The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 05/24/2021 - HOUR 1 - Lakers, Knicks, Clippers

Episode Date: May 24, 2021

Anthony Davis had a bad game but the Lakers should still win the seriesKnicks-Hawks should be a long seriesColin gives his thoughts on the issues with the ClippersGuest: Chris Broussard 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.

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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 Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered 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 IHeart 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that'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? signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

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Ah, a Monday, and what a Monday it is live in Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1, what a weekend. I mean, hockey, NBA, Phil Mickelson, Soccer. if you love sports it was one of the great TV weekends in a year. I mean, it was

just a couple of years. It was absolutely fantastic, and Joy Taylor is joining me. One hour from now where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. I watched as much television outside of an NFL season as I have watched in years. Yeah, it was a great weekend. The couch got a lot of usage.

Well, my house is being torn down, so I didn't have the couch. I laid in bed all weekend. Either way. Okay. So let's start. What do you make of this weekend? Does it matter? Does it not matter? Okay, let's just talk Lakers' sons. Let's start there. That's the biggest brand in the NBA. Laker fans, here's the reality with Anthony Davis. Celebrate when he's great and tolerate when he's not. That's who he is. The good news is I still like the Lakers and the series is far from over. Of the many things LeBron James will go in the record books for, LeBron has won 60% of his playoff series when he lost the first game.

All time, the NBA percentage is 21%. So he's three times better. Remember, the sons were favored in this game. They're not favored in the series. They were favored yesterday. The Lakers are favored in the series. Why were they favored? Well, the sons had been off for a week.

They were the better rested team. Their younger had a ton of energy. It was the first playoff game for Phoenix in 11 years. You could feel the intensity and the juice in the arena. Phoenix at home, this was a celebration of a once-proud franchise. Now the series simmers down. Both teams are equally rested. Chris Paul's not 100%.

and Anthony Davis, who's never been highly motivated, just wildly talented, has always need to be pushed and prodded. And he is because he was so bad. We've all worked with an Anthony Davis in our life, somebody that's super talented but doesn't have a ton of fire. You've got to kind of light a fire under him as the old saying. Well, Anthony Davis admitting after last night's game, yeah, I was terrible. I'm horrible.

I'll be back. By the way, Anthony Davis, who was the best high school player in the country. and then led Kentucky to a national championship as a freshman and has been marvelously talented forever, should never have the worst plus minus in any basketball game he ever plays in. He not only did, nobody was close. He was awful. But I do think he'll be the key factor going forward, and I think the Lakers win the series. Why?

D'Andre Aiton's a very talented big for Phoenix. Sunder small, but he's only 23. I don't believe he's going to lock down AD for the series. And the sons don't have a lot of bigs. Their backup center appears to be Dario Sarich. I didn't know he was a center. 6-6-J Crowders, another one of their biggest guys. Listen, they're talented, but they're not big.

And now Anthony Davis is motivated, which you have to poke and prod them in light of fire to get the best out of him. That's reality. But when you get to a playoff series, it's always been a book, not a pampherson. conflict. Regular season, you're just handing out flyers. Not a lot of depth. Message isn't long. You look at a little tape. Team just flew into town. That's not what a playoff series is. A playoff series is a book with chapters. Every chapter can be different. And LeBron James has been in a lot of these playoffs series. And Frank Vogel has been in a lot of these playoff series. So, regular season, this happens all the time. But the idea that Phoenix is going to beat the Lakers four

times in the next 10, 12 days, I don't buy it. I don't think they have the experience. I don't think they have the size. And that's okay. Nice win for Phoenix. They deserve it. I grew up and the Phoenix Suns were fantastic. They beat my Sonics regularly. In fact, the last time I cried during sports may have been the sons beating my sonics with Paul Westball and Alvin Adams and may have been Connie Hawkins and Garhird and I forget who it was but they were great for years it's good to have them back all right so I want to talk about the Knicks there's a lot to talk about but I want to talk about the Knicks I want to tell you a story is that yeah you know you watch movies and Hollywood these big companies right like they they put stars in movies they put Robert

Downey, Tom Cruise, Denzel, they put stars in movies because that's supposed to attract us. But about 20 years ago, there was a movie called My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It was fantastic. And we only kind of knew one person in the movie. It was John Corbett, who had been kind of a big deal in another franchise called Sex and the city. And we didn't know anybody. We don't know anybody.

