The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 06/21/2021 - HOUR 1 - Old School Suns, Chris Broussard, Net Loss

Episode Date: June 21, 2021

In this hour of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Colin describes the three qualities that make the Phoenix Suns so hot to handle. Also, FS1 NBA analyst and FOX Sports Radio host Chris Broussard offers his insight on the ongoing NBA playoffs. Plus, Colin examines the messy situation regarding the Philadelphia 76ers and their fading star Ben Simmons as well as why the Brooklyn Nets' regular season issues caught up to them in the playoffs. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a very robust Monday live in Los Angeles. This is The Hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1, one hour from now, where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. It's one of our better ones in some time.

Alex Curry sitting in for Joy Taylor, who is sick today under the weather. Alex, how are you? Oh, doing fabulous. Thanks for having me this fine Monday. Well, it's all this stuff is coming to a head. We got coaches being fired. Players happy, players unhappy. So I want to start with my Phoenix Sun.

So I like new stuff. I talk about it all the time. We've got to adapt. We've got to evolve. But that doesn't mean old school doesn't have its place. And with basketball, there are some old school elements I like. I like teams being built through the draft. You know, you can add a star, you can add a Chris Paul, but I like the idea of finding talent,

developing talent, the Warriors, Clay Thompson, Draymond Green, Steph Curry. You can add Katie, you can add Andrew Wiggins, but at their core, they are built through the draft. This is why I like the Phoenix Suns. They're old school. That's an old school team. Everybody has a defined role. None of this positionless basketball nonsense. a true point guard in Chris Paul,

though he didn't play yesterday. They have a dominant shooting guard. That's what it's called a shooting guard. SG. Shooting guard. Devin Booker. They have two athletic wings. Both can finish. Both can hit a three. McHale Bridges. Jay Crowder. One's a

veteran. One's a kid. And then they have an athletic big. DeAndre Aden, who likes being big. He doesn't hoist up threes. He hangs around the rim. He likes being around the basket. I like my bigs to be around the basket. That's when Anthony Davis, who doesn't like hanging around the basket.

He's one of those new bigs. There's nothing wrong with having guys like D'Andre Aiton. He can cover anybody, can protect the rim, but he likes to be around the basket. They don't do load management in Phoenix. That's not their thing. And defined roles matter. I know everybody wants positionless basketball,

but that's like the liberal arts. degree of academics. Great. You read Chaucer. What do you do? I want to hire you. What do you do? Well, I am very well read. What do you do? Are you great at something? Not a lot of time to read here at work. What are you great at? Phoenix has people 3 and D, true point guard, legitimate score, big who likes being a big. They actually play nine guys. You know, there used to be a time, Brooklyn Nets.

With all these super teams, you can't have a bench. You can't afford a bench, so Brooklyn's playing like six guys. You know, you go back to the Bulls, they played eight or nine. You go back to the Magic Lakers, they play eight or nine. And it's really funny. When you go back to the greatest teams we've ever had, they had to find roles. The reason the Bulls worked, not only was Jordan great, and Pippin was a great too, but Pippin knew.

Michael takes the last shot. Pippin knew, I got to guard the best person. player sometimes. That like, that's my role. And Phil Jackson brilliantly orchestrated it. If you go look at Magic's Lakers, go look at the, go look at the Magic Lakers and the guards they had. And the guards they had. So Magic was your classic distribution guard, but he could score, like Chris Paul. They had your defensive guard. Michael Cooper. He played defense. And then you had your like shooting guard, Byron Scott. He wasn't as good a defender. He wasn't as good a ball handler or distributor. Even within the guards, the great

Laker teams with Laker and Kareem, who are arguably as good as any team in league history. Everybody had a defined role. Magic didn't have to shoot the shot, but Magic would have the ball late and control it, and everybody knew it. Like, I like Phoenix. They're old school. Built through the draft, no load management. By the way, and this is crazy, their players play all their games.

