The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 05/21/2021 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: May 21, 2021

Colin explains why we should expect this star studded NBA title contender to struggle in the postseason and why another team with championship hopes is likely to implode. Despite being a huge fan of LeBron James, he explains why it’s time for him to stop being so dramatic. He also believes this NFL player is clearly taking over the league and the face of a franchise despite not playing in almost a decade. Plus, new Hall of Fame inductee Chris Webber joins the show to preview the NBA playoffs before they officially begin.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me.

I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1, find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. It has Friday, and the week has just flown by live in Los Angeles. This is the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1.

We had these little fun playing games. They were adorable now this weekend. And this is when reality set thin. Now's the pressure. Now's the good teams. Now's the high-seated teams. None of the playing game stuff. That stuff's over.

That was adorable. We got one more. Oh, do we? Which one's that? We got Warriors Grizzlies. So we have one more. Is that tonight? Yes.

All right. Probably Warriors probably win that one. This is Saturday starts. Pete bucks. Yeah. This will be a very exciting weekend. So, Joy, I always believe this. everybody's a nice guy in comfort.

Everybody's a nice guy when your kids hit and home runs in Littaly. Judge people also how they act in crisis, how they act when they don't get their own way. Judge people on that too. Because everybody's a nice guy when everything goes their way. Things get a little rough. That's when the truth comes out.

The truth comes out when things don't go everybody's way. So there's two teams here fascinating. We got the Nets, Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie Hardin, Kevin Durant. They open up Saturday with the Celtics. They will roll through Boston. Boston doesn't have the size at the rim. Katie will do whatever he wants. They don't have Jalen Brown.

They don't have enough juice offensively. It's going to be a four or five game series. And the media is going to fawn over Brooklyn. The points are going to come easy. The games mostly will be blowouts. Boston maybe wins a game. Everybody, well, of course they'll be in a good mood. will be easy. It is a massive talent disparity between the Celtics and Brooklyn.

But then they're going to have to face like the Bucks. That'll be interesting. Six or seven game series, little duress, very physical team, rim protector, Drew Holiday, PJ Tucker can be annoying. I want to see the three stars for Brooklyn in crisis. because I've seen the big three in Brooklyn in crisis. Kyrie can flake, Hardin can erode, Katie can pout. And by the way, the coaches are Steve Nash, always underachieved in the playoff, and Mike Dan Tony struggled in the playoff. First guy off the bench, sometimes starter Blake Griffin, struggled in the

playoff. There are nothing but playoff ghosts all over this locker room. And you're not going to sense it against Boston. And let's be honest, for top offensive stars in this league, they rarely face discomfort in the NBA regular season. It's basically 28 points in 36 minutes on to Denver rinse and repeat. The referees officiate it differently. They want to get out of town and go to the next game.

They don't want a three and a half hour game at the free throw line. They let guys play. The coaches view it as a merit. not a sprint. They don't want to offend or alienate their star players in the regular season. I mean, a fifth of the NBA is tanking by the end of the season. The media is barely paying attention. But just waiting about 10 days, two weeks, Nets, Milwaukee. A lot of scrutiny. Media watching, you watching, me watching, joy watching every possession. Rim protector, PJ Tucker, Drew holiday are physical and annoying in your ribs in your airspace guys the coaches now get louder

they demand more because coaches in the NBA don't win playoff series they get run they get ripped dan tony doesn't need another bad playoff series steve nash rookie coach we start saying against milwaukee they're down two oh nash is over his skis oh here comes hardin again kairie's a flake and the world's watching. So I can't wait to watch Brooklyn after the Boston series. The Boston series is going to be nothing but comfort. Kevin Durant's going to do whatever he wants. You know, Jason Tatum's going to play fine, but he has no shot. They just don't have the, they don't have the ammo. Here's the other team. So let's shift to the Clippers. So the Clippers start tomorrow against Dallas.

I think they'll win the series. But I'm just going to, I'm going to pose a hypothetical to you. It's always worse when somebody you used to be with goes on and has success. I often said this about divorces. I never root against anybody. But you don't want to see him have a much better life than you, right? What if Doc Rivers and Tobias Harris, the ex-Clippers, get to the finals? By the way, very, very possible.

