Nightcap - Nightcap Hour 1: Pistons EVEN SERIES vs Magic + Lakers GET UPDATES on Luka & Reaves

Episode Date: April 23, 2026

Shannon Sharpe, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Iso Joe Johnson react to the Detroit Pistons beating the Orlando Magic to even up the series 1-1, Shams updates us on Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves injury, and the Lakers beat the Rockets to go up 2-0 in the series and much more! Download the PrizePicks app today and use code SHANNON to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup! https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/NIGHTCAP   03:00 - Pistons even series with Magic39:30 - Updates on Luka and Austin Reaves (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) #ClubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 26 NFL draft is here, and the NFL Daily podcast has it covered from all angles. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, and Jordan Roderig after night one on Thursday. Nick Shook joins me night two Friday and then Sunday to recap everything that went down over the three days in Pittsburgh. We'll tell you who won the draft and which players were my favorite picks. Listen to NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal on the free IHeart Radio app. Open the app, search NFL Daily, and listen now. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

I'm Daniel Alarcon, and this is my friend. It's much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far. But I'm John Green, co-host of the podcast The Away End with my old friend Daniel. On our podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the Away End with Daniel Alarcon and John Green on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Miles Turner. And I'm Brianna Stewart. And our podcast, Game Recognized Game, has never been done before. Two active players giving you a real look at our lives and what we actually think on and off the court. Nothing's off limits. We talk tanking. I might get in trouble for this answer, but I think it's, like, definitely happening in the WBA. We talk about our mistakes, too.

They pulled me to the side and was like, hey, man, we got a call last night, man. You can't be rolling around the city like this tonight before games. Check out Game Recognized game with Stew and Miles on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is Julian Edelman, host of games with names. On our latest episode, we got comedian Blake Anderson from workaholics and the hilarious. This is important podcast. Let's go. We did beat them in improv.

You had an improv against the team? Yes. We would pull up their schools. would be there with signs for us. It's competition. What you would win is a bottle of gold slager. James Fester threw it out of a van because he didn't want us drinking it. For more games with names, visit the Iheart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast.

The regular season is wrapped and the NBA playoffs are finally here and there's no better way to cash in on high-flying hoops action than prize picks, a preferred partner of the NBA. Every basket, every dime, every win means more when you're playing on prize picks. So don't pass up the next shot with prize picks and get $50 instantly in lineups when you play your first $5. Do it live. 2026 NBA final sweet stick alert. Pick live squares during the NBA playoffs and you could win a trip for two to the NBA finals. To enter, you just make a $5 lineup with at least one live player pick during any part of the 2026 NBA playoffs.

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That's Code Shannon to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Prize Picks, a preferred partner of the NBA. Hey. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for joining us for another episode of Nightcap. Y'all know who I am. I'm your favorite uncle, and there's my partner, the Liberty City legend. Cincinnati Bringo, Ring of Fame, Honorary, a former Pro Bowl, and an all-pro, he's

Chad Ochosenko Johnson. And the third member of the Big Three, a seven-time NBA All-Star from the Atlanta Hawks, University of Arkansas alum. That is ISO, Joe Johnson. Please make sure you hit that subscribe button. Please make sure you hit the like button. a favor go subscribe to the nightcap podcast feed wherever you get your podcast from we would personally like to thank each and every one of you for your eyes ears and your word of mouth you guys make all

of this possible none of this happens without you so we want to thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart for all that you've done for nightcap through the years those looking to purchase a bottle of shay by laporteur head over to laporteurcation.com to purchase you a bottle if it's currently unavailable in a state or city near you remember it is the premium besey Sop cognac that drinks more like an ex-o. But don't take my word for it. Try it for yourself. Compared to against other coniates you've tried or may be wanting to try

and see what we know to be true. It is the best-tasting smoothest VSOP cognac on the market. Please drink responsibly and stay safe. Tomorrow, Ocho and I will be live throughout the first round of the NFL draft. We'll be joined by drafted players, current players, coaches, and analysts, and more. Nightcap is the place for all things, for all things, NFL draft. In this show, we've got Miami cornerback, Keante Scott, plus Clemson's quarterback Avion Terrell, joining us a little later in the show. But first, the Detroit

Pistons even the series up with the Orlando Magic 93, 9883 in game two. The Pistons had lost 11 straight home games in the postseason, the drought that started back in 2008. Game three will be in Orlando on Saturday. Joe, I mean, the game was 46, 45 at the half. Joe, I turned the thing back on, and that damn, I was like, hold on, what the hell happened? At one point, they had outscored Orlando 30 to three in the third quarter. Joe, how was the Pistons able to turn this thing around, even the series up?

I think the Pistons were definitely just more desperate. Okay, Ocho, knowing and understanding, in that, man, listen, game two, this is a must-win situation for us. We can't go to Orlando down 0-2 thinking we're going to win on their home floor. So I think, you know, they got their morale back. I thought they came out and made a huge emphasis on defense

just to be physical, obviously, and just play a lot hard. I thought, you know, I thought they took Wendell caught out the game, okay, Ocho, to where, you know, offensively, you know, last game, what he had, about 19, 20 points. Mm-hmm. I mean, I think the biggest factor is, man, K just got to continue to be ultra aggressive, ultra aggressive, make plays not only for himself, but for them guys around him.

And he got to be, if he'll fish it, then they wins will look like this because they're a great defensive team. It don't surprise me that they held Orlando to 83 points. On 33% shooting from the floor, 25% from the three. Out rebounding them, their plus, plus 15, excuse me, in the rebounded aspect. Go ahead, Ocho. say something. Now, I was going to say it was a collective effort on their behalf on the pissings. Obviously, Kay to Cunningham doing exactly what he's supposed to do, obviously leading that squad,

but going down 02, you don't want to have to dig yourself out that kind of hole, Joe, and make it that more difficult. So they knew they had to even this goddamn series out. And not only that, it was a collective effort from everybody. God damn Tobias had 16, Roberts had 10. You got 11 from during. She had Cunningham did what he did with 27 and goddamn Thompson had 11. So everybody, including, you know, he had Stewart coming out of the bench, you know, he had 10. He has some other people contribute a little bit as well. But listen, they got to play like this.

