The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - INSTANT REACTION: Warriors Fall To Kings, Lakers Advance To Face Nuggets, Zion’s Best Game

Episode Date: April 17, 2024

Colin gives his instant reaction to the play-in games for the NBA western conference! He declares the Warriors dynasty as officially over with the knowledge that Klay Thompson will likely be moving on from Golden State following their playoff exit (3:00). He breaks down the Lakers win over the Pelicans but rails against the NBA having a seven game series for the first round of the playoffs (7:30). Despite the loss, he credits Zion Williamson with playing the best “big” game of his NBA career (10:15) and previews the upcoming series between the Lakers and defending champion Denver Nuggets! (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates! #Volume #Herd See 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. 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. 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 grahammed.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume. The 82 game NBA preseason is in the books. Now it's time for real basketball. The playoffs, don't miss out any of the playoff action, draft king sports book, the official sports betting partner of the NBA from the play in tournament through the finals. Draft King Sportsbook has you covered. Same game, parlay is live betting, odds, boosts, and so much more.

All you have to do. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app. You know the drill. Takes about 90 seconds. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app. Put in the code Colin, C-O-L-I-N. New customers bet $5. That's it, five bucks, to get $200 in bonus bets, and you get it instantly.

Code is Colin only at Draft King Sportsbook. The crown is yours. Gambling problem? Call 1-800 Gambler. Or in West Virginia, visit 1-800 gambler.net. In New York, call 8778 Hope & Y or text Hope N-Y 4-6-7-3-6-7-3-6-6-6-6-6-7-3-6. 9. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-78-9-7777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas, 21 and over, age varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. One no-sweat per new customer. Issued as one bonus bet based on amount of initial losing bet. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.com slash promos for deposit wagering in eligibility restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. All right, instant reaction.

The dynasty is officially over and lands with a thud as the Warriors get smoked. I thought they'd play a really competitive game. You know, they rested a lot of their key players for this game against Sacramento. But Sacramento last year, a lot of people thought they would beat the Warriors. The Warriors had, you know, seven games, one last hurrah. But you saw Wiggins tonight. It's just not the same player. Clay, as I'm talking right now, O for 10.

He had a very good April. He was a big part of why the Warriors had a very good April and made a mad dash, a lot of road wins to get back into this thing. Draymond and Clay were both excellent. But I think this is the way dynasties need to end. I mean, I can remember vividly, is Brady going to stay in New England? Is he going to leave? And his last season there, they took a shot during a loss.

And he's on the bench and he's screaming years of frustration after losing Randy. Moss, Edelman and Gronker aging. They just can't draft and develop the next receiver and he's screaming on the bench. Would any of you guys just get open? Could somebody just get open? Well, of course they couldn't. And the Patriots still don't have a wide receiver that can get open. You know, so it's possession receivers. It's limited players. And that's the way it ends. And then Brady knows, okay, I'm going to go and get Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, bring Grom. down, get A-B, bring in Leonard Fernette. You know, I got an offensive coach, Bruce Ariens, and life's just easier. And if you look at the dubs right now, last year they had that one

series against Sacramento. You feel good about it. What could have been. We got banged up. But, you know, Wiggins has not been the same player since the championship year over Boston. He hasn't been the same player, some personal stuff. I've read multiple things. I don't know what it is. I don't care. He's not the same player. Clay had a very, very good late March and April for the Warriors. He's not the same player. So, you know, I mean, I think you just have to disconnect from what was a great 10, 12-year run. It's over. And so I think you keep Steph Curry, you keep Draymond Green, you keep pods. And if you have to move a lot of your length, I don't care if it's comminga, Looney Davis to get a legitimate big, you do what you got to do. I'm not sure if Carl Anthony Towns is the right guy. I think Minnesota,

is going to struggle in their series against Phoenix. They move off Carl Anthony Towns. Potentially, they won't move off Gobert. And maybe that's the guy. Maybe in two years it's Janus, but I think it's over. You know, tonight was just Sacramento getting really good looks. I mean, they were hitting their free throws, hitting their threes, they were getting really, really good looks.