That's why their chemistry is so good. Their players play. Their top four or five players. all played the entire season. That's why their chemistry so amazing late in games. By the way, who are the two teams that are really, really talented but bad late in games? The Sixers, we can't, we don't know what Ben Simmons' role is right now. We can't define it. They don't have a defined point guard. Simmons probably is a point forward or on the Warriors. It could be a center. Who else is bad late in games but talented? The Clippers.

Why? They don't really have a true point guard. like we've gotten to this point in society where everybody's equal everybody is the exact same thing no no it's okay you can do what you do have a ceiling on other stuff you've got a defined role that makes you happy in life that's fine i'm the positionless basketball thing it's okay to have a true point guard who distributes last eight games phoenix's eight no and they are the best team in the league right now late in games and it makes no sense right why would a year you young Phoenix team be so good late in games? Wouldn't the Clippers with all the veterans, Rondo and Paul George and Patrick Beverly, wouldn't the Clippers be the best late game team?

They're arguably after the Sixers the worst. Because they don't quite have a quarterback for this offense. And the young sons are a great late in game team, which makes no sense. Even yesterday with Chris Paul out. They were great late. It's Devon's team. Devon's the best player. We'll support him. We'll play D.

Aiton at the rim. It all works for Phoenix. Now, this is going to be a real tough series. This is going to be a six, seven game series. Don't kid yourself. Clippers are bigger. They got more veterans. These are going to be close games.

This is going to be a great series. But I like new stuff too, but tradition always gets a bad mark or a bad name. and I like the old school sons. All right, so what I don't like is Embedon Simmons playing together. That doesn't work. We've been saying this now for some time. And I acknowledge I whiffed on Ben Simmons.

I thought he was the guy I would choose. He has deteriorated badly. But Doc Rivers, the coach now of the Sixers, was asked if Ben Simmons could be a starting point guard for a contending team. I don't know that question or the answer to that right now. You know, so I don't know the answer to that. Obviously, he struggled from the free-threatle line, and that became a factor in this series.

There's no doubt about that. Still believe in them, but we have work to do. You know, we're going to have to get in the gym, put a lot of work in, and go forward. Right now, Ben Simmons may be closer to Rudy Gobert than LeBron James. He's big. He's a great defender. He's long.

but he can't shoot. Lord of God, he may be closer right now to Rudy Gobert than LeBron James. But you know what it is in life and in the NBA? You kind of get what you deserve. Ben Simmons will not work on his shooting. That's the result. Anthony Davis won't work on his body in the offseason. The result, he's always hurt.

The Clippers did the load management thing last. year. Their chemistry was awful. The Sun's five starters all played all the games. Remarkable how good their chemistry is. The Nets spent a fortune on three players. They have no bench. Okay. This morning, you are exactly, whether you've been eliminated, you're ascending, you're flourishing, you're declining, you're exactly where you should be. You've all earned it. By the way, Janus is not a great free throw shooter, but he is a worker. Unlike Simmons, he's a worker.

And what do he do yesterday? He hit just enough free throws. He earned that series. Because Janus is a worker. He may have limitations, but unlike Simmons, you can tell he is working on these free throws. And therefore, he hit just enough to advance. Paul George.

Okay, Paul George has been a player. I'll get there. there. I'll put the work in. I know my plet. What has happened to Paul George? Well, Utah couldn't defend him. Why? Because Utah, once again, cannot defend wings. So they're exactly where they should be out because they couldn't stop a wing Terrance man or a wing Paul George or in the games he played Kawhi Leonard. So Ben Simmons's number one issue is Ben Simmons. He has tools you can't teach and the stuff you can, he will not work on. Even Philadelphia as a team.

This is exactly what they should be. Kind of a mess. Because we've been saying M. B.D. and Simmons don't even like each other. All-Star game. They wouldn't fly in the private jet down to the All-Star game. Don't like each other. So you can blame the refs. You can blame the head coach.

That's big in Utah today. Got to blame the coach. Oh, in Philadelphia, got to blame Doc Rivers. I admit, Doc Layton Games. His resume is getting uglier. but, you know, even Atlanta is exactly where they should be because Atlanta had to fire their coach. So they brought in Nate McMillan, known as a more defensive-minded coach. And what does Atlanta become?

