Transcript of Local Hour: Dos Minutos! (feat. Michael Baiamonte)

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Juju, please put on the poll. Have the Charlotte Hornets been running up and down for 37 years for no good reason?

Team sucks.

Well, yeah, I feel like I said that in the poll question. Zaslow's got a beef, Chris with your father. And your dad petered out yesterday in a way that obvious. Like he got in the mask for an hour and then stopped caring after that. Just lost all his energy. But he was particularly useless after leaving the show, providing show for us. That would have been good to have yesterday on the show instead of just texting us afterward. What is your objection specifically? Zaslo?

Well, okay, so he had a good idea, something we could have used for the show yesterday. And then he text it. After the show, does he write a column? And then two days later after the game ended, he say, oh, he gives to his editor. You know, this would have been good to you in this case.

He did the song before yesterday's show and just forgot to give it to us.

Just forgot about it.

So it'd be as if he wrote.

A column on time. That's right. Just forgot to submit it. It was like A day later, after another game had happened.

Hey, can I still put this column in?

I did the work.

He did a song about the 18 inning.

None of the Herald readers will notice.

You guys want to hear a song.

About the 18 inning game?

That was two nights ago.

Yes, technically, one night.

Hold on a second. We'll get to it in a second. Inspiration strikes when it strikes, guys. Well, but the inspiration struck in the song, and then he just forgot to give it to us during the show. And now it's a dated song. You know what? You guys better stop doing all your hijinks and distracting them and leaping on every little thing he does. He said 7th inning nap versus 17th inning nap. Maybe he would have remembered his song. And if you were so harassing all the time, the whole of you, he. He has been inspired. You've seen it in the show opens whenever he gets to sing. It's been a real career rejuvenation to see your father occasionally inspired by stuff. And it's usually song that inspires him. He invented the singing sportswriter. That was not a thing in the media before he did it on ESPN radio 20 years ago. And about three years into that, he totally ran out of songs. He just started doing take me out to the ball game and row, row, row your boat all the time.

You won't guess what this song is. Take me out of my misery let me go get a nap Buy me a way to get out of this park I don't care if I ever get back. Cause it's rude. Root, root for an ending. Please put me out of my pain for it's 1, 2, 3 more hours in the world's never ending ball game. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.

Mike Biamante, the Heat's long time 35 year in stadium announcer, is retiring this year. He's going to join us here in about 20 minutes to talk about the job that Zaslow wants. Zaslow and others around here are going going to audition for that job. We'll talk to him for 20 minutes.

Give me that job.

I do not want to overreact to the first couple of weeks of these new seasons, but I am willing to say it. The Heat are good and the Panthers are bad.

Okay, you're totally wrong about the second part. How are you talking about the second part is ridiculous. The first part, though, you might be right.

Well, they are good offensively. Their bench is going to be good. And I want to have the larger conversation because I know Charlotte Hornets doesn't mean anything to you but them scoring 140 this way and the bench playing this way? It does strike me as interesting that the Heat organization might know something about players, that it's not giving up in trades and might know something about growth possibilities for the kind of players like Haquez and Jovic and others. Bontecchio. Yeah. Yeah. Well, he's got. He's got the best name in the sport easily. Simone Fontechio put it on the poll at Lebizard show. Is there a better name in basketball than Simone Fontechio? What happened to his mustache? When did he lose the mustache? Because the mustache made it look even more ridiculous when he would assassin strike in a Pistons uniform.

I wouldn't know what he looked like if I woke up next to him.

Well, you wouldn't know what he looks like if you recognized him with a mustache and saw him now because it is disorienting to see him post mustache. I joke about the Panthers. They're clearly hurt. Why are you laughing?

Waking up to a guy like, hello, I am Simone Faktechyo.

Okay, what kind of.

What kind of accent?

Doesn't have an accent.

He doesn't.

He should.

This is out. This is how it happens. Mike wakes up and go, huh? What are you doing? What are you doing? My wife. My name is Simone from Tokyo and it's like, you killed my father. Tell me more.

I was into this.

What a. What a wild night that you wake up at like 6pm next to Simone Fontechio. Now, Dan, I hate to do this to you. I hate to do this to you, Dan, because you said mustache a couple times and I was like, I don't remember a mustache. But like, you know, it's been a long off season. Maybe he was. No, he had one with the Pistons. He absolutely did. I kind of been doing some Google searches. Not really any mustaches. I don't feel like you hated to do that as much as you claim that you hated to do that. You know, it was unnecessary.

