The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 05/10/2019

Episode Date: May 10, 2019

In the biggest 76ers game in almost 20 years, Colin talks about how great Ben Simmons was and why he is the guy the 76ers need to build around.  He says that the Lakers should have been concerned about LeBron taking over the team but instead they got consumed by it. Plus, The Athletic's Marcus Thompson talks about what this series means to Chris Paul's legacy and why the Warriors are still his pick to advance. 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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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're. know is somebody coming after me listen to kingdom of fraud on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts wife is full of hurdles so how do you keep going on hurdle with emily abody we're talking with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness from professional athletes coaches

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This is the Best of the Herd. with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, on a Friday, great show lined up. This is The Heard, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're live in Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. I've got my Philadelphia 76ers blew on this morning. Absolutely. Joy Taylor is joining me.

I am perhaps not loved in Philadelphia, Joy, but I am representing the city of Philadelphia this morning. You need a pass as in a few cities. Philadelphia, you definitely can't go to Cleveland without a pass. I think I can go to Philadelphia because I think Philadelphia knows I love their teams. Well, you are kind of the Eagles overall. I criticize them initially, but I think Philadelphia is starting to fall in love with me. I think you might be a little delusional in that regard.

I think there's a connection here. There's a love connection. that is starting to blossom. Because let me start with this. I am only here to help you, Philadelphia. I am the honesty broker. I am the great healer of sports fans who sometimes get carried away and overly emotional.

I'm not allowed to do that. I have to see the world clearly, cleanly, and without emotion. Philadelphia, I have your best interests at heart. It's almost like I'm running for a campaign to win the moral job of Philadelphia, but I'm not. I'm doing this out of just human decency. You want to move Ben Simmons. to some far-off land where he's going to dominate the NBA for 12 years, and I am here to tell you,

I am here to save your franchise. I'm a faith healer. I got a little Joel Osteen this morning. I am here to save you. Some Jim and Tammy, okay? The bottom line here is, you do know that he's 22 years old. You get that, right? There's only two young guys even left in the playoffs.

Jamal Murray in Denver, who's inconsistent, and Ben Simmons, who God, what a shock, is inconsistent. he's 22 years old. Last night he goes 21 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, bagel, no turnovers. No player in NBA history except Magic Johnson has had that stat line at 22 years old. You do realize that Kobe Bryant didn't start his first two years in the NBA. And then year three, he was, meh.

You do, that's Kobe Bryant. You go to college to mature. I mean, if you didn't make mistakes in college, you really don't have a life. You need to make mistakes in college. Okay. Oh, Ben Simmons went to an hour and a half of college, to a non-traditional program,

and to a coach that got fired, and no NBA players, and then he gets hurt. And now two years in, in big games, last night's the biggest game for the Philadelphia 76ers in 19 years. And he is there. And you want to trade him.

He spent one year in college. Steph Curry went to three years of college. and then didn't pop until year five in the NBA. Do you know what they called Steph Curry at 22? Irrelevant. Okay. Chris Middleton. Everybody's like, oh, Chris Middleton.

This is his seventh year in the NBA. Janice is already in his peak. Sixth season. He just won his first playoff series. What about Anthony Davis? I have to hear about Anthony Davis again. He's in his sixth-seventh year in the NBA, sixth year. Last year he won his first series.

Ben's already done that. Ben's now in a game seven. Folks, here's the Rockets Warrior series. I'm going to name the age of the players in this series. Katie's 30. Steph's 31. Iggy's 35. Dramon's 29.

Clay's 29. Chris Paul's 34. Hardens, 29. PJ Tucker's 34. Ben Simmons is 22 years old. They say your brain's not fully formed to your 25. He also played 79 games this year, 81 games. Joel Embed. Last year, the Sixers are 7 and 0 if he has five or more assists. Owen four in these playoffs when he doesn't. You go ahead and run him out of town. What were you? you doing it 22 years old? These kids now, they come out.

This is not Ewing and Duncan. This is not Clyde Drexler. This is not guys that went to college for multiple years, emotionally, physically grow up. We're jamming Ben Simmons into this world-class stage against Kowai and Leonard, seventh game, intense Philadelphia, pressure from the media, talk shows, talking, ripping, trade him bum. Last night, biggest game in 19 years. He was money. He was unbelievable. They called Tragic Johnson.