A better defensive team. So, you know, we knew they could shoot. We knew Trey Young was good. That wasn't the issue. The issue was Atlanta is they're just going to be, you know, this is just all offense, no defense. Now they actually make an effort on the defensive end. So, you know, you kind of end, I always say this, you could have a good childhood, a bad childhood. By like 45, 50, you kind of, your choices have defined your life.

You start looking at these NBA teams. They're all exactly where they should be based on their deficiencies, based on their issues they haven't addressed, based on issues they've tried to address but can't. Old school Phoenix is rolling. and the Milwaukee Bucks, though inartistic and limited, are now in the Eastern Conference finals. I want to address more on the Brooklyn Nets. You know, we had our issues with them.

I mean, they're fun, but the Brooklyn Nets this morning, is this it? Is this kind of what they're going to be? We'll talk about that coming up. Colin right, calling wrong next of top hour. Hour number two. Be sure to catch live editions of the Hurricanes. 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 I'm sorry. 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. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021.

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You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hippocrat, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice.

One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream of chicken soup. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coulthura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So the Brooklyn Nets, you know, they were formed a super team, right?

And I was cynical. They didn't play together. Kyrie's erratic. KD's obviously great, but has injuries. Hardin has never really been great in the postseason where he depends on the whistle. And it's kind of ironic, all those three things is what you saw in the playoffs. Katie was great. And Kyrie was unavailable.

And Hardin kind of underwhelmed. That's exactly what they were. People tell you what they are. Believe them. So now, the good news is super teams are usually better in year two. Miami Heedles, better in year two. If you look at LeBron James, year one never equals a championship.

It's always in year two. Year two in Miami. Year two in the return to Cleveland. Year two with the Lakers. So it takes time to get stuff going. The issue with super teams, though, is always the same. You can't have a bench. It's a salary cap league. I mean, you're asking Kevin Durant to play 53 minutes in game seven. He averaged 45 minutes most of this series. I mean, it's an insane number.

And if you go back to the last super team we had with three stars, Katie, Stefan Clay, and even Drayman, what was their issue? Bench. They would depend on Alfonso McKinney and Quinn Cook to play way over their head against great players in big spots. That's not fair. So you spend all your money on cars, folks, you're not going to have as nice a house. You have to make decisions on this. Brooklyn's bench, and I kid you not, this is a true stat, did not attempt a shot, not one in game seven. No, I'll repeat that. Brooklyn's bench did not attempt a single shot in game seven. The Phoenix Suns, not a super team, but really good. Their bench gave you 60 minutes and was 8 for 15. That's the difference. By the way, the way the sons are constructed, Chris Paul only has to play about 30, 31 minutes because they have a backup point.

Kevin Durant's got to play 50. Go to overtime, he's got to play 50. You got to play all of them. And so at one point, Brooklyn was depending on Blake Griffin to be big for them. Well, that's not fair. Blake is way past his prime. And so, you know, if you're eating steak and lobster for dinner four nights a week, you're going to have to eat ramen and luncheables, the other three.

You've got to make sacrifices. This is not baseball. It's not the Yankees. You just can't buy your way out of problems. So whereas the Warrior Super Team was so gifted, I mean, that's who I really look at Brooklyn as. The Warriors had three of the great shooters in a Shooter's League and Raymond Green. Their bouncer at the bar, the tough guy. Brooklyn has three of the great closers in basketball, but both of their issues are the same.

There's no bench. And by the way, when you're top heavy, we see this in the NFL as well. When you're a top heavy team, the Rams are top heavy. The Cowboys are top heavy. The Seattle Seahawks are top heavy. What happens? When you're top heavy, it literally takes one injury. It can derail everything.

