Overview of Pardon My Take
This episode centered on a huge NBA Finals preview, with Kirk Goldsberry breaking down the matchup and the crew debating how the Knicks and Spurs could attack each other. It also featured a long in-studio interview with Florida State head coach Luke Loucks about his coaching path, how he developed in the NBA, and why FSU embraced a self-deprecating “COVID banner” bit with Barstool. On the NFL side, the show reacted to the Myles Garrett-to-Rams blockbuster and the A.J. Brown-to-Patriots move, while the usual chaos played out with lottery balls, superstition, and the ongoing “Memes vs. Zach” tension.
NBA Finals Preview With Kirk Goldsberry
What stood out in the matchup
- Goldsberry framed the Finals as a rare, highly watchable series with:
- Wemby’s defense as the biggest swing factor
- Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns driving the Knicks’ offense
- San Antonio’s young guard rotation giving the Spurs multiple ways to create advantages
- He emphasized that Wemby changes possessions without even showing up in the box score:
- drives turning into “nope” moments
- fewer rim attempts against him
- his blocks often leading to recoverable transition opportunities
Knicks’ path to winning
- The Knicks’ best route was described as:
- spacing Wemby away from the rim
- making enough threes to punish help defense
- getting strong performances from role players like Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, and Mikal Bridges
- Goldsberry pointed out that the Knicks are at their best when:
- the ball moves
- Brunson gets to his favorite short-midrange spots
- Towns can stretch the defense and avoid foul trouble
Spurs’ path to winning
- San Antonio’s edge comes from:
- Wemby’s rim protection
- Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper’s pressure downhill
- De’Aaron Fox stabilizing the offense
- Goldsberry praised the Spurs’ young core as unusually advanced for their age and highlighted how dangerous they can be when they play with confidence and pace.
Predictions
- Kirk Goldsberry: Spurs in 7
- The crew was split, with several landing on Knicks in 6 or 7
- The consensus was that this series feels like a true toss-up and should go deep
Luke Loucks Interview: Coaching, FSU, and the NBA
His coaching journey
- Loucks explained how he went from playing overseas and in the D-League to becoming a coach through an NBA internship path.
- He got his start around Golden State, where he learned under:
- Steve Kerr
- Mike Brown
- Ron Adams
- other veteran assistant coaches
- He described the early grind:
- film-room work
- rebounding in workouts
- assisting in player development
- learning the language and structure of NBA coaching
What he learned from the NBA
- Loucks said the biggest lesson from the NBA was that:
- you must teach more than you think
- college players need constant reinforcement
- NBA players can absorb concepts faster, but college requires repetition and structure
- He stressed that Florida State tries to:
- train players like pros
- build NBA habits early
- emphasize development, nutrition, and professionalism
His coaching style at Florida State
- Loucks said he wants FSU to play:
- fast
- with spacing
- with high-level shot creation
- with defensive intensity and physicality
- He admitted that early on he coached college players too much like NBA veterans, and had to adjust to the fact that younger players need more direct teaching and repetition.
- A major shift came when he realized:
- too many threes were leading to long rebounds and bad transition defense
- the team needed to attack the rim more and improve its overall compete level
The banner and the Barstool connection
- The episode also centered on the infamous FSU “COVID banner”:
- the school had hung a banner recognizing the 2020 team’s ranking and cancelled postseason
- Barstool wanted it for the office as a joke/self-own
- Loucks was very open to the bit, saying sports should be fun and people should be able to laugh at themselves.
- They also talked about the FSU team that banner represented, including:
- Devin Vassell
- Patrick Williams
- Trent Forrest
- Raekwon Gray
- Balsa Koprivica
- Loucks made it clear that the 2020 team was legitimately good, even if the banner is now being used as a punchline.
Notable Loucks anecdotes
- He told a great story about working out De’Aaron Fox in Italy during Fox’s honeymoon, with Loucks literally traveling to Venice and training him for two hours a day.
- He also shared how he coached through the birth of his son and how the job never really stops once you’re fully in it.
- He praised FSU’s athletic director and said the program has trust in his vision.
NFL and Other Sports Notes
Myles Garrett to the Rams
- The crew called the Myles Garrett trade to the Rams a win-win:
- Rams get an elite, game-wrecking pass rusher
- Browns get Jared Verse plus a haul of picks
- Their take:
- the Rams are firmly in win-now mode
- the Browns are clearly positioning themselves to draft a quarterback next year
- They also noted Garrett may be one of the biggest/most accomplished players ever traded.
A.J. Brown to the Patriots
- The show also discussed A.J. Brown landing with New England.
- Their main points:
- huge upgrade for the Patriots’ offense
- concern that Brown can be a “diva” at times, but also acknowledgement that elite wideouts need some edge
- Mike Vrabel’s presence was seen as a stabilizing factor
- The crew debated whether the Patriots “won” the trade and whether this becomes a short-term boost or a future problem.
Other sports topics
- Bears stadium drama: They blamed everyone from Kevin Warren to Illinois politics to the NFL for the confusing, potentially Indiana-based stadium saga.
- World Cup scheduling: They roasted the weird American time slots but liked the idea of betting draws in the group stage.
- College softball/baseball: They highlighted a Texas Tech softball run and how exciting college baseball has been.
- Russell Wilson on CBS: The crew joked about missing him as a player and debated whether he can be authentic in the booth.
- Dylan Brooks got the cool throne for reportedly earning his pilot’s license, which led to jokes about him flying planes just to troll LeBron.
Running Bits and Chaos
Memes vs. Zach
- The episode opened with a lot of tension over the lottery balls:
- Zach took 11, a number Memes had been using
- Memes took it personally, especially because he’d tied the number to Knicks superstition
- The feud became a big running joke throughout the show, with Max and the rest of the crew trying to defuse it.
- By the end, the drama had softened a bit, but the episode kept circling back to the “Zach stole my number” storyline.
Lottery balls and closing chaos
- The first lottery balls segment was replayed at the top because the show needed it for the storyline.
- Later, they ran the segment again and Max hit 44, which triggered another wave of reactions.
- The ending was pure PMT chaos: jokes, birthdays, and the usual show-ending scramble.
Guys on Chicks
Themes from the mailbag
- Guys grunting when sitting/standing:
- the crew said this is normal “athlete” behavior
- basically a tiny effort noise = counting as exercise
- Women being more attracted to married men:
- the crew called it bad news and “homewrecker” energy
- Picking things up with your feet:
- they agreed it’s weird, but also weirdly efficient
- the silverware example was the line that made it feel gross
- Bachelor/bachelorette party etiquette:
- they joked that chaos is expected at bachelor parties
- bachelor trips are supposed to be messy, not orderly
Main Takeaways
- The NBA Finals preview was the centerpiece: a deep, tactical look at how Wemby, Brunson, Towns, Fox, and the rest of the core pieces could decide the series.
- Luke Loucks came off as a thoughtful, detail-oriented coach who blends NBA structure with college teaching.
- The show leaned hard into classic Barstool/PMT energy:
- superstition
- petty feuds
- weird but funny sports analysis
- a lot of self-aware chaos
- The episode also moved the ball on major NFL news, especially the Myles Garrett and A.J. Brown moves, while keeping the tone irreverent and funny throughout.