The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 04/18/2019

Episode Date: April 18, 2019

Colin thinks the Browns are going to be in some trouble because for the first time in a long time there are expectations and their schedule is not an easy one.  He thinks the 76ers are on the verge of making a big mistake regarding Ben Simmons.  Plus, The Athletic's Marcus Thompson talks about the differences in Steph Curry and Kevin Durant's personalities as well as why Kevin Durant could be persuaded to stay or go in free agency. Presented by Perky Jerky. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me. What you know. Is somebody coming after me?

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with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. On Thursday, this is The Hurd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening, live in Los Angeles, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Joy Taylor was joining me. Last night was amazing. I got the NFL schedules. I got NBA playoffs last night, but mostly I got the NFL schedules. It was a nerd fest. I've never been happy.

I've sat there with my dog. And a corona and just broke down schedules for two hours. It's so fun. We have no idea what's going to happen. But the win loss is the best part. So much fun. And I want to talk about this morning, Joy, expectations. Right.

If you were a movie director and you were given $35 million to direct a movie for a studio, that's a rounding error. They're going to leave you alone. Edit, do what you want. But if they give you $140 million. dollars to make a movie as a director. That's not a rounding air. That's got to be a hit. And so the CEO of Paramount and Sony and Disney, all these companies, the CEO's in the

editing room. They're on the set every day. How's it going? How's it look? How are the story arcs? How's the editing? How are the budgets? Expectations, my friends, change everything.

They change everything. Cleveland has going to be on prime time, four times this year. They are no longer a movie with a $35 million budget. The Cleveland Browns now expectations are a movie with $150 million budget. Baker Mayfield's silliness, not so fun on a two-game losing streak. Now is it? They threw a parade last year when they were 7, 8, and 1. They don't go 9 and 7, heads going to roll, namely Freddie Kitchens,

the rookie head coach who's never even been hired by any other team as a coordinator. So I looked at the NFL schedules yesterday and oh my, isn't this interesting? I don't think it's the toughest schedule because it lightens up in the last month and that is crucial. But go look at the early schedule for the Cleveland Browns with all these new pieces, a lot of mouths to feed, a rookie head coach, and a very talented young quarterback in his second year. Oh, Lord. Rams, Seattle, at New England, at Baltimore, at Denver. Well, calling a couple easy ones at the Jets and at San Francisco. Really?

You ever gone on the road for a Monday night football game? Of course, Cleveland, you haven't because nobody wanted to put you on Monday night. But now they're going to put you on the road. You're a big attraction. You know what those Monday night football crowds are like? Drunk, loud, lubricated. Give the home team an extra point in a half. And Donald, frankly, can play.

And so can Jimmy Garoppolo. And Adam Gase is a good offensive coach. so is Kyle Shanahan. They're the two guys closest friends in the league. They're smart. They trade secrets. All of a sudden now, you're, oh, you're two and four. So Cleveland this morning is looking at their schedule and they're like, hey, we're realistic. We know it's kind of tough early, but it's a lot of W's late. All right. So let's just concentrate on one game in your schedule. Tennessee. Everybody in Ohio this morning grabbed a little pocket schedule like Joy talked about yesterday. W, W on Tennessee. Okay. Okay. Okay.

Okay, W, Rams, Seattle, New England, W on Tennessee. Well, let's just examine Tennessee. They finish with a better record than you did last year. Unlike the Browns who beat one playoff team, one in five against playoff teams, only went against Baltimore, Joe Flacko, who was later benched. Oh, Tennessee throttled Dallas, humiliated New England, clobbered Philadelphia.

Well, but we added a lot of new pieces. oh, so did Tennessee. Adam Humphreys was the most expensive slot receiver. Cameron Wake's old, but he'll be a pass rusher, and they upgraded their offensive line, taking a ram, who is now a Tennessee Titan. And oh, by the way, they do not have a rookie coach. They have maybe the smartest and most successful of Bill's coordinators.

Mike Vrable, the former player, my sources tell me Mike Vrable of all the New England Belichick guys, of all of them, Vrable's going to work. Now, he was never a top assistant for Belichick. He was a player for him. But my guys in the NFL, my scouts, my guys say Tennessee's well coached. They were a Blaine-Gabbert start from making the playoffs last year.