It can derail everything. I mean, the Cowboys lose their left tackle Tyron Smith. It's not the same team. The Seahawks lose a pass rusher or a D.K. Metcalfe goes down. It's not the same team. And by the way, top heavy teams, you can win championships. They don't last a long time. But what you find yourself doing with the Warriors Dynasty, with the Nets, with the Seahawks, with the Rams, Cowboys,

it's a lot of finger crossing. If you're healthy, it's great. But come on now. When you are asking in a condensed season, Steve Nash was literally playing six guys. I mean, come on. And Milwaukee now is no longer just a finesse team. Milwaukee's a physical team.

So it is, these are heavy, long minutes of Milwaukee, Drew Holiday and PJ and Jannis and Brooke Lopez and Biggs leaning on you. The last two games of this series, I thought Brooklyn looked absolutely. shot. Alex with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, the Hawks are back in Eastern Conference

Finals for the second time in 50 years. Trey Young, who had been incredible All-Series, struggled shooting a bit yesterday, but still finished with 21 points in the 103-96 game 7 win. Now, the Hawks are just the third team since the current playoff format was introduced in 1984 to make the conference finals despite having a losing record

at the All-Star break. Now they'll head to Milwaukee to start their series with the Bucks on Wednesday. Now the Hawks have kind of been that surprise playoff team, Colin. Yeah, and I, you know, let's be clear about this.

They were outplayed in a lot of those games, the difference in this series, and it was the difference in the next series. Atlanta is very good in the last seven minutes because they've got a go-to score. Everybody knows who it is, and they've got a quarterback. He's a young quarterback.

He's on a rookie contract. quarterback. But if you look at the Knicks, at the end of games they were choppy, if you look at Sixers, end of games they're choppy. So Atlanta has limitations. They don't really have a second star, but when you know what you are and the Eastern

Conference is weaker, you can get to the conference finals. And it was an exciting last five minutes at the game, especially if you didn't have a side. It could have gone any way. In Philly, they blew it. They had the opportunities. All right, we're moving on to Roger Watch because we've got another month to wonder

whether Aaron Rogers will show up to Packers' training camp. But the latest move could be a good sign for the team. He recently renewed his membership at the Green Bay Country Club for the rest of the year. So I love that this is what we're forced to focus on are these little things. Okay, now I know it's something.

It's something. Okay, so think about this. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, I went and looked up to Green Bay Country Club. It's very nice. It's on a hill. It's overlooking beautiful. When do you golf in Green Bay? You golf in July, August, and September.

Those are the great golf months. That tells me Aaron's coming back for training camp. You wouldn't buy this if you're going to hold out until late September, because by that time, you're in the facility all day trying to play catch-up. You golf July, August, until Labor Day. That's why you join the club. Now, you can say he's trolling Green Bay. But when Tom Brady, what did he do a year before?

or it was a tell. It was very simple. He sold his house. He put his house on the market. You do not put your house in the market when you have a strong marriage and a wife and kids without long discussions about, that's something you talk about for a month.

Should we put a house in the market? You've got other plans. It's not like they were going to downsize to a condo in Boston. They're two celebrities. So it was a tell. It matters. He's selling his home. Well, I'm joining a country club.

You play golf for three months, and those are the three months of training camp. You know, you don't do the two days anymore where Aaron can go home, head out to the club and, you know, work on a short game. It's a little something, but it's a little something in the positive right direction for Green Bay and the fans. So, yeah, we'll take that. Now, let's move on to Tom Brady because he looks as good as ever coming off his seventh Super Bowl win. Buck's general manager, Jason Light, said he'd let Brady play in. until he was 50 years old if you wanted to, but even Brady thinks that may be stretching it a bit.

He said, even for me, that's a long time. I've always said 45 was the age that I wanted to reach, and that was my goal. This year, I'll be 44. So next year, I'll be 45. I got a two-year contract. If I still want to keep playing, I might be able to do that. And if that's enough, then that would be enough.

This is the first time we've actually heard him say. Well, it might be, that might be a bit much. That might be stretching it. Warren Moon played near his mid-40s. Like, 45, George Blanda did. So it's like 45 if you have protection. I mean, if you start looking Warren Moon's era, you could grab a quarterback and slam him into the turf.