I feel.

You know what? I'm gonna put myself in the penalty box cuz I grinded the show to a screeching halt just to make a stupid correction about his stupid non existent mustache that he never had.

Minor penalty, two minutes delay. A show.

Getting back to the point that I was making, though. I joke about the pan, but losing at home to Anaheim in overtime, they haven't looked very good. Obviously, you know, they miss their two best players.

Okay, you say they haven't looked very good and fine, but they there have been games and last night was one of them where they're getting lots of chances and I think they're getting a little bit of bad luck. And like Anaheim's goalie was awesome last night and that's happened to them a couple times so far this year. Yes, they're hurt. Pittsburgh Jari was amazing for Pittsburgh. I will say those two, they're a little bit unlucky. Right.

Those two teams in particular are coming out with hot starts to start the season.

Got like the best record in the east, right?

Second best.

Maybe Anaheim looks like a playoff team.

They got a good coach.

One of the underreported storylines headed into frozen frenzy was that was coach Quentill's return.

Good coach to.

To Florida.

All of you looked me in the face and got indignant on the idea of me saying that the Panthers are. Are bad. But you have been disappointed. They start the season with three straight wins and they've been laboring since. And it's to be expected. Like there. There' surprise in that. You're going to lose to some good teams and that league is top heavy. So you know, you've got how many teams the last two years have been 90 plus point teams. Right. Like there have been more than a dozen have. They're not.

Well, listen, I mean they were missing.

Brad Marchant last night because of personal reasons and that's the guy who's been.

Driving the offense lately.

But I mean, the Panthers really hemmed the puck inside the duck zone the.

Entire night last night.

Yeah.

And they out chanced him. They outshot them and more attempts they just didn't finish.

What do you make of this wind.

Meter thing that keeps popping up in.

These group chats where every game there's like, they like make this meter of who's supposed to be winning and it's always Panthers and they're losing.

Yeah. What am I supposed to make of that?

Deserve to win a meter was at like 82% for the Panthers.

So Dan, does that make you feel better?

I like the deserve to win a meter standings. I would, I would. I wish we had an accurate measurement. To me, all I've been using for years is run differential or point differential and it's. It feels insufficient to me. I would, I would like a should have won meter. Like another part of the standings that has win, loss, tie and then games where they actually deserve to win but lost.

Let's celebrate the point. That was a hard earned point. That game looked done.

Done.

That was exciting when they scored with the empty net three Minutes up.

That was exciting.

I always like that.

Yeah, they were down. They were. They were down to nothing. And it was hard to watch the general constipation of down to nothing in a game. You know, the total in that game was six and a half goals. People expected scoring in that game, and they did do something late to titillate. But let's go to the Heat for a second before Mike Biamonte comes on with us. And I know that Charlotte is as irrelevant a sports franchise as there is anywhere in sports.

Let's take some guesses here.

Never been to the Eastern Conference finals as a franchise. You guys want to guess the last time they won a playoff series? Anybody want to guess the last time they won a playoff game? Because these are two different answers in my head.

Probably purple shirt guys.

Yeah, purple shirt guy. Right.

That is 2015. So 10 years. 10 years since they won a playoff game. But go ahead and guess. Last time they want to play playoff series.

I'm going to go 93.

Morning. The shot.

Yep.

Is that it?

I think it was after that.

I think they upset the Heat, I.

Think, in the year 2000 with Jamal Mashburn. But they were the Bobcats.

Eddie Robinson. Robinson. No, they were Hornets.

They were the Hornets. They were not the Bobcats.

Were they New Orleans Hornets?

No, they were Charlotte. And I think Alonzo was trying to work his way back, and it kind of screwed up team chemistry.

2001. Because 2000. 2000 was nip and tuck. Nip and tuck. Nick Bavetta, Jamal Mashburn. 2002. So you're talking about the Charlotte 2002. Because 2000, it was a one. I was at the last Hornets game ever played in Charlotte before they went back, and that was 2002 against the nets.

Yeah, it was all one against.

Wept.

Okay, but listen to what I just said. I'm grinding the show to a halt. Let me see here. Hold on.

He's helping.

Minor penalty. 2 minutes delay a show. Tough start.

You're not allowing me to get in the rib.