And they have a history of going into places and stunning people. They're a very physical football team. Cleveland, you are not in a position to just discard teams as W's. Belichick and Brady can. they can put a W if they're hosting Miami, if they're hosting Houston, even a good team. There are no automatic wins for the Cleveland Browns. They do not exist.

And Cleveland, you have always been the $35 million movie budget. Nobody really cares. It's a rounding error. But now you're a primetime team. We're going to put you on the road. I'm going to have you play Pittsburgh on Thursday night football and Patriots. Rams and television and Niners and everybody in Cleveland this morning has Tennessee as a W. That's going to be one of your toughest games in the first month.

I'd argue your toughest game. Good luck. Expectations change everything. All right. Let's shift to this. Celtics won last night. Actually, Kyrie Irving won the game last night. I've been saying all year long,

people fell in love with Toronto and Milwaukee and the Philadelphia 76ers, I think it's all about ingredients. It's not about your regular season. Do you have the two things you have to have to win a conference? A great star who's a closer and a great coach. Historically, that matters. Depth doesn't, play hard doesn't, good defenders don't. Doesn't matter. Milwaukee, Toronto, Philadelphia, to me, the Eastern Conference is really easy to figure out. If you look at the eight teams in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Pretty easy. You got four bad rosters.

Indie, Detroit, Orlando, Brooklyn. Those are not great rosters. Then you have two pretty good rosters that are unproven rosters, Toronto and Milwaukee. Then you have a great roster that's got chemistry issues, Philadelphia. Then you have the Celtics. The Celtics have the coach. The Celtics have the star. The Celtics have the depth.

They have playoff experience. But the difference between Indiana and Boston in this entire series has been one player. You got 15 guys on a roster. There's 30, 30 guys available. One guy, Kyrie Irving, has stolen the show. And what happens in a playoff series, when you play somebody over and over and over and over, system guys, guys who need plays designed for them, shrink. Guys who need a screen to get open, shrink.

You need guys who can get a bucket. and there's not four guys on planet Earth who are better at getting a bucket. Maybe James Hardin's better, maybe Kevin Durant's better. They're not four guys on planet Earth who are better at, quote, getting a bucket with a minute to go than Kyrie Irving. Kenny Smith talked about that last night.

We need a guy who's talented enough to say we don't have to run a play, just go make a play. So if you're Indiana, there is no one right now. those guys are great guys who can run plays and they make great decisions when running a play. But when it comes down to this situation, these situations, Boston will always have the advantage because not only Kyrie, they can throw it to Tatum as well.

So the best player in this series has been the difference, Kyrie. The second best player is Jason Tatum, but he's not yet great. He's really good. Well, what happened to Tatum? He was average in game one. He was tremendous in game two. The difference between good and great is consistent. see Kobe gave you the same game every night.

LeBron in his prime, De Wade in his prime, Bosch in his prime, Steph Curry in his prime. They have a stinker about once a month. So everybody gets fooled over and over on this. Whenever you play the same team over and over and over and over, you can't fool anybody. Everybody's seen the plays. I mean, LeBron James in his prime, if you remember this,

when he was with Miami and Cleveland at the end, he'd be calling out your plays. He'd been in the NBA so long. He'd like go, oh, they're running that. You couldn't fool LeBron. So when you get into a series, in the NFL, college basketball, other sports, you're in town, you're out of town, I can fool you. I can win a game on schematics.

But when you get into a seven-game basketball series, I know everything you do. You can't fool me on your inbound. You can't fool me on your screen. You can't fool me on your pick and roll. You can't fool me out of a timeout. You know what I need? Guy can get me a bucket. And this Boston team, there's not a better player in the eastern.

conference to get a bucket with a minute left because Yonnas can't shoot and he doesn't handle the ball in crunch time. Kyrie's the best get a bucket guy. Most of the best guys in the league at that are on the west. There's one guy in the east is unbelievable. It's Kyrie Irving. He's the difference in this series. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m.