What happens if the Phoenix Suns and Chris Paul upset the Lakers? Ooh. What if ex-Clipper Blake Griffin and the Nets end up doing really well? What if the Lakers who share the same building in Montrez-Herald win? That's not great for the Clippers, right? I mean, we know Doc Rivers, Tobias Harris, in the final. against the Lakers who share the building in Montres Herald. That ain't good for the Clippers.

I think the Clippers are a Tinderbox. I think the pressure on this team is crazy. And don't kid yourself. Russell Westbrook through the years, you don't think he saw and heard all the guys he used to play with, have all this playoff success, and he's played 26 playoff games and he's won eight.

Of course it matters after a while. Steve Balmer is a very front-facing owner. He spent $2 billion on this team, $1.8 on a new arena, and that'll be major cost overruns because it's Los Angeles, and there's cost overruns on lunch. He's going to be $5, $6, $7 billion in. And you got Kauai, a free agent after the year. Paul George coming off a horrible playoff last year.

The team underachieve last year, the Lakers in the same building, here they come again. There is, to me, the Clippers, it is just, you ever walk into a room? It's like a budget meeting or something or, you know, there's, you know, things aren't going well at the company and you'll walk in and it's just like, oh, it's tight. If you ever gotten a massage in your life and the masseuse says, ooh, your shoulders, they're so tight. it's like, yeah, it's been a bad couple weeks at work. It's been a lot of pressure. I feel like the clippers, and I know you can't see this on radio, I feel like they're going into this playoffs with their shoulders up,

and they're like, oh, God, I mean, they're not good late in games. Paul George was awful. They underachieved. Balmer's paid a fortune. He's front facing, so we know who he is. It'll be humiliating. And there are clippers. everywhere crushing.

Chris Paul's an MVP candidate. Tobias Harris is having his best year, and Doc Rivers has apparently solved the chemistry issues overnight in Philadelphia. Montrez Harold, now for the Lakers, their favor to get to the title. Blake Griffin ends up on the most talented threesome in the league. I mean, there are clippers everywhere in this league.

Some of them are going to succeed. And I just think as Balmer's watching television, you know, money's going out the door for the new arena, and Paul George is shooting 29% in the playoffs, and Kauai has to miss a game. You know, we've all worked at different companies. Some are loose and fun, and some bosses are a little uptight. And this is not a shot at Balmer, but he is a demanding boss. And right now he is sitting there. If you had told Balmer, when Kauai Leonard and Paul George showed up to town,

Remember his press conference? He's hooting and hollering and the Lakers were a mess. They were kind of a mess. Since then, the Lakers have won a title, their favor to win a title, and the Clippers were the league's biggest meltdown last year. And Dallas is no fun to play because Luca is great late in games, and the Clippers so far, two years, have been terrible late in games. So Brooklyn, I want to check them out in two weeks.

It'll be an easy 10 days for Brooklyn. It could get really tense. This Clipper organization may just need a masseuse in about seven, eight days. Because it's going to be Cablumo if it doesn't work. They're going to blow this thing up. And, of course, I'm here for it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but

encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we picket here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because, of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense.

And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. a point game on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. There was a story yesterday, apparently, on a show called The Jump, where one of the broadcasters for another company came out and said, hey, I hear LeBron's playing on one leg.

Okay. I'm over this. He's got a high ankle sprain. They can hurt. But LeBron's been playing now for 20 years. He's played 1,600 games. This is now your reality. This is the way it is. In the NFL playoffs, nobody's 100%. But I want to show you some video of LeBron James because I don't believe he's playing on one leg and I think I have video to prove it. Green tried to jam it. James and Drummond right there. James down the other end. Leap, a foul, count it, and one.

James drives on Descano Anderson. Leap, Banks at home. James, two defenders on him. To Calvo Pope inside. He's tied up by Green. throws it back up top. James puts up the break. Oh, it's gone.

A desperation heave and the Lakers are up three. I saw two good legs there. Those are not one-leg plays. LeBron's very good and he's fine. This is a little drama. By the way, Joel Ambide wakes up hurt. Kauai missed 20 games. KD. Hardin, Bradley Beale.

younger guys are hurt. Tom Brady played this season with a bad knee. But Brady didn't talk about it during the season, although he admitted a few days ago, yeah, I had to get surgery. I had pretty serious knee surgery this off season, which is the first surgery I've had in about 12 years. So I was really interested to see how it was going to go, because last year it just took a lot.