That was Magic's nickname for a year after a bad finals. Ben Brown, his coach, thankfully understands the gifts of Ben Simmons. He's 22 years old. And his game, as he grows his shot and tries to get a better command of his position and deals with, you know, the state. of the NBA playoffs, shame on us for thinking like he's going to be all day, every day, here he is, and he's just going to go knock it out of the park. Like, it's just not fair.

So what he did today was lots of the reasons he was an NBA All-Star at age 22 as an NBA point guard with the ball. Brett Brown, my bad. I love that guy too. You want to run that guy out of town too. This is a tough team to coach. It's a tough team to coach. You got Jimmy Butler doesn't get along with anybody.

and beads high maintenance. Simmons is 22 and Tobias Harris wants to be a max guy. I mean, JJ Reddick's, the only guy that comes to the park, kind of knows what he is. You know what you get every night. So we are just forgetting. There's a kid that plays for Portland, Zach Collins. I have buddies up in Portland. I'm like, oh, no, I'm like, he should be a junior at Gonzaga. He's not even an upperclassman yet in college.

They're babies. He has to go against the Joker? He's a junior in college. Love Ben Simmons. Let me shift to this. All right, tonight, Warriors, Rockets, Game 6, Houston's going to win. I slept on it, and I've now come to the realization. I think Houston's going to win the series.

I'll get to that later. But James Harden, this series is no longer about Steph. It's not about KD. It's not about the Warriors. The series is now about James Harden and his legacy. And by the way, Mike Dan Tony's legacy. Paul, but let's talk James Hardin here. Here are the MVP in the history of the MVP that have titles.

You've heard of some of them. LeBron, Kobe, Steph, Kevin Garnett, Duncan, Shaq, Michael Jordan, Magic, Bird, Dr. J. Kareem, Kareem. Here's the MVP's without titles. Hardin, Westbrook, D. Rose, Iverson, Malone, Charles Barkley, is only six. and there is a big gap in legacy between those two groups. You're talking about on the left, FS1 viewers, the greatest players of all time.

And on the right, you're talking about guys, Carl Malone never seen his clutch. Let's be honest, if Barclay wasn't so fantastic on television, he would have been the guy that didn't want to practice or play defense. Derek Rose couldn't stay healthy. Russell Westbrook tends to be a tad rigid. Iverson couldn't get along with others. Oh, there is a massive Grand Canyon gap between the left and the right. And this series now is all about Hardin. And by the way, so far he has not passed with Flying Colors,

last year, his team was up three, two, and he did lose Chris Paul, but he was awful in game six and seven when the series then depended on him. He shot 24% last two games from three. He needs to be the best player on the floors tonight. James Hardin. needs to take the game over and be the best player on the floor tonight. Because the Warriors, all these legacies, they're molded. Steve Kerr, great coach, great broadcaster, excellent player.

It's molded. He could retire today. It's done. Steph Curry revolutionized the game, best shooter ever. His legacy is molded. It's cemented. Kevin Durant, one of the 10 best non-centers. that's ever played the game. Best player, best team. This year, certainly. That's cemented.

Kevin Durant can retire today. He's a top tenor. Right. If you take the centers out, he's a top tenor. He's in that Kobe class. I mean, even Clay Thompson, part of the best offensive back court ever. Cemented retires today. Draymond Green, the Dennis Robin of the Warriors, the quirky, crazy, tough guy. Everybody on the Warriors, it's all cemented, in stone, set. Now, guys can, be even greater. You can add a title or points to that. But James Hardin right now is in the, you know, kind of odd, talented, the beard, points, nightclubs, you're unraveled. I think he's one.

It's not cemented. This is tonight's the night. And the NBA for the record is there for the taking. Now, Boogie Cousins and Kevin Durant are out for the warrior. So they have no bench and they've got no bigs. Golden State should not win this series. Portland, Denver feel very reliant on one guy. For the record, so does Milwaukee sort of.

It's here for the taking. No excuses. It is here for the taking. And when I look at that list, you start looking at that list of MVP's with titles, it is the faces of the league. MJ, Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, Garnett, Staff, LeBron, Larry, Magic, Kareem, Dr. Jay. It's like just check it off.

60s, 70s, 70s, 80s, 90. The other group, kind of quirky guys. Charles didn't want to practice or play defense. He's funny as hell on TV. Iverson couldn't play with others. Nash was small. It was part of a system. Russell Westbrook, good, but boy, he unravels.