They got to play like this the rest of the series or, hell, it could be a goddamn upset. Yeah. Yeah, it could be an upset, Ocho. I mean, obviously, you know, Detroit hadn't really been tested. So we don't really know if they're a championship caliber team yet. We just know they're number one in the Eastern Conference. You know what I mean? So now, if they are a championship caliber team, now they got to show it because you got to go out of the road and you got to go get you one.

You know what I mean? So we'll see if them guys can step up, step up to the challenge and obviously still one in Orlando. Yeah, the difference between playoff basketball or regular season basketball, and we see that a lot. There's a difference between regular season and postseason than anything. Be it football, basketball, baseball, hockey, whatever, whatever team sport is. If you have a postseason, there's a difference, the intensity level. There's greater expectations, especially on higher seeds because you got that higher seed by playing good basketball during the season. Now all of a sudden, when it matters the most, when we need to get stops, when we need to be efficient in clutch situations, we don't get that done.

So anybody that says they don't, oh, you know, you absolutely know what it is. And Detroit knows they basically had the best record in the Eastern Conference, damn there from start to finish. even when Cade went out, they still found ways to win. And now they find themselves in a series 1-1 with Orlando. Now, they're going to need to do a better job. They did a great job on the glass tonight, Joe.

They have plus 15 Detroit was over Orlando. They're going to need to do a better. They're going to have to shoot the three. Now, I don't necessarily think they're a great three-point shooting team. They can get streaky like most teams can, but some teams are better. Boston says are a good three-point shooting team. Detroit's not.

they better knock down some of these damn free throws. Yeah, I agree. They got to shoot better from the three Ogden Ocho, not only that, I think they hanged their hat on their defense. You know what I mean? Like, they pride themselves defensively.

It ain't too many times they're going to get out rebounding. No. With Duren and Big Boy and Stewart down there, it ain't many times that they're going to get out rebounding. So, you know, they come with a tough mindset, hard hat, you know, outwork you, and do what, whatever it takes to win the game. Now, you just hope your stars step up.

Obviously, Cade has been consistent. But, man, if you can get some consistent productivity from Tobias Harris. Every now, I'm talking about consistent. I'm saying it ain't got to be about 15, 20 points a night. But can we get that consistently? Then I think that would definitely help because they ask him too much for during. You know, oh, man, he need to give us 25. That ain't his game, bro.

That ain't his game. Can we ask to give us, give him, give us what you gave us in the regular season? Is that asking too much, Joe? I don't think it's asking too much, but here's the problem. In a playoff series, bro, we're going to try to expose you. We got to, we're going to have to play during tough. We can't give him nothing easy. See, he's known for getting them putbacks to just being kind of like a junkyard dog type of player

to where he kind of, you know, feed off miss shots. But it's tough, man. Oh, Lendo got some big bodies that they can throw at him, and it's been giving them some problems. You know what I mean? he hadn't been as effective as he's been, you know, in the regular season. But I expect this play to continue to get better too. Joe, if he continues to play like this, they're going home.

If Jalen Dern does not pick up that play, they're going home. You can't have a situation, Joe, your two best player. One of your players is playing like he's supposed to play. Kay Cunningham has elevated his game. 39 in the first game, 27. Jalen Durden has not. He wasn't. But there's a pretend, Joe.

He's going to be an all-NBA player. He made the all-star team. And he's giving us to them. No, no. Look, the playoffs is about elevating. It's not about decreasing. I don't give it down what you do. Yes.

Oh, yes. I understand that. But see, that's, see what you said, Joe? You said, hey, let's make it tough on them. That's how you make your name. That's how you become legendary. That's how you become iconic. Because you know, they know, what you represent.

And they're going to do what you represent. But they can't stop it. And guess what? You still go that there and busts. You can't. Pause. Yeah. But you're right. That's what the greatest do.

You already, you know what we're running. We know what you're running. Still, I don't care. You can't stop it. But I think, I think we kind of got to give him a little slack. He's just not an offensive guy like that. He's just been a hardworking dude who's put up some great numbers doing the regular season. But in the postseason, I'm down in on them.

I see his stress. I see his weaknesses. You know what I'm saying? I'm going to make him use it. You feel what I'm saying? And I feel like with them just throwing him the ball trying to say, hey, man, go get us a bucket. That ain't his game, man. Guess what?

I want you to be that same hardworking guy in the postseason that you were in the regular season. Because guess what? You know what's coming his way, don't Joe? You know that max contract coming, right? Yeah. Yeah. So. Yeah, it ain't going to be.

Hey, hey, the one thing about Orlando, they bigs, they fight, bro. They ain't going to be easy. If you're supposed to be that guy, you're going to have to show us you that. Yeah. And that's the way you, that's what you, but you got to, you gotta want to take it like, you know what man, they really count on me. Because you know Detroit, ever since the bad boys, what are they known for? You ain't been to outscrap us and if we got, if we got a squabble, we go squabble.

But you're not fit out work because you're not going to be out tough for us. It started with Isaiah and then when they started bringing in Lambere and they got Mahorn and they got James Edwards and they got Sal a Dumars, uh, bro. Then they got worm. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, that's how they've always been. Fast forward to Bassboard Pistons too. When they had Big Ben, shee, Chaunce, Ripped, Tashon.

Rip. This is always who they've been. And now the third edition, the third installment, the trilogy, even though Stu come off the bench, he brings that toughness. Kay plays tough. Those guys, this is what you in Detroit. It's kind of like, If you play for the Steelers,

you play for the Ravens, you already know. You got to get some mindset. Yeah, sir. But you don't walk in that. Oh, man, nah, no, no, no. Ain't no finesse football. No. Yeah, no.

Detroit Pistons, they can't play finesse. You gotta be physical. This is who y'all are. Y'all ain't got no free. Y'all don't, eh, y'all not go to state at their heyday. Y'all ain't pretty. I am. Y'all dump trucks, y'all pickup trucks.

Yeah. gritty and grimy. Yeah, that's how they got to play. And I thought today, you know, they play like it. But on another note, I thought Orlando kind of, they look satisfied to me on. I saw that. I don't lie to you. And I'm watching Orlando, I'm like, they ain't really come with their same oomph they had in game one.

