The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd’s Instant Reaction -  Celtics/Heat Game 4

Episode Date: May 24, 2023

Colin gives his instant reaction to the the Celtics staying alive in the Eastern Conference Finals with a road win against the Heat, and if Boston can make it a series heading home for Game 5. He also discusses if LeBron should retire now, or run it back with the  Lakers again  Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates! #Herd #VolumeSee 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert 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. The volume. Hi, everybody. It is time for instant reaction. As the Celtics keep the series alive, Jason Tatum has a huge second half, finished with 34, 116-99 Boston wins. So the Miami story has been a great story. It's a story of Jimmy Butler, of Eric Spolstros coaching, and it's a story of effort and toughness and undrafted players playing for a contract.

It's inspiring. It's fun. But they're not a good enough team in terms of talent to lack intensity and take the night off on the defensive end and win. They're not the Denver Nuggets. The Denver Nuggets can take a half off and win. That's the reality. We don't have a lot of grand. teams in the NBA, right? Dynasties, we get about one a decade. And then it's good teams that stay healthy,

have a good coach, you know, Lakers in the bubble. It all kind of hits. So Miami's not a team that can play half-ass defense and they weren't great tonight and win a basketball game. They are winning this game on coaching, Butler, and effort. And a great example tonight, the Celtics had eight block shots. That's effort. They shot like 50%. They got more open looks. They had 30% fewer turnovers. Why? They played cleaner. And then Tatum had a great second half. So Miami, listen, it's, it's really, really hard. That's why I think Denver is more talented than people are giving them credit for over the Lakers because it is hard to sweep a team. Like, and the Lakers have some talent and Boston's got talent. But the difference is Denver swept the Lakers because

in the end they have significantly more talent than the Lakers. Their four best players are all in their prime. The only Laker top player in their prime is Austin Reeves and it's pretty low-ceiling prime. Boston's got more talent than Miami and they've been playing together for like six years. And that's an interesting thing. There was a story. Kevin O'Connor at the Ringer had a story or he broke a report that one of the people inside that locker room said the Celtics are tired of faking like they like each other. And here's the thing. Had they won the championship last year, they'd like each other a lot more. You put people together for six years with disappointment at the end of all those seasons in a city like Boston. So I grew up in the Pacific Northwest.

We didn't have sports talk radio. You know what I mean? So when I moved in my mid-40s, I moved to the Northeast. I live in West Hartford, Connecticut, beautiful small town in America. And it's about, you know, a couple hours to Boston, a couple hours to New York. And I went to New York a lot more than Boston. But when I went to Boston, I would watch Nesson, N-E-S-N. That's their ESPN, right?

It's this regional network. And I would watch talk radio. And the anger and the cynicism, and this is when the Red Sox were really good, and the Patriots were dominating football, and the Bruins had a couple of great teams, and the Celtics were pretty good. Like I was there for 10 years, and the Boston teams were winning a lot. Baseball and football, winning a lot. People were miserable. Maybe it's the cold winters. Maybe it's the kind of the provincial nature of that area where, you know, Boston's one of the only cities in the country.

where people, they don't leave to go to school because you have such great universities and some of the best prep schools in America, most of the best prep schools in America, are in that, you know, Boston, New York area. So you get educated there, you go to college there, and you summer there, Martha's Vineyard, the Cape, Nantucket. So it's very provincial. Like New Yorkers, you know, the rich can go to Sag Harbor for the summer. But a lot of people go down to, you know, in the winter they go.

go down to Florida, they go down to the Carolinas. New Yorkers, it's not a provincial city. You know, New Yorker's very transient. Boston's not. People that are in Boston are mostly from Boston. They go to school in Boston. They vacation in Boston. They summer in Boston. And so they love Boston teams. In fact, years ago, when I first got into this business at ESPN, I was looking at some national radio demographics. And what you figured out very quickly is Boston had no, interest in any sports talk radio outside of Boston. The two most provincial markets in the country were Providence, Rhode Island. I mean, literally, nobody would watch the Rose Bowl in Boston or Providence. Like nobody. New Yorkers, it would get a 10 rating every year of the Rose Bowl. Because New Yorkers,

you know, people from everywhere in the country live in New York, Boston, it's not that way. So when you listen to Sports Talk Radio on Boston, it sounds like Boston, and Boston has a chip on its shoulder and it's in your face and it's confrontational and there's just it's what makes it such a vibrant political and sports town but if you put guys together for six years on the Celtics and you have the history of Russell and then you know not that long ago kG you've got titles and you can't want a title and there's disappointment at the end of the year you could see where the team would start eating itself alive you're on your fourth coach and this coach is a young coach by the way did you noticed late in the game, there was a huddle for the Boston Celtics with five minutes left

