The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Sep 01, 2020

Episode Date: September 1, 2020

Doug Gottlieb in for ColinChris Paul is a winner despite what the critics sayThe Chiefs have a good chance to be a dynastyGiannis Antetokounmpo can still improve from an unfortunate trendDonald Trump is trying to save the Big 10Guest: Sam Amick Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. This is the best of the heard. Heard with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio.

What up? Welcome in. This is The Herd. Wherever you may be in. However, however, you may be making this part of your day. Thanks so much. I'm Doug Gottlieb, sitting in for Colin Cowherd. What a show we have for you today. Sam Amick, NBA Insider, from The Athletic. We'll join us 30 minutes away. Recap last night's two upsets. Two upsets last night. Get you ready for tonight. There is a game seven tonight. And a huge game in the second

round that's played before game seven of the first round. Confusing? Ro-ro? That's my raggy. That's my Scooby-Doo. Yes. Toronto, Boston. Remember Boston beat Toronto.

you don't want to go in down two games and none into Boston Gar. Well, you know what I mean. Anyway, same amical joining us in 30 minutes. Apparently the president has reached out to the Big Ten, which is diabolical and brilliant all at once. We'll get to that in the show. And I will tell you, there's a new book out, and I spoke with Uncle Colin last night where Colin was right.

Russell Westbrook. Victory lap. That's actually why Collins's off this week. He's taking a Russell Westbrook victory lap because of what happened last night. He had that much foresight. He's going to be exhausted coming back on Labor Day because of the victory lap. Anyway, I spoke with Uncle Colin last night. He's like, have you read this new book on the Patriot Dynasty?

I was like, no, man. Like, I got it like that, but I ain't got it like that. He's like, I'm reading it. It's fascinating. And we started talking about it a little bit. And in one hour, I will explain why Belichick and Trump are actually one and the same. And no, I'm not talking about them being orange or the hair or any of that. I actually think you'll appreciate both of them for this one word, consistency.

consistency. All right, that's in one hour. Doug Ghaly, Benford, this is the herd. What happened last night in the bubble? Like, there are some amazing things that can happen when there's trades in the NBA. When you trade Chris Paul, a first ballot Hall of Fame point guard

who has been at the center of numerous stories. Like, Chris Paul has actually lived several different interesting lives, right? Like for the college basketball fan, he played for the late great Skip Prosser, rest in peace to skip. Lost in an unbelievable game in the second round to West Virginia. Remember that? Kevin Pitznoggle. We got pitt snuggled in the tournament. Then Chris Paul was playing for the New Orleans Hornets, and they had Hurricane Katrina, and so then they moved to Oklahoma City for two years.

Do you guys remember he this? Then he was supposed to be traded to the L.A. Lakers, only the, the, That's because at the time, the league was operating and owning the then New Orleans Hornets. And David Stern's like, no, that ain't a fair trade. We ain't doing that. He was this close to playing with Kobe Bryant. How many titles? How would we look at Chris Paul had he played with the Lakers back in his actual prime? Then he went to the Clippers and they had that kind of dysfunctional mess of a Lobb City.

DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin. Remember they had J.J. Reddick. Donald Sterling. Like, all of this stuff was going on. You had Donald Sterling getting exposed for who he really was or is. You also had the injuries in the playoffs, the dysfunction in the playoffs. Never made it past the second round. It was seen as the Clipper Curse.

The Clipper Curse actually was. about that. It was about first round picks getting hurt or just being a bust. Anyway, then there was the DeAndre Jordan. Remember DeAndre Jordan left to go sign with the Mavericks and then they went and got him to change his mind. They like sat down, right? Do you remember

all this stuff? This is all one guy. Then he gets traded to Houston and they basically trade like everything in the kitchen sink except James Hardin for Chris Paul and it comes close to working only one year

Chris Paul gets hurt. One year they missed 27 consecutive three-pointers. Then he gets traded to Oklahoma City back to where he had played for Russell Westbrook, who had won an MVP, and is the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double, did it three consecutive years. Remember he had that massive deal with Houston. Part of it is he's the president of the NBAPA. Like there's a lot, there's a lot of other stuff with Chris Paul. but because Chris Paul has never even been to an NBA finals or won an NBA championship, he right now is on the list and likely to remain on the list of guys who were great players,

but not champions, right? And what it takes to be a champion is you got to be a winner. Look, you had that squad in, he had that great squad with the Clippers. let's so often forget that one year he got hurt, one year Blake Griffin got hurt. That the truth is, as much as I hold JJ Redick in high regards and considering he's still playing, he's still getting buckets, he's still a viable NBA player, really hard for him to be your starting two guard and win an NBA championship. Right?