Pacific. The Sixers play Brooklyn tonight. It's a very big series. It's one to one now. Philadelphia is a loaded team. They are an absolutely loaded team. So if you look at what the NBA was, is, and where it's going, the Houston Rockets are the team of the future in the NBA. Now, the future may not start this year, but they're doing it right.

You dunk it or you shoot threes. That's it. And everybody on the floor can either get it to a three-ball shooter or hit a three. That's the future of the NBA. Leagues tell you, governments tell you, Wall Street tells you where they're going. Believe them. Don't fight the current. Go with the current. Okay. I'll give me an example. Philadelphia, I think, is going to end up potentially being Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City had three great players. Kevin Durant, Harden Westbrook. And two of them are great shooters. And the league was moving into great shooters. And they chose Westbrook, who does a lot of things well, shooting's not one of them. And now they're kind of a dysfunctional mess. They're kind of a dysfunctional mess. Philadelphia similarly, Embed, Simmons, Butler. Now, I like Tobias Harris.

I wouldn't put him in that class. And I think they're going to choose the wrong guy. They're going to choose Embed. Embedd is more popular. Ambid is better in the moment. Embedit is easy to embrace. He's good at a microphone. He's good on the floor.

He's fun. Where was the league? Where is the league and where is the league going? wings, ball handlers, and three-point shooters. But Collins Simmons can't shoot. You're right. What you need to surround him with is shooters. He and M.B. don't work together.

And there's a story that came out yesterday that Elton Brand, very smart guy, player, Duke, good dude, thought about trading Ben Simmons. And I would caution him, go look at Oklahoma City. Yes, Westbrook was better than Hardin when they moved. him, but where was the league going? The league was going to shooters. Ben Simmons is top three player in the league at getting the ball to shooters in the right spot. He doesn't need to be a great shooter. He'll become your M-Bed. He'll score low. He will get the ball to a butler. Get it to Tobias Harris. Get it to a J.J. Reddick. Where are leagues going? Now, Elton Brand argued

and these are not bad arguments that Simmons is tough to coach. Lots of guys are. Kevin Durant's not always easy to coach. LeBron's not always easy to coach. You can make the argument that Simmons never wanted to be a sixer. He didn't work out until the day before the draft. Fine. You can argue that he can't shoot and it's a shooter's league.

Look into your analytics. Okay. He does a great job of getting the ball to shooters in the perfect spot. Harris Butler. So Oklahoma City had choices. And they, in the moment, they're like, Westbrook's better today. M. B.D. is better today than Simmons. But where are leagues going?

You don't need Simmons. He is so proficient scoring around the basket for his size. He doesn't need, you'd prefer he can shoot threes, but it doesn't look like he will. He is unbelievable at handling the ball and getting it to guys who can shoot threes. And he and M.B. don't play well together. I don't think they love each other and their games don't work. Because M.B. needs to be low. That clogs up the middle. And that's where Ben Simmons scores. It's like LeBron James. LeBron was always best when his big, Chris Bosch, Kevin Love, moved out. It cleared the lane. And LeBron could score at the basket or shoot a three. LeBron's not good with

the big that camps down low because then it clogs up the middle and then suddenly what do you got? LeBron can't score down low against a seven-foot guy. Remember Roy Hibbert gave him troubles. So it's a very interesting situation. I think Philadelphia is going to choose Ambide long term. They're considering here, according to a story, moving Ben Simmons. I don't think they'll ever play perfectly together. Be careful about falling in love with now. What the league is now, what the moment is now. Where is the league going? Houston is where the league is going. Just a bunch of three-point shooters. If you can't shoot it, have a great elite guy who can get it to him. I'm still a Simmons guy. He's been a big disappointment, but the more you deep dive in analytics, Simmons is the guy you keep.

