The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 05/07/2019

Episode Date: May 7, 2019

Colin thinks the Warriors should feel good even after losing game 4 to Houston because even after being outplayed most of the game they still had a chance to send it to OT in the final seconds.  He warns fans rooting for this dynasty to end and explains why they won’t like the alternative.  Plus, FS1 NBA Analyst Ric Bucher tells Colin that most of the blame for the Celtics disappointing season needs to be put on the shoulders of Brad Stevens.  Presented by Perky Jerky. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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 SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. A Mormon polygamous and an Armenian businessman.

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I can do anything. 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 IHeart Women's Sports. 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 acapella band with their Between Songs Band. 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. Thanks for listening to The Best of Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart radio app by searching Heard. This is the Best of the Heard.

with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Tuesday. This is The Heard. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we are live in Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Absolutely packed today. Joy, Taylor, is joining me on Tuesday. We're back on TV today.

Joy, how are you? I'm great. Good morning. Good morning last night. It was a big NBA night. Huge. A lot of storylines today. Going two different directions, it seems.

Let's start with the Warriors Rockers. That was the second game. That's the game more people watch. So I always feel my job is sort of to be the judge. You're the jury, fans of the jury, and the teams and the coaches are the, you know, the prosecuting attorney, the defense attorney. My job is to be the judge. Take the emotion out of it. Call it as I see it.

You know, I had a favorite team or two when I was a kid. But mostly, if you're great, Tom, Brady, LeBron, Lerner. Alabama football, I talk about you a bunch. It's not my job to be interesting. Your job is to be interesting, and then I talk about you, and hopefully that's interesting. But let's talk about the Rockets and the Warriors. If you're a Houston fan today, part of that jury, you believe Houston could have won all four games. Can't believe they didn't.

If you're a Golden State fan this morning, you believe we should have won all four games. I'm not a fan of either. So I think I can be totally objective here. Here's what I saw and I'd worry if I was Houston. Last night, the officials did allow more physical play. They allowed the rockets to muck it up, as they say. Houston also played much crisper basketball. For Golden State, Clay Thompson was atrocious.

Steph disappeared for two quarters. Andre Iguidalla was as bad as he can be. Golden State's bench, not great to begin with, was awful. And yet on the road, Golden State got two great looks to tie the game from their two best shooters. If I'm Golden State this morning, I actually feel great. It doesn't happen very often in sports. When I go on the road, lose both games, and I'm flying home thinking, we're good here. First of all, game three went to overtime. Biggest game in the last 10 years for the Houston Rockets. Second biggest game. Last year, game seven, the biggest against Golden State. And that game

went to overtime. Last night, the refs allowed more physical play. I'm not saying the refs won it, but they allowed the Houston style. As Steve Kerr said after the game, Houston's got middle linebackers. We got volleyball players. The refs allowed bang on KD, be physical. And the refs allowed it. They often do allow that at home. Clay was atrocious. Steph was mostly bad. Draymond Green had two awful fourth quarter turnovers. The warrior shot 24% on threes. Clay and Steph, they were five for 20 beyond the arc, and Golden State got great looks to tie that game. How did

that game almost go to overtime? How did that game almost go to overtime? Houston was the better team for three and a half hours. And I'm sitting there. Houston was up 10 with four minutes to go. I mean, I'm Golden State. Remember, Golden State doesn't have to win in Houston.

Game 5 and game 7, those are an Oracle. Last year, Golden State got down in this series. Down 3-2. They had to win a road game. They do not have to win a road game. Golden State's good here. Now, are they being pressured?

Yes. Is Steph's dislocated finger a problem? Yeah, he's shooting 12 for 46 on threes. I'd say his dislocated finger is not doing him any favors. That's not an excuse. That's a reason. He's got a dislocated finger. I mean, James Harden does have a red eye,

but it's not a dislocated finger. It is a little concerning that Steph is 12 for 46 on threes. He's just not shooting well. And it's not just that he's missing. He's missing open threes, like lots of them. But I think Draymond Green talked after the game, and I think he speaks for a lot of guys on that flight back to the Bay Area for the Warriors. I think our vibe is just great because everybody's just looking at each other.