Hardin, you don't want to be in that group. There's only six of them. You want to be in the other group. And it is wide open, and this series is yours now for the taking. 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.

SportsSlice 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 Slices 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 podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tript 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. 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 Lela 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 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. Smart people as a rule are concerned about stuff.

Financial inequity in America, poverty, world hunger, their own health and aging. I think smart people tend to be concerned about problems ahead. That's smart. odd people get consumed with stuff, have 13 facelifts. Yes, I care how I look going forward, but I'm not going to start just pulling everything back and spending my time in a hospital. Little tuck here and there, perhaps, but my point being is there is a difference, the words even sound alike, between concerned and consumed. I live in Los Angeles. I'm concerned about earthquakes, but I don't stand in door frames all day. I was concerned 19 years ago about Y2K.

I'm not a doomsday prepper. I was not consumed by it. Those were weird people, building bunkers in their backyards. Frank Vogel got an interview for the Lakers job. He hasn't worked so far anywhere. And if you're going to just hire a guy that's been fired a bunch, hire Jason Kidd. Nothing against Frank Vogel. But if you're going to hire a guy that's been fired,

Jason Kid's been fired, Frank's been fired. Hired Jason. Because Jason and LeBron, they respect. each other. Jason's one of the great players of all time. And again, I get the concern. Optics do matter. LeBron, the last three times he's left a team. They've been in shambles the next day. I get it. That's being concerned. But the Lakers now, the Rambis is running the family. The team, we're going to hire Vogel over Jason. Kid. That's consumed by stuff. That's consumed with LeBron having too much power. He is your best player. I'd like to remind everybody,

This was his bad year. This was his disaster year. 28, 8, and 8. Excuse me? Yeah. He will be either the best player in the league next year or the second best. Okay. And the Lakers have a history of handing the franchise over to stars.

This is not foreign territory. They gave Magic the franchise. Think I'm wrong? He got a winning head coach fired. They gave it to Magic. By the way, they gave it to Kobe. Kobe met with Phil. Phil, come on back.

Okay, so don't tell me the Lakers have never given the keys to this franchise to star players. They have. Now, they had to make a choice, by the way, Shaq and Kobe. But the minute they chose Kobe, they gave him the franchise. Okay. And he made threats. I'm leaving Chicago. And they listened back the truck up, as they should have.

But there is a massive difference between concerned and consumed. If you're going to hire Frank Vogel, just hire Jason Kidd. Yes, he's closer with LeBron. Yes, he is. By the way, Pat Riley was concerned, not consumed. Pat Riley was concerned about giving the keys to LeBron. But he did acquiesce a lot with LeBron. Should be noted, at the end, he got a little obsessed with not giving LeBron power.

LeBron left and Pat Riley watched him go to the finals for straight years. So be careful, Lakers. If you're going to go Vogel, you might as well go Jason Kidd. Because neither has a history of elevating teams. And I would say Kid has a better reputation helping young players develop. I think Jason Kidd could help Lonzo Ball. Jason Kidd could help Kyle Kuzma. He could help Brandon Ingram.

But if you go Vogel over Kid now, you've moved into Consumed. And that's where strange people live. You don't want to live there. Be sure to catch live live live. in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Football dynasties have a chance to last longer because you, you know, you have the head coach and you secure the quarterback. NBA dynasties, you know, take the Celtics out, right?

Right. Even the Bull dynasty was three years. Mike left. Came back three years. NBA dynasties tend to last about three years. Shack and Kobe after three titles, they're out. There's, you know, there's a lot of reasons. It's a star-driven league, and the stars get tired of each other. They want new challenges. this Golden State Dynasty, I'd say it's been like a four-year thing. They won, they lost close. They've won, they've won. I believe the dynasty is over because I think Kevin Durant, it's official, will not return for this series. And I thought about this last night. I'm like, I'm trying to talk myself

into something that doesn't make any sense. I don't think they can win either of these two games. It's five against three and a half. P.J. Ducker's playing great. Eric Gordon's amazing. Hardin's fantastic. Clint Capello when he plays as good. Chris Paul still, one of the best, maybe the best defensive guard at the point guard spot in the league. They have a veteran head coach. Golden State's now, Steph, Clay, Drayman, and Cross Your Fingers on the bench. Iggy's old. You get him for a couple, six minute bursts, but you can't depend on him.