It's kind of like, you know, it seemed like they were kind of satisfied that we went in there one-one-one game now. We'll see what they do in game three. But I'm going to be honest with you, I expect the Pistons. to obviously come back and take control of this series. Yeah. You know what? I thought they, I thought they were really,

really engaged in the first half. If you look at them the way they played the first half, Joe, especially the second quarter, I thought I said, damn, I said, Detroit, y'all better be on your best behavior, man, because these boys look at it. They're greedy.

It looks like they're trying to get sweetened. They're trying to split the part. They're trying to take it all. And I've been, damn, they come out there. The next thing I know, a 30 to three. It really, it really, It really blew the game open from that point on. Yeah.

Damn. Orlando ain't get no contribution from their bench. No. I like how, you know, Suggs is being aggressive, but I want once again, Arcan Ocho, when I'm watching Orlando Magic Man, I'm watching, I'm watching Paolo Ben Carroll. I don't want him out there doing all that dribbling,

Arcan Ocho. I'm sorry, bro. I'm talking about Frito line and in is where he should be. I'm talking about it shouldn't be a person on the, on the Pistons team who could guard him, bro. He give us flashes because he showed us in game one. He could do it. Yeah.

And I just think he got back today handling the ball, having a little man set to pick and roll. Man, hey, look, that's part of being great, doing it night in and night out, doing it over and over and over again. So he got to learn to, you know, stick with his bread and butter. Because them dudes can't guard him in mid-post, man. No, everybody, nobody shot the ball great tonight. And, you know, black normally gives them great production off the band.

Carter didn't play a whole lot. Badazzi. He played 20. He didn't really give him anything. You're right, Joe. They didn't get anything. But, you know, it was a game that I don't even know if they were really trying to give them anything

because that airpoint time, the game was a blowout. Right, right. But Wendell Carter, Jr., you got to give him more than three points. You got to give him more than three, bro. Yeah. That's unacceptable. The final's 29 and 24 minutes. Mm-mm.

Hey, look, but look, considering what they've done to the Hornets for their last playing spot, I think they're going to play pretty good at home. Orlando, I think they're going to be a totally different team. So I think typically Ben Carroll going to play better. Even though I don't think he played bad, but I think he'll play a lot better. You'll get more from Windale Carter. I think these bench guys like Black, I think these guys, they'll be a lot more calmer and ready, you know in game three being in home.

They jettisoned the other big Orlando did, Isaacs. Him and the coach had a falling out or something. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember that. But I like Moza. I think Mosley, isn't that their coach name? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

He'll back down. No, he'll back down. Ben Carroll was trying to take a few shots in the media. He's like, hey, he's right back at it. Yeah, hey, you got to be, Hey, you gotta be like that, man. You can't, you can't be nervous to challenge your guys, bro. If you wanna be great, you gotta be, you gotta wanna be challenged.

There you go, despite however they may feel, you can't be, you know, timid on challenging them guys, because I think more than anything, you'll gain more respect for them. Yeah, for sure. You know, than anything. You might, go ahead, don't Joe, go ahead. You, I say you almost hope they respond the right way. You almost hope they respond the right way because most of them

don't take kind to being challenged, because they're sensitive. They don't see it as a challenge. They take it as something else. So as long as they understand, I'm sure they have conversation behind closed doors and coaches letting them know, you know, there's certain things that you can't say

because I also got to protect myself because some of the things you say it reflects me who I am as a coach. Yeah. Or I have no choice but to say something back. But there's nothing direct towards you, nothing personal, but I got to challenge you to be better. Yeah.

And even if you don't gain said players respect, you gain his teammates' respect. respect because they're watching. Yeah. Sometimes you can lose a locker room because how you treat. They see that man, hold on. All you do is get on us. Yeah.

He late, you get on us. He's blowing deities of assignment. You mad at me. Yeah. You lose the locker room. Yeah. Yeah. No, no, no, no, no.

Say something to him. He might not, hey, he might do everything he can to probably potentially get you up out of there, but at least you got to gain the respect to the locker room. Because if you, hey, what good is, hey, you let you let him do everything and then you ain't got the locker room. You're going to be out of there quicker than that anyway. Yeah. And so

that's the thing. Guys don't, and you grab the right, guys don't get it. Guys don't want to be challenged. Because when you're great at a young age, you kind of get coddled because you're great. And coaches don't want you to take your ball and go home. Yeah. Because

it's like the NIL program. Now, guess what? You challenged a guy. Now, he just goes somewhere else. He's gone in the portal. I'm a hollered at me. You ain't been to coach me hard. Yeah.

I think the most important thing as a coach, okay, Ocho, and both of y'all know this, you have to know your players who you deal with. You have to know, you have to know how they'll respond under certain circumstances. So it may be the heat of the game. Coach may I already know he can jump down. You know what I'm saying?

He can jump on me, me again. You know what I'm saying? And if he can jump on your best player in front of everybody, it does weigh heavy because now all these other dudes around when he do jump on them, they fall right in line. Right. So I think as a coach, you got the toughest job, especially when they come in the NBA. I'm sure the same thing in the NFL because you have to know how to deal with different personalities on the day-to-day. And that's the hardest thing. I'm going to treat you all the – Bill Davis is to tell us all the time.

I'm going to treat you all fair, but I ain't going to treat you the same now. Some guys you can ride like Joe said. Some guys, you got to pat him on the back. Even when they, hey, yeah. Some guys you can be facetious with, damn son, my wife could have made that play. Some guys you got to be facetious with some guys you can ride. You just have to know what buttons to push

to get what doors to open. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That is the biggest thing, my coach, is to understand your players. I'm telling you, you try to do everybody the same. Okay. Yeah. Think about it.

Okay. I don't know what you're going to be the coach of a player because I've seen it. I seen them square up. I seen them square up. They ain't thrown no blow. Hold on. Joe, hold on, Joe. You see who square up?

A coach and a player? Yeah, yeah, a coach of the player. Hold on in the NBA? Yeah, yeah. I know you, hey, listen, without saying no names. Can I get that story? Don't say no names. Uh, uh, it was my first year here in there.