Like, we know if we just correct the effort things, we're just fine. And so, you know, everybody's spirits up. You know, everyone's feeling good. We know the answer to our problem. And, you know, that's pretty exciting because, you know, that's my department to lead in. And I know I'll lead in that department and bring it. And if I do, I have no doubt that everyone else will follow and will win. This is not a joyless team this morning.

If you can play as bad as Golden State did, I mean, is Clay Thompson ever been that bad? Iggy was awful. The bench was bad. Steph couldn't play for about two quarters. And the referees, this is just part of the NBA. When you're at home, physical teams tend to get a few more calls at home. And this Houston team is built to be physical. I mean, Tucker's not your typical NBA player.

the middle linebacker with a jumper. And the refs kind of let them have it. But I would feel great if I'm Golden State today. Let's shift to this. Milwaukee is putting a stranglehold on Boston. So yesterday I talked about something all day. My mantra, we were not on TV. We were on a podcast radio, so forth.

But my mantra yesterday was don't confuse talent with valuable. A lot of times talent is valuable. But some people are just talented and don't necessarily play well with others. I'm going to give you three stats in the NBA. And these are not just let these soak in. Number one, when KD scores over 40, the Warriors are 6 and 7. So the best basketball team on the planet isn't just average. They're well below their level of excellence when KD has his best nights.

It doesn't work that way when Steph has his best nights. They're like 12 and 3. that soak in for a second. Don't let it just fly past you. The Warriors are bad when KD's at his greatest. Here's a second one. The Raptors were 17 and 5 without Kauai Leonard. Excuse me? No, their winning percentage is significantly higher when Kauai didn't play this year. Don't make excuses no matter how much you like him. Let it soak in. Number three, The Boston Celtics, their points per game, their field goal percentage, their winning percentage, all goes up when Kyrie Irving doesn't play. Let all three of those soak in.

Folks, sometimes people are so gifted, this was often the problem with Kobe, that you reduce the other excellent pieces around you. Boston has one player, one A player, Kyrie Irving. He is an A. And then they got a bunch of B guys. Gordon Hayward's a B. Jason Tatum's a B to a B minus to a B plus, depending on the night. Al Horford's a B, B minus. They are reduced to C's on many nights with Kyrie Irving.

Boston's absolutely worse with Kyrie. Their efficiency stats drop. They're 12 and 3 when he doesn't play. They shoot worse without him on the floor. The assist numbers go down through the floor. It's hard to get your brain wrapped around this. But there are two types of superstars in the NBA. The number one group is, and we love these kind of guys, these guys are alpha.

They're very much our guys in America. We're aggressive as a country. Canada's nice. We're not so nice. We're aggressive. We like alphas. The first type of superstar in the NBA is get a bucket guy. Kevin Durant's the best in the world. Michael Jordan was the best ever. Kobe was the best ever west of Chicago. Kyrie Irving's a top five. Kawhi Leonard may be number two. in the NBA. Get a bucket guys. Alphas. And we love them. We yell at LeBron when he doesn't take the last shot. The second type of superstar is a playmaker. On his best nights, the team also flourishes. LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Steph Curry, the Joker in Denver, CP3. But in America, we tend to like get a bucket star. But remember in school on your report card? There was a

is that doesn't play well with others. I've said this before. Kauai Leonard's amazing. So is Kevin Durant, but they don't always play well with others. Toronto was 17 and 5 without him. The Spurs won a bunch of games when he didn't play. Remember those numbers? You do. We talked about it for years. And Kevin Durant, by the way, there's six and seven when he goes off. Kauai Leonard has the ball in his hands constantly. He averages three assists a game. His usage rate is among highest in the league. And he averages three assists. I'm not even playing and I'm only three behind him.