in the fourth quarter. And a reporter noted that Marcus Smart sat in the coach's chair, Joe Mazzula's chair, and started directing the team. It's like this team, the Celtics took it upon themselves on their day off in Miami and said, guys, we got to play with more effort. So they made an adjustment at half. The team played up-tempo, more good looks, more open threes, started hitting them. And Miami just didn't have the effort and that's the only way they can win. But Boston's got more good players here. And they've been really good for a long time. But in Boston, if you don't win, man, you got a lot of Super Bowl rings. You got NBA championships. You got Stanley Cup championships. You got World Series crowns. This is a winner's town. And Boston's becoming the most talented Boston team that's

never won a championship. Not a good tag. So you can see where this team, it would wear on because nobody was talking about this team not liking each other a year ago. We know that Jalen Brown is not entirely happy there living there, went to Cal Berkeley. But by and large, you know, Tatum's easy to get along with. Al Horford's really easy to get along with. Jalen Brown, you know, I mean, it has a good reputation. Marcus Smart can be feisty, but there's no reason this team wouldn't get along.

I think Boston, the pressure cooker that is Boston sports, listen, I grew up in Seattle. The Washington Huskies won a national championship. in like 1991. The Sonics won in the 70s. We don't win championships. I mean, that's why we celebrate. Like when the Seahawks win one and they should have won two,

people don't freak out. We got one. And so it's not a pressure cooker. It's a friendlier media. Sports Talk Radio is not as big where I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. So when I moved out east and I saw it and I felt it and I watched WFAN Sports Talk Radio in New York, literally the fans ripping the Mets front office, they didn't make a move in free agency. and then the Mets go get like Jason Bay in left field,

a bad fit for the Mets. He struggles. That was like the fans demanding it, and the GM for the Mets apparently listening to Sports Talk Radio. You would watch teams get influenced in New York by Sports Talk Radio. You see teams get influence in Boston by the pressure cooker that is the fans in the media. So I think the Boston players took it on themselves, and they played with great intensity.

It was a clean game. Tatum was great in the second half. but this isn't Denver and the Lakers. Denver's got more talent. They can sweep them. It's hard to sweep a team when you have inferior talent. Now, Miami's got a better coach. Miami may have the best player in Jimmy Butler.

I like Bam, Audubio a lot. But it's a lot of guys here playing for contracts, undrafted guys. And so the Celtics are alive. Got to tell you, really interested. Thursday night, I'm going to do another instant reaction. You know Boston. What did Marcus Smart say this week?

Don't let us win one. Don't let us win one. So I cannot wait. I got a feeling Boston's going to go home and lose. I'm sorry. It's still Spoh against Missoula. Spolster's really good. All right.

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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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and 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 with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. 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 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. Okay, so one of the really interesting things, because as many of you know, I've moved around the country. And, you know, I've been a sportscaster in Vegas, blah, blah, blah, in Portland, in Connecticut,

in Tampa, and now in Los Angeles. And when you live in a city as a sportscaster, you know, you start liking the teams. I remember covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Tony Dungey and Sam Wige. And I became a fan. because, you know, you know the players, you're hanging out, your friends in the town are fans. And so it's hard not to, you know, I covered the Blazers. They were getting to the Western Conference finals. I knew people in the front office.

You want to see your friends do well. And so people, why don't you root for Seattle teams? Well, I've never worked there. I got a soft spot for the Huskies or the Seattle Seahawks. My sister's not a sports fan, but she, you know, she likes the Seahawks. And it's pretty cool. My sister and I are closer now than we were in high school. and some of that is her love on Sundays for the Seattle Seahawks,

which to me is really cool because she never liked sports when I was a kid growing up. And my family wasn't a sports family. So living in Los Angeles and anybody that's lived in Los Angeles, it is a Laker Dodger town. And if USC football is humming, it becomes very quickly a USC football town. That doesn't mean UCLA basketball or the Angels don't have fans or the L.A. Kings. but it's always been a Laker Dodger Town first, USC third. Rams are making some headway because of the Super Bowl, McVeigh,

they make some splashy move. So, and Justin Herbert has made people Charger fans, but Rams feel like fourth behind USC football. But what's been interesting to watch and listen? So I've lived in Los Angeles now eight years, but I've visited for years. I'm a West Coast guy, blah, blah, blah, blah. Is people loved Kobe Bryant and they still love magic.

If you're at a Laker game, I've seen this multiple times. And Magic Johnson enters the arena. People stand. He is revered. It's like nothing I've ever seen in my life. I mean, he is still a legend. Kareem's the all-time leading score until LeBron broke that record. It's not treated the same.

There's many great players for the Lakers, not treated the same. Magic Johnson is. Kobe beloved. It is interesting to live. Listen to my friends in Los Angeles who love the Lakers and don't like LeBron. It's weird to me. Maybe it's the politics. Maybe it's the perceived arrogance.