And Warren, a great athlete, played well into his 40. So 45 for a defensive tackle, a corner receiver's absurd. Yeah. We have examples where athletes at the quarterback position, even in the 70s played into their 40s. So 45 to me, it's like you said, right now they've got a good offensive line. The game now is very protective of the quarterback. It's a very, I would say, becoming very, New England and Arizona, or New England

and Tampa now are becoming a very quarterback friendly system where he's got protection. He's got, you know, usually New England. he didn't have to play shootouts in New England. The defense was always good. So he didn't have to drop back 45 times. With this team, he doesn't have to do a lot of the work. You know, they can run the ball. They've got good tight end.

So this is a friendly off, unlike Russell Wilson or Deshawn Watson last two years are running for their life. Tom can't excel in that space. He also takes incredible care of his body, and that will take you a long way. Yep. Alex with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. Chris Brousard, Fox Sports NBA analyst, Crazy Weekend, joining us now, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing. So let's start with Philadelphia. It is a mess. You know, when Doc Rivers said,

he was asked, can you be a contending team with his point guard? I thought his answer was totally honest. I'm still supporting him, but we got work to do. A lot of people take that as he's bailing on Ben Simmons, and my argument would be we got to stop babying Ben Simmons. We have to confront this. He's got to get better. He's got to.

I mean, Janus is working on his free throws. It ain't pretty, but he hits just enough. Do we have to keep coddling and babysitting Ben Simmons and worrying about how it lands when we talk or we have to confront this? Guy's not working on his game, Chris. Publicly, yes. Publicly, Doc. I agree.

Doc was telling the truth. But Doc publicly should have probably been like, look, Ben, just like he's been saying, Ben is great. Defensively, Ben is a phenomenal passer. Ben can score on the drive when he's aggressive. Ben can do so much that we need. We'll work on the jump shooting, but I believe in him, yes, we can win the title with him. Now, behind the scenes, they may be trying like the Dickens to trade him, and they should be. But publicly, that's what you say.

Because look, we are dealing with young men. we are dealing with social media and they are sensitive. We know it. Now, behind the scenes, and this is where I do give some fault to Doc, during this whole season, he should have been working on Ben Simmons to not only work on his jumper in practice, but actually shoot them during the game. Publicly, you can be supportive, say all this and that. But privately, he should be tough on Ben.

He should be letting him know, look, sit down with him. I've coached Hall of Famers, and you could be one, but you are not going to sniff the Hall of Fame. We're not going to sniff a championship if you can't get better at jump shooting. And Ben, we may have to move on from you if you can't. Like, you can be hard with them privately, but I think publicly you do have to do a little coddling, unfortunately. By the way, Simmons, I was saying this, there are places he could fit. If you put him at Golden State and just said, we're going to make you like a draymon. You're not a point guard, put two great shooters.

I think Golden State, and Golden State, by the way, if you inherit, if you trade for him, he's not going to be a savior. Fans just want him to be able to defend. I think Golden State works for him. Look, I've been saying he's a Draymond Green. Because Draymond, not that Draymond's a point guard, but he's a good playmaker himself. And obviously they're both great defenders. Look, if they could trade, if Philadelphia could get Draymond, for Ben Simmons, then the Golden State, I think, would do that in a heartbeat.

I would do that in the heartbeat. I wouldn't do it if I'm Philly because I need a point guard back, but I agree with you there, though. Here's the one difference. Draymond would at least take the three-point shot. They lay off of him. They give him 10, 15 feet, but he will shoot the shot, and he'll hit a few of them. And so Ben's got to get to the point where he will at least do that.

But to your point, Colin, there are teams that could build around him. I think I said on here last week, Houston should have traded for him. I know you didn't want to strengthen Darry, but it would have helped him. You can build around him like they build around Janus and Milwaukee. Put four shooters around him. Let Ben push the ball in transition, drive in the half court and score in the paint, and post up in the half court, and he can pass out of double teams and all of that. So that's how you build around him.