25 years without winning a playoff series in that sport is crazy. That is that everyone makes the playoffs in that sport. Half the teams make the playoffs in that sport. So it has been an irrelevant franchise. Go ahead. I'll ask the room. You guys want to guess the name of their coach?

No, I don't.

Charles Lee.

Put it on the poll at Le Batard show.

Works for me.

It's just a guy named Charlie.

Oh, Charlie Lee.

Not Charles Lee. Charlie.

Charlie.

Charlie. Just. It's just a guy Named Charlie.

First name is Charlie?

Yeah, like leclerc.

You've got to be two names. Charles Lee. It's just some dude named Charlie. He's in. He's in his second year. The idea is. You don't believe me? No.

I know. They fired that Italian guy, the one with the mustache.

The second year of Charles Lee produces a Charlotte basketball team that has Lamelo ball and little else. I like watching Lamelo ball.

Cockbrenner is good.

He shoots from distance in a way that is fun.

You tricked me. You said it was Charl Lee. His name is Charlie Lee.

I was kidding.

Charles Lee.

His name. What are you doing? His name. Damn.

Swallow the.

Only two minutes delay a show.

Lot of adversity for us.

Wow.

Show management, man.

His name is Charles Lee. And I'm. I'm really. I'm really actually fascinated by the idea of going 25 years without winning a playoff series in that sport. As Michael Jordan, the owner for much of that time, gives us insights to excellence on tape delay.

That's not fair.

It's not.

Giving insights to excellence of managing a team he's responsible for.

For many of those 25 years of not winning a single playoff series. He's responsible for it. He oversaw all of it. And now he's giving us his insights to excellence on tape delay on Peacock.

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Don Levotard, all these high paid analysts, I don't want to mention names, tnt, espn, you know. Oh yeah, they are dead. They cannot, they're not going to make it. You know, even if they win in, if they lose in Miami.

I need to calm you down.

I need to calm down. That's right. They lose in Miami, they don't got a chance in Boston or they are going to have their ass. You know what in Boston, you know, Stugats, they were wrong. Are they going to lose their job?

No.

Are they going to get a cut in pay? No. What are they going to do? Keep predicting what is the obvious. They are going to say, oh, the Nuggets are going to win. Oh, Denver, the altitude and you know what? The Heat are going to win at all. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach.

Let's talk for a second about what the Heat are doing because without Norman Powell last night, they're getting a ton of help from their bench. This is now a handful of games that they've scored 140 in and they scored 140 at Memphis. And man, would it be fun to see Kevin Durant in this offense.

Oh my God, he would be tremendous with this group. The ball move.

Why they don't even pay a guy what Kevin Durant's being paid. Look what the Heater doing, right?

I don't disagree. I love where the roster is at right now and Jaime Hawkes Jr. On the bench running everything. You know, it's funny after that first game against Orlando we talked about like, oh, if you're going to have Jaime bringing up the ball at the end of the game. But what he's doing offensively, he just looks physically and mentally refreshed because last year he went through an injury early in the year with his legs. He had no burst. And you know, last night he's getting through the lane and throwing down two handed slams. He leads the league in plus minus.

Right now and he's making threes or he made threes last night. He doesn't even shoot those. Didn't he make two? I thought he made two.

He did.

He had a couple.

Made one late.

Okay, so you know what, what we're celebrating.

Minor penalty, two minutes delay a show.

If you're going to correct me, be correct. That doesn't seem like too big of an ass. Like, it seems like a bare minimum ass.

How you feel about Jaime hawke has been a plus 43.

Last night I, when I saw him dunk and fall on the floor like that, I'm surprised that more people don't get hurt in that sport when that happens. That seems like a great distance to fall from. And when you don't land on your legs and come close to landing on your head and I can here, I can hear the echo throughout the, the, throughout the broadcast of you hitting the floor. I get worried for those people.

I'm a, I'm a little bit confused. I find myself confused watching the Heat right now because I don't really understand what I'm watching. I mean, if you, if you. Besides the fact that the Miami Heat historically are not a team that scores. But, but if you score 140 points in a game, that's like all time scoring stuff. Did he have done it twice in the first four games? Like, I'm pleasantly confused at what I'm saying.