And I immediately, 10 minutes into the movie, fell in love with the family. How? I didn't have any connection to anybody. Because they were so vested in one another. They loved each other so much. They were so flawed. They were so ridiculous. And they cared about each other so much.

It just poured through the screen. And you fell in love with this family. And in a weird way, that's the Knicks. They have one guy from a franchise we kind of know, Julius Randall for the Lakers. And then I'm sitting around deeply invested in a team full of guys I couldn't care less about. I got Alec Berks and New Orleans, Noel and Reggie Bullock and an old Derek Rose, who doesn't even play the same way.

And I've got Alfred Payton and Taj Gibson. why do I care about the Knicks? I'm not from New York. I care about them because it's so easy to like people that are so vested in one another. They are so limited. This team is so limited, but they're my big fat New York Knicks basketball team. That's what they are. That's the movie poster.

They're not great. Julius Randall is their best player. He was awful yesterday. and he's not a top 25 player. But yet the Knicks hung around against a clearly superior offensive team in Atlanta. It shouldn't have been that close.

I mean, you're relying on Alec Burks to carry you yesterday. An old Derek Rose. But it just goes to show when you're all in, I've said this about our country. You're in one direction. You're defiant. You're coachable.

You believe in one another. You can be completely limited. If you look at this roster, I mean, the Lakers got rid of Julius Randall. He was one of the first they got rid of. Forget Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart. Now, they shipped him off early. Can't hit threes. Just look at this roster before the season starts.

We never think this is a playoff team. But they totally buy into Tom Thibodeau, who hasn't changed his expression once in 32 years in the NBA. And I buy into the Knicks. Now, yesterday what happened? Well, Trey Young happened. He's the best player, most talented player on the floor. It's a great young player.

Hit a basket, won the game. The key for the Knicks is, don't get too high, don't get too low. You've got a soul. The Knicks are something. They are something. They're not something great. They're not something with a high ceiling. But for Julius Randall to play as bad as he has played, probably in a month,

and to hang around a much better team, it was great to see the garden mostly jammed. the passion, there's a soul, they believe in one another, and I was here for it. The last eight Nick games, they've had five different leading scores. And yesterday it's Alec Berks. What? Wouldn't he the guy in Utah that never panned out? Taj Gibson, I remember him more from the Bulls days. But it's great.

I sat there and I'm like, why am I so into this team? They're not even pretty. They're not artistic. I mean, I get when you fall in love with Steph or John Morant, you fall in love. I mean, I get Dame Lillard. There's guys out there. You're like, I can't take my eyes off him. You could take your eyes off the Knicks in one second.

There's not a lot there. Trey Young, hard to take your eyes off of. But don't get too high. Don't get too low. This is exactly what the series is going to look like. It's going to go six or seven games. It's never going to be pretty. The Knicks are not built to be pretty.

But when you're invested in each other, it is so easy to fall in love with the team or a family or a business. it was a really good watch. Really good watch. All right. So now, you don't want to overreact to any of these. Like, it's game one. Except one team that may want to be concerned.

In fact, I'm kind of surprised how unconcerned the team sounds when history tells us they're in big trouble. That is coming up next. Colin right, Colin wrong next hour. Be sure to catch live edition. 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 gray. 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 what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clipper 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 Podcasts, 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 can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam Jette. 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 on day, but just so y'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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's just. different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. You have to be careful about overreacting to the opening game of playoff series. Now it does help to win the opening game. It does matter that Atlanta went on the road and And odds makers, the bookmakers liked Atlanta to win this series, and it is big that they went on the road and beat the Knicks in their place in game one.

