Pardon the Interruption | Ravens steal AFC crown from Chiefs, Lions cover vs. 49ers – Michael Wilbon

Pardon the Interruption | “Ravens steal AFC crown from Chiefs, Lions cover vs. 49ers” – Michael Wilbon

Willbond is National fun at work day Tony do you like having fun at work apparently Tony’s having fun somewhere else nowhere El nowhere to be found Mike oh wow let’s see on a basement an attic or a golf course got to be one of those three it’s not a bad

Gig not a bad gig pretty good gig totally welcome to PTI Mr Kornheiser has decided that napping is more important you so here to do his work for him is our great friend Mr Frank Isola I see the cheering section that I see Tony I don’t see let’s start with

Sunday’s Conference Championship games in the NFL the AFC matchup features Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on the road in Baltimore to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens Frank you’re leaning toward the Champs or the overall number one seed yeah I like it you mentioned Patrick Mahomes in an AFC championship

Game it’s now becoming a tradition every time you turn around it’s Patrick Mahomes and last week I wanted Buffalo to win just because it’s Buffalo they never win anything but I thought Mahomes beating him would be difficult I think it’ll be difficult on Sunday for the Baltimore Ravens think about this momes

In his career with the Chiefs they’ve been the underdog 11 times he’s won eight of the games outright he’s he’s played Baltimore four times in a regular season the Chiefs have beaten Lamar Jackson and the Ravens three out of the four times The Edge that Baltimore will

Have is defensively Buffalo was not good defensively they had to come up with a stop at some point in the first three quarters of the game to give them a chance and Lamar Jackson I love the way he played in the second half and I think it all started with that short second

Half kickoff and you know uh that they started at Midfield he was a little shaky in the first half Lamar Jackson if he plays like that on Sunday they got a chance but I find it hard at this point to still pick against the great Patrick Mahomes yeah I you know the great

Patrick Mahomes can’t win every game just like the great Tom Brady couldn’t win every game even though it seems he did in retrospect the great Joe Montana couldn’t win every game the great John Elway couldn’t win every game the great Brett Favre couldn’t win you don’t win

Every game all right and Patrick Mahomes is not going to win Sunday the Baltimore Ravens are going to win Sunday at home and Lamar Jackson is going to play up to that level it doesn’t mean that Lamar Jackson will win eight of the next 10 matchups or four of the next five we’re

Not not looking at all that everybody wants to introduce some sort of larger element to this no this is Sunday this is a championship game coming off Lamar Jackson playing well and I expect the Baltimore Ravens and that defense to figure out a way to stop Patrick Mahomes

This once yeah maybe not next year maybe not year after that we may look back at Patrick Mahomes may have won seven out of nine matchups with Baltimore but not this one it’s Baltimore’s time they’re the better team Kansas City’s had one good offensive game in about the last 10

An exaggeration their defense has been good but their defense ain’t Baltimore’s defense it’s close it isn’t it’s close though but it isn’t it isn’t Baltimore’s defense Baltimore’s defense is Baltimore’s defense which by the way has delivered them as many Super Bowl championships in the recent era well

That’s as Kansas City they’ve each got a couple I hear people on this network say oh Kansas City got so many championships no they don’t they have two that’s a lot it’s not more than the Ravens I expect I mean I expect the Ravens by whatever means necessary and I don’t mean a

Blowout I don’t mean convincing I don’t mean dominating I expect the Ravens Frank to win the game think about the Ravens this year they’re s and3 against playoff teams and the point differential is a plus 138 and here’s another interesting stat for you since Steve Spagnola has been the defensive

Coordinator of the Chiefs since 2019 in the regular season they’ve given up 26 rushing touchdowns to the opposing quarterback that’s the most in the NFL guess who’s playing quarterback with the Baltimore Ravens and if I’m the Ravens I’m going to do what Buffalo should have been doing if the game is close just

Snap the ball back to your quarterback let him make a play running why was Jos hand we agree we to we may disagree on our picks but we agree on the way you go about this Frank I I said that last Sunday during real time what is Buffalo

Do you got Josh Allen balls in his hands let’s go Baltimore is not going to make they better not make that mistake or they will lose yeah the tight end Mark Andrews he’s back for Baltimore Joe Toney the Pro Bowl guard for the Chiefs is out so that’s something to watch all

Right over in the NFC the lions are in Santa Clara to face the 49ers Detroit is led by the down toe Dan Campbell while San Francisco of course is masterminded by Kyle Shanahan the Niners are favored by seven but Boer McFarland said yesterday with the guys that he liked

The Alliance to pull the upset Mike do you I do really and that last image we saw of Mr G that’s that’s who I like in this okay he’s won this game he’s done this I like Detroit in this situation and I like the position of quarterback

And the person playing the position to make the difference again it only needs to be a small one it’s a tougher task playing on the road in San Francisco with the 49ers let’s face it it’s been a while since they’ve won actually cashed it and won you know they don’t want to

Become the Cowboys where it’s just promises and Whispers every year they want to do this and they’ve got a history even more recently than the Cowboys maybe only one year of winning so I but I like Detroit and and and Frank this is not about ex’s and O’s

Again that inspiration that people think they observe from the Lions I think the Lions feel that and I think that D that Campbell is more than just just a guy who inspires he’s also got weapons he knows how to deploy them he seems unafraid to play the power game when he

Needs to and he’s not going to get too cute by half I like the lions in this game even though yeah I’ll I’ll see to you that the 49ers are probably a better team I might take their roster I might but the Lions have enough weapons on offense where they shouldn’t be scared

Anybody or feel their overmatch by the 49ers yeah and that’s why they got to run the ball because since week 15 the 49ers right 28th in the league in rushing defense so they have to do a better job there now Brock pie last week I was not impressed by him until that

Final drive of the game and that was impressive so it doesn’t matter how you get there you got to win a game and this is how these quarterback make quarterbacks make their bones in the post season of those game-winning drives but I also wasn’t that impressed with

The 49ers defense up until the last series by Jordan love but Detroit their America’s you know everyone is falling in love with this team I think a big part of is can they get to Brock p Aiden Hutchinson the last four games has eight sacks I think you got to pressure him

Get him out of the pocket because when he’s scrambling around and last week it it could be a wet day he was having trouble gripping the ball Brock pie cleared a major hurdle last week no one is going to sit here and tell you he’s not a quality player but there’s still

Something to prove here he was a little shaky at moments that defense was shaky at moments too there’s a lot to prove you’re in a championship game and again look they everybody both sides everybody has a lot to prove I I don’t see any difference in the stakes I just see

Detroit having one of those inspired performances in the 49ers by the way historically they’ve had some Clunkers at home in the playoffs I’ve covered them yeah I’ve seen them lose when they’ve been the big favorite and you go oh the Niners are going to walk into no doesn’t always happen that way let’s

Move to college basketball we’re unbeaten number one South Carolina top defending Champion LSU in Baton Rouge last night Tigers LED late but Angel ree fouled out with four minutes to go the Gamecocks closed with an 113 run to win by six after the game LSU coach Kim Moi

Said quote losing the way we did send a message that we’re not going away close quote message Frank did it send a message to you and if so what no now the message might be that maybe Kim is getting nil money with the Coca-Cola logo that she was wearing on her jacket

The message is that South Carolina is the best team they’re eight 18 and0 M yeah they’re 28 and0 in their last 28 Road games that is not easy to do and when they’ve Trav by double digits like they did last night they’re 10 and0 in their last 10 games and they’ve traed by

Double digits they are the best team they were the best team last year what happened was they got picked off in the semi-finals against Iowa so LSU they’re the champ absolutely we’ve seen this before Mike sometimes you catch a break in tournament play Roger federa won the French Open because Rafael Nadal got

Knocked out before feder had to play him about 10 years ago this happens so I don’t think there’s a statement LSU yes to the Champs but make no mistake about it South Carolina you saw that guard play the center transfer that they got from uh Syracuse Cardoza she’s terrific

South Carolina is the better team right now yeah I think so Franken I say this I think that one of the great things that Kim Moi does that makes her a championship coach many times over is she sends messages to her team that’s right and she may do that publicly and

The great coaches can do that the message wasn’t to us the message wasn’t to anybody else the message is to her team and she seems to make sure they get it and that’s great that’s fine the rest of us I there’s no message from me for

Me there’s no message to be taken South Carolina for now is the better team you mentioned what happened in the tournament last year you’re so right when you get that chance when somebody picks off an opponent you might struggle with you better cash it in and LSU did

And it shows you remind you how great a player Angel ree is and that she’s the closer they need her she may not have to to take the shots at the end of the game but she needs to be there to Anchor that team at the end of the game and she

Couldn’t play even the great players foul out South Carolina’s the better team right now da Staley by the way knows what she’s doing at a championship level and so if you ask me what do I want to see again in in whether it’s I don’t know the last couple days of March

Or the first couple days of April I want to see LSU South Carolina one more time I’d like to actually be there cuz that atmosphere was something cool last night and Mike Mike the thing too about the schedules think about this now South Carolina has played Maryland Duke North

Carolina Utah LSU their scheduled no you know no offense to these programs but MCN they’ve played they’ve played Northwestern State Michael wilbon is not on the board at Northwestern State they play they’ve played queens and not that’s not Jerry Seinfeld school that’s the school in North Carolina so their

Schedule has not been as tough as South Carolina South Carolina is willing to take on the big teams and they’re 18-0 I get it they’re not not the defending champs they’re the best team in women’s college basketball right now right now they it seems they are let’s take a

Break but coming up how should the heat feel about getting smoked at home by the Celtics and what’s the word for Novak jokovic getting bounced from the Australian Open too he really was smoked Northwestern State you’re not on the pardon the interruption is presented by great Goose V Latka please SI

Responsibly part of Happy you are watching pardon the interruption presented by gr Goose part of happy Hour time to spank Frank and filling in blanks and what’s the word what’s first the heat should feel blank after getting blown out at home by the Celtics you know Frank I I will say and my answers going to sort of be at odds with what I’m about to say first I’m

Looking at this result I’m looking at the score and I’m thinking do do I want to turn over from LSU South Carolina do I want to I was in a restaurant do I want to have somebody click it to turn over and I’m looking at the score going

No I don’t want to click over there’s no point to it I mean I’m thinking Miami’s going to really go on a tear here after getting that making that trade and picking up somebody who can really score and 23 points a game and Scary Terry Rosier and really helped him but you

Know what my my my answer is non plus cuz you can’t judge the heat like you judge everybody else it doesn’t matter what they do in January or even February or even March relative to other teams in the league who need to play early and

Get in that form non plus cuz the heat it doesn’t really matter we’ve seen that all right so three postseasons ago they did get swept by Milwaukee remember that I’m going to go with the word that Eric spoler used he said humbled they gave up 42 points in the first first quarter 77

In the first half the starters for Boston were 33 of 55 the backups were 18- 25 Mike they have lost now five games in a row in fact they play in New York tomorrow against the Knicks on ABC the Knicks have won five in a row that’s

Right we’ve got that game but they lost the other now I saw them Monday in Brooklyn they were losing that game by 16 they came back and one it easily could be a a 16 a six game losing streak but you look at what um they’ve done defensively it hasn’t been good enough

And I wonder if there’s another trade maybe going to come down the road I understand they got Terry roier maybe Tyler her will be involved that’s a problem with that team mik got a five game losing streak you think they’re just going to snap out of it Frank yes I

Do I think they’re going to work their way not snap out of it work their way out of it that work that’s what Pat Riley and Eric exposer when they wear heat culture that’s what that is it’s working your way out we saw the Clippers

Go 0 and six with Harden and they work their way out to the best record in the league since December one don’t tell me miam you can’t do that we’ve seen it they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies they had nine available players Vince Williams J get your program Vince

Williams Jr was a high scorer Gigi Jackson and in today’s installment of do you want to feel Old Scotty Pippen Jr had a big game they lost even heard of I’m going to remind you of this in a week you doubted heat culture we’ll see what’s next we’ll see

It’s blank that Novak jokovic lost in the semi finals of the Australian Open you know what um I looked at some of this because I thought that Center could beat Joker I didn’t think he just I mean just blast him and he did and I think it’s liberating Frank for the

Entire field because let’s face it I mean Center 22 years old Center you know has this thing about him where he certainly isn’t scared anybody and not Joker but others in the field probably are scared of jokovic still but they don’t have to be now and I tell you what

When I say liberating I don’t just mean for the Australian Open where C now goes to the final I mean for the summer I mean for the spring and summer as we move into the real slam season and big tournaments I think this is liberating

For all the other top what 20 players to see Joker go down like this cuz Center took him apart well the word have one in straights the word is bimo because it’s a great day for the Italians and I get it yanic CER doesn’t really sound ital Michael wilbon sounds more Italian than

Yan s i get it but CER had beaten joic since last year’s wimon semis three out of the last four matches so maybe you’re starting to see the change and then you had Zea drop uh win the first two sets and lose the last three to danil medv

But you think about those players medv Zev jokovic CER and alcarez those five you have to probably beat to win a major at least two of them you might have to beat three of them good luck you want knock off those if you’re out of those five players it’s difficult to

Win a major those guys are dominant Frank it’s still kind of fun right now to introduce a new person relatively into the men’s grouping and you just talked about it because there’s no more Federer because we don’t know about Nadal because you know it’s just it’s

Sort of fun to have Center in that position right now that’s the final word let’s take one last break but still to come the NBA All-Star starters are set you foree for spee spe e for Spee Spe Foreign Fore Fore spee for Fore Fore e e e for Spee E Spe Fore oh for