Every week I was kind of tending to my knee, and I thought I would love to see a season what it looks like when I can really focus on some other strength stuff that I want to do, some other technique stuff where I'm not just focused on protecting my knee all the time. And Tom plays a sport in which people tackle you. Patrick Mahomes, it should be noted, got foot surgery after the Super Bowl. So both starting quarterbacks in the NFL, one got a foot surgery, one got a knee surgery. They didn't talk about it.

Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines played. with a fractured fibula. Justin Fields against Clemson got hit so hard, he appeared to crack ribs. He was back in two series later. Philip Rivers once played in an AFC championship game with a torn ACL. Deshawn Watson had to take a bus this year to Jacksonville. He couldn't fly because he played with a partially collapsed lung.

Drew Brees played multiple games with cracked ribs and a partially collapsed right lung. LeBron, it's a high ankle sprain. I watch your highlights. After 600 NBA games, many of them, intense playoff games. This is just, you're never going to be 100%. Michael wasn't 100% when he came back from baseball. That's the reality. This is a tough league.

It is travel. It is cardio. It is run. These are big bodies. But I don't want to hear about LeBron playing on one leg. you got Mahomes and Brady had major surgeries right after the season's over. And you know where LeBron's going to be after the season's over the last three or four years? He'll be at the same place.

I see him. He's at his pool in Beverly Hills. He's on a rubber ducky and he's smiling and taking Instagram pictures. And he's going to have his beautiful family and everybody's going to be happy. And it's a high ankle sprain. Joel M. Bede wakes up hurt. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it.

Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable, moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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. 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.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you're going to be.

can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves,

I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense.

And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah. You figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Jacksonville is the one franchise that could be moved very easily in the NFL. They've got really no fan base. It's a college town, not a pro town. In fact, last year, the Jaguars had combined, they had the smallest social media following of all the NFL teams by a mile. If you combine their Facebook, their Instagram, their Twitter, 1.8 million combined. Tebow's got 4.5 million just on Twitter.

I have a significantly larger social media following than an NFL team in Jacksonville. They've got no fan base. and Jacksonville's a college town, and Tebow's the last hero Jacksonville had. He showed up yesterday for a practice, and they put marks on the video, the kind of video you do when you get an exclusive of a president, a head of state coming into town, and you're the only local station there that has it. News 4 in Jacksonville put a watermark on their video. Trevor Lawrence walked in.

If he did, nobody did it. Urban Meyer, assistant coaches, other star player. It doesn't matter. Top five selling items on NFL.com this morning are all Tebow items. And why is that big? Because nobody buys anything from Jacksonville. Jacksonville doesn't sell anything ever, not top 100. Now they have the top five.

And I have friends who had worked for the Broncos. They said you couldn't even explain the Tebow popularity in Denver. And Denver's like a winning organization has a history of winning. They know what winning football looks like. Now you go to a college, and in Denver, Denver doesn't care about college football. It's a pro football town. This is a college football town. Tebow is the biggest star in college football history.

The closest college football power is Jacksonville. That's why I've said before, don't kid yourself on this. If Trevor Lawrence struggles, you watch what happens. It's hard to explain irrational. And there's a very interesting five, six game stretch for Jacksonville. I want you to look at this. It starts October 10th. They face five straight winning teams.

Titans, Dolphins, at Seattle against the Hawks, Buffalo Colts. And then they follow it with the Niners who two years ago were in the Super Bowl. They're going to go 0 and 5 in that stretch. One in five. It's nothing against Urban or Trevor Lawrence. They just don't have the personnel. And they don't have the offensive line. Those are some nasty pass rushes, some great defenses.

those Tebow chance you watch by that week 9 Buffalo Colts game you watch the Tebow chance it's going to be crazy town in Jacksonville listen it's nothing against this is why I said you can't explain irrational you can't like the Tebow stuff it's really funny about it like Denver went crazy over Tebow nobody in Denver watches college football I get the ratings for college football Denver's not a college football town at all. Boulder is close and that's a marginally intense college football town. So if you don't think it's going to be big in Jacksonville, which more than any NFL franchise city is a college football city. I mean, Lambo's small, but that's a Packer town. New Orleans has LSU around the corner. That is a Saints town.