Or that he's not really their guy because he's bounced around the league. Or maybe it's because, you know, he was called the chosen one of the king and he does the crown thing. Whatever. And a couple of them, when I asked them about how you would feel if, you know, LeBron retired, I texted a couple of them. And it's like good. Start over, rebuild. This team's not a championship team.

And somebody else pointed out something to me that they said LeBron's ego is too big not to have a retirement tour. Now, for me, I look at LeBron and I think, isn't he kind of above a retirement tour? I mean, is Sacramento going to give him a Cal Bell? Phoenix is going to give him a LeBron jersey. Like, what does he need? LeBron's have been about winning in business from day one. Calculated, strategic.

That's who he is. And maybe that's what turns people off. But, you know, when I think of LeBron's retirement, the two football retirements to me that were the greatest, were John Elway with Denver, won a Super Bowl, and Roger Stobach were the Cowboys. They were both all pros. They were declining, still very good.

And they both had their business. this venture set and ready to go. So does LeBron. But I do think LeBron does look around the NBA. And he has first halves like he had in game four, the Lakers lost, where he's obviously the best player on the floor. And now he's going to have the first major surgery in his career, some ankle surgery. And I think LeBron's probably will talk himself into, hey, if we can get Kyrie Irving, Austin Reeves, Anthony Davis. We're not that far off from a championship. And they're probably with that lineup not far off a championship. But I've had some mobility in my career and there is no real home, even though I think Southern California is my home. You know, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. My wife's favorite place is Naples, Florida. Right? Like our kids, a lot of them like Connecticut in the Northeast. So LeBron left his home,

Cleveland twice. They burn his jersey the first time. So although LeBron has benefited greatly from his mobility, where is he truly beloved? It's not Miami. It's not really Cleveland. It's not Los Angeles because I can attest to that because I live here. I think it would be the perfect time to call to career. I thought Brady did it right. Todd Bowles, wasn't the right coach. He clearly looked at Mahomes, Burrow, Allen, Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, these really good players getting better, fully committed in their athletic prime and Tom's like, you know what, like, I'm not, I'm the goat, but I'm not the best quarterback in the league. LeBron's in a very similar situation. He's not the best player in the league because to be the

best player in the league, you have to be able to play entire games at a high level. But he's a top eight, the top 10 player. But I think one of the reasons LeBron will consider coming back is right now in the West, outside of Denver. I mean, Golden State has no size.

There's not a big market. I mean, if they're going to stay with Clay, Draymond, and Steph, they can only make so many moves. Phoenix, Chris Paul, and Kevin Durant have a very recent injury history. The Clippers still don't have a point

and Kauai and Paul George aren't available regularly, you start looking at the West. And I think it's, because I thought Brady would retire one year sooner, but I think one of the reasons he didn't, he looked at the NFC, and he looked at the NFC South and thought, God, I'm surrounded by shit.

I mean, I can come back and win my division and get a home playoff game. And he was right. They weren't great, and they still got a playoff game. And so I look, at LeBron James, and I think he looks at the Western Conference outside of Denver. And he's like, you know, if we add a Kyrie Irving, A.D., me, Kyrie Irving,

none of us have to play every night. All of us can play 58 games. One of us can take a night off, bring back Austin Reeves, Rui Hachamora, add some depth on the back end, get rid of Dilo, DeLow, Beasley, Vanderbilt. So I think it's really hard for athletes. And, And this was what Brady went through. I think Brady, one of the reasons Brady retired, this has never been discussed, but he looks at the Eagles and he looks at the Niners, and he's like, we just, we're not built to beat him. I'm not built to beat those teams. In the NFC, then he looks at Kansas City.

He looks at Cincinnati. He looks at Buffalo. But in the NFC, Tom's like strategic. Yeah, I'm not built. We don't have Philadelphia or San Francisco's roster. We're just not built to beat him. I think LeBron outside of Denver looks at the West and thinks, I get my ankle surgery, Kyrie Irving.

I'm not going to need 70 games from Anthony Davis. I mean, you add Kyrie Irving, Rui, Austin, A.D. LeBron. It's a better starting five that the one that got to the Western Conference finals. But I do think it's interesting. The initial reaction by friends I have in Los Angeles that are Laker fans, LeBron's mobility and kind of strategic nature, is it fair to say he's the least loved Great Laker ever? I don't know, because Kareem was such a stoic, prickly figure

when you watch Winning Time based on Jeff Perlman's book. I mean, Kareem doesn't let you love him. You know, he's kind of the academic, the intellect, he's aloof, he's distant, he's prickly, has never got the coaching opportunity he wanted to. very smart man but my gut tells me LeBron should retire but probably won't all right good stuff instant reaction see you tomorrow on FS 1 and premier radio another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on humor me with robert smigle and friends me and hilarious guests from bob odenkirk to david letterman help make you funnier this week my guest s nL's mikey day and

or street or sidel, 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. 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 Clifford 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.