You just can't do that when you have a big-time low-post score. like Joel Embed because one of them gets forced out to the perimeter, and it's usually Embed, so they can put Ben by the basket, because if they don't, nobody will guard him. So you can build around him, you just got to find the right place. You know, it's interesting with the Nets. I thought actually for Kevin Durant, it's about as good as it could have been for Durant. He has established himself as an unbelievable talent.

He played every minute. He came off, as you talked about last week, a rough surgery, and is one of the best players ever off that surgery, probably the best performance ever off that surgery in the first year. So even though Brooklyn lost, I feel like in a way, Kevin Durant kind of strengthens, he strengthened his image a little bit. I guess that's the positive spin to it.

Yeah, I mean, it's hard to be critical of him. The performances were fantastic. You knew guys were falling by the wayside, left and right due to injury around him, and he still performed. I do think he helped his image a little bit. Now, there are those trying to, you know, they're comparing him to LeBron.

LeBron could have done that. He's done it before in the East carried that team. But outside of that, I do think it helped him. Let me say this, Colin. You know I picked Brooklyn, and I wanted them to win because I picked them. We always want our picks to be right. But it's actually good that they didn't win it for the NBA. Yeah.

And I may have said it on here before. It would have been complete AAU had they won to change it. Yeah. It would have been taking the best kid from L.A., the best kid from Maryland, best kid from New Jersey, throw them together for a weekend. They don't know each other. They haven't played together before. And they beat all the best teams in the country.

You know, like that's what we would have had in the NBA. Usually you have to suffer pain, adversity before you win a title. Michael Jordan, LeBron James, a Dirk Novitzky, Kevin Garnett, we could go on and on. This is good for the Nets. If they're really, and I mean, two of them have already won championships. But this will make them better next year. They should learn from this pain and come back and take the, here's a novel idea. Take the regular season seriously.

All right? Don't take so many days off. And then they can come back and win the championship next year. Yeah. No, no. Chris, this is something I talked about two months ago and people made fun of me. I said, is it privately Adam Silver was rooting against the Clippers last year because it was load management and it was like oh this is horrible and they they were their chemistry

suffered similarly this year i thought i think it's a great point is that well i think it's a great point because i agree with it but um but in the end the league wants there to be a draft and development you just can't buy your way to a championship and to your point i think we saw that now i love the phoenix tons i was saying this is that everybody likes positionless basketball and everybody's got to two to three. But I like Phoenix because they're old school. I got an old school point guard. I got a true scoring guard. I've got two wings, an old guy, a young guy. I got a big who likes to be a big. They didn't do load management. They built through the draft. Part of me looks at Phoenix, Chris, and I'm like, I miss what Phoenix is. Everybody's got a defined role. Everybody's got

a position. I mean, they even have a classic backup, limited backup point, so Chris Paul only has to play 31 minutes, not 47. Like, I find myself rooting for Phoenix because they're a little old school. I mean, that's how I view them, and I kind of miss old school hoops. No, I hear you. I hear you in that, okay, first of all, you're two guards, Devin Booker and Chris Paul. And you know you have a lot of basketball, young basketball players and parents who have basketball players, kids playing coming up, that listen to your show.

So I want to say this to them. Do not abandon the mid-range, okay? Right. Analytics says, go all the way to the basket or shoot the three. Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Kauai Leonard. All of them are mid-range assassins. All right, yes, you have to be able to shoot the three,

but they are proof positive that the mid-range can still be very effective. So there's that. And then you mean, I love DeAndre Aiton. I think DeAndre Aiton is in a lot of ways, yeah, you'd rather have a Joe LNB who could just go down there and dominate. But for teams that have scores elsewhere, he's kind of a prototypical new school center. Yeah. Like you said, he's not shooting the three and all that, but he's athletic and long enough to guard on the perimeter.

Like the Clippers won't be able to exploit him on the perimeter the way they did Rudy Gobert. That's right. Because he can get out there a little better. He's a little more athletic. And yet he can rebound. He can block shots. He can finish around the basket. But he doesn't just plop down on the post and say, give me the ball.