It's five against three and a half. I think Houston wins big tonight, and I think you get to the fourth quarter of game seven, and they don't have any bench, and they don't have any size. And I think Houston plays some football on them, and I think they just beat them down, and I think they win game seven. and I have a right to change my mind and I thought about it overnight. I do think if they could get past Houston, they could beat Portland and Denver. I don't know about Milwaukee.

Milwaukee's got too much depth and too much size. But you'd have KD by then. But I thought, you know, we usually, and this is the way it goes, like a dynasty ends. And then about a year later, another dynasty starts. I mean, that's what, you know, you had like, you know, Shaq and Kobe and then went away. And then all of a sudden it was like, oh, you had the big three. And then you had Kobe Gazal. and then you have the Miami Heat, and you got the Spurs are mixed in there.

There's got me another dynasty. And so I thought, but I'm not sure what it is. Let's stack them up. And this is sort of this morning, everybody's too something. I'll start with the Rockets, even if they win this year. It's not a dynasty. They're too old. Houston's old.

Chris Paul's old. PJ Tucker's old. This is a team that Chris Paul, you don't have very much flexibility. because of his age and what you owe him for the next three years. And I just think Houston's too old to go in a four-year three championship run. Let's talk Denver. They're the opposite. They're just too young.

I think they're going to be really good for years. They have the coach. They have Joker. They have Jamal Murray. But come on. They're kids. I mean, they're really this year. Kind of shocking all of us, right?

We're all like kind of, what? And they're going to a game seven. They may not get out of this series. They're too young. How about a team I love the talent, Philadelphia? They're too dysfunctional. I mean, if they lose game seven, the coach gets fired, and they're moving off some of these guys. They're not going to give Tobias Harris the money he wants.

Jimmy Butler, he's not corrosive, but he's a lot of work. Mbied and Simmons don't work together. To me, there's just too much dysfunction here to be a four, five championship level team. Let's go to Raptors. They're too Canadian. Now, I know that sounds mean, but they don't have a history. Steve Nash turned them down. Chris Bosch left, T-Mack left, Vince Carter left.

It's Canada, and free agents don't generally. Kaua was traded there. Let's go to Portland. Portland's too remote. They're a little bit like the Raptors, but are raptors. They're up in the corner of the country. Free agents historically don't move there. You got to draft well.

Best players they've drafted well. And I think they're well run. I like their GM. I like their coach. I love Damian Lillard. But they've never even hosted an NBA All-Star game. Do you realize that? Not enough hotel rooms.

Little small and a little remote. How about Boston? Too many B players. I don't think they'll fall up a cliff without Kyrie. But who's their closer? Horford, Hayward, Jailen, I like Jason Tatum a lot, and I do think he'll flourish without Kyrie. But right now, this is a young coach and a bunch of bees, and bees make the playoffs,

and bees can win a series, but they don't win championships. We continue on NBA potential dynasties. How about Oklahoma City? I think this is fair to say. They're too Westbrook. They're locked into him, and they're paying him a lot, and he can struggle. He can unravel. He's kind of rigid.

It's his personality. His exit interview about a week ago is the happiest I've seen him. In the course of a season, he is intense, man. He is intense. The team's a little, when he's leading it, a little too Westbrook. How about the Lakers? Too many rambuses. They've got no leadership.

I don't know who's running the team. Linda Rambus, Kurt Rambos, too many rambuses. How about the Clippers? Two little brother. I mean, they do rent. space from the Lakers. They are the second team in town, and I love where they're going. Kauai may stay in Canada.

And Durant's probably not picking them. There is, and they have to overcome this, that's why they brought Jerry West in. That's why Doc Rivers is so important. I think they're a little too little brother to be a dynasty. How about the Knicks? Too hypothetical. There's just too many ifs. If they get Zion.

if they get Kyrie, if they get Jimmy Baller, if they get Kevin Durant. Hey, you're if in me. I mean, I got too many hypotheticals here. Let's wait till Tuesday to even discuss the New York Knicks. How about Milwaukee? I think they're at this point too dependent on one player. And I also think they're going to overpay for Chris Middleton because you have to have a second guy. And I think Chris is a really, really nice player.

But I don't think, you know, Clay Thompson's the third best player on the Warriors. They're a dynasty. If Chris Middlesinger, you're not saying you couldn't win a championship, but I don't think you'd be a dynasty. And finally, Golden State going forward. They're too expensive. They're going to be paying Steph and Clay after their contracts are signed, $75 million for two guys. There's your bench. I mean, we see it this year with Boogie Cousins.