Well, I heard Zach Lowe talking before the season. I'd love to know who his source was on this because he said a little birdie told me. And what the little birdie told him was this. He said a little birdie told me that I should expect the Heat to be much better this year because offensively they're going to revamp the entire thing. And Eric Spoelstra has proven over the years when he gets the respect of all of his colleagues, that he knows how to reinvent and revolutionize. He's done it a number of times over 15 years with whatever the pieces are that you give him. But the conversation that I wanted to have, you guys, where we've been critical because the standard is win a title and this team's not going to win a title. This offense is not how you can play in the playoffs. So it'll be fun, interesting, exciting. We'll enjoy the regular season. They may be better than we expect. But you cannot go into the postseason with Bam or Norman Powell as your best player and expect to play championship basketball. But the part that I wanted to ask Amin and the rest of you, as it applies to what we're presently seeing, which is a revolution of what it is that they were doing offensively when they were constipated, is how does an organization earn enough trust that when they keep swinging and Missing on.

On trades that you want them to make for marquee players saying, we like our young guys and we think they're going to develop and we've got more information than you do, more investment than you do, and we know more about how to do this than you do. What organization buys enough trust that the fan base doesn't turn on them when they simply refuse to trade the young pieces for Kevin Durant? When we all want to see Kevin Durant in a Heat uniform? I mean, I'll ask you. Yeah. So the. I could show you the ways of the force.

Minor penalty, two minutes delay a show.

Wow. Honestly, the first fair I said two.

Words and the word started laughing. Yeah, well, your joke was no good and it was too slow. Get out of here. Like, it's got to be a good fast joke if you're going to make it after 3 delay of game penalties. You need a teacher. You can't have three delay of show penalties and then limp in with that with a visual costume joke that has.

Your headphones are still on. I mean, thank you, Zaz.

I'll ask you the question. I should ask Mike the question because he's been a very vocal critic, a very vocal critic of the. Of the Miami Heat. When and how do they earn your trust? And Mike turned around as soon as they got Norman Powell. He's like, at least they've done something and now I can trust them.

Well, Mike really turned around when they.

Got three and oh, without Rosier. No, I didn't poo poo the Powell thing. Dan was actually trying to temper our. Our excitement for. I was like, no, no, they did something. They listened. They. They finally did something but added a player.

But it's confusing right where okay, they're without hero. Fine. But they then still score 144 without Powell, who's been there leading score these first three games. That's why I'm pleasantly confused with what I'm watching.

I was super confused as to what I was watching as it pertains to Hawkes last year. Didn't. Didn't recognize a player. I don't know if he was going through something. I don't know what that was.

Well, he was hurt at the start of the year and you gotta like get behind and you never get going.

I recognize this dude. That is a normal development of a player that showed a lot of promises.

He looks like the guy who was taking the next step after a great rookie year.

But it's like, wow, Hawkeyes was plus 43 last night.

I Don't.

I don't mean to take it. I don't mean to take it to.

I was in the penalty when he said penalty. 2 min delay a show.

Wow. Swallow the whistle, man.

Wow.

I do think it kind of underscores what we hinted at last show, which is Tyler Herro. I would, I would think his days are possibly numbered. I don't know what does mean a high volume player that doesn't give you much. Defensively he's in. He's on the roster for his offense. Well, a couple games into the season it looks like they've. They've kind of handled the offense thing. I think we should move on adding the.

An All Star.

I think we should move on adding a All Star.

I thought we should move on for quite a while.

Adding an all Star onto a team that is playing great right now is not a bad thing. But I think. But I think what winds up happening is you're.

You're gonna find out.

Well, I think.

What.

Why?

Okay, maybe. But I think what winds up happening here is if they can score like this without Tyler Hero and win like this without Tyler Hero. If an offer does come before the trade deadline for a star player, you are totally willing to trade away Hero.

Now I am willing to say that they're going to be good offensively, period. I don't believe Tyler Herro will harm them at all. Offensively I do. I do believe Norman Powell and Tyler Hero as your backcourt is a problem defensively you're going to have a hard time. You're going to have a really hard time guarding anyone with that as with both of them on the floor.

Historically when this team has made runs and I know Hero was a part of one of the runs, especially in the bubble. He had a. He had a big game. But this team just does just fine without Tyler Hero.

They have and, and I know what you're saying with Hero and Powell in the backcourt but man like they all. They got dudes who can defend on this team but when you have this lineup out there of Mitchell and Adebayo and Wiggins, those three guys and maybe even throw, you know Kello where there as. As a rim protector. They got guys who could defend well.