Atlanta. I'm making like that. Okay, okay. It was my first year here in Atlanta, okay, oh, show. Now, mind you, they just came off

winning nine games the season before. So the, the environment, you know, wasn't, you know, it was shaky. It wasn't the best.

You feel what I'm saying? So it's probably already tension built up from last season. Right. It just kind of carried over. And this was like early in the season. Like I said,

we started off here, three and 29, hey, it was almost spice in here. Yeah. Yeah. Hey. Hey, ask PJ Carp and Lusselmoke,

and you coach everybody the same. Hey, hold up, though. X, Phil Jackson. Look how he had to coach the Warren. Knowing that man were going to get out of line, didn't his ride. George, let me, let me deal with him. Hey, you got, hey, look, Joe.

You got some players, because you know, bro, you know, they, especially the ones that's great. It's certain stuff you're going to have to deal when you're going to have to try and minimize, you know, the punishment to some degree. Because if Dennis Rodman was doing that and he wasn't who he was, like he'd be out to leave. Production and tolerance.

As long as production over your show is tolerance. Yeah, yeah. Tolerance will never be higher than production. I don't care. We talk about in professional sports, in job, regular job. Look at the guy that's producing. Hey, his quota or her, his or her quota is through the roof.

They come late, they eat, at the desk they might not have the ride of town. Now you, you show up on time. You do everything right, but your quote ain't where it needs to be. The first time you get ridden up and you got to go. First time they call your ass down to HR,

you up out of there. Yeah. Yeah, but I ain't, you got to be careful about you talk to people because everybody don't respond to the same stimuli. So that yelling and screaming, that's a trigger for somebody and they tear your ass up.

Yeah, you're right. But a trigger from some, uh, some trauma that happened early in life. You never know. That's what I was, uh, we had a conversation kind of like our first year, uh, Joe.

And that's like, when you date somebody, you're not just dating that person. You dated the trauma that they dealt with before you got there. Yeah, yeah. Come on. That's what you're dealing with.

You don't know. You don't know. Same thing. You go to the pound. You get you a, like, ooh, this is a gorgeous dog, but you don't know what led that dog to be there. Now, you might do something that if previous owner did and trigger it, and you'll get why he ended up where he,

it ended up where it was. Same thing with a relationship. You might say something someone has said in their past. Here's her. I just don't want you. I'm just not women because I know how y'all are. Oh, you just, it's just, it's just, No, you might say something.

He or she might say something might trigger him or her from a previous situation or previous situations or even for the fact, childhood. I'm Luke Wilson. Join me each week for Film Never Lies. Since retiring from the NFL, I've had a lot of my mind and now got my own show. So if you're tired of lazy takes, if you want honest conversations, join us each week. Film Never Lies available on all TSN platforms. in the IHeart Radio app.

The 2026 NFL draft is here, and the NFL Daily podcast has it covered from all angles. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, and Jordan Roderig, after night one on Thursday. Nick Shook joins me night two Friday, and then Sunday to recap everything that went down over the three days in Pittsburgh. We'll tell you who won the draft

and which players were my favorite picks. Listen to NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal on the free IHeart Radio app. Open the app. Search NFL Daily and listen now. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not. only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of The Fault and Our Stars and now, I guess also as the co-host of The Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alarcon, a writer and journalist and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World Cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old. I watched every game and I fell in love. On our new podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer, football, is a story we've shared for over 30 years since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team. Very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, its heartbreak, and above all,

it's beauty. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the away end with Daniel Alarcon and John. John Green on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramers sending on to Ernie Stewart the chip. I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Boke.

On our podcast, inside American soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team.

It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. USA! Listen, inside American soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, wherever you get your podcast. and they'll do me.

Yeah. Me, I was a guy, I didn't do well to yelling because I got yelled at a lot when I was younger. So I was just like, man, I can't wait to get grown. I don't like being yelling. Tell me what I need to do. Yeah. And I'm going to do everything I possibly can to do it right. That yelling, I'm going to give you a look first.

A level. I'll be going to get you a look first. Yeah. You hear me son? You're about to feel me. I don't do well with that, Joe. Just tell me, hey. Hey, listen.

Make it seem like I'm trying to mess it up. Right, right. Hey, hey, tell me something. Did you raise your kids like that? Oh, yeah, you know what? I mean, you had times you may yell at them, but I'm like, I'm gonna be honest with you. I ain't, you know, ain't none of my kids had their ass.

Oh, no, no, no. I feel what I'm saying. But just by me raising my voice, there'll be enough for some tears to come down in the eyes. You feel what I'm saying? Yeah. Went to the movies. Me and my girl, we're going to see one movie.

They're going to see another movie. What you want? You know how kids are. Everybody, big slushy, on popcorn, on canyon. I said, okay. The movie, they're going to be close in time. I said, don't get you, don't you all leave this movie.

y'all let me come back in here and get you okay day okay our movies in i think i was in my body bit like probably like two or three minutes after there's i'm gonna go i'm gonna go get them because i was down the hall we at fifth joe the movie we down the hall on the left and they like in the front i see them looking i hear them i see them i see them and i hear them talking i think they went to see this movie right here i said where y'all going I didn't want to leave the movie. Don't worry about it. I got something fun when you get home.

So we got home. Everybody tried to put it on everybody. I said, why you just didn't stay? Well, I didn't want to. I said, I appreciate that. I appreciate y'all sticking together. But you should have stuck your ass together in the movie where I told you to be.

I told their ass up. Now, I said, now, listen. I'm going to work out. Don't y'all leave these rooms. I say if the house on fire and the fireman come get you, say, hell no, get out. Shud their ass out the aisle.

Say, my daddy said, don't leave this room. Hey, that's a good one. Bad, please. Because you don't, you don't know. Listen, with the kids, look, I'm very particular and I don't want nobody because I don't want to have to hurt somebody behind my kids

because I will. Yeah. But from, and this was really the first time they've ever done this. I used to take the kids to the mall and white people would ask me, how do you get them to do that? I'm like, I thought they were doing tricks and turning back flips or something. I say, do what, ma'am? She was like, they're so well-mannered.