They don't have any money. I don't know. He bench. By the way, how many years can you rely on Andre Aguadala? How many times do you go to that well? They're just too expensive. So I guess my point is there's a dynasty out there, and I'd say Milwaukee may have the best chance, but from too old to too young to too dysfunctional, too Canadian, too remote, too many B players,

too Westbrook, too much rambus, too little brother, too hypothetical, too dependent, too expensive. We'll see. I say Milwaukee may be your best bet. I saw this. Rob Parker's only a few minutes. it's away. The Seahawks yesterday parted ways with two players I like a lot. Doug Baldwin, Stanford undrafted, became a terrific NFL player. Smart dude loved him.

And Cam Chancellor, excellent. I actually went to a pool once and he was sitting next to me. Good dude. Seattle is the dynasty that never happened. Now, of course, Russell Wilson takes the heat for that because of this play. Play clock at five. Pass is Andrew Butler, who almost made the phenomenal play that wound up in Pershing's arms. There are flags on the field for a celebration. Amazing. Of course, people tend to forget that if it wasn't for the amazing Russell Wilson, there was a minute left in the game, and Russell did this or they would have never even been in that position.

Russell in the pocket. Russell for Carson. It's broken up again. And is it, but somehow that he wound up with a football? I think Butler hit it and it fell right back down to the ground. Unbelievable. That's exactly what happened, isn't it? Well, curse goes for it.

It's still not on the ground. It's still not on the ground. It's still, well, look at that. Oh, my, I can't believe he didn't get up and get the end zone in time. Brady's saying, first the guy in New York, Tyree, what was the guy that caught it with it? David Tyree caught it with his. super glue in his helmet. Now this. That was a glorious moment. It was the dynasty that never was.

But I actually yesterday saw the headline Cam and Doug Baldwin gone and I thought, good for Seattle. First of all, Cam made a lot of money, Doug made a lot of money, good dudes. That's a great life. But Seattle's got their head coach, check, the quarterback check, their GM, check, and Bobby Wagner, one defensive star check. Don't get romantic about the past. That's Suckersville. What did the Philadelphia Eagles do with Nick Foles? Bye-bye. What did they do with Trey Burton? Blunt.

Bye-bye. By the way, the Colts didn't get romantic about Peyton Manning. The Packers didn't get romantic at the end with Brett Favre. Don't romanticize the past. Baseball's about romancing the past. Football's about next man up. I like what Seattle did. They turned four draft picks into 11 in a 24-hour period.

in the draft. They're not getting romantic. By the way, there's an NFL team right now that is tied to the past. They can't get over it. They're called the New York Giants. They're a mess. Seattle's in a great spot. They got the quarterback.

They got the coach. They got the GM. They got the revenue. They have one great, great defensive player, Bobby Wagner. And Pete Carroll's strength is developing young defensive talent. And Seattle now has tons of it. Baseball is about romancing. Yesterday. Football is about next man up for tomorrow. Half the NFL is undrafted. Good for Seattle.

This is the way you have to operate and do business in the National Football League. And congrats to Doug Baldwin and Cam Chancellor. Great players, good dudes, great careers. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart Radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices 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 great. 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?

Or 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, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our Heart Radio app.

Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them? 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 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 belong. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. and 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 IHeart Women's Sports. Joy, okay, Joy, I'm going to ask you to monitor me in this segment because I'm tired of being called a hater. I don't think I'm a hater. Okay.

Okay. John Dorsey is a very good personnel guy. He got run out of Kansas City. But by, you know, my guy, the Hunt family and Andy Reid, I love. And he's got some ego and he talks a lot and stuff. But I talk a lot, and that's okay. I'm not saying he's bad. He can clearly assemble talent.

But he sat down and said something. And Cleveland needs to stop talking. Okay, let's stop talking. Here's what John Dorsey said. I will say the fan base in Cleveland for the Cleveland Browns are more passionate than the Green Bay Packer fans. Wow. That means a lot.

But there are a lot of similarities between the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns. There truly is because of those iconic years early on. Okay, my head hurts. There's nothing at all in common with Green Bay and Cleveland. Your iconic years and plays, Elway Drive the Fumble, are all losses. The iconic plays for the Packers are mostly wins. There is nothing in common with Green Bay and Cleveland.