Denver went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. And people out west don't care about Florida Gator football. When you combine his iconic stature, his faith-based following, a losing franchise, it is going to be. Can you believe that? NFL shop.com. Tebow, top five items. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

Very interesting. Andrew Barry is the new GM. I don't want to push this, but he was talking about Baker Mayfield. It's interesting the word he used. Let's play the bite. You know, I'd like to say that it was a proactive statement,

but it really just worked out that way. We obviously felt comfortable with Baker, half felt comfortable with Baker for a long period of time. Comfortable? Somebody asked my wife, how's your marriage? I'm comfortable. kind of sounds like, it's cool for now. It's fine.

Comfortable. Maybe I'm making too much of it, but comfortable is, we'll pick up his 50-year option. Now, it should be noted, Baker is 6 and 14 against winning teams. Winning teams are hard to beat. Nobody goes undefeated against winning teams. But he is 14 and 4 as a pro when he's been asked to throw it 30 or fewer times. and 10 and 18 when he's asked to throw it over 30 times. They're a better football team when he has reigned in a little.

But it is interesting to listen to the general managers in Baker's division talk about their quarterbacks. This is the Ravens General Manager here. The guy that's going to be here, we love him. He's really the face of this team right now in many different ways. He's the leader. He's a good player. And he's our quarterback.

So we will work tireless. to get a deal done. Love him. Work tirelessly. What do you think about Baker? They're comfortable. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Chris Weber, 15 years just got into the Hall of Fame.

He was a five-time all-NBA player, rookie of the year, back-to-back NCAA championship game appearances, and just got inducted into the Hall of Fame, and he is now joining us live. First of all, Chris, the Hall of Fame stuff. Let's just get to the Hall of Fame stuff because a lot of players, you don't want to talk about Hall of Fame

when you're playing. You don't want to set yourself up. But when you're sitting there at the podium and you're a Hall of Famer, like where did it take you back to? Your childhood, I mean, what did you think the minute you found out, Chris, you're in the hall? The minute I found out,

I thought to tell my father. because, you know, growing up, you know, I'm a mama's boy and a daddy son. I just thought, you know, calling, tell my father and just to share that with him just as a son was awesome. And then my mind went to the first couple of times you play, the first time you dunk, things like that. And then, you know, it goes through every step going to, you know, playing, you know, in college or playing in high school, winning championships, playing in college, getting to play with, you know, the great Michigan teams. and the Fav 5 there, going to go to the state and meeting Chris Mullen and living a dream, you know, playing for that team and, you know, the ups, the downs. And then finally, you know, Sacramento in my mind really, you know, being the place that

just everything came together. And so, you know, it starts with, you know, your father and the one you started dreaming with and telling your dreams, then to friends and then kind of just quiet moments of yourself, you know, just thinking while I had a fun ride. It's going to be a really interesting playoff because it's a condo. schedule. So last year's the bubble, and it was a very strange playoff where young teams, actually, for the first time in my life, were better than old teams. Usually veteran teams crushing the playoffs. And then this year you have a condensed schedule where you're asking

veteran players to have basically no off season, more injuries, more guys taking time off. I mean, Jimmy Butler barely played against the good teams in the East. So the Milwaukee Miami series to me, I think to myself, well, the last two years when Jimmy Butler has played, Miami's won 65% of their games. They probably have a coaching advantage in this series. Can Miami beat Milwaukee? Is that our first big playoff upset in your opinion? Miami definitely can beat Milwaukee. We've seen, you know, kind of who Miami is all year. And then, you know, we see what the evolution wants the playoffs start. But I think Milwaukee, you know, this year, Milwaukee's under the radar. And I think they're happy to be under the radar. You know, I don't think necessarily honest, didn't want an MVP, but,

But, you know, he has kind of the target on everyone else's back now. And Milwaukee still is a really good team. And I think they'd rather be in the position of being the hunter than the hunted. So I do actually give Milwaukee the advantage in the playoffs this year over others because I think they can sneak up on teams as opposed to years past. Let's talk about the Brooklyn net. So last year, I fell for it. I like the Clippers.

