Episode 59 — May 19, 2025

The Cavs just ended Detroit's Cinderella run in Game 7, the Western Conference Finals tip tonight, and SGA is a back-to-back MVP. It's a packed Tuesday and we are not slowing down.

We open with a proper Last Rites obituary for the 2024–25 Detroit Pistons — a team that made the entire NBA uncomfortable for two straight rounds before running out of miracles. From there, we break down what this playoff run revealed about Detroit's biggest roster questions heading into the offseason: what do you do with Jalen Duran on a contract year after he disappeared when it mattered most? Is a bridge deal the move? And can they surround Cade Cunningham with the shooting he desperately needs? Erb throws out Andrew Wiggins as a name, Isaiah floats a raided OKC bench — and somehow we end up talking Slam Ball.

Then we shift to the Eastern Conference Finals. Cleveland is battle-tested but banged up with 49% more starter minutes logged than New York heading in. The Knicks have been rolling — but they always Nick. We break down both sides, talk Donovan Mitchell flipping the switch, Harden's inconsistency, and whether this is simply the year New York has to capitalize or potentially miss the window forever.

Out West, we preview what might be the greatest conference finals matchup in years — OKC Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs. Two elite teams, historic point differentials, and the stage set for Wemby to plant his flag as the true face of the NBA. But Isaiah argues the series actually hinges on whether Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper can survive walking into that OKC defensive hornet's nest.

We also cover SGA officially joining the multi-MVP club, Shams leaking the announcement before the ceremony, and what that says about ESPN in 2025. Then — NHL controversy. John Tortorella refused handshakes, locked the locker room, and the NHL responded by stripping Vegas of a second-round pick through 2030. Erb has thoughts, and they are not printable. We wrap up with the Carolina Hurricanes as legit Cup contenders, an Avalanche-Canes Finals prediction, and a brief detour into the Anthony Edwards handshake saga and what it means for his legacy.

Oh, and Erb got hit by a tornado warning mid-record. Only on DQU.

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Episode 51 | Wemby Throws Hands, The NBA Draft Lottery, NFL Schedule Chaos & More

Erb has a new dungeon — we mean office — and he's already at war with a four-inch centipede. Isaiah's rocking a new backdrop courtesy of a Christmas gift from Erb's mom (shoutout Kelly), and he came home from the farm with a medical-grade red light therapy device that apparently knows where your body is messed up. Standard pre-show stuff.

Then we get into it. Wembanyama threw elbows in Game 4 against the Timberwolves, got ejected on a Flagrant 2, and somehow walked away without a fine. Isaiah and Erb break down whether the punishment fit the crime, how Minnesota is running on fumes without DiVincenzo, and what it means for the Wolves to potentially survive the Spurs only to stare down a rested OKC Thunder squad in the conference finals. We also get into the LeBron retirement question — is he coming back, and does he pull the Derek Jeter farewell tour move?

The NBA Draft Lottery shook things up. Washington lands the No. 1 pick and AJ DeBança. Chicago jumps to No. 4. The Nets and Kings fall off the board when they needed it most. We debate Boozer vs. Caleb Wilson for the Bulls, what Utah actually does with the No. 2 pick, and whether Darius Acuff is a dog or just a Sacramento project waiting to happen.

On the NFL side, the 2026 schedule dropped — sort of. We break down the Cowboys and Giants on SNF Week 1, Dallas hosting Philly on Thanksgiving, the season kicking off on a Wednesday out of Australia, nine international games total, and the Eagles drafting a Nigerian specimen who may never have seen a football until a few months ago.

We close with a new segment: Verified or Unverified? — calling our own takes to account. Is Mike Trout actually back? Is Bobby Witt Jr. the most underrated player in baseball? Are the OKC Thunder the most boring great team in recent memory? And are the Carolina Hurricanes the Stanley Cup favorites after going 8-0 to start the playoffs?

No take too hot. Nothing fully verified.

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We made it to episode 50 and we're not taking it for granted — confetti cannons out! To celebrate the milestone, we kick things off reflecting on a year (almost) in the books, our AI-assisted production process, and whether or not Erb has ever verbally abused ChatGPT (he has).

Then we get into the meat of it — the 2026 NFL Draft. We grade our mock draft, crown our winners and losers, and make the case for why the New York Giants had the best draft in the league while the Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings were the biggest disappointments. We also get into the tight end reach epidemic that apparently infected every war room in the league, the Jermod McCoy fall to the fourth round, Zion Young sliding to the Ravens, and Ohio State's historic stranglehold on the first 11 picks.

