The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Chris Mannix on Celts Advantage, Udoka Difference, Fake Q's

Episode Date: June 10, 2022

First, Fake Questions, Real Answers (3:00), including if Draymond Green’s podcast is hurting his Finals performance, if Dustin Johnson deserves heat for joining the Saudi LIV tour, why Jack Del Rio calling the January 6th attack on the Capitol a “dust up” is so hypocritical, and if LeBron would make a good NBA owner.  Then, SI Senior NBA Writer - and host of Boxing with Chris Mannix - Chris Mannix and Colin discuss how the Celtics have taken control of the Finals through 3 games (15:00), if the Warriors are done (17:00), if Golden State should make serious roster changes if they lose (20:00), why the Celtics severely struggled early under Ime Udoka (27:00), how Udoka got his players to buy in (29:00), and why Brad Stevens deserves credit for stepping aside (32:00). Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! #herdSee 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.

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Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule. of two.

Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. 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.

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You can bet five or ten bucks in one 150 bucks or more. If you are new, just download the Fandul Sportsbook app, get started now, sign up promo code Colin so they know we and I sent you. The Colin Coward podcast presented by the Fandall Sportsbook. Hi, everybody. Welcome in to our Friday podcast. Longtime Celtics and NBA reporter Chris Manick stops. they've seized control of the finals.

But first, fake questions, real answers. I do this every Friday, stuff I want to talk about, but don't want to wait for you to ask me. Dear Colin, what do you think of people saying that Draymond Green's podcast is hurting his performance in the NBA finals? Yeah, sometimes I'm just not sure the media is sober. Draymond Green's been doing the podcast all season.

He did it during the Memphis series. He did it during the Dallas series. And now he's doing it against the Celtics. You think maybe it's the Celtics are the best team he's faced? The Celtics are probably harder to face than other teams because they're the best defense historically, maybe since the Chicago Bulls with MJ Pippen, Ron Harper, and Rodman. Come on, folks. Try harder.

Draymond Green is realizing what everybody in the Eastern Conference did. It is hard to be good, game after game against Eme Adoka, this rim-protecting Robert Williams, Marcus Smart Defensive Player of the Year defense. The Warriors and Draymond Green, I think, will rebound at some point in this series, but winning it very much in doubt. It's not about the podcast. It's about the people, and the Celtics have really good ones.

Dear Colin, do you have a problem with Dustin Johnson, saying he's joining the LIV tour, the live tour, because he feels he needs to make more money. Well, what he really said is he doesn't want to play golf forever. And these people joining it can make two to three times the money in half the time. I don't want to work forever either, do you? Here's what people who are not driven or not entrepreneurs don't get. I hear this all the time. Haven't you made enough money?

You do realize that people that win powerball continue to play the lottery because they find some enjoyment in the lottery. They don't say, I won powerball, I'm done playing the lottery. It's a habit for them. They have fun with it. And that's how entrepreneurs see business. I would say of all the media members, the least ambitious are often sportswriters. That's nothing against them. But occasionally, you'll find a very driven sports.

writer. Mitch Album was the best local sports writer in the country. He won national awards doing that. He also hosted a local radio show and wrote books that became national bestsellers, made into movies. He also worked weekends at ESPN, sports reporters. He was entrepreneurial. He gained great enjoyment from working. He could have easily stopped at just writing a column. But his ambition needed more. People who say, haven't you made enough money? Dustin Johnson likes to compete. He wants to improve. So to lots of people. The PGA tour has made billions. Should they stop trying to make money or continue to grow? Why do we always pick on individuals and not corporations? I mean, I work for Fox. They've made billions of dollars. Should they stop now?

They've made enough. Some people don't have that gene. They're not entrepreneurs. They're not driven. They're apathetic. They're content. Good is good enough. Dustin Johnson.

Phil Mickelson. These guys want more. I get it. Dear Colin, what do you think of the Washington Commander's defensive coordinator, Jack Del Rio, calling the January 6th attack. on the capital a dust up. Oh boy. Some people should stick to sports. But let's be honest. We have people in America that were outraged by Colin Kaepernick taking a knee, the definition of a peaceful protest. But they call January 6th a dust up. Oh, what hypocrites they are. I am for peaceful

protests. I am not for January 6th. If you're downplaying it and minimizing it, it was an attack on our government. Dear Colin, LeBron James said this week, he liked an own an NBA team in Vegas. How do you think it would go? I think he'd be a great owner. Why? Because I think Vegas continues to be a great place for professional sports. As gambling grows, no state tax, warm winter weather, the NBA is a winter league. It'd be a very attractive place. Proximity to California, players would love to play in Vegas. But LeBron has two qualities that are very important in business.

He is measured and he is calculated. He didn't get a lot of technicals. He doesn't get in fights. He's very much a businessman. He's the first active player in pro basketball to make a billion dollars or be worth a billion dollars. So Michael Jordan actually also has the kind of personality that a businessman should. He is measured and he is calculated. He got great criticism and pressure to talk more politics during his playing days.

And he relented. What I don't want is a chaotic artist owning my sports team. When I heard Kanye West could possibly own the Broncos run for your lives, he's a chaotic and inconsistent personality. Those have often entered the ownership space, not just celebrities, but the worst owners we've had in pro sports have reacted impulsively. Jimmy Haslam of the Browns with a Deshawn Watson contract. Bad owners are impulsive.

Bad owners are inconsistent. Bad owners and business people play with emotion too often. LeBron is smart, measured, and calculated. I think he'd be a fantastic owner for any professional sports team. And because he already has a piece of the Fenway group, he's already involved in that. So he is watching some of the smartest people in sports ownership in the world operate. One thing we know about LeBron, he can be a great teacher, he can be a great mentor.

He's also been in his career a great student. The NBA finals are here and so is your chance to score big on Fandall Sportsbook. Throughout the finals, Fandals giving new customers $200 in free bets. $200, free bets. guarantee when you place your first $5 bet. Bet the money line, point spreads, player props. Just sign up. The promo code is always Colin.

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Visit 1-800-Gambler.net in West Virginia. 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 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 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-tap 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 Jett. 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 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 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 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,

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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, 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, 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. So Chris Mannix, long time NBA reporter, does it for Sports Illustrated.

Senior writer hosts the crossover pod. So we could only afford his boxing pod. Hopefully we will accumulate. Draymond Green's going to make us all rich. So then we'll be able to afford the whole Chris Maddox package. Let's start with that. You know, people are forgetting when they criticize the pod, they're not giving the Celtics credit.

He did the pod during the Maverick series, the Memphis series, the regular season. The difference is Celtics are really good. and they have marginalized and shrunk several NBA stars. I mean, Kevin Durant had his worst series as a pro. It's like, can we give this Celtics credit? It's the best defense I've seen since the Jordan Bulls, right? Yeah, I would, I was at Jordan Bulls.

I think of the early 90s bad boy pistons. You have to go back literally decades to find a defense that is as versatile and tough and just diverse in every area that the Celtics are. They lock you down with great perimeter defenders. They've got a premier shot blocker in Robert Williams, who even at like, I think he's like 60% right now playing through that knee injury. He's still able to contest and block a lot of shots for in that last game. It's not anything Draymond is saying on his podcast.

I did feel a little bit bad for Jake Fisher. I know Jake a little bit. He used to work at SI. And I don't think he had bad intentions when he kind of was asking Draymond that question about giving away stuff on the pod. But wrong time to ask Raymond. He was not looking to entertain that theory at all. Listen, this is the simplest way to describe what I'm seeing.

The Celtics don't even need Jason Tatum to play well to control much of the series. The Warriors need Steph to be great for four quarters, or at least three. Or they're done in this series. The role players, the non-starters, the non-stars for the Celtics are contributing mightily in this series. And the Warriors, many of their young players, Moody's not ready, Kaminga's not ready, Wiseman's not healthy, pools hit and miss. I said this today on television. Most, not all, but most championship teams have a majority of their best players in their prime. Celtics do, warriors don't.

Little old there, little young there. I think it's that simple. I think the fact that Boston can control the series and Tatum has been okay, I kind of feel like the Warriors are doomed. Am I overreacting? No, I don't think so. Look, I picked the Celtics to win in six to start this series because everything I've seen from Boston, and I've been up close and personal with them since the start of the season.

but everything I've seen from Boston from late January on suggest that they're the real deal. I mean, if you look at the numbers from mid-January to the end of the season, they weren't just the best defense in the NBA. They were the best defense in the NBA by a country mile. And we mentioned the top. They're generationally good defense. And to your point, they don't need Jason Tatum to go off to put up between 105 and 115 points.

They need Tatum to contribute in other ways. They need him to be a facilitator, which is something that IMA Udoka has drilled into him really from the start of the season. But as long as he's contributing in that way, they don't need him to be a carry-the-teen type of offensive player because they do have a wide selection of weapons they can go to. I mean, Jalen Brown, I thought in game three, set the tone in that game. I mean, he was the one out there being aggressive early on. Jalen's the kind of guy, Colin, that he heard and read every single thing that was out there about Draymond Green locking him up in game two, about the way the Warriors pivoted to Dremont on Jalen and the impact that had on him. And he came out looking like he was determined to show that he was better than that.

On top of that, Al Horford, more the player that scored the 20s in game one that scored the two points in game two. Grant Williams started to make a couple of shots. Peyton Pritchard made a couple of shots. The margin for error for Boston is just a lot wider than the margin for error with Golden State. You know, Clay had a great game three, but I'm not banking on Clay playing like that the rest of this series. Everything I've seen of Clay this postseason tells me that when he's left alone for standalone jump shots, he's the old Clay Thompson. When he's asked to play on the move or runoff screens, he is a diminished version of himself because his body's not all the way back

from those lower leg injuries. So, you know, Steph is now hurt with what he says, the same injury that cost him, what, like a month plus towards the end of the season, maybe a little bit better than what that was. I just think Golden State is in a world of trouble to where, to the point where if Boston wins game four, I think they win the series in five. Yeah.

So I'll throw this at you that J.A. Adande was on my TV show and he said, you know, they should have strongly considered moving him because they're trying to pull two things together. The best player on this team is Steph Curry and he's the soul of the team. So I would say Steph's got two more really good years and, you know, cross your fingers on health. And then you'll see some diminished stuff. but he's got two more really good years left. And that may be at 60 games, not 82. They may rest him, right? Like we're seeing with LeBron now, it's the injuries pile up.

So Moody's 20. Caming is 19. Wiseman's 21. Okay, they are two years away from really lining up. They won't peak then, as we see the growth with Jalen Brown and the growth with Jason Tatum. They'll be in their prime at 24. They're four years away. So there's an argument to me made.

If you get beaten five games in this series, Draymond's expensive, Clay is expensive, Wiggins expensive, Steph expensive. And the young guys don't line up with Steph. And I'll just throw this at you, Chris. You're very connected. I think you have to consider,

because you're not moving off Steph. He's still too great. And you're probably not moving Clay and Draymond because of the history. I think you move Wiggins potentially. And I think you have to move one of these young guys to get a player that can help you now. I know it seems that's not what the Warriors do. They draft and develop.

But Chris, if you don't line up in Steph's timeline, what's the point? Right? It's a gut-wrenching decision that Bob Myers is going to have to make because even though we've seen very little of James Wiseman, he has big time talent. He could turn out to be the next great. center in the NBA. What we've seen from Cominga and Moody suggest they might be as early as two years away from contributing to a championship team and maybe even being capable of leading one. But right now, they're not. And I agree with you. You have to decide if you're going to

maximize this window of Steph, Clay, and Draymond, which is probably two to three years and sacrifice some of these young guys to go and get him. Now, I see at least early on when I talk to people across the league, I see two options for them immediately. One is Bradley Beale. Yes. We haven't heard a lot about Bradley Beale over the last couple of months, but I believe he's going to want to go somewhere else.

That's just my gut feeling from talking to people that know Bradley Beale. And if he does, you don't have to sacrifice too much young talent to get him in a sign and trade. Maybe it's Andrew Wiggins. Maybe it's one other piece. And you can get Bradley Beale who fits the timeline that we're talking about. The other player that gets brought up a lot in NBA circles is Rudy Gobert. Now, Rudy Gobert, you'd have to give up something to get him. You'd have to give up one or two of your young players to extract him from Utah.

We know Danny Aange plays hardball in deals like this. He's not going to just hand over Rudy for nickels on the dollar. But you can see the value that Rudy Gobert would bring to this Warriors team. They are not a team loaded with plus defenders. Draymond is a plus defender. Andrew Wiggins is a plus defender. But Steph, even though he was a lot better this year, you wouldn't say he's a plus defender.

Clay Thompson, maybe he gets back to that, but what have you seen from Clay during his playoffs, Colin? Who is he guarding? He's guarding bigger players because he doesn't have the lateral quickness right now to be the Clay Thompson defensively that he once was. Maybe he gets it back, maybe a full offseason, gets him back to being that player.

But right now, you have to question whether he's going to be a plus defender moving forward. Jordan Poole, I don't ever see that. I don't see him ever becoming a plus defender. So you bring in Rudy Gobert, and he has the ability to transform your defense in just one move and make you a better defensive team. Now you lose something. You can't switch like they do right now, and you're going to have to recreate your defense a little bit. But he gives them a defensive presence that they're clearly lacking.

So that's another name that I hear talked a lot when it comes to Golden State. Let me throw this at you. The advantage being the Patriots with that culture for years, they always got great value when they move players. Because Wiggins is a great example. You move into a great culture. I mean, he was sort of lost and people were done with him. And now it's like, hmm. So the truth is, you're going to get more from him than he'll probably deliver to another culture.

And that's where Jordan Poole is interesting. If you brought Bradley Biel over. Pool, this may be it. He was a G-Leaker not long ago. This may be it. So if Bradley, you tell you to yourself, you'd have Poole and Steph and Clay and Beal, the guy I think you consider moving is Jordan Poole. I think this is it. I think he's a hot and cold player.

He's a B player that has A Knights. You put him with Washington, he could end up being a bounce around the league guy. Jordan Clarkson. He could become Jordan Clarkson in a way. That's right. Yeah. So that's one thing the Warriors have is everybody looks a half a grade better in their culture than they are. I don't know if I like Gobert. I have been the biggest Bradley Beal van for years. I think Pat Riley wants Bradley Beale because I think he wants a true number one scoring option. And I think I think you're seeing this with Janice in the East, with Robert Williams in the East. Bam's a defensive player. He's completely shut down. And Jimmy Butler's more athlete than score.

So I think all this is just fascinating. Let's pivot back to the series. So Imeo Oduku comes into the Celtics and they have a really bad first two months. And you don't always see that in football coaching. Sean McVego's to the Rams, it works instantly with Jared Gough. But in basketball is different. For some reason, Spolster a LeBron Wade, it took. like 20 games to get it right. You were there. Why were they so bad early? Yeah, I was there,

and over the weekend I spoke to Ima Yudoka on the phone for about 20 minutes about this specific subject. And we talked about the resistance that he faced from these Celtics players early on to two specific things that he was trying to implement. Defensively, they play very differently from how they played under Brad Stevens. The way this team switches, only a handful of teams in the NBA do it, largely because if you don't have a point guard that can switch in the way that Marcus Smart can switch, there's no point in doing it. And the Celtics, for the last 10 years, they have often or always really had a lead guard

who has been a defensive liability, whether it was Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving, Kemble Walker, you had to hide that player. So the Celtics, they were transforming their defense in training camp to become something totally different to the point where Emey told me that Jason Tatum came to him in the first week at training camp and saying, you know, maybe this isn't going to work. Maybe we should go back to some of the principles that we used in previous seasons. Eme's message, just stick with it. Stick with it and force them to stick with it.

The other part on the other end of the ball was that, you know, Ime, he had a bird's eye view of these Celtics for the last two years. He was an assistant on Brett Brown's staff when they lost to Boston in the bubble. He was an assistant on Steve Nash's staff when they beat them in the first round. He knew what this team needed. And what this team needed was for Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown to stop being so focused on being one-on-one players and become playmakers to embrace that part of the offensive game. It was funny, Colin.

And you go back even further to when EMA was introduced as the Celtics head coach. He's sitting up there next to Brad Stevens and somebody asked him about improvements. And EMA specifically cites that the Celtics were 27th in assists in that previous season. It looks over at Brad kind of sheepishly and is like, sorry, Brad. Sorry, I had to say it, but we need to improve in that area. So he knew what this team needed to do to get better. it just took them months to figure it out and to really embrace it. They weren't truly bought in probably until after the first of the year.

There were flickers towards the end. You remember that Phoenix game on New Year's Eve where they just blew the doors off the suns? They were moving the ball really well there. But it wasn't until mid to late January where it all started to coalesce and they completely bought it. One thing he did that surprised me that worked was his tough love paid off. I mean, I do TV in Boston as well for NBC Sports and I do the pre and post game show. And I can't tell you the number of times I sat on that desk after bad losses, watching an EMA press conference and then responding to it after he had just taken out the blow torch and napalm these guys.

Like he was hitting them hard. He wasn't, you know, Brad Stevens, his philosophy, as it is with many coaches in the NBA, was to take it all on him. It was the coach's fault. I made all the mistakes. It's not the players because he believed that was in the best interest of the team. IMA didn't do that. I may just went out there and specifically cited guys who weren't getting the job done.

I remember thinking this is never going to work. Like a coach with no resume to speak of, a first-year head coach on any level, blasting his team in the way EMA is, is never going to work. But it turns out that's exactly the kind of coaching that these Celtics create. and exactly the kind of coaching that they ultimately responded to. So it was, you know, look, and a quick example, Robert Williams is playing in this series right now because IMA Yodoka spent the first two months of the year and into, even before, into training camp, finding 900 ways to call Robert Williams soft to basically imply that Robert

Williams in years past did not play through pain as much as he should have. Fast forward through this season, there's a toughness to Robert Williams that simply did not exist in previous years. And that's what's enabling him to go out there on one leg, coming back a month after knee surgery, and give them 20, 25 good minutes every single night. That's a direct result of the tough love, Ima Yodoka showed him. You know, there was a point. And again, it's been a players league forever. But there was a point where a few.

years ago, and some of this, it sounds crazy, but Donald Trump had everybody on edge in this country. And it was very polarizing. And the players, the NBA players, I thought rightly so, took a real stand. Like, this shit ain't going to fly. You're with him. You're not with us. And not that the NBA had coaches that were Republican or conservative or pro-Trump, but the players were empowered. And they felt strongly about a social situation in our country. And I think a lot of coaches in that process double down on their empowerment. I thought it was the right thing to do. But that can be difficult for 24, 25, 26 year old players.

Then you have to pivot back to, okay, I'm going to hard coach you're at the next year. And maybe I'm just reaching here. But it's always been a player's league. But I did feel there was a time when the players really were, the league needed the coaches, the GMs, the commissioner. No, no, no, no. We're not going to have a president criticizing our players. players, period.

Then the pandemic, the bubble. And then you got to pivot back to that. And it really works. Steve Kerr can coach hard. E-May coaches hard. Pop coaches hard. Spolstra coaches hard. I do think players want to be coached hard.

I think what happened to Brad Stevens is he smartly realized they were tuning him out. He had a player or two that just didn't connect with him. And he realized this is not the time. That was my takeaway. He's smart enough guy. He's like, you know what? I think Quinn Snyder feels the same way. Like, I'm just running in circles here.

I can't figure out the Gobert, Donovan Mitchell issue. I can't solve this jigsaw puzzle. Let's get a former player in here. No, I think when it comes to hard coaching, you have to read the room, right? I mean, Brad Stevens, for his entire time in Boston, I viewed him as a top 10 coach. At times, I felt he was a top five coach in the NBA. His play calling, his understanding of basketball is at an elite level. But as he got towards the end, it certainly, I don't know if his voice was being drowned out or tuned out, but it wasn't having the same impact.

The players were not responding in the way they responded early in the careers of Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown, and Marcus Smart. And to Brad Stevens credit, he didn't go out there and find someone that he could connect with or relate with on a personal level. He went out there and found the anti-Brad Stevens. He found a coach who was philosophically and in terms of coaching background completely different. Imeyodoka, ex-player, never been a head coach on any level, long-time assistant, defensive-minded guy as he was in his previous two stops in Brooklyn and in Philadelphia. He found a guy that could give this team something that he couldn't. That's one of the biggest reasons the Celtics are there right now, are he. here right now. And I agree with you on Quinn Snyder. I think it's the exact same type of situation.

I don't know if a new coach is going to be able to come in and elevate that team to a Celtics like level. There are just too many flaws with that roster beginning on the defensive side. But I do think they would respond better to a different coach than Quinn Snyder. Yeah. Well, I'm just enjoying the hell out of these playoffs. Like tonight, we're taping this on Thursday. I'm like, what am I supposed to do? I got nothing to do. This is as much fun. This playoff run to me, we've had just enough nonsense with Hardin and, you know, Simmons, just

enough craziness. We've had shocking upsets where game seven, Phoenix at home is sandblasted by Dallas. Maybe I'll regret this, but I've been pretty accurate picking the series. I think Boston's the better team. I don't think Robert Williams is a solvable issue. I don't think they're going to score on the interior. Listen, I said this. The Warriors have become a barstool missing a leg.

The Celtics can score now low perimeter transition. The Warriors can score perimeter transition. They can't score down low. If Robert plays 28 minutes, they can't score. You've just taken a bar stool away from their offense. I think that's the series. I know it sounds crazy that Robert Williams is the series, but I'm watching these games.

I'm like, when he's on the floor, Warriors are completely limited. He had a profound impact on the second half of game three, especially in that fourth quarter. I did think it was interesting that the Celtics played brilliantly in the first quarter, and Robert Williams went to the bench three minutes in, and they went small and played with that lineup, which I think speaks to the different ways that the Celtics can beat you. The Warriors in the half court have no shot against the Celtics defense. Their efficiency numbers in the half court in this series are terrible.

They need Boston to beat itself. They need the Celtics to throw the ball around the gym, commit 18 turnovers like they did in game two, 11 live ball so they can get 33 points in transition. That's what they need to have happened. They need the Celtics to just implode once again in the third quarter as they have, frankly, for every game in this series, but a little bit less in game three. If the Celtics don't beat themselves, I don't see any path for Golden State to beat Boston. There just are too many ways for the Celtics to win and not enough ways for Golden State to do it. Yep. Chris Manick Sports Illustrated.

We've got him doing boxing for us and guesting on basketball. I'm just, we are, I've said this before on the volume. We're very lucky. We're a small company. We're just starting. And we got some huge breaks early. And I didn't even know Chris Manix was available. I got a call from somebody.

He said, what do you think of Chris Manix? And I'm like, wow, we're a legitimate. we're a legitimate media company. We can employ Chris Maddox. You're great. You know what I think of you? And I'm happy for Boston. You know what?

California has won a lot of championships recently. It's time. The Red Sox aren't going to win this year. The Yankees are. So it's going to be a really rough New England summer. The Patriots aren't the same franchise. It looks like the new big shots in town of the Celtics. And it's great seeing you, buddy.

And Colin, this is for the Celtics, not to put the cart ahead of the horse. But all these guys or most of these guys are 25, 26 years old. Most of these guys are under contract for the long term. I think the Celtics eventually will have to figure out the heir to Al Horford. He'll probably be back next year on the same contract, but they have real staying power. And on the subject of the volume, man, kudos to you for the foresight for Dremont. Like I woke up this morning and the first thing I did was listen to Dremont Green's podcast.

The first thing I did because I was, want to hear his reaction to the game, his reaction to the crowd, and he is unfiltered. I'll say that. He's been such a great addition. Thanks, Chris. Great seeing you. You got it. Make sure to check out the Dramon Green Show. I brought Dramon Green into the volume because one of the more entertaining voices in sports, unique perspective, understands behind the rope.

Also chops up with guests like Gary Payton, Zach Levine, Tracy McGrady. Make sure download the Dramon Green Show. wherever you get your podcast, only on the volume podcast network. 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 I-Heart 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 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practications. and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two.

Listen to Stuff to Bole your mind 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, Cliver 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.