By the way, there's only three national fan bases in the NFL, the Steelers, the Cowboys, and the Packers. Cleveland is not even regionally, regionally a brand. Now, New England, you think, is a national brand. Brady and Belichick retire tomorrow. We're not putting their games on TV. Denver is a regional brand because they're the only team in the Rocky Mountains. Eight states are all in.

The Raiders are big Denver West because they've moved so much. And they have that rebel attitude, that rebel brand. I think the bears have a very big footprint in the Midwest. and in Arizona and Chicago where everybody in Illinois retires to. But there are three national brands. The Steelers, the Cowboys are the two biggest, then Green Bay. Green Bay and Cleveland have nothing in common. Cleveland's mascot is an empty helmet.

Their stadiums generic. Their famous moments are losses. They have not had an iconic player since Jim Brown in the 60s. They can't get the quarterback right, the most important position, or the coach, right, the second most important position. Okay, now I'd like to check in with joy. Is that hate? I was listening closely for a lie, and you haven't told one yet.

Okay, outside of the Chicago Cubs, to be a national brand, you have to win, Steelers, Packers, Lakers, Celtics, Yankees, these are national brands. Okay, I don't even consider the Patriots a national brand. I consider them a current dynasty, but like the Spurs, when the dynasty ends in San Antonio, we don't talk about the Spurs. When Belichick and Brady are gone, we're not going to talk about the Patriots. We'll probably talk about the Eagles, who I think are a bigger national brand,

actually than the Patriots, if you take the history of the NFL and not this 15-year spot with Brady and Balichick. You can't lose and be a brand. And you've never been to a Super Bowl, and you've never won a Super Bowl in the Super Bowl era. So the Cubs are the exception. and there's a lot of reasons why the Cubs are the exception. Riggly Field is the Ivy. It's adorable.

Wigleyville. Harry Carey. You were the first super station in America, I believe, on WGN. So all of us watch day games for 25 years of the Cubs. It's also in Chicago. I'm not trying to be a hater here. No, I'm with you. There's a lot of exaggerations and a lot of noise around the Browns right now

without any actual evidence that any of this has worked or will work. I think last year they made a significant jump, which we're all happy about. And congrats. And now you have an incredibly amount more talent and pressure and expectations. Cleveland's not a national team. You know what the national team, you know, the fourth biggest national team is just the NFL. We watch it, we bet it, we love it, we talk about it, we discuss it. It's talked about on the opinion shows more than any other league.

And again, I'm saying that New England's not a national brand. New England like the Spurs with Duncan for about 12 years. We're on TV constantly. But Duncan leaves. We don't talk about the Spurs. The Patriots are Dunkin' Donuts, the franchise. The further west you get once Brady and Belichick leave and retire, the less relevant they are. Starbucks is global.

Duncan Donuts is national, but man, it's huge in like four Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New York. You start moving west, but the time you get to, you know, like Denver, for it's back to Starbucks. None of that was hate, right? You can't say that's hate. No, all of that is very much true. It's very much reality. Now, the next thing I'm going to do, I don't have to do,

but I do think it's funny. This may be a little over-the-top. Roll the tape, Joe Kim Noah. Every time I look out my window, it's pretty depressing out here, man. It's bad. It's bad. So you're not going out? No. No going out in Cleveland, man.

It's on factories. Do you regret anything that you said about Cleveland? Not at all. You like it? You think Cleveland's cool? I mean, I never heard anybody say I'm going to Cleveland on vacation. That was unnecessary. I didn't need to do that.

The staff thinks that's the funniest thing ever. It is pretty comical. And that is when it passes over into being a little bit. I was childish. That was being a little bit of a hater. Everything you said before that was just accurate. And I always told you, The best fan, in my opinion, the best fan bases in the country in terms of loyalty, impact power.

I gave you that list last week. Steelers won, Packers, two, Eagles, Broncos, Cowboys, Chiefs, St. Seahawks, Bears, Bills. So the Bills don't have a Super Bowl either, but the Bills Mafia has a name. And I would put it ahead. Well, I mean, the Browns have the dog pound. I do think that the Browns fans are very loyal. It's just not enough of them to be considered a national fan base. Their owner wasn't even loyal.

They left for the glamorous city of Baltimore. Their owner left. I don't think this is hate. I'm just saying this all started because Dorsey said, you know, us and the Packers, it's just... Yeah, they're not the same. It's not the same. Yeah, I mean, the iconic Packer moments are all wins.