It probably bodes well. But, you know, Knicks in Atlanta to me, Portland and Denver to me, those feel like six, seven game series. One of them has to be a little troubling. So the Clippers at home lost to the Mavericks. Now, the Clippers are a better team. How do I know this? because the Clippers won 47 games this year. That's with Kauai missing 20 games and Paul George missing 18.

Two All-Stars missed a combined 38 games, and they still won 47 games. Dallas won 42, and that's with Luca, their star, playing almost every night. And Tim Hardaway, their third best player, mostly playing every night, 70 or 72 games. The Clippers are the better team. They won more games, missing their stars. They were at home. This should be fairly easy work. Dallas's best players, a kid.

The Clippers, two best players, are veterans. They've been in multiple playoff series. Dallas is also a bad defensive team, 20th. Rarely does a bad defensive team beat an excellent defensive team in the playoffs. The Clippers, two stars, both great defensive players. and Paul George missed 38 combined games, and they still finish top eight in the league in defense. So I have a more experienced team. I have a significantly better defensive team.

I have a young team that's led by a kid that just knocked him off. Yes, there is reason to worry. Once again, the clippers were awful down the stretch. Last six and a half minutes, they were terrible. They were at home. This is the matchup they actually wanted. Remember, they bailed the last weekend. They sat all their stars because they wanted Dallas.

By the way, Kauai and Paul George were rested. This is also the game. The Lakers being down 0-1-1 is not the Clippers being down 0-1. Okay, Lakers were on the road. Clippers were at home, and the Clippers off last year's disastrous bubble performance, This was the game to redeem themselves. This is why Ty Lou said, we want our guys healthy. We want them rested.

Okay, here it is. What? Six and a half minutes left. Paul George said after the game, it's no big deal. I don't feel any pressure. Here is Paul George after the loss. We expect to play better. We expect to be more dialed in game two.

We're not looking at it as just because of who we have. if we're expected to win. And we got the same pressure as every team that's in this. It all comes down to who's the last team standing. And that's just the pressure every team goes through. It's no different than how we're approaching this. We've got to be better for game too. And, you know, I plan on this team bouncing back.

It is not the same twice last year in the bubble. Just last year, the Lakers were down 0-1 and won a series. The Lakers have a history of overcoming, of winning championships. The Clippers do not. And I said this last week. There is a weight on the clipper's shoulders and it just got heavier. Steve Balmer's the owner. Temperamental, big voice, high energy, really smart and demanding.

Okay. He did not pay double for this franchise what the reported value is for two quick playoff exits with stars. And I said this last week. We've all had somebody in our family. We've worked with somebody where they walk in the room and everybody gets a little tense. Everybody's all tense. There's a lot of pressure. This is the biggest staff in the NBA.

It's the highest compensated. There's people on this executive staff with the clippers, two and three and four down that are making, like, way more than the NBA average. Steve Ballmer pays his people well, but he demands production. And this does not feel like everybody else. Miami's down 01. So what? They got to the finals.

Pat Riley's got a trophy room. Eric Spolster has got multiple trophies. Heat being down as a slight underdog 01 is not the Clippers as a favorite at home with two-star veterans off a lousy bubble being down 01. I don't buy it. It's all feels good.

Nothing to see here. I think there's a lot to see and it's potentially trouble. Joy Taylor with the news. No. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News. It was a fun NBA weekend. The Nets got off to a slow start in game one against the Celtics.

Durant, Kyrie, and Hardin were combined five for 20 in the first quarter. There were a lot of bad first quarters this weekend. A little bumpy out of the gate. Missed all nine three-point attempts in that period. But they got it together. They hit their stride in the second half. KD. finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds. Kyrie scored 29 and Hardin had 21, 9, and 8 in the 104-93 win.