And, you know, I think for the last two years, we've sort of felt like his step has to carry the team, and he is still a brilliant basketball player. But when players get into their mid-30s and up, I mean, even LeBron now is remarkable in big games. But you're not going to get 72 games from these guys and back-to-back games of greatness. So it ends the way you'd think it ends with kind of an ugly loss

and the warriors looking a little small, a little old, and a little out of their element. You know, I've always thought Sacramento is a poor man's boss. And if you took the Celtics and every player was just not quite as good, but you had four good players, that would be the kings.

You know, instead of Tatum and Brown and Porz, English, and Drew Holiday, you've got Harrison Barnes and Deerrin Fox and Sabonis and Kagan Murray and they're good players. Fox is really good. But I just feel like, you know, Boston hasn't won a title yet, and I think they have four better starters. Sacramento's a good team and a tougher conference, but I don't see them. I haven't ever seen them as a team that's going to win multiple series. I think Denver's better. Phoenix is more talented. I think Dallas is absolutely on fire. I think the Lakers would beat them up physically. And so I wish light the beam the very best. But this tonight was about Clay Thompson's final game, I would imagine, as a Golden State Warrior. I think Steve Kerr would love to have him around. I think they ran. It felt like they ran half their offense through him in April to get him as many looks as they could. But whoever the warriors get, they got to get somebody that's on Steph's timeline.

Camingo's about two years away from that. Davis, maybe three years away. But they've got to get somebody that's on Steph's timeline. I think they go move a lot of their length, get a legitimate big-time star, maybe a third team gets involved, but that's where we stand. In terms of the Lakers,

so the Lakers, as we said, I thought they'd win by about six, seven points. They match out really good with the Pelicans. Now, they had a horrific moment in the third. They didn't start very well. They had a great second quarter. We're doing well. Then in the third and the fourth kind of fell apart,

unraveled. But I think my takeaway on this is, is this is where LeBron is like no other player ever. From my friend Nick Wright, LeBron James has won nine straight do-or-die games, either a playing game or a game seven. If you count the in-season tournament, it's like he's won 12 straight or 13 straight. I said very early in the season, because of the Lakers age and their primary playmakers, LeBron, who's very old, that if it was the NCAA tournament, I think the Lakers would get to the championship game and then lose to Denver or a Boston. But in a one game setting, this is why the NBA

seven game first round series is ridiculous. It punishes aging legends, which are always the ratings drivers for the NBA. I mean, the reason Caitlin Clark, one of the reasons she got numbers, this was a rematch. She went into the tournament. We knew the story. They lost last year. Here they come back. They face South Carolina. You mean, 90% of Hollywood money is remakes, right? So it's these aging stars, these Stephs and these LeBron's, Kevin Durantz, they drive the ratings in the NBA. So why punish them with seven-game first-round series with no urgency? So the Lakers in the in-season tournament won in their playing games with LeBron. They're three and O in playing games with LeBron, and they've won again nine straight.

do-or-die games with LeBron, and the Lakers did what they do. They got to the free throw line a lot, and they hit their free throws. By the way, Sacramento hit their free throws, Lakers at their free throws. And you're watching in these games, these playoff games, the NBA pretty clearly tweaked, and I don't mind them doing this at all. During the regular season, the NBA said, hey, let's let them play, let's speed the pace of playup, fewer whistles. That is a huge benefit to veteran teams. That does not benefit OKC. That will not. benefit young teams. That will benefit the older teams. Miami in the east will probably benefit from that. Boston's been around will benefit. The Lakers will benefit. OKC won't. So I got the Lakers,

they're a very good matchup with the Pelicans. I thought Zion Williamson played the best game I've ever seen him play as a pro in a big game. This is a big game. He had 40 points, just walked off the floor. Injury, I guess, frustrated, absolutely. I have no idea what happened. But we've been waiting for Zion between the weight issues and the injuries. And that was the book on him when he came into the NBA. He had so much torque. He had weight issues. New Orleans, not a great city if he got weight issues. It's a late night city with amazing food. And so he struggled with that. But tonight's a great example of what Zion can do. He's a weight mismatch and a power mismatch oftentimes. And if you, you know, if he gets a mismatch, you blow a defensive assignment. He gets a a smaller guy or he's coming downhill, dribbling into the lane, it's over. LeBron is six, eight and a half, six nine, two, 55, took a charge from Zion and crumpled like a deck chair. LeBron just crashed into the floor. It's like Adrian Peterson running over a small corner in his prime. And so I thought Zion was fantastic. He was aggressive. He's never been a great outside shooter,