They're not running off in front of you. They're not yelling or screaming. Oh, you must have got me confused with you. I don't play that I wish y'all would be running around these people mom people looking at me like I'm a damn fool Yeah First day they'll say man I saw Shannon Sharp

Boy his kids are mad they were running all food tomorrow No sir Y'all empty to go on the store and be all that no sir Yeah See hey Joe I'm gonna know about you I don't you know I don't really have no problem Especially having as many as I have Obviously everybody

Everybody grown now, Unk, except three. I'm talking about, you know, 28, 27, 22. I mean, everybody grown now. But I'm trying to think of some time when they were little. But their mother's rule was such an eye and fist, Unk, when they are with me, I never have no problems. And I try to get them to understand is, when you're with me, it's okay to be free.

You out that prison you got to give with you at home. You know, I'm a little bit more lenient. I'm not the one that does a discipline. Unless necessary, I had one encounter. only one account that I can remember I swear for God. It was with my son and we, you know, we all, we all in the back of the car and I told him,

y'all stopped playing around and put your seatbels on. And here he'd go. He then jumped out of the seat and I had to hit the break and he went flying and flew past me and almost hit his head on the dashboard. Boy, I turned around and grabbed that collar and said, man, if you don't

and I lost it a little bit. Now obviously I had to apologize. I had to apologize later because that's the first time they ever seen me get out of character. Yeah. And that was the only time. I ain't had a problem since. He had a sophomore in high school now.

I ain't had no problem since then. I think the thing is, guys, what I had to learn, Ocho, is that they were getting away with stuff. I let them get away with stuff because I wasn't there every day. And they started to take advantage of that. So I had to put my foot down.

So I put my foot down. I said, okay. Now what you do at your mom's house, as long as you're not disrespectful, your mom called me and say, well, you said this or you said that, I'm gonna fly that and I'm gonna tell your ass up. You wanna, if you, if your mom want you to let you jump on the bed, let you run on the couch, put your feet on the dealer table, that ain't got nothing to do it. I don't run your mom household. But when you here.

Yeah. I wish I would catch y'all jumping on the bed. I wish I would catch you walking on the couch. I wish I would. Oh, all that said, you know how women like to sit with their feet crossed up and on the couch, your damn feet go on the floor.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Sitting up on, you know, sitting up on the counter. Boy, I will eat my food there. You got your ass up on that counter. Boy, you would get your ass off that counter. You bet.

I don't play that. Hey, hey. It's like my, it's like my grandpa. When we would love it, he would never let us sit in his bed. He said, y'all make my bed hot, make my sheets hot when I go to his bed. Hey, hey, and Joe, y'all knew it was a such thing as etiquette school? Yeah, I know that's edict school. Oh, okay, okay, okay.

Man, had the, had a nerd that hit me, talking about French fry and to go to etiquette school all the way in France. Man, if you don't get, if you don't get off my phone and stop playing with me, about playing them. Don't play me. I think maybe it was just to get a reaction, just to see what I was going to say. Yeah.

You got it. I don't know what you were trying to get, but I don't know your cheap ass. Yeah, man, edictics, we'll watch YouTube. Don't worry about it. We're learning about etiquette on YouTube. But a lot of that, because that's how it was with us. And see, people thought I was lying.

When I said that at the dinner table, we didn't talk. And people ask, why you eat so fast? Because I want to do. to be able to talk. You could talk at the dinner table. Party Mary wasn't playing that. It wasn't no. Hey, you know, because we only had one TV.

Not a kitchen. I mean, you could slide back from the table to try to see the TV. So you try to, hey, one of the other. Either go wife TV or eat this damn food. Yeah. Damn. Talking at the table.

But hey, hold on. Hey, hold on. Hey, Joe, I'm, wait, hold on. The best conversation, especially family-oriented conversations happened. I bet you got your table. The best ass whipping you would have got would have at the dinner table.

You tell, hey, I know what I'm talking about, but I know what Ocho talking about some old Thanksgiving type. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But you went at the table. That's grown people at the table. We on the porch eating out of pie pans. You ain't had no damn table with them grown folks in at the table.

Eat out the good plates. Right. Yeah. You drink, they got the good glasses. You drank it out of jelly jars, mayonnaise jars. That's what you drinking out of. What you know about the jelly jar? I know.

You leave that thing in that sun and hot water so you can scrape the jelly bag on inside and mayonnaise out of it. Yeah, that's what you. You're not, man, you're not, they weren't playing. That kids didn't sit at the dinner table. Kids got their plate and they went on the front porch. We could talk on the front porch. All the grown people were in the kitchen.

They could talk, but you couldn't talk. Grown people talking, like how you see kids pulling on their parents' leg and stuff. Yeah. Lord, have mercy. No, I didn't shoot that. What? That ain't us on. That ain't us doing that.

Oh, no. Boy, you bring her back good memories. Hey, Joe, hey, you remember cream of wheat? Yeah, I know, we had grids. We didn't eat cream of wheat, oatmeal. Oh, you didn't have, okay. What about Tang? You ever tame?

Yeah, I remember Tang. What's Tang? Like a, like, powder. You might, it's kind of like an orange drink. It was smoke like it like an orange juice. Yeah, I know, I know, I know it, yeah. Yeah, I don't even know, there's just a lot of Well, you probably, you can get anything off the internet.

Yeah, a little, little drink, Joe, it was powder, but you mix it with water. And it turned orange. Yeah, you put too much water, you wouldn't get no taste. But over the day, over the days, man, I'm looking at these kids now. All the, how the kids be, boy, how the kids be so bad at the dinner, at the, uh, go out to the restaurants

and you're talking about sit down. In public, yeah. Oh, Lord, have mercy. Aging on food, don't it, man. Barney Porter said the first time, under the next time is lightning. I've seen the kid throw himself on the floor the other day.

Oh, catch the tantrum. At the mall. At the mall. I'm talking about square face first on the mall, just on the flow, just asking the fool. I said, ooh, woo. Joe, black folk? No.

No, hell no. And yeah, okay. Look here on. Hey, a grandma favorite line. Wherever you show out, that's exactly what you get whoa out. Yes, sir. My greatest, I'm gonna shut down on his ass. Yeah, yeah.