This was only the ninth game that the Nets Big 3 have played together all season. So not terribly surprising that it was a little bumpy at first. But this is what you expect from the Nets, even if they have a quarter or a half like that. Once they get to shoot in, they can get right back in it and then they're rolling. By the way, that U-Aw was from KD hitting the deck. He hit the deck twice. That one looked painful. You know, it's funny.

Years ago you could hand check in the NBA and then the league eliminated it. And so it's virtually impossible to stay in front of John Morant or Kyrie Irving. And one of the advantages that Brooklyn has is they have two guards, Kyrie and Hardin, that create separation. They create their own shot. There are a lot of teams in the NBA that do not have one player that creates their own shot. They have two guards that create their own shot. And without the hand check, I mean, you're just at their murder.

So this is a team that we question joy, their ability to protect the rim. Yeah. Their chemistry and their health. But you have a guard play with them that is, I mean, even as good as the Warriors back court, Stefan Clay, Clay is a catch and shoot guy. He's not really a create his own shot. Brooklyn's offense is not, that's not what worries me because they can get a shot anytime and a good shot anytime they want.

Yeah. And it's, you know, I don't expect this series to go long. and that's not necessarily this current Celtics problem. I mean, Jalen Brown is out. That's huge. That's the series. You can't be losing stars at this point in the season. And, you know, the Celtics have been kind of a strange team, very up and down all season anyway.

So if you're going up against an offense like the Nets, you really want to be 100%. You know, it's interesting. You mentioned Jalen Brown. If you had Jalen Brown, Tatum could guard KD and be annoying. Jalen Brown, excellent defender. to be honest, could kind of guard Harden and be annoying, and Marcus Smart could guard Kyrie and be annoying. It would be, it would still be a net series,

but Jalen Brown's loss, they just can't play they want to play. This could actually be a very competitive. It'd be a five-game series, but the games would be ugly, but without Jalen Brown, you're missing his scoring also. It's just not going to be, I mean, I think that's about as competitive, a game as you'll see the rest of the series. Yeah. So Damian Lillard led the way for the Blazers game one win against the Nuggets. I have the Blazers winning this series.

Sensational. He scored a team high 34 points and made five of their 19 three-pointers. Portland's strong shooting behind the arc wasn't the only reason that they pulled off the 123-109 win over Denver. They also kept Yokic's assist down, which Lillard pointed to as a key for their success. When they're at their best, you know, he's setting the table. He's dominating the game. as a playmaker and he's scoring, you know, he's just kind of having his way. And you know, you know, a guy that is as good as he is, an MVP candidate, the MVP, in my opinion, you know, you know that he's going to play well. You know that he's going to do what he does, but you've got to try to take something away.

Everybody's very out there with their MVP opinions lately. Well, maybe we should vote in it after the playoffs. I know. Well, then when they give the MVP is ridiculous as well. It's like the playoffs are over and everyone's mad about it because they usually aren't in the finals. It's like a whole thing. But Yokic had one assists yesterday. Now that is key because Yokic is the best, in my opinion, big passer in the league.

Like he's unbelievable distributing the ball. Yeah, he's the best since Arvita Sabonis is the last big that passed like that. Yes. So to hold him to one assists, it's the fewest assists. in a game all season. Oh, wow. Is it really? Average for him, for Yokic.

He averages 8.3 assists per game. So that is significant that they were able to do that. Game two is tonight at 10 Eastern. So the Bucks held on in a close game one. See, as a fan, I'm allowed to overreact to every single game, even if it is game one and the Bucks were supposed to win. But I really would have liked the heat to steal that. and they were right there in it in overtime.

Janice had 26 points despite shooting 10 for 27. By the way. From the field and six of three from the three-throw line. Janus is free throws. Yeah, it was six to 13 from the line. And a lot of those were late, man. He is just, you know, I will say this though. Again, this is what Milwaukee is,

which is cross your fingers, Chris Middleton, and play great defense. I mean, Butler and Bam struggled. Well, this, Butler definitely struggled. shooting, but he was still in the end, he was the clutch. Like, he was the one that sent it to overtime. So that's what, that's what, this was a very interesting game for both teams. Butler struggled, but it didn't matter because in the end, he was clutch we needed to be.