but he didn't have to be. You know, I think when you get to the playoffs, three ball, it can be valuable. I mean, the Warriors didn't hit theirs tonight. The Kings did. I think it can be valuable, but I think you get into situational basketball and you've got to lean into your strengths. And I think Anthony Davis is going to take most of his shots and make most of them within eight feet of the basket. I'm okay with that. And Zion Williamson is going to bang around on the inside, not shoot much from the outside, and create physical mismatches. I thought he was fantastic. That's as good as I've seen him playing a big game. And he hasn't been in a lot of big games. But the Lakers are a better team. they have gotten big leads every time they've played the Pelicans this year.

This one, they held on for Dear Life. DeAngelo Russell played well, and we've talked about that since the benching. He's been a good basketball player. Sometimes he almost, you know, when I watch the Lakers tonight, there was a, I forget what quarter it was, second or third, they pulled LeBron. I think it was right before half. They pulled LeBron out, and you're like, oh, my God, what's happening? Darwin, get him back in there.

But how much can you play LeBron? So he is so far and away their best playmaker. Austin Reeves attempts it, but he's just not the same athlete. But, you know, you kind of cross your fingers if you're the Lakers. They get real sloppy. They unravel very quickly sometimes when LeBron takes his brief respite. And they certainly did tonight. He came back in, couldn't stop the bleeding or the momentum, but they hold on and win.

So the Lakers, I think the Lakers match up pretty well with the Nuggets in terms of size. The difference is the fourth best player on any given night for the Denver Nuggets is Michael Porter, who is a high school prodigy. who can absolutely knock down 28 points on any given night. Now he has championship experience. And I think that's a real thing. I think once you win the championship, every time I watch Denver in a big TV game, and it was close, they just found ways to win.

And that's, I saw about a week ago, they played the T-Wolves, close game, just found a way to win. So it's that confidence of a championship team I think they have the best starting five along with Boston and the NBA. And there are players on the Lakers that can disappear at times. I think Rui's talented. He can disappear.

Anthony Davis can be hot and cold offensively. LeBron, depending on if his three-point shot is effective. DeLoe, as a playoff performer, has been at times awful last year, at times semi-effective. I kind of know what I'm getting with Denver. With the Lakers, it's a lot of finger-crossing. with DeAngelo Russell, and Anthony Davis, two out of three playoff games will give you a really nice offensive effort, but he can vanish at times too. So I just, I don't see the Lakers beating Denver four times. I think they'll beat him in a game. Maybe they beat him twice. They can physically

match up. But, you know, Yokic does not have a lot of off nights. And Jamal Murray doesn't have a lot off nights. And Gordon brings that defense virtually every game. Michael Porter can be a bit hot and cold. But, you know, Denver's a champion for a reason. And my guess is they'll probably beat the Lakers in five, perhaps six, but you'll feel late in these games. That's where you'll see the difference where Yokic is younger than LeBron. And Jamal Murray offensively is more consistent than Anthony Davis. And AD gives Yokic about as much trouble as you can possibly give him, and he still gets 30 points. So I just feel the consistency, the championship experience. Denver's going to be an even tougher out this year.

And I imagine they extinguish the Lakers in about five or six. The games will be close. The Lakers do match up with them. Once again with LeBronwinn a playing game, the warrior season is over. And it's, again, I think it's over the way it should be over. No debate. Make some moves.

Move off Wiggins. Probably Clay's last game. It's okay. All good things coming on end. Trees don't grow to the sky. It's fine. We're all going to be okay, even in the Bay Area. The volume. Thanks so much for listening.

If you've enjoyed the podcast, take a moment, rate and review. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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? 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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. It was a wild. 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.

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. 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.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.