Hey, you already knew, boy, you knew not to touch that, no ax for that. No, yeah. Oh, they let you know before you walk in, Joe. There you go. Hey, we had, back in the day, I remember on 54th Street, we had a place that's called Zeres. Remember there?

Yeah. Remember Zit? Man, it's this super old. Before we go in here, don't touch nothing, and don't ask me for nothing. Before we walk in, she stopped at the dough. And let me know. Hey, hey, so soon as you get by something you like,

you just stay at it. So she can see you, see you stand at it. That one time. See, Barty Porter, you had to have a member. You had to be like an elephant. People say, well, how do you remember all that? Because Barley Porter told you something one time.

Forget it if you want to. Yeah. Yeah. You're a heavy hand, then. Mm-hmm. I push the buggy. I ain't no, you know, I'm pushing the bucket. I can barely see over the bug.

I push the buggy. Man, I ran that bug on the back of Grand Hills. Ooh! She reached back in the edge of my Wop. Yeah, I remember that. I remember them days. You stop! You ain't gonna signal that you stop.

Hey, hey, when you that young, Unk and Joe, you have no self-awareness. No. when someone's stopping in front of you, obviously you've got to stop the buggy. You ain't even paying attention. You just push it. That's it.

But I don't even know why we're down to hour. We're all going to get something. You weren't going shopping until Granny got paid. So you get in hotball. You get some donuts. You get some chicken. You're going to get some rice. There ain't but a handful of things you're going to get.

She'll go up there. She ain't going to pay for it. She's going to put it on credit. Or she might put half of it. So the grocery bill might be $25. dollars. She's going to put 10, 15 on credit, and she's going to get, hey, go in there because she had a money in a handkerchief. You know, old people just keep their money in a handkercher. Yeah. Trumbled up. She going to, she ain't probably got me $13, $14. She's going to

give them the $10. She'll go to keep, ask for some change because she's going to give me a spanking 50 cents because they're going to pass the plate around twice on Sunday, and we put a quarter in each time. A quarter? What the hell you're going to? Look here. Hold on. Hold on.

I had nothing. So 10% of nothing would have been nothing. Hey, uh, you know, you know what you always saying. Now, you know, God don't like no noise, man. Well, Bart and Mary have no paper. Hey, I know that feeling, boy. Hey, look, yeah, grandma going to make sure you got some money. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. You go to pump faking you want to, act like you put something down up in there. You just keep it in your hand. Yeah. Sometimes I saw some dollars in there. I want to take something out. I said, Lord, you. Hey, you got to be a sandwich to do that in church,

yeah, because he looked at. But at every time, I didn't want to put that 50 cent in there. You know what I could have done with 50 cents back in the day? Milk was a nickel of carton. Remember they had them little milk? They had chocolate, they had white milk and chocolate milk and chocolate milk.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I got 50 cents. Oh, yeah, you're bawling. Man, please. Well, you know how much 50 cent was. Yes, I do. for a little kid as a shorty, man,

you felt like he was on top of the world. I mean, a can of Coke was a quarter. A 12-ounce can of Coke was a quarter. A honey bun with a quarter. A bag of chips was a quarter. I remember all that. There was penny candy. You get 25 pieces of candy for 25 cents.

You get 25, you get them little cookies for 25 cents. Or you get like 10 of those big flywheel cookies. Yeah, I absolutely remember what it was like. Hell, I remember when cigarettes was like, 35 40 cents a pack. Now they damn eight, nine dollars a pack.

People used to say, if cigarettes ever go to 75 cents I'm done smoking. Now ain't going to 75, they went to a dollar. Boy, if they go to a dollar 50, your uncle done. I remember them days where, hey, the prices of this stuff used to be so

so simple. Hey, Joe, y'all had the candy lady house out there with you from, Joe? Man, we had a duel on the corner store. And, uh, Ocho, you go in there, get them little debit snack. You're going there with a dollar for you. Come out of him.

Boy, them, the debit snacks. Oh, them star crunch. Hey, at the candy lady house, frozen cups were nothing but a quarter. Yeah. Great frozen cup, uh, watermelon frozen cup, fruit punch frozen cup. And they had a little strawberry cookies. Sister Tillman. She had two boys, she had two sons, James and John.

And she, they sold, yeah. Oh, they're some good days, right. Yeah. But see, that's why I ain't got no patience. Now, granted, had more patience to Papa. Papa, Papa had zero patience. Zero. Yeah.

He just expected, he just ain't teaching nothing. I mean, and Libby, Libby was the oldest. He believed Libby hung the moon. If you told him my sister didn't hang the moon, you probably had to fight him. Libby wrote the checks. Libby signed his name for the report cards. Libby did anything that needed to be done. everything Libby did it

because Libby was the oldest girl I mean he trusted Libby all my uncle's the same way Fernil James B.J. Furman all of them. They needed something Libby read this tell me what they say because she understood she had patience. Me, I like

you know, but she she got patience. Libby got all of me of us three she's by far the most patient. Then come spanking. Y'all already know I ain't got none.

I ain't even been to hold you. I ain't been to hold you. None. We got some updates. Joe, Luke and Austin Reed from Shams. Lakers are not expected. I'm Luke Wilson.

Join me each week for Film Never Lies. Since retiring from the NFL, I've had a lot of my mind. And now, got my own show. So if you're tired of lazy takes, if you want honest conversations, join us each week.

Film Never Lies. available on all TSN platforms in the IHeart Radio app. The 2026 NFL draft is here, and the NFL Daily podcast has it covered from all angles. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, and Jordan Roderig, after night one on Thursday. Nick Shook joins me night two Friday, and then Sunday to recap everything that went down

over the three days in Pittsburgh. We'll tell you who won the draft and which players were my favorite picks. Listen to NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal on the free IHeart Radio app. Open the app, search NFL daily, and listen now. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Cliverts Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network

on TikTok. I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of The Fault and Our Stars. And now, I guess, also as the co-host of The Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alarcon, a writer and journalist, and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World Cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old. I watched every game and I fell in love. On our new podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international. football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer, football, is a story we've shared for over 30 years since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team.