And Chris Middleton showed up. And that's really what the key is to winning games like this, is if Yonis is, you know, not great from the free throw line or your lacking points here or there, you have another guy step up and Chris Middleton did. He had the clutch moment game winner with less than a second to give Milwaukee the win. and had a huge game. So, you know, 27.6 rebounds, six assists, that that's going to help when Yonis only has 18 points

and Drew a Holiday at 20 as well. So it's going to be interesting series. Game two is tonight. Let's get this one heat. By the way, there's games every night this week. Oh, that's great. Yeah, so the first round, there's so many teams still in it. So there's a couple of games tonight, couple Tuesday, Wednesday.

I think the Lakers play, is it tomorrow, and then they play Thursday. And great series, too. Yeah. Usually the first round series, we kind of know what's going to happen. Not this year. Not this year. Except probably Sixers' Wizards feels like NetSeltics kind of quick. Joy with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. Chris Brousard, NBA analyst for Fox Sports now joins us live. Brought you my Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing. Well, I mean, I said it earlier with AD. You got to just put your arms around him when he delivers and tolerate the rest because he's not always highly motivated. He's just wildly talented.

Kind of your takeaway from game one lost. Does it become a game two loss and a game three loss? How does it land for you, Chris? No, look, I think that LeBron does this a lot in game ones. He fills it out. You can go back last year to Portland game one. They lost. People start thinking, oh, the Blazers is going to sweep the Lakers. Of course, LeBron writes himself, sees how the Blazers who want to play him and then they win the next four games. Same thing happened in the next series with Houston. You can actually go back throughout LeBron's career and see at times he has used game one to see what the other team's going to do and then he responds and it usually works out. So I'm not, he was passive yesterday shooting too many threes, but I think there was a

strategy there. As far as AD, look, the Lakers, you can't consistently expect great performances from AD this year. Now, I'm not saying for the rest of his career, I expect him to bounce back next year to kind of the old AD that we saw last season, but for whatever reason this year, he's not himself. So I think Colin throughout this series, he's going to have a couple of great games, he's going to have a couple of solid games, and he's going to have another bad game probably. Not as bad as yesterday, because that was horrible, but I just don't think he's going to be the consistently great player throughout playoff series for the Lakers.

He was bad. Look, it's not just his numbers which were horrible yesterday and his plus minus was twice as bad as any other player in the game. It's that he let DeAndre Aiton in his first ever playoff game gain confidence. Like he should have slapped Aiton around, you know, figuratively and outplayed him and showed him this is a different level now. We're in the playoff, son. I'm about to show you how it's done.

And then next year you will be better in the postseason. But now he's got D'Andre Aitn thinking, hey, I can dominate in this series because he did dominate yesterday. And so now he's going to have to contend with a very confident D'Andre Aitin throughout the rest of this series. So it was a horrible performance by A.D. I think the Lakers still win this series, but he's going to have his hands full now. The one series that I do think has some resonance, we know the Clippers have struggled late in games. Last six and a half minutes against the Mavs, not a good defensive team, by the way. Not a good defensive team.

Luca didn't score a ton down the stretch. The Clippers were atrocious. It's one of these things, man. When you have a certain style or a liability, Chris, and then it resurfaces even hints. of it in the playoffs, it gets in your head. I mean, this is like a baseball team with an atrocious bullpen. I look at this series, and I think this was supposed to be the redeem game. This is worrisome if you're a Clipper fan, is it not?

