, Sam Mitchell. What's happening, Sam?

What's up, guys? How are we feeling after, uh,

BAM passed Kobe last night? I thought you guys were phenomenal on the panel last night.

It's too bad Kate added you for drinking ginger ale, but was it that much of a celebration for you or

what? No, I really wasn't, guys, and, and, and, and you know me, man, I never really think about,

I get a kind of a kick out of it when people call me on the anniversary and talk about it and get

my perspective. It was never something I was embarrassed about. Look, obviously you don't want

something like that to happen, you know, as a player or as a coach, but it happened. And I don't

look at it as it was good or bad. I just look at it as one of the many experiences that I experienced

as a player in the coach. You know, our guys, I was fortunate enough to be on the floor when

Reggie Miller scored those baskets against the nicks. And I often wonder how did the nicks feel?

You know, how did John Stark's feel? You know, after I filed him and he goes down to the

free throw line, the other end, it missed two free throws. So I've been a part of a lot of different

experiences. Some came out to my favor. Some didn't, but I never looked at those things when I

looked back on my career as good and bad. I just look at those things as experiences and

you know, the fact that, you know, I had that connection and that thing happen. That night happened

with Kobe Bryant. And guys, the beautiful thing for me was that years later, I got a chance to

interview Kobe when I was doing a show with series. And it was not it was not a highlight of his

career. It was, you know, when we talked about it, it was something that he had to do that night

to win that game. And so I always felt like if he put it in that perspective and he

did it, you know, where do I put it? And so it was just something that it happened. I was a part of,

but I was a part of a lot of different experiences throughout my career.

Sam, what do you think about just, you know, do you think people, somebody would have

went up to him and said, you know, do you really want to do this? Or do you think that was in question?

And just the legitimacy of it. Our host Dave here, he thought that the reps were in on it.

And it like playing a terrible team, not in on it. Those are the exact words you said.

They were whistle happy at the end of the game. I think the reps were more than happy to see

Bam get the 83 points. And and here, all of you guys know this, we've been guilty of this

in our life about a lot of things. We've all set around. I know when I was a player, the guy got

dropped 50 on somebody. You know, you're sitting in a locker room, man, that had never happened to me.

Before I let that happen, you know, I finally, my I do this. I break his arm as a coach,

you know, when a guy when a guy scores 70, man, I never let that happen to my team. I put five

guys on him. I do this. You know, you sit around and you talk about all this stuff with all this

provider and stuff. We all do it. Everybody who's an athlete who plays a coach always in their coaching

rules and in the locker room with players, say these things. But guess what? If you play this game,

if you coach this game, anything can happen. And so my thing for the young coach that this happened

to is that deal with it. You know, people going to think you're a dummy. They're going to think

you're the worst coach ever. But that's part of being in this business. It comes with it. Now,

learn from it. You can either grow from it or you can let this really crush you, understand

something coached. Yeah, the players are going to put it on you. You know, I did interview

the day with Dave Festchuck and he was like, well, a couple of players after that game threw you

on the bus. No, you know what? What do you think play us going to do? I ain't never to play us

fault when you're a coach. That just comes with the territory. So, God, again, that's just the nature

of the beast is something that happened. Understand it, grow from it. But, you know, you got to learn

to put this in the proper perspective of the young coach. And it's only going to make you

better if you're tough and if you grow from it. But it's just part of the business, man. So,

I never let it go to me because I always felt like I was tough enough. I can handle the good. Look,

man, I handled all the praise that came with coach of the year when I won that. So, handle the things

that come with COVID Brian dropping 81 on your team. So, Sam, you watched obviously up close

and personal the Kobe one last night's game. Was there a lot of difference in the context of it?

Like I say, Brian and we were talking about it earlier whether the refs were in it or the other team

or, you know, you watched and you said Kobe needed to do that night what was possible to win that

game. You know, or the game side by side were they a lot different and how they arrived at the 80

plus points. Absolutely. I don't think Kobe shot 43-3 throws. I do a lot of filing going on. I

hear what you guys are saying, but they can be from bam perspective. If bam is out there playing hard

and the other team is filing, what are the referees supposed to do? Because this is what happens.

They're filing. They don't bam don't get the call. Now, bam gets mad. The coach get mad.