I like their talent. I really did. I was all in. And it was funny because I had different people saying, do, do, do, do. They have no chemistry. They're not good late in games. The playoffs are about late in games.

And then you watch them unravel and I'm like, man, I fell for it. And then I watch Brooklyn, no chemistry. I know they're talented. But you tell me, you haven't played a ton of games together. You're going to be facing teams that match up well with you. Philly in their size, Milwaukee in their size. Miami could be. can you see this team getting into the playoffs and suddenly they face crisis and kind of unraveling a little bit?

So first of all, I fell for it as well with the clippers. So I'm with you. I can't judge as well. But I wish I have kind of one of your examples of parables here. But I'm with them playing and winning because of a couple of things, how it came together. Like a lot of times I don't think the chemistry is being together every day. I think chemistry is how did you make the decision to come together? Like what was the commitment?

What was that moment, that defining moment when you all said, we're going to do this? Because to me, once you do that, you live on that commitment all year. And I think hard on the way he's playing, I think we know he's the connector on this team. Kyrie having some of the best numbers he's ever had. And, you know, Durant playing the way that he has. You know, I believe in this team because of the individual decision of each individual,

the decision making of each individual to come together. And I just don't think that, you know, I think they each have so much to play for. Even when you look at Blake Griffin, I've always liked the teams of underdogs and everyone left out. Well, this isn't that group, but they've been kind of treated that way individually, and they play with that mentality. And that's why more than anything, I think they can come out to East. I think they have just as much incentive as guys that have never wanted to change. championship, even though two of those guys do.

The other team that, C-Web, that interests me, is the Clipper. So Steve Balmer buys the team for $2 billion. He wants out of the Laker building. He spends $2 billion for a new arena. He goes out, they sign Kauai, Paul George. He's very well-known.

He's very enthusiastic. He's like Mark Cuban first couple years in the league. He is fist-pumping. And last year, it was kind of humiliating. And then this year, Chris, what's really interesting, there's all these ex-clippers, Tobias Harris and Doc in Philly could crush. Chris Paul Phoenix could crush.

Montres, Harold and the Lakers, same building could crush. And I think to myself, man, this could, if they don't beat Dallas, this could get ugly. I mean, if you ever felt from the owner or the front office in your career, you felt the pressure in the building when you walked into a playoff series? Yeah, you did. But truthfully, at the places that I had that maybe didn't have the history as others, you know, I would talk to KG like I wanted to feel the pressure of, you know, Bill Russell and Archibald at the game and all those banners.

And so I think there are a couple of different type of pressures. You know, there's a different pressure to be a patriot, you know, New England Patriot, than it may be to, you know, Detroit Line. So I think that kind of, you know, plays into it. But, you know, the one thing I say about sports is this the most fair venue because it's unfair to everyone. And even though he's my country day alumni in high school and he's one of the most enthusiastic fans and people for the sport, you're still going to get your heartbroken at times. And yeah, they could lose in the first round to Dallas. Wouldn't Donchards have something to prove

we thought he was going to be the MVP? So for guys like that, I look at the incentive on the other side. Kauai kind of hasn't totally bought in yet. Is he coming back? Is he not? The new arena. You're right. This is a new type of pressure and a pressure to start a legacy. So, you know, I'm sure the guys are feeling it, but I think more so than anything, they're feeling the embarrassment of the last year. You know, you know, Paul is feeling, you know, with guys kind of the disrespect, he's coming into that. Kauai's kind of feeling left out because he came here to win a championship and no one's talking about him in that way anymore. So, you know, I think they're feeling a different type of pressure. We're going to see who they are come play out

time. So I look at LeBron and the Lakers and LeBron saying I'm not 100 percent. And A.D. can be a little brittle. Shrewder's been very hot and cold. So is Kuzma. You're not exactly sure what you get. And yet you go to the sports gaming places. They're all like Lakers should win it. And, you know, I mean, I don't know. It just, it feels like they're so close to having another injury. When you look at the Lakers, do you go into this playoff with confidence or do you go in with trepidation? I go in with trepidation. But I want to, like, if we go back, and it's all about LeBron's injury. That's the only thing, I'm telling you, Colin, the worst injury I've had, and I've had microfracture, knee surgeries, and I've had more serious injury, but the one that could have the most impact while you're playing and allowed to play is a high ankle sprain.