So this Celtic loss, it's on Kyrie. He's a get a bucket guy. Brad Stevens, it should be noted, is not a get a bucket coach. This roster is filled with guys who often need each other to play their best basketball. And Kyrie just needs a ball. and it doesn't work and I thought it would and I thought it would get better

and I'm wrong and it didn't and it hasn't and Shaq and the fellas talked about this after the loss last night to Milwaukee the better team

you can't complain about not being a man as to be the man now that you are the man you gotta step up this is the time you got to step up I don't want to hit

no skeer I don't want to hit none of them if you shoot 22 times better hit more than seven shots in the playoffs I don't want to share the limelight with LeBron I want my own team

Now, this is the price you pay. That's the way it works. People never say, man, Mark West didn't win the championship. They never said Sabalos didn't win the championship. But I love both of those guys. They said, Charles Barkler didn't win the championship. That's the way it is. And that's what Kyrie.

He says, I want to be my own man. And now you're your own man who's going on vacation Thursday morning. Yeah, I mean, again, KD's the best basketball player right now in the world. but he's a get-a-bucket guy. On his best nights, the Warriors have a losing record. Kauai Leonard's the second-best get-a-buck-guy in the world. He's a very good two-way player.

But the Spurs and the Raptors have won a lot of games without him. How many games does Denver win without Jokic? I'm not sure they're a playoff team. In fact, I'm pretty sure they're not. And Kyrie Irving, he's a get-a-bucket-a-buck-he's an A. He's a get-a-bucket guy. But he turns all those B-B-pluses, B-B-minuses around him into C's.

They just stand around and observe him. This is on him. Milwaukee's better. They play better defense. Janus is playing out of this world. They actually have a bench that can score. But you want to be the man. This is what the man looks like.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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 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 athletes 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, 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 SportsLice on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different. different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me,

Keir Gaines, is 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 hard way and listen now. 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 WNBA 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 like you don't belong. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs, Gabby Thomas, and Katie Ladeke. 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 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. I always feel like you have to be careful what you wish for.

I've been saying this for years about March madness. Everybody is always like, I'm rooting for the upset. I don't want Kentucky to win. I want Kansas and Duke to lose. Oh, good. So you want VCU and Butler in the final four. We had that once. Nobody watched.

I hear this all the time in baseball. Guys root for a no hitter. Oh, really, just what baseball needs. Fewer base runners. Less hits. Less action. Yeah, nothing like baseball being even less. Fascinating. I hear this all the time about renters who want to buy a house. Be careful what you wish for.

Honey, the sink is backed up is no longer somebody else's problem. Movies on demand. I want things on my terms. Really? I've got 13 streaming services now. 142 passwords. I have files in a dresser drawer of passwords. Can't Hulu just buy everybody and I can go to them? So you're telling me you're all rooting against the dynasty, Golden State. You sure about that? You want the Houston Rockets to be the team of record in the NBA. Are you sure about that? A soccer team of floppers.

James Harden should change his name to floppy McFlopster. International soccer teams watch the Rockets and say, enough already. This is a team built on ISO ball, free throws, and flopping. If the Houston Rockets were a sound, this is what they would be. That's what you're looking for. That's what you want. Houston shot 50 triples last night.

In the series, they've already shot 55 more than Golden State, who I thought invented that style of play. I mean, not all dynasties and champions are fascinating. Michael Jordan's Bulls were fascinating. Showtime Lakers. were fascinating. Tim Duncan Spurs? Not that fascinating.

I do not want... I like Daryl Morey. I love Chris Paul. I've come to terms with what James Hardin is. But you all want the Warriors to sit and watch the finals. Okay. Remember, if the Rockets were a sound, we all know what the sound would be.

Good luck with that. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart radio app. Search her to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. There is a story this morning that Golden State is now prioritizing signing Clay Thompson. Stefan Clay is the future.