So look, this team is even, I mean, I think they'll bring Chris back. You know, he deserves now a new contract. But even if for some chance they didn't, they're not going anywhere. Yeah. They are here to stay. They got a chance to win it this year, but they're going to be here for many years to come. You know, and before we go, you know, I look at the Clippers situation, and, you know, they got behind Dallas, they got behind Utah. You know, they're now behind Phoenix.

They're an interesting team, Chris. Historically, if you lose game one, 70% of the time you lose the series. But I will say they have kind of a, they're an interesting. interesting team. They've got a lot of players. They got a lot of wings. They're the opposite of Phoenix. They got their guard play. They don't know what they're getting. They got a big that can't move out too much, but their wings are great. I think it's going to be a contrast of styles. I'm not sure Phoenix is going to win. I find myself I like their style. But I kind of, I don't know, I look at this Clippers Sun series, Chris, and I look at the Clippers. Listen, Kauai

back or not, this feels like a seven-game series to me. I guess that's what I'm trying to say. I think there's going to be, it's going to be a tug-of-war for 12 days. Yeah, look, it's downright foolishness at this point to count the clippers out under any circumstances, right? I mean, Paul George could go down and you just can't write them off. I mean, this team has shown heart and resiliency. I don't think Kauai will be back. We'll see. I don't expect to see them. I pick Phoenix in seven. So I'm with you. I think it's a tough series. I wouldn't be surprised in the least bit if the Clippers do win this

chance or this, you know, this series. But yeah, both teams are very evenly matched. The thing is, I mentioned Aiton, they won't be able to exploit him. Phoenix is a little more athletic too than Dallas and Utah. Yes, yes. So Utah, you really had to worry about Donovan Mitchell's athleticism, Jordan Clarkson

when he's in the game. Outside of that, they weren't really that athletic. That's not the case with Phoenix. And here's the thing, too, with the clippers. Ty Lou, he's obviously been getting his flowers, everybody's been praising him, but you mentioned they've done things no other team has ever done, which has come back from two-02 series to win in the same postseason. Some of that I think is that Ty Lou is doing something that hardly any coaches have ever done.

And that is he is utilizing just about his entire roster. So he's looking at like, if I got 12 guys that can play, maybe I'll use them like one series, oh, you're not built for this series. I know you're my sixth man, but you're not built for this series. I'm going to the 10th man and he's going to play. Or the ninth man is starting this game because it's what the situation calls for. Most coaches stick with their eight or nine man rotation no matter what. He's changing starting lineups.

Rondo doesn't play for several games. Then he's playing a lot. He really is you to like, he's saying all 12 of these guys can play. So if the situation calls for it, I'm going to use this guy, even though he wasn't in the rotation last year. Right. So I think that's been effective. And more coaches might need to look at it. It's common sense, right?

It does make common sense if you have some depth. Well, yeah. We'll see how it works out for it. And by the way, that may be problematic early in the series as you try to figure out what you need. but in late series games, they've had a lot of juice. They had a lot of energy left. So to your point, when you're playing nine and ten guys, you know, Dallas just got tired.

Portland always feels like they get tired at the end of it. Brooklyn looks shot. Clippers look fresh. So good stuff. Chris Broussard, Fox Sports. Nash. Nash played five and a half guys. I mean, that was all he was playing.

Good seeing you, bud. All right, Colin. You bet. One thing that I think is starting to get a little overrated. I used to always get on Bill Simmons, you know, Bill for this. He would do this and it would drive me nuts. I'll explain it next. I think there's one thing in these playoffs that we just,

we got to stop obsessing over it. And I'll tell you what it is. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Ben, host of the fifth hour with Ben Maller, along with my trusty sidekick, David Giscond, would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen?

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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, 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, you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network

on TikTok. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, hope from a hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful, Scyke! I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice! Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary.

Oh, cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coultera podcast network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports.