Period. You can't move. You can't stop. You can't guard. And so I think that the Lakers saving grace is their defense. I mean, if Drummond just does what he's supposed to, just does what he's supposed to, just does what he's supposed to. That's 16 rebounds and 12 points. Easy.

And he can do much more than that on a nightly basis. We know what Davis can do. But, yeah, I go on with trepidation only because of health. But LeBron is just, I mean, he's one of the most incredible players we've ever seen. And I just can't, I can't go against him, especially when you have other guys that are around him that play better. When he's on the court and I'm more inspired, I still got to go with the Lakers. Yeah, it is, you know, it's funny. It's part of LeBron's success.

The last, was eight or nine times, Joy, that he's made the playoffs. he's made the finals. And I was thinking about this the other, I was talking to a friend about this the other day, and I said some of this is, this is not to take anything from LeBron's greatness, but it used to be that college basketball, guys like, you know, even Patrick Ewing and Duncan would play three and four years of college. So the league was older, and even rookies were like 23 physically bigger. The league now is young.

And sometimes I feel like LeBron looks around these teams and he's like, these guys aren't emotionally. They can't compete with me. He's like this sage that's, you know, he's got the answers. Is some of LeBron's success truthfully right now is that because now it's a G league, it's a one and done league, that the league is kind of watered down with a bunch of young kids. That's definitely part of it. I mean, you know, he understands the game. He was the only one embracing the bubble last year. But I think he also embraces it because he was, was that young kid and everybody talked about him when he was at 18 and he understands more to anyone what that learning curve is. And so, yeah, I definitely think now, you know, when I came

in Colin for two years in a row, I was the youngest player in the NBA at 20 years old. Yeah. And I remember, you know, the jokes and things like that. Now, I can't imagine, you know, what the youngest age is. And so, yeah, it's a different day. And it's allowed him, along with taking care of his body, but he's so mentally strong that, you know, this, you know, I can definitely see him playing three or four more years. And, hey, you know, it doesn't happen in football, but, you know, they're not necessarily younger, but we're seeing that with some quarterback play as well. And so I just think it's a new day, being able to take care of your body and your mind and saying, yeah, these young kids won't get it for a while so I can sneak a few more great years out of this. By the way, Chris, you know,

teams like the sons and the Knicks and the Jazz can have great regular seasons, but they're not favored in the playoffs. And I've tried to explain to fans is, you know, fans are always like, ah, the referees favor the stars. And I always say, no, the stars know how to manipulate the refs. The stars are bigger, older, stronger players. And these playoffs series get very, very physical. And it favors bigger, stronger veteran players who can kind of manipulate the body, manipulate the ref. But that's my way of explaining it. When you were in the league, why does it feel?

Like, you know, there's the regular season and then there's the playoffs and everything sort of changes. For everything you just said. And then also, players play harder. I mean, it's just that sense. You hold more, you grab more. There's more leeway with how you play. So, yeah, stars definitely know how to take advantage of it. The games are uglier.

You know, players embrace that. You know, if you're a great player, you understand not to take this three-pointed that you would during the regular season to go and get the file now because you're using the emotion of the crowd and this young player and his jumping ability and wanting to block your shot so bad. You're using all that against them. So really it's about understanding, you know, the moment. And I really, I couldn't believe, one, how fast the NBA was when I first got into the NBA

thinking, you know, wow, this 24 second shot clock. This is, this is real. This is 10 times faster than the game that I came from. And then you play in the playoffs and you go, wait a minute, it's even faster, and the crowd has you hype, and you're experiencing adrenaline that you haven't experienced before coming from college to the NBA. So it's just a whole different experience, and that's why you see so many guys get out of sorts emotionally.

It doesn't matter what they're doing on the court. It gets so out of sorts emotionally. They just can't take it and tend to make mistakes. Chris, you look great. I'm happy for you. Hall of Fame. Congratulations. Continued success.

You're always welcome. Anytime you want to be on. I love seeing you in chatting. and you always make me think, bud. Appreciate it. Thanks for having me on. Appreciate it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy,

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