That they've come to terms with what Kevin Durant is. A brilliant basketball nomad. A vagabond. You know, there's always been that saying, guys say this. You date some. others. Some you date, some you marry. By the way, both can be great. But there are relationships that feel like it would last a long time. And then relationships, it's fun. And let's say Kevin Durant bolts, exits, leaves. If you were the Warriors and you never won another title,

but you had Stefan Clay, which are the Jerry West Gale Goodrich of this generation, the best back court, best offensive back court in basketball. They're going to be for 10 years or more. You'd still be in the record books. You'd still have the titles. You'd have your arguably your two or three most beloved players. They both play the style of basketball going forward that works, which is a bunch of threes.

They seem to like each other. Clay doesn't talk much. Steph does, but is likable. I think the Bay Area is fine with it. I think sometimes you just have to realize that not every single. Everybody has built long term. I've worked with employees. I've worked with people.

And you're not going to build around them. They're just not build around personalities. They're just talented. They're just gifted. But you wouldn't build your franchise around him. Like Tim Duncan, Larry Bird, Steph Curry. I think Kobe, you plan a flag with those guys. Kobe's a businessman.

The Lakers were his business real estate. And he didn't want to give it up. And he got the bigness of the brand. The Laker brand was still strong. And you build around Kobe. Kevin Durant's difference, different time, more of a vagabond, more of a nomad, more of a wanderer. That's personality. By the way, even if KD leaves, the Warriors' KD Facebook page is awesome.

It's got pictures of trophies. It's got pictures of parades. It's an awesome Facebook page. But this summer, his status on the Facebook page, it will suddenly go to single. And that's okay. That happens too. But I go back to what Marcus Thompson said about a month. to go in our show. His personality, he is for sale. He can be swayed over a martini.

Pre-dinner, post-dinner, he's a different guy. Here was Marcus Thompson. 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. I just... 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 to weigh 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 he thinks he knows the answer. I don't think he knows the answer. I'm not buying it. And I think because of that personality type, don't deny it.

embrace it, that he's probably, do you want to go through this every year? LeBron's a little bit like this. LeBron's a little bit like this. LeBron kind of, you can change his mind. He gets bored. He's kind of restless. That's okay.

I mean, LeBron and KD are the best two basketball players in the world. They've got a bunch of options. And we also have to realize the culture has changed. AAU basketball, used to be everybody played high school basketball. You were loyal to a team. And then all these players that are in the NBA now, almost all of them now that Garnett's gone and Kobe's gone. Now all these guys played AAU basketball where you were up for sale.

You just went, joined your buddies and played. And then you went to college for one year and you weren't really loyal to college. And then you go to the NBA and LeBron's like, why don't we have more power? The basketball culture that exists in America today is different. I'm not blaming the players. But it used to be you went to high school and you were loyal to one high school. And you played on Friday night high school game with a band. Now you play AAU on Saturday.

your services are for sale. Who wants me? The team in Atlanta, the team in San Diego, the team in Detroit, the team in Indianapolis. Who wants my service? That's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. And then you go to college and it's like, okay, Max Cheshefsky, I've got the power. You just gave me for one year.

I'm not loyal. One year, Mr. Calipari. And then go to the NBA and it's like, after my first contract, I'm in a Bolton. It's okay. Steph and Clay, maybe even Drayman. Those are your guys. The Facebook page with Kevin Duran if he leaves, it's still parades and trophies and smiles and laughs.

It's all good. It's just going to move to single this summer. It's okay. It happens all the time. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. 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 Slical Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them? On Hurtle 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 belong. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs, Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladecki. 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 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 IHart Women's Sports. A new segment on the show, John, let's roll the tape. It's time for a show full of chuckles, belly laughs, and just play. cuteness. What's the name of our show, kids? Kids say the darnedest things. Kids say the darnedest things. Odell Beckham yesterday. This is adorable. I love the unbridled optimism of young athletes said, I plan on being here for the next five years. First of all, he said, Baker Mayfield, quote, is Brett Favre? He's going to be a Hall of Famer.