And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking. down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Colin Wright, Colin Wrong, top of our number two. So, uh, you know, we know in the NFL, it's been proven. Andy Reid, great coach, couldn't win the big one without Mahomes, Belichick, great coach, but it was more Brady than Belichick.

Like we now acknowledge that. Pete Carroll, great coach. He was fired twice before Russell Wilson in the NFL. We know in the NFL the great quarterback is more valuable than the great coach. Now, the great coach may be more valuable than 90% of his roster, but if you get the great quarterback, he's simply more important. And in the NBA, you're going to advance generally if you have fewer deficiency with personnel. We spend way too much time nitpicking coaches.

Take Mike Boodenholzer. He's getting shelled. He doesn't make adjustments. He literally doesn't make adjustments. Let's just not double team Kevin Durant. They're in the Eastern Conference Finals and favored in the Eastern Conference Finals. By the way, Ty Lou out West, adjusts every 30 seconds.

and he's also in a conference final. They have two totally different styles. Why? Well, the Clippers scouting department's pretty good. They got 10 guys who can play. And why the other one? Brooklyn fell apart. It's deficiencies. Utah's a prime example.

So Utah loses to the Clippers. Oh, Quinn Snyde. Didn't do this, didn't do that. Who ate Utah alive? Kowai Leonard when he was healthy, a wing. Paul George, a wing. And Terrence, man. unstoppable a wing. Why? Because Utah's had an issue. We have talked about it on this show for three years.

They don't have an elite athlete on the wing. We said when they were down O2, I said, I still like the Clippers to win this series. When they were down O2, I said, and even when Kauai got hurt, I thought the Clippers were doomed. But they still had Terence Mann and Paul George. Two wings. Utah can't defend them. It's not a Quinn, you know, you can nitpick Quinn. Utah has a personnel deficiency, and they know it. They've got to get more athletic. I mean, go look at when the clippers were built. Why did they immediately defend LeBronwell?

Because they have Paul George, Kauai Leonard, they add Terrence Mann. They got a bunch of wings. By the way, if Ben Simmons could shoot, Doc Rivers would win these games. That is a personnel deficiency. It's not a Doc Rivers deficiency. Think about the coaches we like. Nick Nurse and Steve Kerr didn't make the playoffs. Personnel deficiency.

Tibbs, what a coach. He won a single playoff game. Eric Spolstra will be a Hall of Famer. Love Spolger. He got swept. Rick Carlisle, that guy's a genius. He had a 2-0 series lead, went back home and lost the series. To get dumb overnight?

No, I mean, it's funny, Brad Stevens, Jalen Brown gets hurt, Kyrie Irving didn't work, Campbell Walker's got bad knees. Did Brad Stevens suddenly become a bad coach? If Jalen Brown is healthy and Campbell Walker's knees were better, you could have Boston in the Eastern Conference finals. But none of those happened. Look at Nate McMillan. This is his 17th year coaching.

In the 16 previous years, he had one playoff series win as a coach. That was the Sonics back in like 2005. Good team. Suddenly now, he goes to Atlanta mid-season. He is in the conference finals. Did he learn how to coach? No. He made an offensive-driven team better defensively,

and Trey Young hits a bunch of shots late. We just nitpick the coaches forever. I mean, by the way, Ty Lou, give the scouting department for the Clippers, maybe the best in basketball. They got 10 guys that can actually play. But the one thing they can't defend, what is it? They couldn't stop Donovan, they couldn't stop Luca, they couldn't stop Booker.

They don't defend a great scoring guard. That's kind of their deficiency because you can't have everything in a salary cap league. So they're big, they're great on the wing, but if your guard's great and scores, they can't do anything. Even Tai Lu can't. So Boone Holzer makes no adjustments favored in the conference finals. Tai Lu is adjusting everything. He's in the conference finals. coaching thing in the NBA is a little overstated.

Most guys who have these jobs know what they're doing, some better than others. Hour two, Colin Wright-Rong, next. 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. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you 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 year. 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. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what you're 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, 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.