Very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, its heartbreak, and above all, it's beauty. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the Away End with Daniel Alarcon and John Green on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming.

Ramers sending on to Ernie. Score at the chip. I'm Tom Ramos. I'm Tom Bo. On our podcast, inside American soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Polic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney.

My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here.

Experience it all with us. Listen, inside American soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, wherever you get your podcast. Luca to return in round one. Reeves is for the long in his rehab that Luca is. Reeves has started one-on-one on court work. It needs to go through 303 and 5-on-5.

Rees is tracking to return late in the first round or early second round if the Lakers are to advance. Despite KD's return to short-handed Lakers, outlasted the Rockets last night, one-on-one-94, studying 2-0 lead to first round. Goat James, 28 points, eight rebounds, seven to see it. Y'all saw you boy. You saw your boy in Corr-side, Joe.

Hey, I see, I see, oh, that doing you one, too. Yeah, yeah, you know. You had a good time. You had a good time. You know, they were like, hey, oh, God, where you been, man, we miss you. Yeah, they said, you know, you're the good stuff. Did they answer about me?

Did they ask you about me on? Yeah, no. No, they said, man, why Ocho, why Ocho do Joe like that? Oh, man. They way, I mean, that's way out there in Southern, and Southern Cal asking why you do that man. The whole world.

The whole world. You know we famous, Nat, so you know the word travel. Hey, hey. Hey, I like what I've seen from the Lakers. Oh, yeah. Hey. I'm going to tell you who. They're giving them credit, but they ain't giving them enough credit if you ask me.

And that's, uh, Marcus Smart. The job. You doing on KG? Marcus. Katie. I think, I know, I know they're throwing the, the double team, A, Katie. But the times that he do get matched up with him one-on-one, he wins more than that.

Absolutely. You know what I mean? He is a great defender, bro. He's shorter than Katie, but he got long arms. You know what I mean? And he has great anticipation skills. And I think, you know, I mean, even think back through the regular season

when the Lakers played the Rockets, they've got the better of them with this strategic defensive mechanism that they're doing against them. and that's trapping KD making him a passer, making him a willing passer, because they don't believe none of them other guys. And as of right now, they haven't been able to. Re-Shipper can't get minutes.

The other guys are not great enough shooters. And at some point in time, they're going to have to move the ball. Because it's like, Katie had it going and then everybody else wanted to get involved to it. Let me get mine. Let me get mine. And it plays right into the Lakers' hands

because they ain't got nobody cut and they ain't got nobody diving to the brim. Everybody started, Hell, they're standing. I'm like, do any of y'all want to move? I mean, y'all blocking my view, but I appreciate y'all standing right here because ain't nobody cutting towards the rim. And the thing is that they got Katie so hot, so far out,

he's not a threat, but ain't nobody else moving. And so when he turns his back, Marcus Mark is Mark getting the ball. Or that's why he had nine turnovers. You go back and look at a lot of his games, he have seven turnovers and play in Lakers. He had six turnovers because they're forcing him to be a passer. that's not what he is.

He's a score. Right. An elite. One of the greatest of all time, man. Watching him last night and just watch how he effortless, I'm like, man, that's ridiculous. It don't matter what. Hey, they try to cover that shame baddie and put your hand over his eyes.

I think he should win his eye glow because it don't even matter. Joe, oh, Joe, he can get to that spot. It's a rap. He pulled up. around. Especially once he go up. Hey, but you look at the Lakers game plan.

I like their game playing. Okay, Ocho, meaning they got him thinking so much now because he want to get into his bag, but he knows soon as he go to getting into it, it's the number of coming. Coming. So now it's kind of got him out of rhythm.

That's why you see him with nine turnovers because he's second-guesses himself a lot when he goes into his move because it's natural for him. Now, because every time I go into my move, it's another dude. It's another dude coming to trap. You know, he isn't, they're making him a willing passer.

He's not necessarily, I ain't saying Katie he's selfish, but that's really not his game. You feel me? Like, they don't got guys on the team to where, like, you can't play brun like that because he got other guys he can kick too. They can play mate. I mean, Ruiz shooting historically from the three. Luke Conard playing. Luke Conard, he's got to their mind.

I've never seen Luke Conard. And I've watched Luke Conard. I remember him, he was at Duke. Joe, Ocho, I've never seen this guy put the ball on the floor more and attack like he is right now. You can run him off the three if you want to. He'll put the ball on the floor and he'll get all the way to the rim or he'll stop and pop to mid-range.

Hey, listen, when I hear him talk, man, it's preparation meeting opportunity. You know, you got two of your best scores out, two of your best ball handlers. And now it's an opportunity for somebody on that team to step up. and be a big playmaker, score, what have you. And, bro, he answered the bill both games. Like, man, I'm talking about,

nae ain't just been the playoffs, though. He's been bawled now since he got in. Since he came. Boy, Atlanta, I don't know what y'all was thinking. Y'all gave us Luke Kinnardi. Y'all took Gabe Vincent. Thank you. It wasn't going to, uh, it wasn't going to work like that over here.

Come on, it wasn't going to work like that over here. That's okay. Just the mere fact, you know, we don't want it. That's all. I don't give a damn high it was going to work. Y'all wanted him. Gabe Vincent's going to help he's going to help us win games.

He's going to have those wins a playoff game. Like my guy, DJ, say, ooh! Hey, hey, Ocho, he's feeling good about the Lakers ain't a man. Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, hey, listen, he was, hey, he had his feet on the wood, too. So you know he's feeling good. I already know it.

And also, you know what? We expect this from him. You know, he's showing how versatile he is. LeBron. Yeah. Man, listen, being able to defer and allow awesome reasons and Luca to do what they did all season long. And based on circumstances now, let me show y'all I can still lead a team, even at 41 years old. Let me show you my IQ where I can always be two or three steps ahead of everybody else depending on what you want to do.

Either I can be, I can cert myself early or I can facilitate and let everybody else get in rhythm and then pick and choose when I want to insert myself in game. That guy then LeBron, the special boy. So honestly, to this point, I'm confused how people can still have negative things to say where you have to nitpick on someone who's had as much success as he's had, not in his prime, but still having that 41 years old. Because it's easy. Yeah. It's easier.