Absolutely. Look, now they've lost four straight playoff games. That may be playing in their head for all we know. And as you said it, throughout the season, really, let's be honest, going back to the bubble playoffs. They have had trouble closing games, which is baffling, Colin, when you have two guys in George and Kauai who can break down the defense. Kauai is an excellent mid-range shooter. That is critical in late games, in late moments, but they're not able to deliver. Playoff Rondo was supposed to fix that. And this is not on Rondo, because he played well yesterday. He gave him the three-point

league, Colin with the three-pointer and the free throw midway through the fourth quarter, and then they fell apart, and he couldn't solve it. They just degenerate into one-on-one play with either of their two stars going at it. And of the top six seeds in each conference in the playoffs, the Clippers were the worst in clutch time play throughout the season. So they could lose this series. There's no ifs, sands or butts about it. And look, when the Clippers signed,

Kauai Leonard two years ago, they felt we are going to have the best player in every series we play going forward. Even at that time, remember he's coming off the championship. Yeah. And it was arguable. Is he ahead of LeBron now? Is he ahead of KD? It was arguable.

So they've played three series, or this is the third one. He hasn't been the best player yet. It was Luca. It was Yokic. And it's Luca again. And I want to see Kauai go to Tai Liu. I want to see him go to Tai Lu and say, look, give me yoke. Give me Luca.

I want him. And I get it that they're running, pick and roll, and they're creating switches. And so Kauai's going to be able to be on him for 40 minutes. But I want to see Kauai take up the challenge like we've seen LeBron or Jordan or Pippo, any of these other great defenders do in the past. Kauai is 29. He's 29. He's not 39.

He's not 35. he should be able to go full bore on both sides of the floor, and apparently he can't do it because now he's more of an offensive player. When he was a great defender, he didn't have to carry the offensive load, but I think he needs to turn back that clock to help the clippers in this series. There's so much to chew on. The first round is so fun because this year, as Joey said, there's really a lot of even series.

So, I mean, the Knicks hawks to me. I do think it's a huge win for Atlanta on the road. but you know I said this earlier the Knicks are they're all in there they I mean yesterday I got Alec Berks Nerlands no well Reggie Bullock and old Derek Rose but you know what randall was awful and they still were in there um I kind of I did as I watched tray young I thought boy points come a lot easier for Atlanta than they do the Knicks but what did you make of the performance is it a death now Knicks lose at home what did you make a of it. I picked the Knicks in seven, and I think this is going to be a close series and it's

going to be a long series. So the Knicks aren't out of it by any stretch. But what bothers you if you're a Knicks fans is the way Trey Young was able to live in the paint. Yeah. I mean, they're one of the best defensive teams in the league, right? And he was able to just break them down, and especially on that last shot. And he just got in the pain and finished. He only took three, three-pointers. So that shows you how effective his penetration. was. Yeah. So I thought it was a great coming out party for Tray Young.

And Colin, we almost are seeing this next generation of stars emerged. John Morant was great. Trey Young was great. I never thought of Dylan Brooks as a future star, but he's been balling the last few games. DeAndre Ait and Devin Booker. I mean, so it's nice to see these young stars. Let me say this about New York. And you know, I'm in greater New York.

I love the Knicks fans. I love their passion. I love Spike Lee. But why? Why do they insist on picking on the opposing star? This is starting to look like Reggie Miller light. All right, Reggie Miller Jr. With the way they win it, Tray Young, and he's going back at them.

And if this becomes a knockdown, dragout seven-game series, and Tray is going back at it with the fans, it'll be a lot like Indiana, New York back in the 90s, which is great for us. It's great for the fans. Yeah. But it could end up in heartbreak again for the Knicks fans. By the way, let's talk about John Morant.

He did it against the Spurs. In that playing game, he did it against the Warriors. Now, Donovan Mitchell did not play last night for Utah. That is a, I still think Utah wins the series. But you watch John Morant, and it's like there's some Westbrook, although I think he's a better natural shooter. I mean, what are your sources say around the league? What do you see?

I mean, it's, he is something special, right? people around the league love job moran and and look i love zion and we know they were in that draft together i i can't say i wouldn't take john moran over zion and zion's going to score more but john moran is obviously a better playmaker yeah he runs the office you see he's not much of a shooter at this point he's 30% from three but as you said you can see room for growth oh yeah oh yeah you can see that eventually he should be a good three-point shooter. He obviously can get in the lane every once. I was thinking about him in Westbrook watching that game yesterday.