In fact, I can't think of an iconic Packer moment that's a loss. I can't think of an iconic Brown moment that's a win. I mean, when's their last national player? I think it's Jim Brown. I like Brian Seip, though. but that I just went over the head of 90% of my audience. Unless you're 58, you don't know who Brian Seip is. He was hell of a good quarterback.

I loved him. 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. Marcus Thompson joined us a couple weeks ago. I got so much positive feedback. He is the athletic. It's kind of the Netflix of sports riding. You pay a very reasonable fee and you get the best.

many of the best sports writers in the country. He also wrote the book on Steph Curry called Golden, The Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry. He's got a new book coming out. You can order it now on Amazon, by the way. And I cannot wait for it. Kevin Durant's biography, KD, Kevin Durant's relentless pursuit to be the greatest. And that's coming out.

Let me check. That's May 14th. What day is it today? Today is May 10th. Oh, so it's coming out next week. Ping pong ball lottery. I can read that during the lottery. And Marcus Thompson is joining us.

He just got out of shoot-around for the Warriors in Houston. Marcus, I slept on it. I said, when KD went down, I said, I think they're going to win game seven in Oracle. They'll lose tonight. And you know what, Marcus? I slept on it. And I said, now they don't have Durant and Boogie, so they don't have size. They haven't had a bench all year.

I kind of woke up this morning and said, you know what, Houston's going to win the next two games and win the series. Where are you this morning on it? I'm definitely leaning more towards the Houston winning just because I don't care who you are, you lose two starters. It's a problem, right? And they're down boogie and they're down Kevin Durant. And now they're relying on like a 34-year-old center from Australia who kind of just got to the NBA like a month ago. So it's going to be tough.

I'm not fully ruling out Seth Curry Magic or Clay Thompson doing another game 16. and we know Houston is not immune to collapsing and falling apart at pressure. But I still feel like this is their series to win. Steph Curry rebounds last game. I've never bought into the narrative that some say that, you know, Steph's not clutch. I think Hardens unraveled. I think Westbrook has.

I think Steph, though, is going to be the complete target of Houston tonight. They're going to throw multiple bodies at him and get physical. Do you see any kind of, where do you fall on what you think we'll see tonight? I think we're going to see more football Houston Rockets. No question. I think he was already getting doubled and a lot of attention with Kevin Durant. Now, like he's getting the kitchen sink, James Hart's mom is going to be out there guarding him. Like he's getting everything.

All of Houston will be out there on stuff, which means Clay's got a ball. Like Clay's got to, he's got to make shots. And Draymond's got to make shots and Dreyman's got to make shots and think of Dahl's got to do it. if he can do anything, if he can loosen up somehow, then Houston could be in trouble. I could see it, but I can't imagine the defense he's about to get tonight. Like, they're going to, this is going to be, this is going to be 2013 Warriors, where it's like, all right, David Lee carried a Warriors because everybody should double team and stuff, but now it's Clay Thompson and is very much.

You know, I thought of you, it is so strange. Oh, how sweet. Yeah, well, I'm a sweet guy. When Kevin Durant got hurt, I thought, oh, I'd love to. to talk to Marcus Thompson because you're writing the book, you have incredible access to him, and you've been really brutally honest about his presence and about the kind of person he is, which is fascinating. And I thought to myself watching that, I thought, is that the last moment of Kevin Durant's

warrior career? Like walking off the court. Do you believe, Marcus, that that injury could actually help the warrior's cause to keep him because he didn't want that to be the last. moment of his warrior career? I think that injury definitely sort of like shakes up the snow globe, right? It's not 100% the same as it was before the injury. And also, here's this, I'm telling you, they've been especially kumbaya lately in that

locker room. Like it's been, you know, like obvious that they're like together, everybody's positive, everybody's like on this page, maybe it's the playoffs. but there's just this vibe that like, uh-oh, he might be liking it again. Right. He might be liking it. And then the crowd is Ken MVP for him and everybody's saying he's the best player. There is this sentiment, you know, that things are like feeling a lot better.

So does he want to go out like this? Does he watching them fight to try to continue the season for him, win him over? Does the other elements fall in apart coming to play? I don't think it's, I think things are a little bit different with the injury. I don't know how different, but it's not exactly the same. I think the snow globe has been shaken. I was just about done with Draymond Green, and then he did the old flip-to-switch, and I love him again.