Kids say the darned his things. He then went on to say, I plan on being here for the next five years. I'm going to turn the Browns into the new Patriots. Kids say the darndest things. I love this new segment. Kids say the darnest things. Let's go to Greg Jennings via the Coward Global Satellite Network. Oh, oh, where is Greg? Where is he?

Where is Greg? I thought you were in Minnesota. Oh, get over here. Greg Jennings. So when you hear all that Cleveland stuff, isn't that adorable? The unbridled optimism of 11 straight losing season. Do you think that's cute? Do you buy into any of it?

I don't buy into it. I don't mind it. I don't mind it because when you're excited, when you see potential, it's hard not to talk about what you know the potential could be. The problem with potential, it can be your biggest adversary, meaning because you see so much potential, how many guys are going to be able to work to, accomplish that or exceed it because the expectations that you have,

you're going to create those expectations for everyone around you. And so your opponents, they're going to come at you a little differently. You're going to be favored in nine games next year. Exactly. Maybe 10. Exactly. So I think the best thing when you have opportunities or you have developed and created a roster the way that the Cleveland Browns have with a lot of talent and a lot of passionate guys about football,

but also a lot of guys who have never won. is to just go about your business, period. Just work. Just work because everything that you do is going to be literally thrown back in your face. The moment anything negative happens, they drop two games, they drop one against a bad team. And it's like, oh, what happened to that New England Patriots comment? What happened to Baker Mayfield being a Hall of Famer? So you only bring more on yourselves when you say things like this.

I don't mind it because I believe they have the skill set to back it up. But you didn't do it. No, absolutely not. I didn't do it because I knew we were better keeping our miles closed. And we knew how good we could be. Well, you were a target anyway with Farv and Aaron. That makes you a target. Yes.

Houston's never been a target, so it's new territory. Exactly. Okay, so Labian Bell of the Jets. Okay, we know his history in Pittsburgh. He's a great player, but just sat out a year. he didn't go to mini camp. Now, explain to the audience.

Did you go to mini camps? I did. Did everybody go to mini camps? They did. Okay. But it's, again, it's not mandatory. It's not mandatory.

Not all of them are mandatory. But here's the thing. The problem that I have with Lafian Bell not going. By the way, Odell missed one, Lavian Bell. I'd prefer to they go, but explain it to me. You prefer that.

they go anytime you have a new system, new team, new personnel around you, it's like, we need you here. If for only the presence alone for the guys in the locker room to see you here, that gives them the kind of that, that level of, okay, this is going to be one of our new leaders. What Levyon bill, the precedent that he's setting, having been off a year, Not being with this organization. I don't like this look. It's just not a good look. Again, he has every right.

He's not doing anything wrong. There's a lot of things I have a right to do, but doesn't mean I do them. Exactly. And that's where I feel like he's dropping the ball because even though you may not want to be there, you have to understand the importance of your being there. What is going to carry more weight? You missing or you being there? In my life, I've had the opportunity to flex or have power in my life.

life. I've regretted it virtually every time I've done it. Leveon's got power. He's flexing. I don't think it's a good look. I don't think it, I don't like O'Dell not being there either. You know, I don't, I don't even think he's flexing. I just think he's, he's just doing a little too much. I don't think it's flexing. I think his flex was him sending out all last year. And with that, okay, you, you made your statement, you got your contract. Now let's go to work. Because what's important for these young guys on this Jets team, specifically the offensive side of the ball, is show me your work. Like, you've been a proven player. We know your resume. We know what you can bring to the table. But what are you like behind the scenes? On Sundays, if you give me 20, 25 plus carries, I can perform. That's what

every player in the national football believes. If you give them 15 targets a game or you give a quarterback 40 chances to throw, they feel like they will thrive eventually. But how do you work? That shows me who you really are. And him not being there, those guys not seeing how he works, how he's going to approach work, that's problematic. And what him choosing not to show up is giving the guy's opportunity to see how he potentially will approach being here. I have this theory that pro athletes are in a very exclusive club, right?