All the cases happen. Now what? The referees have a responsibility. Their job is not to watch the

score. That ain't their job. In the time I hear the officials say, well, I was watching the score

and I decided, no, you're cheating. Your job is scored. Every time there's a trip up and down the

court, the game should be zero zero. If you're watching this score or if you are aware of who's got

how many files you are cheating, that's just my feeling. So if the other guys out there are playing

the filing, if you're trying to lose like Washington, people think they're taking trying to lose. If

you put guys out there, they don't know how to play. That's on the Washington. That's on their

organization. That's on them. I'm not going to take anything away from bam or coach Spowe. Look,

this may be the greatest thing that ever happens to bam. Why should coach Spowe take this opportunity

away from him? It's on Washington to stop it. And the fact that Miami, yeah, they committed some

files to try to give bam more opportunities. Amen. If you're watching, go stop it. We tried everything

that I could think of as a coach to try to stop Kobe to stop him. Not only from getting to 81,

but to win the game. And to his credit, and to his greatness, he did it. I felt like my players

tried hard. I know myself as a coach. I coached my butt off that night. He was just better, live

with it and deal with it. We're in conversation with Sam Mitchell here. Dave go ahead. Thank you.

Sam, you mentioned coach Spowe. And I appreciated this post game. He took no, he didn't apologize for

anything. Like it's his guy. Of course. And I, he was all in on it. And they chased it and they

got it. What I found interesting was other coaches in the league going on the record after their

games. Like you doka did last night, JJ Reddick in LA last night. And they seem to take issue with it

in the way the game played out. Do you think Spolster's got to explain himself? Okay. So the other

coach rocks in glass houses, right? Well, that's what they were going to point out some of the things

that they've done. And I'm not going to get into that guy. This is not my job to protect

air exposure. He's won championship. He's considered the best coaching league. Those two guys can

learn a lot from coach Spowe. But this is what I would say to those guys. All right. Who do you

all elegious to? Does coach Spowe's are all elegious to ban them or to the other guys around

league? My job is to take care of my guy. If I'm looking at my guys eyes in that hole,

I got it. By the way, it goes out there. Lays is on the line every night for me. I got it

goes out there at six eight in the in place on the side as a sinner and get the crap beat out of

him every night and never complain. He got a chance to do some only one other player and to break

a record and move past the guy like Kobe Bryant, who's all time great. I'm going to take that away

from him because I'm worried about what J. J. Reddick and E. M. Edelker, what the high they feel

about it? Man, go get rocks somewhere. Go in a few championships and then have an opinion. But

in Kevin, I think they're explosive records speaks for themselves. Well, let me ask you about,

you know, the game you guys were covering last night. And then you guys, it was surprising me

about that. Those two guys played in the league. They understand it. If you got a problem with it,

stop it. Yeah. I don't get mad at God. If you get if you get fifth on me, it's my job to stop it.

This is no mercy league. Guys, I grew up in the league. I got a Kevin gunnet every single day in

practice. You know, I'm a slackie cut me nine talking trash to me, talking crazy to me, telling me

old man, if you want mercy quit, go to the retirement home. But guess what that did for me? I played

until I was 40. Now, who benefited from that? I played until I was 40. Do you think I would have

played until I was 40 if I was in practice every day, playing against the guy that cut me flat

or because I was playing against the guy that showed me no mercy, right? Made me earn it.

Every summer, I worked my ass off. You know why? Because if I could guard Kevin, going

into practice every day and he was going at me with his bed, then I could guard anybody.

He extended my career with helped me make a lot more money than if I would have been done at 35,

36, like a lot of guys. Well, where you played throughout your career, I'm sure you were isolated

one on one with Michael Jordan a few times. Can you recall any of those moments and if so,

I can see you in the video right now. He have dunking on me. Yeah. You remember that?

I'll never do. Yeah, I guess. Absolutely. But guys, again, I don't wake up in a cold sweat.

I've dunked on people. I can see you a video of me dunking on Sam Boer. I can see you a video of

me dunking on Mark E. Guys, I've just seen you a video of me doing a lot of things like a lot of

guys. If you play in his league, things are going to happen. It's just part of the game and it's

just part of what happened. So again, I look at those things as great experiences. Guys,

I don't look at those things and I hate that they happen. I look at those things as part of my

life, part of my career. Yeah, not the greatest moments, but guess what? Those are moments.

Now, this is my thing. Did I grow from it? Did I learn from it? Did I get better from it?

Did I learn how to handle something that was an embarrassment? That's something people made

to find out. People thought I was a dummy from it. Like that coach is going to learn. Brian is

going to coach Keith is going to learn. People think you're a dumb coach. That's part of it.

You know what? How do you grow from it? You know, how do you walk out that arena and hold your

head high? You know, are you comfortable with knowing that you did your best? Are you

comfortable with feeling that the players that you had on the floor? Did they do their best?

Was bam just that much better? You got to ask those questions and answer those questions.

And if there's a no to any of those questions, then you got to learn and grow from it and demand

from your players. I felt like that night, regardless of what my player said, because I watched

that game. I coached that game. I was involved in that game emotionally, physically, mentally.

I felt like the players on the floor that night gave me their best. He was just that much better.

So always great catching up with you Sam. We appreciate you finding time for us. We'll do it again

soon. Hi guys. Anytime. There is Sam Mitchell.

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