You made good points, that comparison. But he is a smarter player than Westbro. He's more under control. Yeah, no, no, he's totally under control. He really is for a kid. He really is. Yep. Yeah.

Yeah, he's more of a true point guard than Westbrook. Westbrook's more of an athlete. He's more of a true point guard. And he showed that he's got guts at the end of the games where he can hit these big shots. So look, Memphis doesn't have that much talent with all due respect, but he's carried last year they were on the cusp of the playoffs. This year they're in the playoffs.

So that kid is special. Yeah. By the way, it is, I kind of roll my eyes at Janus is going to be the face of the league three years ago. And I said, listen, man, he doesn't shoot. I do wonder if it's getting worse. That 10 second violation that everybody complained about, you know what that was, is everybody in the league has a kind of a free.

throw routine. That was in Janice's head. And I thought, oh, this is a problem now. This is game one of a series. I watched that and I thought, oh, boy, now it's one thing to struggle with the line. It's another when you're sitting there doubting yourself. What did you make of the game and Janus is shooting down the stretch? Yeah, look, I picked Milwaukee and seven in that one. So again, I think it's going to be a tough series. But this is the Bucks problem. This is why I don't see them being able to beat Brooklyn. You know, if Brooklyn's healthy, no way I see them being able to be Brooklyn

because who is their go-to guy? It's Chris Middleton. We saw it. It's Chris Middleton. Yannis, yes, he's great. He's phenomenal, all that. But at the end of games, when they need a bucket,

heck, even during games, they go to Chris Middleton. And Chris Middleton is a very nice player. He's an all-star here and there. But if he's your go-to guy, no. And he had a great shot yesterday. Congrats to him. But that's their issue.

And that's why Chris Middleton can't be the go-to guy on a championship team. That's right. He can be that on a pretty good team, which is what they are. But Janus, until – and look, I've had a great, formerly great player in the league, and now who works in the league, tell me, he thinks Janus is a two. is, you know, the second guy, precisely because you can't go to him when you absolutely need a bucket.

Look at all the ones around the league, Luca, LeBron, you know, we could go on and on. When you need a bucket, you can give it to them. Yonis, you can't if he's on the perimeter. So they got to me get him inside more and even have him post up more because they got to give him the ball close to the basket. Good stuff. Chris Broussard, Fox Sports.

Great seeing you on a Monday. wild weekend. We got games every night. Chris, great seeing you, man. Thanks. All right, Colin. And to Chris's point, it's different. Shack couldn't shoot either, and Shack was a liability at the free throw line, too. That was 20 years ago. It is a three-ball shooting league now. So, I mean, just think of this. Zion's amazing. He had the highest efficiency rate scoring the – couldn't get a team to the playoffs. If Shaq would be less dynamic, today. He would still score, but Shaq wouldn't dominate the league. It was a two-ball league then. It's a

three-ball league. So again, Janus 15 years ago, Milwaukee's probably already got a title, but the league now has changed. You cannot be a liability. I mean, even Julius Randall, Lakers got rid of him because he was a bad math equation. He's a two-guy. And Randall, to his credit now, shoots threes slightly better. Anthony Davis had to add that to his game. LeBron 10 years ago, added the three to his game. So with Janus now, it's almost like it's the wrong generation. Fifteen years ago, Janus is what everybody in the league wanted. And it's a lot, it's hard for a lot of the fans in the media to embrace this. You can't shoot, you're not going to be the face of the league. I mean, and that's why Zion, Zion's got a nice looking jumper.

He does need to eventually, over time, develop like Julius Randall. He's got to be a threat to hit a three. He's better than Ben Simmons already, but he's got to be a little bit of a threat. calling right, calling wrong top up next hour. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. What's up, everyone? It's me, three-time NFL all-pro Sean Marion.