Like that's just the reality of it. the reality is normally the best player on the other team plays the position that he plays and he's not a particularly good or effective defensive player at all. And he can be marginalized offensively at times just being a shooter. But I could make these explanations for why Chris Paul hasn't won a championship. I would also point out if you go back to his days with the Hornets early on, Pages Steyakovich on his team as well as a couple others. He was great in the playoffs then.

He had great moments in the playoffs for the Clippers. He had some big moments in the playoffs for the Rockets. And last night, he absolutely took over the game. The juxtaposition of Russell Westbrook, who only had seven turnovers, but I mean, some of the turnovers, no one's even near the guy that he's passing to and he throws it out of bounds, shoots an airball in a tie game, doesn't get the ball to James Hardin

when they're down to and a chance to come down and win it. Whereas Chris Ball seemingly in on every defensive play, every important rebound, making every big shot. Houston was up 9892. They're up three games and two in the series to an Oklahoma City team, which everyone thought was tanking at the start of the year. You got Lou Dort, who's Canadian.

He won and done from Arizona. on a state can't shoot but competes. Chris Paul was brought in on that team for two reasons. One, to train Shea Gilgis Alexander to be in a star point guard. And two, to ultimately become trade bait and move on at some point in the middle of the season. Chris Paul hit two threes, grabbed two steals, hit two free throws, had two big rebounds. Oklahoma City ends game six on a 12-2 run.

They forced game seven. Russell Westbrook is, when I say the goat, it's not the greatest of all time. It's the actual meaning usually of goat in sports, which is he's the one who screwed it up. It's amazing. And look, part of this is I was a point guard in college. I played professional basketball. I never made the NBA. But if I could play like one guy, if I envisioned how I would dream of playing ultimately in the NBA,

Not like I grew up idolizing Stockton. I love Nash. But if I could play like one guy, Chris Paul's the guy. Chris Paul's the guy. And look, I know some of you don't like his persona, and we'll get to that later on in the show. I will tell you that when you're a six-foot point guard, you're a six-foot point guard,

who's been told, you know, either you're not big enough or not good enough or you're not a winner, in order to make it, you almost have to be a mean SOB. You just do. But we do this thing in sports where we act like there's more pressure when you get to an NBA championship. Like if you can overcome the challenges in the first and the second round, somehow you can't overcome those same challenges. Like you're a choker when you get to a hot.

That's not how it works. That's not how it works. There's so many different things that go into winning. So my, can we put to bed the idea that you have to win a championship in order to be a winner? You're going to miss shots in big instances. You're not always going to play perfect. But I would commit to you that Chris Paul with the ball in his hands and the game in the line, I have a supreme amount of confidence that he's going to take and make the big shot or take and make the big play.

I believe that last night he solidified himself, which he has. not just because he's done it once. He's done it multiple times and multiple stops for different teams and different coaches. He's a winner. He just may not win a championship in Oklahoma City. They don't have a team to it. You can be a winner and not always win.

You can be a losing player and sometimes win. Confusing, sure. But sometimes that's our job, I believe, is not just to make bombastic statements and point out things that you may have missed, but also to give you context. And the context is they were dead to rights beaten with a young team, no real other options. And he just decided, eff it.

I'm going to win this by myself. And you know what? He did. He did. What a game. What a night. If you love hoop, you were sitting there going, this is amazing. This is amazing.

And it also points out like, look, I respect stat guy. I'm not going to disrespect guys that follow the stats, but the idea that like Russell Westbrook, who averaged as many or more assists than Chris Paul, is in the stratosphere of Chris Paul as a passer. Is a joke? Is a joke? But that takes actually watching the games,

understanding the nuance of the sport, and sometimes there are just too many things on, and we go and look at the box score and make an assessment as to who can do what and who can't do what. And we do the same thing about winning it, winners and losers. you know, his team. Clippers never got out of the second round, so Chris Paul's not a winner. Like, you know, that's not really close to being inaccurate.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right what you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to? Do a little Kim. Well, you can find out on The Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have age. on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me,

your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross.

Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, 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 Hardway and listen now. Doug Allievin for Colin. This is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be making this part of your day. I was reading this column by Ross Tucker. And for the record, Ross is a friend. I think he's a talented dude. He has his own show.

He has a very good podcast. He former offensive line. He writes for the athletic. But he wrote in the athletic. A dynasty? And I don't know if he didn't write the headline. A dynasty? Question mark.

The Chiefs won't even repeat as Super Bowl champions. Now, that's a bold statement made by a guy who played in the league and understands the league. and his point is it's only happened three times in the last 30 years. Cowboys, 92, 93. Broncos, 97, 98, Patriots, 03 and 04. That also means it hasn't happened in 16 years.

Becoming a dynasty is tougher than ever. He's right. He's right. And for the Chiefs, because of COVID, their top guard opted out. Damien Williams, they're really their best player in the Super Bowl until maybe the fourth court.

Like Pat Mahomes did not have a good game. Damian Williams, I thought, should have been the MVP, at least for the Chiefs. Nick Bosa was the best player in the game. They just didn't win, so we don't give them the MVP. But there's this thing that we do, okay? There's this thing we do where we say, well, look, it hasn't happened in 16 years. There is no dynasty. Now, there's a difference between being a dynasty and winning back-to-back.

And I understand that you're like, well, Gottlieb, in order to have a dynasty, you've got to win back-to-back championships. If that's what you feel like a dynasty is, if that's your definition of what a dynasty is, okay, it will be difficult. It will be difficult. But if you look at the literal meaning of it, in the Miriam Webster Dictionary, it's a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable amount of time. Or a succession of rulers in the same line of dissent.

Sports dynasties, sports dynasties, you know, dynasty, and again, this is from Miriam Webster. It's been used in the lexicon for over 600 years. it started with a ruling family and in 1905 they started talking about baseball's dynasty. But the point is this. I don't think you have to win back-to-back titles in the NFL to have a dynasty because I do believe that if we looked at the Patriots

and they hadn't won back-to-back Super Bowls, you would say that 20 years of dominance is in fact a dynasty. It's a lot like the Spurs. They never won back-to-back. It's a little bit different in the NBA. But okay, man, like, look, they were set to return 20 out of 22 before two dudes opted out because of COVID. And with no preseason games, with limited practice time, it stands to reason that the teams who return the most talent from the previous year and aren't changing teams, aren't changing coordinators, aren't changing coaches. Those are the teams that will be the most successful.

The teams are good last year, probably going to be good this year, especially if they kept their group together. More to the point, I would tell you that I believe Andy Reid has been the author of a dynasty previously. You may find it hard to believe. You may. But I look back and if you remember, if you remember, they lost three consecutive years in the NFC championship game before, ultimately, getting to a Super Bowl. In that run from 2000 to 2004, that's five straight seasons, they won 11, 11, 12, 12, and 13 games. Four consecutive years, they won the NFC East, which at the time was pretty good. Here's maybe the kicker. They did it with Donovan McNabb.

Now, I don't know what your impression of McNabb is and, you know, have to hasn't been great on Twitter. Ultimately, they traded him to the Redskins, which is kind of the ultimate signal that you're done. If we trade you in division, we're not scared of you one iota. And in truth, you know, if you,

they had the one six in ten year. And Andy Reid had his own personal issues with the family, with the boys off the football field. He had issues with, you know, I mean, Tara Owens torpedoed that team after the Super Bowl. That's all part of it. He had double-digit win seasons. Double-digit win season, which is the sign of a really, really good team.

Eight out of 11 years. They went to the NFC championship game four times. They won the NFC championship game in a fifth time that they played in it and went all the way to the Super Bowl and McNabb was terrible in the Super Bowl. But the point is to be that consistent. consistently good in the NFL. In many ways, the Eagles were, in fact, a dynasty. Because he did it with McNabb.

He did it with Mike Vic. I mean, heck, that's really the truth. And look, and this is not me trying to disparage Mike Vic, but Mike Vic was straight out of jail. People forget he was super rusty. It took him a while to come around, and he maybe never lived up to how good he could have been because of his own failings early on his career.

The year they won six games, that was a year that Don McNabb got hurt. Do you remember who their starting quarterback was for seven of those games? Have you ever heard of Mike McMahan? He ever heard of him? Neither did I. I forgot.

I totally forgot who he was. So only injury to their starting quarterback kept them from continuing in their dominance and their starting quarterback, McNaft was good, he wasn't great. Now you have a team that returns almost their entire roster. The best quarterback in the league, not yet even in his prime, surrounded by arguably, it's an argument, we can have a discussion about it, arguably the best skill position players, not just in the league,

but in a fit for what the quarterback can do. You got a great offensive head coach. You got an improving defense. A division in which, like, dude, Drew Locke has a chance to be the starter in Denver. We'll see. But you're going against Drew Locke, Tyrod Taylor, and no Derwin James, and Derek Carr. Like, they're going to win. They're going to lap the division.

So I understand what Ross is saying. Ross Tucker is a smart dude. He knows football. This is not me impugning his use of his football knowledge or his use of stats. But everything has to do with context. And the context is this. Does anybody argue that Andy Reid next to Bill Belichick, okay, is of the last 20 years. Those are the two best coaches in the league.

Anybody have an issue with that? Like he was winning with Alex Smith, who's a good but not great quarterback. He was winning with Donna McNaft, who's a good but not great quarterback. good but not great quarterback. If you can get to the playoffs consistently with those two guys, now give the guy the best quarterback in the league and the best skill position players in league, and a crummy division, and returning most of your players when, and in a pandemic, when you don't have off-season work. And so consistently bringing those guys all back, puts you ahead of everybody else. I think Andy Reid's already authored a dynasty. It just

didn't end in enough Super Bowls, and I think McNabb is a big reason because of it, his history, his knowledge of what it takes to be consistently good going around with those other factors, I disagree. I think the Chiefs are beginning a dynasty. And this is from a Charger fan. The Chiefs used to be the joke of the league from this standpoint. We all know how it ends.

They get a home playoff game, and they find a way to get a first half lead, and then they gag it away, because usually quarterback play or conservative play colleague. Last year they got behind in all three playoff games because they had the best player in the league that came back and boat race to everybody. And he's in what, his third year in the league? Come on, man.

Chiefs aren't going anywhere. Anywhere from their perch atop the AFC West and from one of the dominant teams in the NFL. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. What happens is when you go. give somebody credit for a depth, for a depth, a depth, a depth, a depth, a depth, a depth, a debt, a debt, political maneuver, you're like, wow, you're a mega guy. I am not a maga guy.

Right. But I, I, I reckon, I love political science. I wish I knew more about it, but the things I do know, I observe and I watch and I comment on. That's what happened. He's using sports to help his reelection campaign. It's kind of brilliant. And it's a no-lose for him.

Absolute no-lose. All right. Last night was amazing in the NBA. Two upsets. Lost in the Rockets collapse at the end of the game and Oklahoma City forcing a game seven is the fact that the Milwaukee Bucks once again lost the opener in a playoff series.

Jimmy Butler had 40. 40. Let's get to Sam Amick, of course, covers the NBA as an insider. for the athletic. He joins us in the herd. I'm Doug Gottlie going in for Colin. Let's start with the nightcap and work our way kind of in reverse a little bit. Is it more about Russell Westbrook's

terrible play or Chris Paul's amazing play, the summation of that fourth quarter? Man, Doug, that's a neck and neck race. I mean, I'll give it to Chris, not only for excuse me, that fourth quarter, but it's continued. You know, we had a headline at our side last week that said Chris Paul owns the bubble. And it's like, man, that continues to be true with the president of the players union side and everything that came with it. But the revenge factor in this series is incredible.

If you would have told me last offseason that the thunder after making, you know, getting Chris in that trade would be in this kind of a spot. There's no way in hell I would believe you. So that's my pick. But, man, Russ struggling, but also James being passive. was something that jumps out at you. John Hollinger pointed out, of course, I know he also writes for the athletic. He formerly used to work for the Grizzlies,

and we worked together back at ESPN. He pointed out that, you know, he just looked tired. And whether he's a guy that fatigues easy or whether, and he's always been seen as a hangout guy, right? The only guy with a strip club with a Jersey hanging in a strip club. I know they can't go to strip clubs. But fatigue makes cowards of us all. I thought fatigue played a huge factor in why James Hardin

was so passive late in that game. Yeah, I just, I don't know what to attribute it to, but, and listen, for sure, James is known as a dude who has a good time, but out here, that ain't happening. I know what I mean? It's just not. I wrote a story last night, and, you know, as a sports writer, it's still surreal. I've only been here for a few days now, and, you know, Rudy Gaubert is 20 feet away hanging out, and there's nowhere to go. These guys are chilling. And so was it fatigue? Was it, you know, him just wanted to hand the reins to Russ for that? that moment? I don't know, but it's a terrible look. And again, the idea that Chris, you know, I mean, like he said on the way out, he yelled. He said, we got a chance. That's all he wanted was a chance. And now that they're letting it come to this is a, they're certainly playing with fire. I have an appreciation for Chris Ball because I played the position and I think he's awesome. But I've also seen him in his career. You go back to the New Orleans Hornets days when

they made the playoffs. And I thought he was great in tough situations there with limited talent. is it possible that Chris Paul can be a winner and not win a championship? Sure. Yeah, I mean, it is possible. I mean, he's had some bad games in those Warriors' matchups when he had a really good opportunity and he couldn't figure it out alongside James Hardin, you know, and then the Clippers' days, you know, they didn't get it over the top. I mean, you know, it's the John Stockton's, Carameloans, Charles Barkley,

all those kinds of guys. You can't sit here and tell me they're not winning championship players, but But now there's nothing but a court full of NBA stars who have never tasted that champagne, you know, and that's where there's so much on the line in this series. Even if you go to the coaching side of thing, Mike D. Anthony is on that short list of most celebrated NBA coaches who's never won one. And James and Russ have been fighting their own fight in that regard. But, you know, in terms of what he said post game to Jared Greenberg on TNT and how, you know, some people are made for this, you know, I mean, he's got it. now we'll see if you can do it one more time.

Yeah, it would be an amazing story. As you pointed out, everybody thought they were tanking. He was just there to help. Shea Gildes to Alexander, learn the position, then be off on his way and be traded, and that never happened. How concerned... Go ahead. Really quickly, to put a bow on that,

you got to remember, I'll never forget last summer at the Players Awards event, talking to Darrell Mori, the Rockets' GM, about how days before he traded Chris, they were in a hotel room building the Rockets roster together, and Chris was damn near. a member of the front office unofficially. And they've gone from that to him being on the verge of taking them out of the playoffs. Yeah, it's fascinating.

How concerned are the bucks? I think very, the noise just got so loud all of a sudden with good reason. And Janus is now front and center. You know, you're seeing everything on social media. The criticism is taken for not guarding Jimmy Butler Lake. You know, we know the narrative around Mike Boodenholzer. fair or not about playoff adjustments. And last year was such a disaster with the way they went out against Toronto.

So I think it's real and it's real largely. And firstly because of the force that Jimmy and the heat are bringing their way. They're so aggressive defensively. And they just, that wall they kept creating for Janus, you know, he would try to get going on the runway and he had nowhere to go. So I think it's real. Yeah, I tend to agree with you. Tonight, Celtics, who have a one game to unlead, granted no home court advantage to go back to Boston Garden. but I mean, look, this is a little bit of what we thought.

Like, we're more surprised by Toronto and their regular season than I am, at least, than by Boston beating them in one game. Is it possible Boston's just better, at least made, in terms of being made for the playoffs, because Jason Tatum is quickly becoming, going from really, really good prospect to star in this league. Yeah, that's a huge factor. And we're still not talking enough about his defense. And, you know, they're similar to Miami when it comes.

So their guard play is just incredible. And the level of, you know, competitiveness they bring out every night. It's honestly really fun to watch from close up here in this unique bubble. And I think on the Raptor side, the Pascal C. Accom struggles have just got to come to an end. But I don't know that they can when you're having a deal with people like Marcus Martin and what the Celtics bring defensively. Have you ever seen the type of shot making? Like tonight's game seven.

And I know a lot of time of people, but Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray, like these are not easy shots. shots. It's incredible. But what's it actually like to watch? Because I'm just telling you, on Homa TV, it looks like a video game with how these guys are shooting. Doug, I hate to admit this. And I'm going to rectify this tonight. And I'm sure there's going to be plenty of more shot making.

I've had to rewire how I watch these games in person because no fans and the way it's all set up. I honestly think that, you know, you are feeling the emotion and you are connected when you're watching on TV. It's almost challenging in real time to really, to really, understand and appreciate what these dudes are doing on the floor because it feels like a summer league game. Yeah. Which, you know, is, is weird. But nonetheless, I mean, for Jamal and Donovan, guys like that, to be able to play like

this and to not, you know, have taken down a gear because of the environment is impressive. And I mean, this is historic stuff. We have not seen this before. I, the one of the negatives, I agree with the summer kind of summer league feel like. I understand the idea behind the jerseys and the same. and but I think it I think it makes it feel different. I don't think it feels. I think that takes away from like you're watching like those aren't regular NBA jerseys.

The other part is, you know, Jamal was so good two nights ago. But but he and I almost feel like he speaks for the league in that I understand the protest and what you're playing for and it feels it's to it's bigger than basketball. But there's a certain like lack of joy, right? Like, you drop 50, you're 9 of 12 from 3. You play as well. And it's, I almost feel like there's a mental health aspect to it, not just with the protest, but also with the bubble and the lack of fans and the just the strange interactions. Like, I almost get the sense that this is not nearly as much fun as it should be.

I would agree with that 100% when it comes to, I mean, these guys, fans can roll their eyes if they want. These guys are struggling inside here. Go watch some of those videos of how they reacted when they saw their children for the first time in seven weeks yesterday. Because a couple of these guys finally got family in here. Even myself, Doug, being real with you, and I wrote about this the other day, I did not enjoy quarantine. I had a bit of an issue at the end of quarantine that added a day and was not happy about that. And then you get in here and all of your comforts are gone. And the rules are incredibly restrictive.

It puts you in a weird headspace. and then you add in everything these guys are fighting for off the court. It's real. Maybe it does take some of the joy out of it, but I give them a ton of credit not only for fighting things that are bigger than them, but for competing and for playing really good basketball. That is fun to watch. Last thing, felt like the biggest winner last night was LeBron James and the Lakers.

Not that they don't match up well with the Rockets anyway or the Thunder anyway, but it's just the idea of when you have a superstar in his mid-30s that at times has looked fatigued. and granted, you don't want to stay in the bubble any longer than you have to, but they're not going anywhere to get a couple more days off after getting a couple days off because the protest, I feel like the Lakers won last night. Yeah, no doubt. I mean, I went to Lakers practice yesterday.

It was actually my first practice since I've been here to just kind of go see how it works differently in this environment. LeBron's chilling on a chair, FaceTiming with his family, talking about, you know, it sounds like they might have added a beach house to the LeBron estate. but having a lot of fun and in good spirits and having a huge smile on his face and there was no tension in the room those guys actually seemed really loose really happy enjoying themselves and meanwhile you know everybody around them is fighting for their playoff lives I mean there's no way that hurts Sam amic read is working in the athletic he does a great job Sam thanks so much for taking time uh I would I would say I can't wait to get out of the bubble but you're you're down there for another month and a half so do the best and enjoy thanks brother appreciate

All right, pleasure is all mine. An unfortunate trend for the Bucks and the defending MVP, Janice Tena Coupo. Share that with you next. One 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. Doug Ghalyvin for Colin, this is the herd.

I'm going to pay Bill Belichick and Donald Trump. a bit of a compliment, even if it's a kind of backhanded one, top of the hour. Charles Robinson, Yahoo Sports, NFL Insider, will join us next hour. We'll get his thoughts on my tag. It kind of circles around the new book, which talks about the Patriots Dynasty, which many think have ended with the departure of Tom Brady to Tampa. Tonight, the Milwaukee Bucks will take on the Boston Celtics game two of the Eastern Conference. second round of the playoffs.

And it's fascinating that if you look at, honestly, look at Janice's numbers, he's shooting the ball. If you look at the raw stats, he's shooting the ball better from three in these playoffs than he ever has, 38%, 58% from the field. But if you look back to last year and you look to kind of game one, and you start to understand the struggles, there's a bit of a disturbing trend around you.

Janus. And I think there's a little LeBron to Janus as well, which is when in the regular season, you can just get going downhill and play through contact and get to the rim. And when help double, triple team comes, kick off and shoot threes. And that's fine. When you get to the postseason, look, there are times in which Steph Curry, NBA finals usually first couple games of each of his NBA finals, he struggled early on, and then later on in the series, he seems to have gotten it going. Why?

Because the game's so much more physical. Like, if you don't think that the officiating has changed the NBA, I can't help you. I can't help you. It's the same thing in the NFL. Why are wide receivers more valuable than running backs? Well, because they've changed all the rules for wide receivers. They've changed none of the rules for, you know,

inside the tackles, how it's blocked or running backs, whatever they can't protect the running backs, they can't protect the wide receivers and the quarterbacks. Well, the same thing with the bucks, really, in that here we are again, and Janus, and you can build a wall. Why can you build a wall? Because you can be so much more physical with him.

Same thing happens to James Hardin, right? Regular season, he gets all the calls. He plays downhill. He drives in there. He flails his arms up in the air. Post season's like, man, why am I not getting those calls? different sport Happens in the Super Bowl, they don't throw flags,

happens in the NBA playoffs, they don't call as many fouls, and it's hurting Yonest, it's a disturbing trend, we'll see if it continues. Bill Belichick and Donald Trump, same guy. I'll explain why next. I'm Doug Gottlie, this is The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific

on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because, of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me,

your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field

and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's 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. Ryan asked me, he's like, hey, have you heard this book, The Dynasty by Jeff Benedict? I was like, it's funny. Colin called me about it last night.

We were sitting around talking. And he's like, man, it's a fascinating read. So it kind of started pulling through it. And this is an excerpt from it. Excerp. The friction between Brady and Belichick. And trust me, when I get to this, you'd be like, okay, I kind of see it. like Bill Belichick to me has never changed

never changed and it's fascinating you know Donald Trump is back in the news in sports because earlier in the day he reached out to the the commissioner of the Big Ten in an effort to to put himself in the story and as he has come out and said try and get college football back

the Big Ten just released a statement saying they did speak with the president yesterday. So this is all fact. This has in fact happened. I think Trump and Belichick are one and the same. I'll show you why here in a second. Let me read this excerpt. Doug Gottliebent for Colin.

So the friction between Brady and Belichick that simmered throughout the 2017, after the Patriots historic Super Bowl win over Atlanta came to a head in the weeks following the Super Bowl loss, right? And loss to the Eagles, right? Jeff Benedict's book is called The Dynasty. Benedict writes, Kraft's paramount concern after the Super Bowl was the dynamic between Belichick and Brady.

Belichick's decision to banish Alex Guerrero from the sideline and the team playing in the middle of the 2017 season had been the tipping point. Kraft knew that Belichick's methods were. grinding on Brady. He also knew that Belichick was tired of the expectations, excuse me, exceptions that Kraft felt were necessary to accommodate a transcendent star. The differences of opinion between Brady and Belichick were more pronounced than ever. Craft wanted to clear the air. Soon after, soon after, Kraft summoned Brady and Giselle Bundyden to his home for discussion, and Bungeden took up for Brady. She also pointed out how ridiculous it was,

after these years that Belichick still treated Brady like effing Johnny Foxborough. It was bad enough to never voice approval. It was BS to still be dressed down the most accomplished quarterback in league history during team meetings and treating his personal trainer and best friend like some kind of outcast. By the way, yes, Jazele Bunston is the Yoko Ono to this story. She is. by my estimation Jazeel Bunchton is toxic

and that's the toxicity led to the breakup of Belichick and Brady and look anybody who's been married understands that there are times which the woman can become the alpha in the relationship

remember Brady and he was he was respected for saying this and many people still do truly respect him for saying like hey I had to check myself a couple years ago, Giselle came to me and said

I wasn't, he wrote me this letter and what I wasn't doing. Keep in mind, Giselle Bungsten is an amazing businesswoman. She is financially the most successful supermodel in the history of the world. But supermodels expect to be treated like supermodels.

And she expects her Super Bowl champion six-time over husband to be treated like a supermodel. But that's not how the Patriots worked. That's not the secret to the sauce. She doesn't get it. Which is fine. You don't have to get it. You don't. You don't have to get how his job works, how his team works. What you can't do is put your own feelings and thoughts because of your

own business and how that works into his mind, into his life. There's the toxicity. And oh yeah, by the way, Alex Carrero, come on, man. The mistake wasn't getting rid of Alex Carrero from the sideline, it was probably in the handling of it. And in the fact that why was he on the sideline to begin with? Who gave in that acquiesced to that to begin with? That's the mistake. But here's the thing about

Belichick. Hey? Bill Belichick has never changed. Never changed. He's the same guy. Success has not altered him at all. Not a little

bit. He was a defensive coordinator winning suit bowls with the New York Giants. He became a coach with the Cleveland Browns to he, I'm sure if you asked him, I'm the same guy. I've learned some. I've made some different mistakes or whatever. But people don't change when they're in their 40s and 50s and 60s. It changed in their 20s and 30s, especially when they get some success. That's what happened to Tom Brady. Brady changed. Or maybe he didn't change, but his wife's feelings and his probably complaining when he went home. Like, who doesn't say that, right?

Who doesn't come home and goes, man, my boss doesn't appreciate me. Dude, he yelled at me today. And like, look, the language of a locker room is so different than real world. I call them civilians. It's a lot like the Montrez Harold non-traversy. Colin, you know,

Colin Luca Donchick, a B-A white boy. Right? Like, this trash talk. Anybody who's ever played basketball, especially as a white guy, has been called something like that. It ain't racist. It's just trash talk. And if you can't deal with it, you're probably not a basketball player or an athlete to begin with. The reason the Patriots worked was because he got dressed down. He gets all the advertisements. He gets all the adulation. You can tell me all this

crap about Tom Brady being underpaid. You know, I made like $250 million off the Patriots. They moved money around. There was a time in which he was the top paid guy in the league or in the top five. And all they do is they move money around. But the reason, The reason it worked was because he would take less and then they push it back and push it back and push it back. And he did it for 20 years. That's why it worked because he wasn't selfish, because he was willing to be dressed down in a locker room, because he was just like any other guy. That's the secret to the Patriot sauce.

And it worked until Giselle got involved and Alex Guerrero got involved. And you're only playing great because you eat avocado ice cream. And Robert Kraft got involved. They all changed Brady. Belichick, same guy. It's funny, I'm one of these people. I've always kind of been a centrist, more of a left-leaning centrist, right? And I feel like a lot of the country is economically we lean a little bit more right.

Socially, we lean more left. But you watch on TV and you're pushed to these far reaches left and right. And now the left is trying to be exclusive, which the right has. always done. I'm sitting here in the middle of like, man, I feel like I'm on an island, but I'm not. I think that's how many of you are. We don't have to disclose. I'll just tell you, I did not vote for President Trump. I will not vote for him again, but I do respect this. He has not changed. Oh, he's a bully. When was he not a bully? He had a TV show where his catchphrase, his favorite line was, if I had, right? I can't believe how many people he's going through

with the White House. You can't? Did you watch a TV show? Do you know anything about his personal life? He took pride not just in publicly firing them, but in humiliating them, in pointing out their flaws. That's who he is.

Well, he's dishonest. Do you know anything about him? But I will also tell you this. The things he said he was going to do four years ago when many people in the media on one hand laughed at him. In another hand, they put him on every news show. He's done.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your performance. Podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw,

unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Cliverd show on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. Eighty-four was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild, I mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.