You can be a country star or a hip hop star. You're a music star. You watch people in your genre, even outside of your genre. music's music, entertainment's entertainment. Kanye's watching no matter what genre. He's watching what gender men, women make, right? NFL players watch NBA players. First of all, they see these baseball players get these absurd contracts.

Then they watch NBA guys who have leverage. And I think Odell and Levian Bell are the new NFL player, not all but many, which is our sport's way more popular. We don't make as much. We don't get as long a contract. I'm not going to, I'm not going to these many camps. Because I think pro football players watch the absurd baseball contracts for $430 million and think, none of my friends watch baseball.

Everybody watches football. I think there's a little bit of that going on. Well, I wouldn't say that that's what's going on. When you look at minicamps, again, I was always one of this mentality. If I knew that I was going to have something new being implemented, then I was going to be there. Now, mind you, I was there all the time. That's what I'm saying. You were a smart player who knew the playbook, seven years in Green Bay.

You always showed up. But the reason why I always showed up is because I knew the importance of my role. It wasn't so much that I needed to be there because I was going to learn something new. Yeah, but you felt the— I knew my role of leadership. Plus, I also had a quarterback that I knew was going to be counting on me to be there because he was going to be there. Both of them, both Brett Farr as well as Aaron Rogers. they were both going to be there, whether they took every snap or not.

That's beyond the point. But them being there, they understood the importance of their presence. And that's what Lévon Bill has. I could argue O'Dell and Lavion more than any players in the league should be at their camps. Because it's going to be something new. They're both going to be dealing with new environments, new quarterbacks, new offense of coordinators, of course. All right. Sorry, I didn't.

I didn't know you were here. It's good to have you. You know, I, you know, I just jumped through the screen really quick. You know that, you know how TNT. Cheney Smith does this little. Yeah, I got it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Rick Buecker is joining us.

Senior Writer Bleacher Report now at FS1. Covered the NBA since 1992. Let's start with the Celtics. If you look at some efficiency ratings, I believe in analytics as much as analytics, but there are data and numbers and usage rates I look at. Can you make the argument? Boston and Kyrie are a bad fit. Brad Stevens and Kyrie a bad fit, and they're better without him?

I could say Kyrie and Brad Stevens, as long as you're going there. Kyrie alone, no. But I don't like the way that he's played. He hasn't played at a genius level. George Hill played more like a genius in the last game than Kyrie Irving did. But I'm going to put all of this. I'm going to put far more of this on Brad Stevens than I am Kyrie Irving. Okay, that's new.

Because I've said from the beginning of the year that this is the best team. On paper, this is the best team. And I think you've agreed with it. Yeah, no, it's got four real good players and a decent bench. This is where I was wrong and therefore you were wrong. Yep. They are the best collection of talent. Right.

They are not a team. That's why I keep saying about Cleveland Browns. There's a difference between getting a bunch of good players and being a good team. And I'm wrong on this. Like, I look at their roster and their coach and I'm like, Of course it'll work. It doesn't. Well, and maybe we have to revisit.

Now, is Brad Stevens a good coach? No question about it. As I watch the game, he's calling timeouts in all the right moments. But they're coming out of the timeouts, and they're not fixing the problem. And there's a great distinction between being able to coach. We talk about players being set up guys or closers. Coaches are in the same way. You have guys who can build a program who can make.

decent players really good and overachievers. But coaching talent is a whole thing in and of itself. Yes. And he has talent. He has the requisite talent, and he's not making the most of it. And Butler wouldn't have prepared him for that. And honestly, if you look at the last five seasons with the Celtics, would not have prepared him for this.