And I have a new sports podcast called The Lights Out Podcast with Sean Mariner. This podcast is special to me as I get a chance to talk to some of the best who've ever done it on the field or the track. So whether it's talking to a Super Bowl champion or a NASCAR Cup Series champion, the Lights Out podcast will bring it to you

only way I know how to. I'm giving you the best insight from the best who's ever done it. Listen to Lights Out with Sean Merriman on the IHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. 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 put on 10 pounds. 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 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 Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 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 can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. 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 y'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, so. Thank you 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth.

Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. You're still running your business on QuickBooks, more like quicksand, bigger your company grows, faster you'll sink. Right now, NetSuite, one-of-a-kind financing programs being offered, special financing at NetSuite.com slash herd, H-E-R-D. So, you know, golf's been trying to sell me since Jack Nicholas sort of wandered close to retirement. They've been trying to sell me on the next thing.

And two guys get me to a TV set, Tiger Woods and Phil Nicholson for different reasons. Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his last game. The greats still possess greatness. They just can't give it to you nightly. And golf and sports is always sort of in a hurry to push the next. new thing and get rid of the old thing. But if you watch that gallery with Phil Mickelson yesterday, nothing against a lot of guys in the tour, but it doesn't look like that.

Massive crowds for Phil Mickelson, who at 50 years old, becomes the oldest player to win a major of the PGA championship. He's also got three masters. He's familiar and he's comfortable. It's why we're on our ninth iteration of Fast and Furious. It's why we've had seven different Batman's. It's why there's been 26 James Bond movies. It's why the office and friends and Seinfeld get hundreds of millions of dollars from these streaming services.

People like comfortable, and Phil Mickelson is completely comfortable. He takes us back. I got nothing against Bryson DeShambo. Have another 16 egg omelet, your 13th protein shake of the day. but he doesn't make me feel the way Tiger Woods winning the Masters a few years ago did or the way Phil Mickelson makes me feel. You know, I always said this about Trump. He wasn't my cup of tea, but he did make a big chunk of America feel a certain way.

It's not a way I feel, and it's not something I appreciated. But if you want to be a successful politician or you want to be a big brand, make me feel something. Don't try to lecture me on this or lecture me on that. or convince me on this. When I watch Phil Mickelson, I see a guy that has blown majors. He's totally vulnerable. He used to rely on talent.

He wasn't very good shape, to be honest with you, in his 20s and 30s. Now he looks like that's the best shape he's been in. The tournaments mean more. He knows he hadn't have a ton left in the tank. In fact, I read this this morning. He had not been registered as a top 20 player in nine months. he couldn't make cuts. So all I know is I sat there on my bed, not my couch,

because my house is getting redone and blown up and whatever, termites now I found out yesterday. Whatever it is, he made me, Phil makes me feel some way. My wife yesterday, we're at dinner. She goes, you know what I want to rewatch? I want to watch the Sopranos again. And I'm like, we've seen all the episode. She goes, I know, but it's just, it's Sunday night.

And I'm like, oh, Sopranos made you feel. some way on Sunday night. You couldn't wait till Sunday. As a kid, I used to watch something called the Wide World of Disney when I was like six, seven, eight years old. It was on NBC. I had to take a bath on Sunday night. That was my Sunday nights. Then I remember Sunday nights being the Steelers and the dolphins, Don Shula, and the Raiders with Kenny Stabler. I remember that when I was young. That was Sunday night. Then I went to high school and college and I don't know what Sunday nights were. But then all of a sudden it was the Sopranos and Tigers on Sunday that got me, Tiger got me into a television set. And for a couple hours yesterday, that's what I felt with Phil Mickelson.

I was just sitting there and thinking, listen, what a great feeling. I am actively rooting for an incredibly vulnerable athlete who still got just enough in the tank, just enough, to beat Brooks Kepka. Great, great day for Phil Mickelson and golf. 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 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. Clifford Taylor the 4th. 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, 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 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's podcast network on TikTok. Hey, what's good, y'all? you're listening to Learn the Hardway 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. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.