From there we shift to the NBA Playoffs — Isaiah defends the Timberwolves amid injuries and a heated Nuggets-Wolves rivalry, Erb officially concedes the GOAT debate and hands LeBron James the crown at 41 years old (yes, really), and we break down the Lakers-Rockets series including a shoutout to the most underrated shooter in the league, Luke Kennard. We also get into the Knicks-Hawks series, CAT's inconsistency, and the Toronto Raptors quietly making everyone look foolish.

We close out with a shoutout to Olivia Pichardo making D1 baseball history at Brown University, and Isaiah announces he's all-in on cricket — Royal Challengers Bangalore and Virat Kohli, baby. Erb is picking a rival team. The pronunciation disasters are coming next week.

50 down. Many more to go. Don't quote us.

It's Episode 49 of Don't Quote Us Sports, and we are locked in. Isaiah and Erb kick things off with a Happy 420 to those who celebrate, a deep dive into how the pyramids were actually built (spoiler: Isaiah is not convinced), and a crash course on why cricket might be the second most popular sport in the world — whether we like it or not.

From there, it's a proper sports talk episode. We open NFL Draft week with a full breakdown of the Dexter Lawrence trade to the Bengals for the 10th overall pick and what it means for both franchises. We break down how "Sexy Dexy" single-handedly transformed the Giants' defense with his on/off splits and why Cincinnati is officially in win-now mode with Joe Burrow on the clock. We also get into the Eagles' calculated move to trade AJ Brown to the Patriots — and where AJ ranks in fantasy drafts this year. Then we set our sights on the Raiders and the growing buzz that Kirk Cousins may actually start over #1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza Week 1. Is this a development move or a disaster waiting to happen? We debate it. Oh, and a massive personal shoutout — a kid from Isaiah's high school just made his NHL debut with the Philadelphia Flyers. Prior Lake, stand up.

Then the NBA Playoffs come roaring in. Opening weekend delivered, and we've got full reactions: LeBron looking ageless with a historic stat line in Game 1 against Houston (with Austin Reeves AND Luka Doncic out), Victor Wembanyama going nuclear in his playoff debut with 35 points and five threes — and picking up Defensive Player of the Year in the process — and the Pistons getting stunned at home by the Magic in a game where Cade Cunningham basically played on one lung and nobody else showed up. We hand out our official Round 1 locks, weigh in on the Nuggets-Timberwolves opening game and the Jamal Murray free throw situation (Isaiah has thoughts), and give our Wolves hero pick for this series.

The MVP race gets its moment too — Jokic's numbers are historically absurd, voter fatigue is real, and Isaiah has a wine analogy that just might be the most poetic thing ever said on this pod.

Episode 50 is next week. Big one.

Subscribe, like, follow, and tell somebody. No take too hot and nothing fully verified — this is Don't Quote Us Sports.

It's Episode 48 and life has been happening — Isaiah's coming off a Cam Whitcomb concert in NC and Erb has big news: a move to a new townhouse is on the horizon. That means one thing — furniture shopping, and apparently Bob's Discount Furniture isn't quite the deal it advertises. We also solve the age-old debate of Charmander vs. Bulbasaur (one of us is wrong), and Isaiah floats the idea of theater seating in Erb's new living room.

Once we get into sports, we start by giving the Michigan Wolverines their proper flowers after a dominant national championship run — 19-point average margin of victory and a story for the ages in Elliott Cadell, the point guard UNC didn't want who became the heartbeat of a title team. We also discuss the curse of Tarris Reed, the case for moving basketball games back out of football stadiums, and the Bulls' quiet blessing of missing the play-in entirely.

Then it's NFL Draft season. Fernando Mendoza is all but locked in at #1 to the Raiders, but we dig into whether the Jets are behind a suspicious smear campaign, the Laremy Tunsil/bong mask energy of the Ty Simpson situation, and who the most surprising first-round pick might be (Caleb Downs falling out of the top 10? Drew Allar going way earlier than you think?). We also settle the Mendoza vs. Simpson debate once and for all — kind of.

The Lakers' injury nightmare is real. Luka's in Spain getting hamstring injections. Reeves is out 4-6 weeks. Their title odds collapsed from 30-1 to 300-1. We break down what a healthy-roster-free first round looks like against Houston and ask the big question: what does the LeBron contract situation look like this summer — and is he actually willing to prove he wants to win?

Angel Reese is heading to Atlanta. The Chicago Sky got two first-rounders and what might be a fresh start. We give it the respect it deserves.

And finally — Masters Week. Rory's defending. Scheffler's rusty. Bryson fits the 10 and 20-year statistical profile of a winner exactly. Isaiah likes Matt Fitzpatrick as a sleeper. We talk Tommy Fleetwood's kid stealing the Par 3 show, Matsuyama getting the respect he deserves, and why Master's merch has officially gone too far. No Tiger. No Phil. For the first time since 1994.