How do you explain him? If somebody had never seen Draymond Green, and I said, paragraph, the guy brings an energy, and when Katie went down, I thought his three, I thought that was the shot of the game. What do you make of Draymond, a little roller coaster to him, but God, he's been good? And Draymond is like Will Smith's character in pursuit of happiness, right? Like he's the best when things are all down and it's looking all bad, he comes through

in a clutch. Like this has been his whole career every single time when you think it's the rap and you think he's done, he makes the play that makes you say, wow, this dude is good. Like there's just something about him. He's got a gene. You see that three he hit last game? It was like, this dude hadn't made a three all postseason. Right.

And then he gets the biggest one of the year. There's just something, you know, people do the cliche of the heart. You can't measure the heart of a champion, yada, yada. But he really embodies that. And if he doesn't have to, if he doesn't have to score, he got some guys who are running with him, he's going to make you beat him. Like that's what Draymond does.

You've got to beat him. He's not going to lose. You have to beat him. And that's what we're going to see about Houston, because they're going to get Draymond Green like they've never seen. And they have to beat him. and that's going to mean they're worthy if they do. Can they do that?

I don't know, but, man, Draymond, I shoot around was like, he got that look in his eye, he's ready. They haven't been an underdog since he was like a rookie. He's like underdogs again. He's living his best life right now. He's back in his comfort zone of being an underdog. They're going to get Draymond tonight.

I don't know. Can they handle it? We'll see. Yeah, seven-point dogs, I think. That's the biggest. They've been dogs in years. Chris Paul, finally. Marcus, you don't cover the Rockets daily, but it is almost shocking to watch Chris Paul shrink.

How do I explain that? What is that? Age. You think it's age? He's played a lot of basketball. Like, you know, this stuff catches up with you. You know why it's so kind of sad? Because Chris Paul was easily one of the greatest point guards of all time in his prime, right?

Like, the dude was incredible. But now to watch him kind of resort to antics, it's just like, come on, Chris Paul. Like, this is Chris Paul we're talking about, right? This is CP3. This is the best, one of the best ever. And he's out here, like, trying to, like, do tricks and stuff and flop. It's just like, it feels so weird. I wasn't there for Willie May.

And he was never, like, on Willie May's level. But when I hear people talk about how it was to watch Willie Maid's, I kind of feel that way. I would not be mad if Chris Ball had a great game tonight and kind of like reminded everybody who he was because that dude was incredible in his crime. And now he just looked like he might be done. Yeah. I was saying I've always, you know, Westbrook and Hardin will always be connected because

of Oklahoma City. And OKC chose, in my opinion, the wrong guy. But about two years ago, I considered him kind of the same player. And then Harden two years ago kind of separated. in my mind from Westbrook. But if they went out tonight, Hardin played poorly and they lost, Marcus, there's part of me that thinks we bang, myself included a lot, bang on Westbrook for unraveling in the playoffs. But what's the difference between Westbrook and Harden if Houston loses tonight and Hardin implodes

which he has done before in the postseason? Probably shooting percentage. That's it. Look, there is a part. Hart is going to get a lot of, he's going to get a lot of double teams, too. Like, they're going to treat him probably like Houston would treat Steph. And that's probably, that's a testament to Harden. Like, you don't have to double Westbrook. You just don't.

Like, there's no, there's no point. You can let him kind of unravel on his own. But Harden, you've got to do something. And if they do that and he has a bad night, at least there's that acknowledgement that I don't think you can take away from him. That he was so good. you had to take the ball out of his hand. But with that said, he can't endure another playoff, flame out. He just can't.

Not to the Warriors. This will be the number four. This would be the fourth time that he loses to the Warriors. And this is probably the best chance he'll have to win it. But to go from Game 7 last year to now losing these circumstances, like, that would be, that changes the perception of just the same way Damien Lillard changed the, like, conversation about Westbrook, losing this series for Hard

will change the conversation about him. No question. Marcus Thompson, go to Amazon.com, pre-order it. Coming out next week, May 14th, Kevin Durant biography, K.D., Kevin Durant's relentless pursuit to be the greatest. He's at The Athletic.

Subscribe, I do. It's worth it. Marcus Thompson. Great talking to you, man. Have fun tonight. Thank you. I'll be coming to L.A. to hang out with you. That's all good.

Yeah, that's all good for us. That is all good for us. 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 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 headlines. 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicalife 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 polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house,

Ferrari's 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 IHeart 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. 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 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.