You have to be more psychologist than X's and O's guys to make this happen. This is what Joe Tori did when he joined the Yankees. Joe Tori had a losing record, but Joe Tori, if you're around him, there's a certain, like he's a tough stepdad. You'd never cross him. Right. He's real alpha. And then you got him all those big egos and Clemens and Arod and Jeter. And they never wanted to disappoint Joe.

Yeah. Wasn't about his schematics. Joe knew how to deal with high maintenance men. I'm dating myself a little bit, but because ESPN the magazine went away. I went back to look at the first feature story I did, which. was Larry Bird's second year as coach, and it was the lockout. And those guys all went into, they held their own training camp out of fear of disappointing Larry Byrd.

The Larry Bird. They were running gassers by themselves in the gym alone. And I went out and I saw it. And so Rick Carlisle and Dick Harder were the X's and O's guys. But Larry Bird was the guy that drove that team to the finals because they didn't want to disappoint Larry. Brad doesn't seem to have that same presence. And I know there's probably people out there, they're saying, well, hold on, Buecker. They went to the conference finals last year. They went to the conference finals the year before. Are you telling me that Brad Stevens is not

a great coach or he can't coach talent? Let's break that, let's break that down a little bit. Okay. Last year, no Kyrie, no Gordon Hayward. You had a bunch of young guys that were motivated. It was like a great college team. Absolutely. It was like Butler. We're the, we're the unexpected. nobody expects anything out of us. We're going to shock you. And everybody, by the way, Al Horford's also incredibly coachable. Everybody in that room

listened. Two years ago, 2016-17, they end up going to the finals before they lose, the conference finals before they lose the Cavaliers. They nearly got knocked out

in the first round by the eighth-seated bulls and would have if Rajan Rondo doesn't get hurt. They get taken to seven games by the Washington Wizards. We need to revisit the history here and take a look at what Brad Stevens has done with the Celtics

through a different prism. There are guys that can make a decent team good, very good. But when you're expected to be great, there's only a handful of guys who've done that. And I feel as if we've already put Brad in that circle, maybe we need to think that over. All right, you're somebody that lives in the Bay has a very close relationship with the Warriors,

among other teams. But I would say, you know, it's like our buddy, Albert Breer lives in New England. He knows everybody, but really the Patriots, okay? You're tied into the Warriors. Should they be concerned this morning? Yes, they should be because Steve Kerr played the card

that was meant to make this a short series. He started his Hampton 5, death lineup, whatever you want to call. Small lineup. Small lineup. They all played, Steph Curry played 43 minutes. You can't turn back now. It took you, it took that lineup

in order to make the game competitive and yet you still lost. If the Houston Rockets look at that game last night and say, you know what, we just changed the way we played the last couple of minutes. We were dominating, and it's not the offensive end. Everyone wants to talk about Steph's numbers

and KD's shots. It's defensively. They were able to attack multiple guys. For the first time, I saw them attacking Draymond Green. They've been attacking Steph Curry all series long. The only guy they didn't attack, quite honestly, was Kevin Durant, which is kudos to him and his

stature rising at that end of the floor. Now, the Warriors do have home court advantage. They do have KD. And Steph's dislocated finger. Clay was atrocious. I walk out of there and I think, Iggy was bad. Our bench was awful. We almost went to overtime.

Here's the problem with that thinking. That's been the thinking all year long. We're okay. We know what we can do. And yes, they do. The Rockets, To me, the last couple minutes, it looked like champions pride versus wannabe's nervousness. The Rockets were suddenly, oh, ho. They were up by 10 with four minutes to go.

Yes. Game should have been over. Games should have never come close. And yet now they start, now they got tentative. They're not attacking the rim anymore. That was there for them all game long. It was still there for them at the end. They suddenly were taking threes.

They reminded me a game seven last year. It was the same deal. So there is that element. But if the Rockets look at what they did the first 46, the Warriors could not get stops when they needed them. I don't look at the last two minutes and say that the Warriors caused that. I believe the Rockets did that to themselves. By the way, there's a story this morning that Clay Thompson not offered the Max would go to the Clippers over the Lakers, which is a problem for the Lakers because now Paul George, DeMarge Rosen, Monty Williams, everybody's choosing.