Even if in this moment, like Westbrook Harden, it appears Harden, or excuse me, it appears Embed is the better player. M. Bede's been hurt. M. Bede's a center. Look at Carl Anthony Towns. Look at Anthony Davis. Look at where are these guys all winning series? Where are all these big guys? Where's the league going? It's going toward people who can shoot threes or Ben Simmons who can get the ball to guys who can shoot. threes. And not many guys in the NBA already in his early career are better than Simmons at that. What's going on, everybody? John Middlecock, three and out podcast, brought to you by the Colin Coward Podcast Network. The drafts right around the corner, you know we're talking all football. Coming up on this show, we're talking Tiger Woods and Tom Brady. What do they have

in common besides championships? Russell Wilson, he didn't have as much leverage as you think, but the deal was inevitable. John Middlecock, three and out podcast. Let's do it. wherever you find your podcast. You know, I hear this, Joy, all the time. People say, schedules don't matter. And I'm like, really? If you're married and you went to your wife and said, I'm going to be out of town for the next five weekends,

you think she'd be like, oh, that's perfect. What about the kids? I'll be gone. What about Little League practice? I'll be gone. What about dinner? Of course schedules matter. Schedule matters in your life, my life.

Of course schedules matter. You think any of these teams wants to go to London? You don't think teams, the first thing they look at is where do we get our buy? Tampa Bay has to play like five straight games. They travel 18,000 miles in five weeks season over. There's no way. So I thought there were two schedules that were brutal, two schedules that worked out perfectly,

and one that looks tough is actually one of the easiest schedules in the NFL. So let's go to the toughest schedule in the NFL, the Oakland Raiders. This is absolutely brutal. First of all, they face eight very talented quarterbacks. And here's the order. They got to face Mahomes. Then they go and face at Andrew Luck. Then they have to go at Aaron Rogers,

at Deshawn Watson, Philip Rivers, at Sam Darnold, at Patrick Mahomes, at Philip Rivers. Oh, by the way, their international game, best defense in the NFL, Chicago Bears. Oh, by the way, five-week stretch early in the year, they're not home. This schedule is brutal. I mean, this organization's already got some lame duck dysfunctional issues. They just figured out what stadium they're playing in. This is a brutal schedule. Good night, over.

The division's tough to begin with. You're rebuilding to begin with. You've got a bunch of new guys to begin with an offense, so you think you'd hope, oh, we can get this thing going. Brutal. I mean, one of the games I didn't even mention is at Minnesota. That's now, people say, the second loudest stadium in the NFL after the Saints. It's just good quarterbacks, the Bears in London, five weeks are not home, brutal. Let's go to the second top of schedule.

New Orleans. Holy Lord. Four straight playoff teams to start. Houston, at the Rams, at Seattle, and Dallas. back-to-back West Coast road trips to start. This is a franchise last two years that's come off super emotional playoff losses. You'd like it to be a little easier to start. It's the roughest first month of the NFL.

Then the middle of the schedules workable. At the end of the year, five of the last six quarterbacks they face, Cam at Matt Ryan, Jimmy G, at Andrew Luck, at Cam Newton. That's not easy. those are you know cam newton's had some success there so i think this is a really rough schedule raiders toughest saint second now let's go to the two easiest schedules philadelphia lord do they have somebody in the front and the NFL front office they only face first of all they went out and upgraded their defensive line which was already

good and they went and got malik jackson so that defensive line's going to travel well if you have an average quarterback you're in big trouble against philadelphia they only face two top quarterbacks on the road all year, both early at Matt Ryan and at Green Bay. And Jim Ryan, if I recalls, had success against Matt Ryan. I think he has. By the way, their toughest stretch of the year is Chicago, New England, Seattle. They get them all at home and they get New England off a buy. Great break.

And again, you're talking about a great defensive line that only faces two elite quarterbacks on the road. Their toughest stretch is off a by. And they're in a division where Washington and New York don't appear to have very athletic quarterbacks. They're probably going four and oh in those games. I love Philadelphia's schedule. I liked them to win the NFC East. I really like it now. I like the way it shapes up. Here's another schedule. I told you, everybody's beating on the Packers, including me. I think the Packers are going to win their division. I love their schedule. So they have a new head coach, right? And they got some mid-level free agent guys.

They got some new guys on the roster. And they got two first-round picks. That means two starters. So Green Bay needs a little bit of a break early. They got it. Five of their first seven games are at home. I love that. So they got a new coach.

They're going to have two first-round picks that probably start. They have a young secondary. They brought in some new free agents. I think they have a brutal opening game at Chicago. And then it's Minnesota, Denver, Philly at home, at Dallas, Detroit, Oakland at home. And then at the end of the year, they get some of the weakest quarterback teams in the NFL down the stretch. Giants, Washington, I'm not a Trubisky fan, Kirk Cousins, and Detroit will be long gone. So early, love it.

They can get the new staff, give Aaron Rogers some time. They have a new offensive lineman. They got some new defensive. The secondary is young. Love Green Bay schedule. Raiders Saints, brutal. Eagles, Packers, love it. Here's a schedule that at first glance, ooh, is a fascinating schedule. Look at the New York Jets. So you look at it, and you see here in September, October, at New England, at Philly, Dallas, New England, whoa, that's brutal.

They never leave the Eastern time zone. Their longest flight all year is Miami. The last Now remember, Adam Gase had a winning record in Miami with Ryan Tannahill. Sam Darnold's more talented than Ryan Tannahill. Here's the last 10 quarterbacks the Jets face. And the Jets' defense can play now. Leonard Williams, C.J. Mosley, Jamal Adams, defensive coordinator, Greg Williams. Jets defense can play. The Jets defense is going to face these quarterbacks last 10.

Foles, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Eli, Colt McCoy, Derek Carr, Andy Dulton, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Ben Rathesberger. Boy, that's nine out of ten weeks. You're not facing, I like Derek Carr. Big Ben, I like. But that's eight out of ten guys. That defense is going to eat up those quarterbacks. And I will say this.

They open at home with two games. That's nice. You got Adam Gays' new coach. You get two home games, Buffalo and Cleveland. And the toughest part of your schedule, I'm not denying that, is at New England by at Philadelphia. You get a buy before Philadelphia. And you get New England twice. You never have to face New England

in late October, November, December. You get both your games against New England are done by the third week of October. So Raiders, Saints, brutal, Packers, Eagles love it. Jets never leave the Eastern time zone. Furthest trip is Miami and your last

10 quarterbacks, eight of them, your defense has a chance with Greg Williams to beat them up a little. One more heard. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down,

give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardaway 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, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app.

Search learn the hard way and listen now. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies

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Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them? On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going.

From the WMBA standout, Kate Martin and rising hockey star, Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like. you, but don't ever feel like you don't feel on. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeki. The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile, that means

the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world, like, I can do anything. I can, like, I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Let me say this about NFL schedules. I've heard this for years.

Oh, Kahn. Con, Patriots. Let's get the easiest schedule. No, the Patriots are in one of the easier divisions. The Jets and the Bills and the Dolphins can't get their quarterback act together or their coach act together. So six times a year, it looks like they have. have an easy schedule. If you look at New England's schedule, they open up with Pittsburgh. Is that easy? There's a stretch where they have to play. This to me is arguably the toughest five-game

gauntlet in the NFL at Baltimore, at Philly, Dallas, at Houston, and Kansas City. That's brutal. That's a brutal five-game stretch. No, it just so happens they've owned Houston and owned Kansas City through the years. New England's schedule isn't easy. It's easy for New England. Okay, I'll give you an example. Bears. The Chicago Bears schedule, if you gave it to New England, would look pretty workable. But I have Mitch Trubisky. And Mitch Trubisky in 10 of the 16 games for the Bears will be the inferior quarterback. Their schedule goes, Aaron Rogers, a month later, Derek Carr, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Stafford, Jared Goff, skip a week, Stafford, Aaron Rogers, Patrick Mahomes.

Okay, with Mitch Trubisky a quarterback, that's a brutal schedule. Ten of the 16 games, I go in with what I believe is the less talented quarterback. And by the way, I didn't mention this game, week two, at Denver. That's just a loss. Nobody beats Denver at Denver the first two weeks of the year. There's like some goofy stat out there. So it goes back to, you know, for years and years, people have complained about Alabama's schedule. It's too easy.

It's too easy. Really? Here's Alabama's schedule at South Carolina, at Texas A&M, LSU, at Mississippi State, and at Auburn. You could give me the best Pact 12 team. They go one and four with that. Okay. Alabama makes that schedule look very easy. How many people are beating LSU that are not SEC teams? How about we start with not many? Who's beating Mississippi State at Mississippi State or Auburn at Auburn or South Carolina at South Carolina? The only people who are beating them, other SEC teams. So don't tell me. me Bama's schedule is easy. Bama schedule is easy for Bama. It's not easy for Stanford. It's not easy for UCLA. It's not easy for Michigan State. So New England schedule is not easy. What New England is had,

and this you can't deny, whereas Oakland has to face Andy Reed and Patrick Mahomes twice, at Philip Rivers twice, the big break for New England, and this sometimes happens, the Jets, the Bills in Miami can't get the quarterback and can't get the coach right. and it's been 15 years of it. And so they're generally five and one in division. And that's a real thing. I'm not going to deny that. But don't tell me the schedule is easy.

It's got a rough five game gauntlet. They open with Pittsburgh. It's not an easy schedule. It looks easy because it's New England. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you, exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlic. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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.

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. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey.

I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant, this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know.

is somebody coming after me. Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them? On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges

that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them go. From the WMBA standout, Kate Martin and rising hockey star Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't feel on. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it.

An Olympic champs, Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeki. The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile, that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning.

It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Excited to have my next guest. He wrote a book. That's initially how I heard of him. It was about Steph Curry, The Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry.

It's called Golden. He's now at The Athletic. Nobody is closer to the Warriors than Marcus Thompson. Please subscribe. It's great reading. Marcus, have we ever met before? You would know. Have we?

No, we never met. I don't think we have. Listen, I'm getting old. Some guys just forget people and faces and everything. So your Steph Curry book is when I was first introduced. Now, Warriors. So you cover the Warriors as close as everybody. I find Kevin Durant to be fascinating.

Me too. He's crazy. He's incredible. Okay. So my comp to him, Marcus, is Aaron Rogers. Smart people in general, overthink stuff, are more aware of stuff, and stuff ruminates that wouldn't, if you're just kind of a regular dude. Kevin and Aaron are bothered more easily because I think about more stuff. They get into those discussions in their head that other people don't.

So I just keep hearing that he's leaving Golden State. Let's start with this. Do you buy it to Dund Deal? I don't buy it's a done deal even if it might be a done deal, right? I feel like it's one of those things. I'm not buying that at the last moment he's sitting at a meeting with somebody and he can't be swayed. Either way, to stay or go. Because that's his personality.

Yeah. He could think it's done right now, whether that's staying or going. I still think later on, like, he can be swayed. Like, he's a guy. He feels everything. He sits in the room. He's present. He's got away this stuff.

we still have three or four more series if they win a championship of data to insert into this equation, right? Like, I don't know, I don't know if even if he thinks he knows the answer. I don't think he knows the answer. I'm not buying it. So Joe Lake of the owner, part of the sales pitch was I'll get you as an early investor on this tech stuff. I've been told he's in on good tech stuff. Do you buy that that helps the Warriors? Oh, no question.

Silicon Valley is the new, you know, New York or LA, no question. It's like, hey, I'm going to get you in. I can have you meet people. Oracle is like, you know, the celebrity row of Staples. At Oracle is a bunch of billionaires you never heard of, right? It's tech road, Silicon Valley. So it's a different kind of, you know, elitism.

And, oh, they love being around that stuff. They do. No question. What's the difference between covering Steph and covering KD? Because they're both bright. They both in front of a microphone can be fascinating guys. What's the difference as a reporter? Well, Kevin Durant, you got to work to get to him, right?

Like, he makes you work. He is so personable. Like, he's a, he's a human. Like, he's the most human guy I've ever covered, right? Yes, no question. He feels, like, he talks to you. He feels what you're saying. Like, you can have an existential conversation with him.

No question. Like, he loves to talk, you know. When he gets mad at you, he's going to let you know. When he, when you say something funny, going to life. Like, he's that way. Steph is much more, like, reserved and guarded and professional, right? The best conversations with Steph

are, like, off the record, but, you know, he is definitely more, you can tell his father was in the NBA with Steph, right? Like, you know, he's, he is so well seasoned and so well-groomed, and he knows exactly what he wants to say. Like, you kind of got to read him and know him to understand what he really

means and takes time. Kevin Duran is like, you go in there, you pride him. You know, you're going to get something from him off the bat. I've never heard anybody say it that way that Kevin feels everything you say. He's in the moment. Man, I've never experienced it before. Is he ever yelled at you? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. No question. I've gotten text messages from him. Like how could you do that? How could you write that? And we've argued about stuff with no no question. I love that. He lit like he is a guy. No question. It makes a lot of sense like digging into his life. I learned a lot about him. He makes so much

sense when you know him. What does that mean? Like, explain that to me. Who he is? And where he comes from. Who is he? He's this, he's a kid who grew up, like, in a really, like, rough situation. And he never really had the foundation. Like, his, his life was so unsettled. So,

I think he's still finding that. I think he's still looking for that. A little bit of a wander. Yeah, yeah. He's still looking for, I mean, he went to six high schools. Like, he played for six teams, I'm sorry, in six years from, With the four high schools, college, then Seattle, then the thund. Like, he just nonstop moving.

So why would he leave a thinking man's paradise, San Francisco? It's the smartest city in the country. You know what is? There's a simple answer to this, though. Why? Because you can. Right? Because when you, look, I don't have options, right?

So I do. No, I'm like, look, I'm good. Nobody's knocking down my door. Come on, Martin. But if they start knocking down my door, you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to listen. I'm going to weigh my options. Okay, so I think because he can.

So I've argued that basketball in the Bay Area is Nirvana. Nobody's perfect. You've got salary caps. Steve Kerr's a protective shield. How does this land for Steve Kerr? Because Steve is an intellect, and he obviously appreciates Kevin's thoughtfulness, but it's probably frustrated by his wandering quality. How does it land for him?

I think it's a struggle. I think this is the difficulty of coaching a super team, right? We've seen Phil Jackson go. through this. We've seen. Eric Spolster goes with this. Like, these are situations coaches don't go through. Like, this is a rare. This is an anomaly, right? Not every coach. This is not a normal coaching situation. He's got Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, who's like as fiery as they come and is going to tell you the absolute truth. Wrong. Right. Steph Curry, who's like the ultimate professional and this guy trying to make everything work and Clay Thompson is just Clay. And you've got to

manage all of that. So for Steve, like, It's difficult. Like, no question. Everything that happens is a big deal. And you can see him and him and KD have philosophical differences about basketball. So let's go to that. So how does Kerr see the world and how does Durant see it? I think from a basket.

So, you know, Steve is big on strength of numbers, right? He's big on, look, the 14th guy on the bench, you're going to need that guy. So you need to take care of him for that moment. And you buy into the system. KD. is like, y'all, I'm a beast. right, I'm the system. I think there's a, Katie's pretty much of a dichotomy, right? He loves,

that's why he's with the Warriors is the move and the ball, the team aspect. Like, he loves that stuff. He's thoughtful. He's very sappy about that, about that purity of basketball. He's very sappy about that. But he's also like Kevin Durant. Like he said, yo, I'm Kevin Durant. Y'all know who I am. He's also a dude

who could like, I can go dominate this any time I want to. So, I think he wars about that and he definitely, him and Steve have a philosophical different. I've never seen a star player in the post game, like disagree with the coach more than Kevin Durant disagrees with Steve Kerr. But see Steve Kerr should be okay with that because Steve likes that. He is. He's okay with it, especially if you have a good reason, right? If you've got an explanation, like, look, privately he's probably like, I'm so, you know, this dude

needs to run to play, right? Privately, he's probably thinking that, but, you know, he's created the environment where you can say something. Like, that's who they are. In one year, what is the roster. What is the starting five in a year in your opinion? Man, that's a tough. Am I putting you on a spot? I mean, I've thought about this all year, right? I mean, two months ago I had a different answer. In a month, I'm going to have a different answer, right? But there's a part of me that thinks they're going to run this thing back. Thank you. So the while.

There's a part of me that thinks, like, in the end, it's going to be tough to just pull the trigger and walk away from it. But there's another part of the thing, hey, it's going to be Rudy Gay and Steph Curry or something like that, or Terrence Ross or. Well, they're going to re-sign Clay. Yes. They're not going to give Draymond massive money, or are they because boogie's now gone? I think if KD leaves, you might as well just cash in on the big three. Why not?

