Hour 1: The Connect 4 Regional Friendly

Is Cade Cunningham getting the respect he deserves… or is the hype machine in overdrive? This week on Alley Oop, Juju and Trysta welcome Zach Harper from The Athletic for a full-on NBA debate episode — and things get SPICY. We kick things off with the big question: • Is Cade Cunningham an MVP candidate… or are we getting ahead of ourselves? Does he deserve praise for carrying Detroit — or shade for the results? From there, the besmirching spreads: • Are the Spurs the second-best team in the West? • Can ANYONE beat Team USA in Olympic basketball? • Who are the true powerhouses — East vs West? • Why won’t Luka shoot when he’s WIDE OPEN?! • Kelsey Plum does an Aliyah Boston elbow impression and we cannot recover. It’s debates, hot takes, chaos, and a LOT of shade. If you love NBA debates, spicy basketball takes, and zero chill analysis — you’re in the right place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Team USA's men's and women's hockey teams have returned from Milan with the double gold, but Roy is not happy with the men's behavior in the wake of the gold medal win. The whole gang is also unhappy with the behavior of some hockey reporters around the country, who are asking players returning from Milan about their Olympic experiences, including Macklin Celebrini and Connor McDavid. Rose sets the stage for the final sprint of the season in Rosa En Un Minuto, and in wins and fails, Dave loves a new goalie celebration, Ethan celebrates Aleksander Barkov, Rose makes fun of the Maple Leafs, and Roy highlights Connor McDavid coming up short again. Then, Jonathan Zaslow joins the show to discuss the reaction to the men's behavior in the locker room following the gold medal match and the Florida Panthers' dominant win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in their return to action Thursday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"I shan't spend a single calorie on this b.s." Dave and Mike go head-to-head in Connect 4, Jeremy and Tony go head-to-head in naming NBA MVPs, and Amin goes head-to-head with Zaslow over a video of an Uber driver losing his mind. Somewhere far away, Dan is smiling ear to ear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"I happen to be a vigorous lovemaker." Did you know that when you take a car ride with Zaslow, he will make you a Tuna sandwich? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Aerosmith owes the other America..." The Heat listened to Jeremy and dropped both of their games this week, the Lakers are ALSO falling apart, and Amin knows another thing or two about basketball. Plus, the Canes are taking on the Gators at The Light, but there's nothing more important than Dameshek's R.E.M. fury overflowing from one day to the next. Today's cast: Zaslow, Dameshek, Amin, Chris, Jeremy, Mike, Roy, and Tony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

🎶Baby, if you give it to me, I'll give it to you🎶 JuJu gives us his picks for Thursday Thunder, Jason Williams is incredibly honest, Zaslow gives us his MVP of the Day, JuJu has a Mariah Carey recommendation for Dave, and we give Pat McAfee one last deserved shoutout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"I think people struggle with the fundamental element of hockey being played on ice." Sara Civian of Bleacher Report and the Too Many Men podcast joins the show to discuss everything that has happened since the US men's hockey team took home the gold medal in Milan, and the restart of the NHL season. Will the Stanley Cup Champions have an asterisk if they don't have to go through the Florida Panthers? Was Jeremy Swayman's apology to the women's team sufficient? Then our discussion of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees devolves into signing Dave Mariah Carey songs because he somehow didn't know any Mariah Carey songs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"They tryna make me Amin Elhassan!" Dan's inner monologue is very excited to talk about some NFL media news after Tony Dungy was let go from Football Night in America. Should NBC make a run at Philip Rivers or Smokin' Jay Cutler to replace him? Zas tests how much Amin knows about that. After Tony's Kon Knueppel rookie-of-the-year take aged extremely poorly extremely fast, he gives it another go... and it ages extremely poorly extremely fast again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"He doesn't even have shoes, he has shoe." Mike Ryan ordered a pair of shoes that made him feel old, Dave has a brand-new game, Amin knows all the flags, and Connor McDavid gets a nice question thrown his way. Plus, is it a possibility that Connor Hellebuyck could get booed by his home fans in Winnipeg? Which teams have the worst names? Are there any cool team names left? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"My penis made an eagle sound." Would Team USA have declined Dan Le Batard's offer to pay for their drinks at E11even? When did Dave become a commie? Did E11even actually cash the check that Pat McAfee wrote them? When did Yankee Doodle Dandy become the Soviet National Anthem? Would Mike Ryan feel the same way about Matthew Tkachuk hanging out at Elbo Room yesterday if he were not 2x Stanley Cup Champion Matthew Tkachuk? Does everyone know The Great Pickle of 2025? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices