And before we look ahead, guys, I want to look back on what's been a wild, unpredictable, unprecedented first half of the season.

So let's start with you.

What was the biggest surprise of the first half of the season for you?

I know this may sound crazy, but I say a lot of crazy things that time.

But guess what?

The Chicago Bulls has been a surprise to me.

Chicago Don't pay a country boy nothing.

Look, listen, I'm telling you, I'm telling you.

Yes, the Bulls, they are one.

Get a half a game out of the A C.

They have an All Star Zach Lavine, and they are playing inspiring basketball.

I was very critical of Billy Donovan when he got hired there, but look, he has done an excellent job with this young team.

Kobe White is starting to come into his own.

Finally, let finally let him out.

The boxing kind of gave him the keys to the bends, and right now look, I understand they below 500 but again, that one game out of the A C and guess what, They don't get blown out even the losses there, right there in the thick of things.

So I'm looking at the Chicago team and the future is very, very bright.

That is my surprise of this short NBA season.

Thus far hot, though the shy town in me is, I mean, it's it's overwhelming right now.

Um, the fact that you're giving the bulls I'm putting on my fangirl happened.

I'm just saying show Zach Marine is an All Star And can we stop putting him in trade rumors?

And I just the Chicago Bulls just need a little more attention.

I feel like they've been collecting dust the last couple of years, so I'm gonna I'm gonna step aside.

I just need to get that out because I was bubbling with You're trying to put, you know, the Bulls on front Street.

But Jacoby, what's been your biggest surprise of the first half?

I'm still really because I'm surprised by perks, surprises the Chicago Bulls, but I'm gonna go a little more basic on this one.

For me, it's the Utah Jazz.

If you would've told me at the All Star break the Jazz would be leading the Western Conference, I would say I'm sorry you misspoke.

You didn't say the Lakers and the Clippers or even the Nuggets.

The Jazz.

Just do it by committee.

That man, Jordan Clarkson has had a huge year coming off the bench and they've got a lot of players.

Gobert, Mitchell angles And they've got Royce and they've got Clarkson.

They've just got Bogdanovich.

They shoot 42.7 threes a game.

I'm gonna say it again.

They shoot 42.7 threes a game and make as a team 40% of them.

They blitz the league.

Now some people say there might be a gimmick and people start to catch up to it.

You saw the Heat beat them recently, but we will see thus far without a doubt my surprises.

The Utah Jazz being the best team, not just in the Western Conference but in the entire NBA.

Yes, certainly put some respect on the Jazz.

I think the biggest surprise for me this season is the fact that James Harden is a Brooklyn Nets that that actually happened, that he basically said, I want to be a net and the Rockets found a way for him to team up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and he is in Brooklyn and playing some of the best basketball.

We've seen him play as this playmaker.

Um, while the Well, the Dads are really the team, I think of the first half as far as their success.

I think the biggest storyline has to be the Brooklyn Nets and James Harden becoming a net if we're going to just sum up kind of some of the crazy outside of all the coronavirus, um, and how that has impacted the season and the schedule and everything new that has gone on with the season.

I think James Harden being a net maybe the biggest, um, studying news.

Maybe not a surprise, given that he basically has to go to go to Brooklyn.

But, um, I think a lot of players were also surprised that the league forged ahead with the All Star Game despite several players stating that they didn't want to do it.

But look, it's happening, and it's going to be a jam packed Sunday night in Atlanta.

So, Park, what's the one thing that you want to see on that All Star Sunday?

Well, you know has been a form of big man.

I got a soft place in my heart for the bigs.

And right now we're watching two of the best in the game and Joe L and B and Big Yokich.

So I'm looking for either one of them to win All Star MVP.

I think they have a chance.

It's been a while since a big man has won all Star MVP.

They usually give it to the guards and wings.

But we're here, baby.

The bigs has has come back.

They back to life, and I want to see one of them walk away with the trophy.

What about huge Kobe?

Well, first of all, you're not a former big man.

You're a big man forever in my mind and my heart, you're always a big man.

And I appreciate that about you.

But what?

I want to see something we haven't seen since Dwight Howard.

I want to see a big man with the dunk contest.

I want to see Zion in the dunk contest.

He hinted at it.

He didn't say he wasn't doing it.

And we've all seen how explosive he can be.

Remember watching his high school videos four years ago and just imagining what this kind of an athlete with his size and his explosion would be like in a dunk contest.

And you know what?

He's pumped Bacon at it already.

I don't think he's going to let the people down.

He's gonna be like Jalen Rose, give people what they want.

We want to see him in the dunk contest, and I think that him already being there anyway, I think it's going to happen, I think is gonna win.

I think it's gonna be a show that we haven't seen since Levin and Gordon went back and forth, and that's kind of you know what I want to see.

This is going to be an interesting environment.

I mean, obviously, um, you know, there's not going to be a packed house watching this, this all star activities.

But, you know, typically the starters, the big name stars have so many obligations on an All Star weekend, for instance, I don't know when the last time LeBron even attended a dunk content because, um, you know, he always has his clutch dinner on Saturday night.

So to me, what's going to be really interest?

It's all of, you know the All Stars, the starters, the biggest names, uh, in the game, watching and being there for the dunk contest.

And I mean to your point.

I think that's the sort of pressure on Zion seating.

But, you know, like I would love This is a This is probably a fantasy.

But I would love for one of those all star starters to get in the mix, too, because they're gonna be there already.

I I don't know how many people who aren't going going to be involved in, um, the All Star Game are really going to travel and try to take that time to go to Atlanta.

So I'm really interested to see how they are going to fill out the skills competitions.

But to me, I mean, I would love to see LeBron out there in the dunk contest.

It's not going to happen.

That would be my No, you make a great point.

Someone's gonna get jumped over.

Someone's gotta throw little blobs like you need those kind of like props.

And the only people in the building are going to be the people playing in the game.

So you might see LeBron involved, not dunking but maybe getting jumped over and throw up a lot for somebody.

That's what I'm saying.

I mean, we don't even have, like, you know, the celebrities it's going to be.

I think it's going to be a cool aspect to this dunk contest, Um, to have all those big name guys.

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