Where I keep you guys. Tell me if I, if you think I have this wrong. I. I love obviously where physically seeing make three pointers is still confusing to me. I despise his touch. Like I. I'm so spoiled. I'm so spoiled by big men having touch around the basket that I despise that he breaks the shot clock throwing the ball at the backboard when he's three feet from it.

There's a little bit of that there for sure. He can improve in terms of both his. His footwork and being able to have that touch around the rim when he can't just slam it over people. But I am a little confused on the hero front. Why someone who offensively, who has the skill set that he does. When you look at what this offense has been, why it would be considered a bad thing to add that type of player who can shoot the way that he can. Maybe Amin can explain that to me, because to me this seems like the first offense that the Heat have had that actually fits to his. I mean, let's get your expertise here.

Please let the past die. Kill it if you have to.

Yeah, he's on my side.

Isn't that what Mike is doing though? Like living in the past of a run from 15 games three years ago?

It's time to move on.

Is where you are on this.

I mean, that's what Mike just said while you were in the penalty box for the third time in 20 minutes, a record. Well, that's not my fault. No. The reality is what you're looking at is a luxury, not a necessity anymore. Why are you guys lucky? Laughing Don LeBatard Teammates can't shoot from three now. They're gonna see a different Jimmy now.

He's just.

Just playing nickel back in the locker room and stugats and shoot threes as they chase the nets for the six seed. These five words in his head scream, are we winning games yet?

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach.

Mike Biamonte is with us. He's the longtime Heat announcer. I regret going to Amin all six of the times I've gone to him in the first 20 minutes of the show.

That was good shit. He said I was right.

I think Mike Biamante I have in front of me here that is is the second longest streak in the NBA for an in stadium announcer. I do not know the first. Do any of you know the first? I thought he was. I thought he. Lakers. Los Angeles Lakers. 35 years he has been at it and he joins us now was as wants his job.

This guy.

Yes. Look at legend. What a legend. Yeah.

Mike, good to see you.

It is nice to see you. I have so many questions. Good morning. Congratulations on everything and we were both happy for you and sad that you're going. Can you tell us why it is and how it is that you decided after 35 years that you had had enough.

Yeah, Dan, it was just time. It was a decision that took me almost a year to come to. I started having this conversation with my wife Natalie, at the start of last season and said, you know, I think maybe after this one, I've got one more left in me. And so I took all of last season thinking about this. I sure I want to do this kind of confirming or denying my thoughts. And when I got through last season, I said, you know what? Yeah, it's time. I'm happy. It's been a great career. One more, and then let's move on to the next chapter of life. Any regret?

None.

Is it the traffic?

You know, if I. If I said traffic was not part of this whole equation, I'd be lying. But a small part, but it's something you think of when you're sitting in it and it's not moving than anything else.

I do have a lot of questions, so can you tell me over your career how many games you've missed?

I have missed somewhere in the neighborhood of about 16 games over 35 seasons.

And the greatest mistake make that you feel like you have made at the microphone, do you have something that stands out? Because I imagine there are some nights when you go home, there have to be. When you're doing that many nights and you're like, I didn't get it right that time.

Yeah. You know, I would probably say more games than not at some point during the game, I make a mistake. It may not be noticeable by Heat fans or even by the front office or the people I work with, but there are small, little mistakes that I noticed that kind of, you know, get under my skin a little bit. Obviously, the biggest one is one where I went off script one game when a player from the other team filed out of a game. And if I had to do that again, I certainly would have done it differently.

Michael, you speak of the next chapter. What is the next chapter?

So it's the mayor of Heat Island. It's nice to see you, mayor. So the next chapter will be my wife and I to enjoy our family as it's growing. We recently became grandparents. We have another daughter who's engaged to be married. Our children live around the country. They don't live in South Florida. So we'll get a chance to visit them more and enjoy their families as their families are growing. And she and I will get to enjoy life when we want to, not during a schedule when we have to, to.

What are the hardest parts of the job that people would have no idea.

About saying no to family and friends when they invite you to do things or there are family events or milestones that you have to miss. The other thing is really what it takes to keep your voice in shape, and not only the things you have to do, but the things you really have to stay away from. And. And that's. In a lot of times, that's just shutting down your voice and not being able to talk to your friends or. Or talk to your family because you're trying to keep your chords right because you know you need them the next night or you need them that night just to stay in good shape. So you're always at the top of your game. For our Heat fans, when they come out to support the team.