No Take Too Hot and Nothing Fully Verified.

UConn is back at it again. Isaiah and Erb kick off Episode 47 with one of the most unbelievable moments of this year's NCAA Tournament — a 35-foot, buzzer-beating three from a freshman who grew up just 30 minutes from Lucas Oil Stadium, capping an insane comeback from 19 points down. From there, the guys dig into what this run means for Dan Hurley's legacy and the hard question nobody wants to ask: is John Scheyer starting to build a pattern of late-game collapses at Duke?

Then it's a full pivot to baseball season. Isaiah and Erb run through their 2025 MLB MVP predictions for both leagues — is it Aaron Judge's award to lose in the AL? Is Shohei Ohtani even beatable in the NL? They throw out their dark horses, debate whether Cal Raleigh can top last year's 60-homer catcher season, and make the case for Wyatt Langford as a sleeper pick. The guys also speed-run every division with their winners and dark horses before closing out with some milestone watch items to keep an eye on all season long — from Judge chasing 400 home runs to Ronald Acuña Jr. hunting history.

Oh, and robot umpires. Yeah, they went there.

Topics covered: UConn's miracle comeback • Dan Hurley's all-time case • John Scheyer under the microscope • AL & NL MVP predictions • Division winners & dark horses • MLB milestones to watch • The robot umpire debate

Don't Quote Us Sports — Episode 47

Episode 46 of Don't Quote Us Sports is here and we're breaking down everything from opening weekend of March Madness — the upsets, the blowouts, the controversies, and the bigger questions facing college basketball.

We kick things off with jersey number trivia for #46 before diving deep into rounds one and two of the tournament, including the Kentucky-Santa Clara clock controversy, VCU's insane comeback over UNC, and what Iowa and Nebraska's runs mean for the Big Ten's basketball identity. We also get into the NIL era's impact on mid-major programs, whether legacy coaches like Hubert Davis and Mark Few are on their way out, and what a UNC head coaching search could look like.

Plus — SGA breaks Wilt Chamberlain's scoring streak, and Travis Kelce may have just pulled off the heist of the year on the Chiefs.

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 — Intro & #46 Jersey Number Trivia (Andy Pettitte, Todd Christensen, David Krejci)

4:43 — The origin of Buddy Ryan's famous "46 Defense" & the story of Don Fleming

8:44 — March Madness Opening Weekend: Winners & Losers

9:41 — Are mid-majors dying in the NIL era? How to fix the Cinderella problem

15:17 — NIL deep dive: Are donors getting their money's worth?

23:56 — Winners: Iowa, Nebraska's historic Sweet 16 run & Alabama

29:45 — Game Breakdown: Kentucky vs. Santa Clara — the timeout controversy

32:22 — Isaiah's 0-4 betting record & Erb's winning parlays

36:11 — VCU's 19-point comeback over UNC & Terrence Hill Jr.'s performance

38:52 — Is Hubert Davis done at North Carolina?

47:00 — Nebraska's Sweet 16 run & the Fred Hoiberg era

53:58 — Texas upsets Gonzaga: How do we evaluate Mark Few's legacy?

1:33:00 — Shoutout: SGA breaks Wilt's consecutive 20-point game record

1:34:45 — Travis Kelce's new Chiefs deal: highway robbery or deserve it?

NFL free agency is officially here—and the league is already in absolute chaos.

In Episode 45 of Don’t Quote Us Sports, Isaiah and Erb break down the biggest signings, shocking trades, and controversial contracts from the start of the NFL offseason.

From Maxx Crosby trade drama shaking the league to Tua Tagovailoa landing in Atlanta, the guys debate which teams actually improved… and which franchises might have just made massive mistakes. They also dive into the evolving running back market, draft implications surrounding Jeremiah Love, and why Alec Pierce’s massive contract might be the most confusing deal of the offseason.

Plus, the episode kicks off with a fun look at legendary athletes who wore jersey number 45, including Bob Gibson, Pedro Martinez, Donovan Mitchell, and more.

If you love NFL analysis, offseason chaos, and unfiltered sports debates, this episode is for you.

🎧 Episode 45 Topics Include:

• Maxx Crosby trade fallout and what it means for the Ravens & Raiders
• Tua Tagovailoa signing with the Falcons
• Biggest winners and losers from NFL free agency
• The exploding running back market
• Draft implications for top prospects like Jeremiah Love
• Why Alec Pierce’s new deal shocked the NFL world
• Legendary athletes who wore #45

Subscribe for weekly episodes covering NFL, NBA, MLB, college sports, and everything happening in the sports world.

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