They have the Lakers out there as an option and they're not interested. But let's keep it to the bay. Kevin Durant leaves. I say, all right, you got your trophies, you got your titles. I get Clay, Steph, and Draymond going forward. I'm top two or three in the West. Would it be terrible? I mean, the Facebook page would still have Kevin Durant's smiling trophies parades.

If you want to still sell the team for what you have, I mean, basically it's this. You don't have any other options. You need to keep Clay Thompson. You need to keep the guys that are beloved in the Bay Area. It's as much of marketing as it is anything else. But if you think that no Kevin Durant and the Warriors are going to return to the same championship form that they had before KD showed up, you are sadly mistaken. This is not the same team. There is no Andre Iguodala coming in still in form.

Yeah, KD and Iggy are kind of done because Iggy is getting real close to the end. When this started before KD, you had a second five coming off the bench. that people said was a starting five for some teams. You don't have anything close to that. Now you're in the mode of, we have to start Andre Aguadala, otherwise we're in trouble. Who are we going to?

As soon as they put Kavanaugh and Jordan Bell on the floor, the rockets were scoring in three seconds at the end of the first half. And they have not added a notable young player in the last four years. This is not, KD leaves. championship, the dynasty is over. You need to reset. You will still be a fun team. You'll still be a

competitive team. Your players play the way you're supposed to going forward. All of that. It'll be an entertaining style. You're going to love Steph. You're going to love everything about them. But if your love is connected to winning championships, and by the way, going into a new arena with those prices, with the expectations, see, I don't think the fans that I've seen, around the Bay Area. The new Warriors fans. Yeah, they're different than old Warrior fans. They are very much different in the atmosphere right there. That's why, as much as they have the home court advantage, and I believe, I believe the Warriors will win this series. It's kind of quiet these days. When it used to be, Warrior fans were the scorpions of the NBA. You couldn't kill

them. They were terrible for 30 years. They were still there. Now those guys have hedge fund meetings. They'll miss half the games. You walk in, you go into that arena for the playoffs and I felt it this year. I felt it somewhat last year already. 30, 40 minutes, as soon as the doors open, there was an electricity in the building. You didn't need sound effects or any of that. The crowd was like, yes, let's go. Now it's like, okay, what? We're down by seven. What's going on here? And they're not, they're not booing. They're not that kind of a crowd, but it lacks the energy that made that place special. Listen, the richer a crowd gets, the worse it gets.

Yankee Stadium, the new Yankee Stadium's got hedge fund guys. It's not as loud as the old Yankee Stadium. No, 100%. I worked in Oregon. Otson Stadium was a zoo because, you know, it was just all southern Oregon. Everybody was socially lubricated. And then they charged a bunch more for seats. Now it was doctors and lawyers from Portland.

Yeah. Still loud. It's not as loud as it used to be. And I've seen it. Look, the United Center was the same way with the Bulls. Oh, what? The exact same thing happened. There was an energy, and then there was an expectation.

And once there was an expectation, and now you're charging everybody through the roof, you do. You get a different crowd. You get a corporate crowd. Exactly. And they're not going to get as drunk and crazy and fun. It makes me laugh every year. If you go to an exhibition game or you go to an open practice, the crowd is livelier than some regular season games. Because it's people who never get to see a game.

Yes. So they're geeked up. And that's what, when the Warriors started this run, they weren't used to playoff games. We're in a playoff, we're in a second round. We're in the finals. Like, it blew people's mind. Now it's like, yeah, I don't know.

Fifth game five, second round. I think I'm going to wait until the conference finals. Because if I'm going to pay a grand, you know, to take the family, I want to get my money's worth. Well, I totally get it. Rick Buecker. Good seeing you, bud. Good to see you.

Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice 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 SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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