No, I totally get it, Mike. Sometimes you know what you have to do, but you don't know if you have the strength to do it. There wasn't really a question there. He's just doing what he does there. So just give me.

I'm just going to delay a show.

This is going to come up in the post show.

Mike, when did you start to feel comfortable adding in your personality catchphrases, that kind of stuff?

Yeah, I. I brought over zaz a lot of. A lot of my stuff from my days announcing college basketball when I was announcing at fiu. So when I moved over to start announcing for the Miami Heat, some of my stuff I brought with me, like, too many steps and no basketball. Tickle me. And also three. So I brought those over from my college days, and the team seemed to embrace it. The fans enjoyed it, they liked it. So nobody really wanted to upset the apple cart. So we ran with it. And since I had been doing that for, guess about a decade in college ball, it was comfortable for me. Some of the things that I brought to the table once I joined the Heat, including and now Stand up and make some noise for your Miami.

He.

And then of course, the iconic two minutes.

Those.

Those I was. I love it, Chris. Those I really felt comfortable with because of the fact that the team was so collaborative with me in saying to me, hey, we want you to come up with some ideas for some things to use in game. So stand up and make some noise and Dos Minutos were two creations that I was able to come up with with pitch them to the team. The team said, we'll take it, we want to try it. And obviously they've both been really successful. So a little of both. A little things I brought with me, but then that Collaboration. Zaz really made me feel like, yeah, we want to hear from you, and we want you to give a shot at this.

The other thing that you're most known.

For is saying the opponent's name like Luo Dang. And that example.

So did you bring that with you from FAU as well?

Well, I did. I did, Roy. It's. It was something that. The amount of enthusiasm I have for the home team, I want that matched with the sound of disdain out of my voice whenever we're talking about the bad guys. So whatever player that was, it's like, I could care less who you are, but they tell me I have to say your name. So here it is.

Okay, Mike, so this is something I've wanted to ask you for a really long time, and it's a great lead in with what Raw just asked you in 1999. We all know how that season ended. All right, Allen Houston. Ball bounced around the rim, the backboard, and in the heat. Season is over. They lose. They were the one seed. Did you consider not saying Allen Houston it was unnecessary, Mike. We all know it was screwed.

It. It was. It was brutal. I guess I never considered not saying it. It. I only hoped I said it so poorly that no one heard it, but because it's lived on an infamy that's. That's a name that's going to be synonymous with some of those. Those opponent names that I've had to say over the years. It was. That was one of the.

Well, the reason that I remember Luau Deng is because Shaq and Dwyane Wade were knocked out in the first round. And it echoed throughout my nights, that guy saying Luau Dang that way for so long. So the opponent names that have hurt you the most to say over the years. If you gave me a top three, you gave me a gold, silver, and bronze. Go ahead and do bronze, silver, gold, in that order. I imagine Alan Houston would be our gold.

Yeah, I think. I think. I think we. Spoiler alert. I think we have two of the three right there. Wow. I'm not sure who the bronze is. There's no question. Silver is. Is Luol Dang. And the gold. The gold is, without a doubt, Allen Houston. Maybe. Maybe the bronze is. I mean, it'd be too easy just to say Michael Jordan, but how hard.

Was it to have to say Dwyane Wade?

It was Zaz. It was very strange. It was. As I prepped myself for that game, I knew every time he scored, I would have to take a. A second just A. Just a beat and just remind myself, visiting team, visiting team, visiting team. Because for all my. All my life, it was Dwayne Wade, and now all of a sudden, it had to become Dwyane Wade. It was just so strange and just so odd.

Michael, can I. Can I nominate game seven, 2000 timeout Knicks.

Oh, that's a rough one.

I mean.

Yes, that was. That was one of our very first games ever in the. In the arena we play in now.

Now.

And that was. Yeah. The Knicks call timeout.

In a totally dead silent arena.

Let's do.

Let's do happier times. Let's do the top five Heat names over the years that Mike Biamante says he has most nailed. We will start with number five. Unless you have some olives. Do you have Oli, or do you want to go with number five?

I'm ready to go with number five.

All right, number five, Goron. Number four, PJ Brown. That's good syllable music there. He can hear the music in the syllables. Number three, Mario Ch. Number two.

Yeah, I mean, Chris is at a concert right now.

He's taking along clapping.