It's much easier to hate than appreciate someone. They won't appreciate until he's gone, though. But I just go to show you. If LeBron James was on a team and he was the number one option, this is what he'd be doing. If he's, think about it. Yeah. He gave it 20, 27 and 6 as a third option. Imagine if he's the first option or even the second option.

Because remember last year the second option, he gave it 24. He gave it 24. He gave you 24.9, 7 and 7 or 24, 8 and 7. As the number two option. So just imagine if he's the number one option, he still could do it. Yeah. He's still consistently. His productivity is great.

I think he really relished in this moment, okay, Ocho. Yeah. Meaning that they were an underdog coming into this series. Everybody's talking about they ain't have a chance. Like him coming out playing the way he's been playing, you know, asserting himself, taking the initiative to, you know, try and sitting there chair and guard and playmaking and score.

Hey, man, I've been impressed, bro. I've been impressed. I want to see him go down to Houston and see if they can take care of business. And the thing, hey, Joe, what are you talking about? I don't care nothing about no eight for 20. 14 free throw 10. Let me know what.

He's aggressive. There you go. There you go. Putting pressure on the rockets to be able to try and stop him. If not that, it's different when you say LeBron or willing pass. I think passing is a great attribute of his. and he does it better than anybody, Uncle Ocho. And if guys are making shots, then it just makes them look good.

You see what I'm saying? It's just when they're not making shots, now we're like, all right, man, you got to score the ball. But I think he does a great job, man, and figuring those guys out, making plays for everybody and still at this big age, 41, bro, still being effective the way he is. Because I'm going to be honest,

they don't got nobody who can guard him. Houston don't. They got nobody with no bricks in their back. pocket. They got lens, but they don't have, they don't have, they don't have, they don't have the size, the weight. Because he's going to back, hey, he's going to back him down and say, okay, y'all don't come to the double team. I say, take your time. And you, you watch, he looking around, he's looking around, he's looking around. He's done he going, hey, he's going to go, hey, he's going to be. You can't stop that.

Nah, it's going to be told to stop there. But boy, listen, if they just, Just so happened, be able to get up out of this round, and Luke and them come back against OKC? Yeah. I don't know what to tell you. But the difference is that if you noticed yesterday, LeBron had the ball in his hand because LeBron can control the game. He's not going to let you get up and down.

No, sir. No, sir. And it ain't going to be no quick shots. He got to control the game. Hey, he'll say, hey, he'll say, even if Marcus Mark or Karnar bring the ball up, hey, go and take it up. Floor it down.

We got to have got time. Let's not get into an up and down. We don't need to get into an up and down. But, yeah, they, they, I think he do, he do a great job with that basically just playing point guard. If you got, hey, listen, if Marcus Smart going to give you a fish in 25 points, you ain't got, and they're probably going to win every game if he's going to play like that. If Luke Kna, if Luke and Marcus Mark is, because you remember,

Luke and R had 27. Yeah. Marcus Mark and Smart playing on both. Because LeBron had 28, I think. But I think the thing is, what's most impressive is that the job that Markets Martin that defense did on KD in the second half,

they only held him to three points. And he got two of the three with about a minute and a half to go in the ball game. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. Marcus Smart has been, I think, one of the biggest, biggest keys for the Lakers, especially defensively.

But, man, their whole team be on a string, Uncle Ocho. When they go for that double team on KD, you got to see how guys rotate. Because when you rotate, just for a split second, somebody got to take two guys for like a split second until you come up out of that. And once you know that, bro, and you, in the way they're able to make it effective, it's like they're making Houston take rush shots, take shots that they normally don't take. You got guys trying to go into their bag.

I don't even know they had a bag. You feel what I'm saying? So now you got guys playing out of character. Yeah. All it is is going to have to speed it. Got to speed up KD in his thinking process. That's all. Speed it up.

Once you get that ball, instead of going into your bag, be able to know what's coming before it even come. Already know your outlet is understanding that the trap is coming. I mean, that's the only way to beat him. Now, I could be wrong. Joe, what would you think? Man, that's the problem with not having a lead guard because, listen, once he give it up,

he know that damn ball ain't coming back to him. Right. So he ain't going to get many spot-up shots. All his shots, yeah, he got hot early, but you see how hard he got to work to get a shot? You feel what I'm saying? Like, he got to go through Marcus Smart who's being physical, and then he know when to finesse him. You feel what I'm saying? So, yeah, he might get a couple easy ones, but for the most part, he working so hard for every shot

did he get, okay, Ocho. come back to this. We got a very special guest joining us. The 2026 NFL draft is here and the NFL Daily podcast has it covered from all angles. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, and Jordan Roderig after night one on Thursday. Nick Shook joins me night two Friday and then Sunday to recap everything that went down over the three days in Pittsburgh. We'll tell you who won the draft and which players were my favorite picks. Listen to NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal on the free IHeart Radio app. Open the app, search NFL daily, and listen now.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Cliford Show. on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. I'm Daniel Alarcon, and this is my friend. This is much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far.

But I'm John Green, co-host of the podcast The Away End with my old friend Daniel. On our podcast The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the away end with Daniel Auerkone and John Green on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Miles Turner. And I'm Brianna Stewart. And our podcast, Game Recognized Game, has never been done before. Two active players giving you a real look at our lives and what we actually think on and off the court. Nothing's off limits. We talk tanking. I might get in trouble for this answer,

but I think it's like definitely happening in the WBA. We talk about our mistakes too. They pulled me to the side and was like, hey, man, we got a call last night, man. You can't be rolling around the city like this tonight before games. Check out Game Recognized game with Stuy and Miles on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. How much you wait, wonder? Right now, about 1.30. I'm at 183. We should race.

No, I want to leave here with my original hip. On the podcast, the matchup with Alia, I pair prominent female athletes with unexpected guests. On a recent episode, I sat down with undisputed boxing champ. Clarissa Shields and comedian Wanda Sykes to talk about Wanda's new movie Undercard, the art of trash talk and what it really means to be ladylike. Open your free IHeart Radio app, search the matchup with Alia, and listen

now. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports Network.