Remember, they got a new stadium to sell out. That's one of the reasons, Marcus, I say. I know it sounds like it doesn't matter, but people wanted to open the new Yankee Stadium. People want to be in that new. It's going to be the world's best basketball facility. No question. So, I mean, to me, why would you walk away from? that. That's so uplifting and so

fun and so celebrated. You wrote, you're the author, for the record, folks, I can't wait, just listening to you, of the upcoming Kevin Durant biography, K.D., Kevin Durant's relentless pursuit to be the greatest, comes out in a month, basically, May 14th. Yep.

God, this is, this is, so you have been just exhausted. So you cover the team and you've been going to his home. Now, I know of Kevin Durant's mother. I've seen her before. And she's a powerful force in his life? Yeah.

Oh, yeah. She was the foundation of his life. Like, she was a single mom. His dad left. And the crazy part is his dad is back. And his dad is like a part of his life. Wow. And accepted?

Oh, yeah. No question. Yeah. Kevin Durant loves his father. His father is important to him. It's amazing. I mean, partly I understand this because I kind of grew up in a similar situation. But like people who grow up the way Kevin Durant grew up,

they don't end up like Kevin Durant. They end up in general. They end up in a gang. They end up hooked on something. So I understand this idea of like, all right, if you're sensitive and that's the worst thing that you turn out, like, that's a golf clap, you know? Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, because it could have been a lot worse and it is a lot worse sometimes. So like seeing it from that perspective really changed.

Because I was the same way. Like, dude, you're Kevin Durant. Why do you care what somebody says on Twitter? But when you've been kind of unsettled your whole life and you've been fighting and you've been having a. to kind of fight for every ounce of it. Why would he not fight? This is what he is. This is who he is.

It's fascinating stuff. Marcus Thompson, the athletic. I'll just throw this at you. When you did the book on Steph Curry, I think I know most of the story. What was the surprise in it for you? The real surprise was that was how central his mother was to everything. Like the connection is always Dale and Steph, right?

And obviously it makes sense. His dad playing NBA. His dad's a shooter. Man, that dude is his mother's child. Like, it's without question. His tenacity, his athleticism, like his faith, the way he approaches. Like, he's his mother's child. And, like, researching it and, like, digging into his life.

He's like, wow, he's definitely sonya's kid. Like, they have so many similar traits. And then, you know, you get to know Sonia. And you're like, a lot of stuff makes sense. A lot of Steph makes sense when you know. Sonia. Like, it's clear to me. And I know, you know, his mother's pretty and she gets known for that, but man, she is, she's a bulldog. Like, she's not messing around. Like, she really raised them kids. And Steph is like the shining example of that. The dad was an NBA player,

so you travel a lot. No question. It's just the reality of it. No question. And she, she's the rock. Like, she was Steph's rock. She was Seth's rock. But he is a lot like her. And I didn't realize that. I just presumed. like, yo, you shoot like your dad. You got to be like your dad, right? I remember his dad. Dad was a hell of a shooter. Yeah, yeah.

I mean, him and his dad, his dad is like his professional example, right? He learned. That's why he's so smooth. Yeah, that's why he's so smooth and media and all that because his dad's showed him in a way. But like the stuff that refuses to quit, the stuff that like is quietly as competitive as Russell Westbrook just without the theatrics, like that's that's Sonia. Sonia's like ready. She's ready to go.

Marcus Thompson, you get this kind of information if you go to the athletic, subscribe, great stuff. Absolute pleasure to meet you. This was fascinating. Yeah, that's why I knew if you met me before, you would know. Like, we, it would be fascinating, right, right? That's a very good point, Marcus. I love to have you again on the show.

When your book's coming out, get back on the show. I need a reason to come to LA. Let's do it. Listen, this show can sell books, right? We sell books. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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.

I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Life is full of hurdles. So how do you keep going? On Hurtle with Emily Abadi, we're talking with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness from professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions about the challenges that shape them and the mindset that keeps them moving forward. At our level, at this scale, being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything.

Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart women's sports. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.