He's gonna look up my number one, and we're not gonna be wearing any clothes.

It's like playing Wonderwall.

I'm not wearing pants.

I'm gonna wake up next to Simone Fontechio. Number two, bimbo. And then you all know the favorite. You all know number one, and I think strategically he's kept LeBron James here. Number one, you.

Donnis.

Hey, Mike, how often did you make. Oh, yes, excellent work. I should let that sit a little bit. How often did you make opponents mad at you? What is the angriest? That some opponents got mad at you?

I had one opponent get pretty angry with me. Old Orlando Magic player. Everybody knew him as Bo Outlaw. I never called him Bo his entire career. I found out that his given name was Charles.

Yeah, that's awesome.

And so I called him Charles Outlaw every time he came and played in Miami. And the first time I did it, he walked over to the scores table, and he looked me right in the eye and he said, my name's not Charles. My name is Bo. Only my mom car calls me Charles Charles. I said, well, your name is Charles and you're playing in my arena, so you're Charles.

Wow. That is a man who is a physical menace. That man. That man was a sculpted. And that guy was not to be trifled with. That.

When you've got the scores table between you, you have a little more courage than, I guess you Would any other way. I will say this, Charles laughed and every time he came to Miami, he would always eyeball me when I would introduce him as Charles Outlaw. But we always shared a good laugh with it.

It's awesome.

Your name is Charles and you're playing in my arena. Is the punctuation that I would put on a 35 year career as to how it is that the Heat will talk to you when you enter their arena.

Mike, did you ever have any incidents with referees?

No, nothing. Nothing of a negative sort and certainly didn't want that. You wanted. You wanted to be as friendly as you could with them, but I. You know, you learn early in your career whether you think the call is right or not. The call is the call. And so you show it the respect that it needs. When you announce it, you don't play it up or play it down. Although I have been known when an opposing player commits an offensive foul to maybe give it a little something extra.

Mike, I assume you have a lot of stroke over at the Heat and they announced that there's going to be a nationwide search to replace you.

I'm right here.

We are obviously caping up for Jonathan Szasz. Can you put in a good word for the boy?

Absolutely. I'm gonna be more than happy to put in a word for our boy, Zaz. The word will be no. There will be a search and we're certainly excited and looking forward to all the submissions, including ZAZ's and finding out who the next voice of the Miami Heat will be. I think it's an exciting time.

Wait, I'm just finding something out. It's a little ridiculous because he's in costume, but he broke character to tell me sincerely. Amin is also gunning for this job. He wants the job sincerely.

Okay, so now we've got two that have already shown up on the list. I'm looking forward to who else may be there. What about me? I think that. Listen, as long as you hold that me, that's awesome.

Or perhaps someone with credibility and experience. Touchdown Miami Seaquarium.

Do you. Do you have any advice for people who are angling for the job?

My biggest. My biggest point for advice would be don't come in and try to copy what we've had there for 35 years. Be your own person. Be your own voice. Do it your way. Don't try to do it like someone else. That's. I don't think that's going to work.

Perhaps I am out.

Do you think that you are going to get emotional here? At some point before the last game.

I can't see how I won't. Dan. It's been a huge part of my life and made so many friends and so many great memories. I think. I certainly think I will. I just hope I can keep my composure and not. And not show too much of a breakdown. But I can't see how I might not.

Have you been taken aback at all by what has already, I'm sure, been an outpouring for you because people, when they. When you said you weren't going to be back, there was an audible sadness in the arena.

Yeah. Since the announcement came out on Saturday, Dan, it's been incredibly overwhelming. Just the outpour of appreciation of the nice comments. It made you feel kind of your age a little bit, as I'm hearing from people. Oh, since I was 4 years old. You're the first voice I know. Those are. Those are nice to hear, too. It's kind of been a generational thing. It's been. As I said, it's been overwhelming. I'm just so thankful for the relationship that I've had with these Heat fans for these three plus decades, the love and support they've shown me, the fun we've had together. It's. It's been amazing.

Mike, a delight talking to you, a delight hearing from you. Legend 35 years. And I hope before you leave that you'll come through the studio right here across from the arena and spend some time with us so that.

Come on, Dan, let's keep them for.

Two minutes so that you can. So we could say goodbye properly and in person.

Thank you, Dan. You know what? I'll be happy to do that. Let's make that happen.

All right. Thank you, sir. Enjoyed all of it. Thank you.

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