The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Are the Knicks for real?

Episode Date: May 7, 2024

Colin can't believe the Knicks continue to win games in the postseason despite their perceived lack of talent Thoughts on the Denver Nuggets being down 0-2 to the Minnesota TimberwolvesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Live in L.A., it's the Hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Nick Wright in one hour, uh, captivating to watch a team in New York City be an underdog. You do not. get that very much.

The media capital of North America, one of the media capitals of the world, if not the world. And J-MAC, the Villanova guys scored 92 of their points. The Villanova guys shot 60% from the field.

Villanova guys were always glue guys. They're now carrying the NICs in the playoffs. We're getting close to the point where they're not going to want to trade any of the villain. You can't break up this chemistry. There's definitely something there. If you go after Kevin Doreen, you can't give up the Villanova guy.

Sorry. Yeah, I was thinking about this. You'll see things like in society sometimes. Like, I'll give you an example, the fidget spinner. It gets really, really hot. Like, it's this, and you're thinking yourself, how is this so popular? This is not sustainable. There's no there there.

Like the Rubik's Cube was kind of math. I got that. But like the fidget spinner, well, it can't be just popular this long. And eventually it dries up and nobody cares. And that's sort of how I think about the New York Knicks. How long can Jalen Brunson play like Michael Jordan? He's now scored over 40 points in four straight games. Like Jerry West has done it, Bernard King, Michael Jordan, and Jalen Brunson, a second round pick.

How long can Josh Hart double his offensive numbers in his career? He's a bounce around the league guy. Now he's like a rebounding zealot and a scoring machine. The Knicks had four guys play over 40 minutes. How long can that last? They have no bench. They were outscored last night. 46 to 3.

And they keep winning. It's the NBA's version of the fidget spinner. When it won't it be popular? When won't it work? How long is it sustainable? Again last night, no bench. Josh Hart, doubling his output, never coming off the floor. Now, now, it's not like they don't deserve it.

Excellent fourth quarter offense, second in the playoffs. Good all year. effort, excellent, rebounding, excellent. Defense, committed. Offensively, they're a very intentional team. They have limitations, but they have very few bad possessions in the fourth quarter. They come down, they're intentional, very good, late game possessions. And you see teams all the time, just waste possessions.

Lakers sometimes lead the league in that, just wasted possessions. You don't get any of those with the Knicks in the fourth quarter. It feels like every time they come down, hustle, effort, dedication, rebounding. It's an intentional possession. But generally, sorry Nick fans, generally no bench, one dominant score from the second round, a bunch of Villanova guys, and hustle and effort generally have a ceiling. We knew the Knicks hustle and effort would matter in the regular season. If you play hard, you're going to win 40 games in the NBA if you have any talent.

There's so much load management, so many teams. tanking. I'm not surprised in the really bad East. They were a good regular season team. And some of this is the East stinks. Indiana is a number six seed. The East is bad. Tyrese Halliburton, he's not a star. He's got good handles. He got six points last night. Miles Turner was their offense. So, but it's a fun team. You know, it's a, in the East, it's a deserving team. Their efforts incredible. But they've won five games this postseason. Five. and they've outscored opponents in the playoffs combined by five total points. So when will it end?

Will it end? The team that seems to play hard every possession and every night with some offensive limitations took another series lead, and here was the coach after. I just think the way they work, they've invested a lot into the season, and they put a lot into each and every day. So I think when you make that commitment to each other, you're not going to give in. You're going to keep fighting. And there's a great fight.

And we know we're short-handed. So that's our way. Our way is we have to play real hard. Yeah, that they do. So out west, the story is the defending champs will not be repeat champs. That series, it's over. Denver's got no answers. in the first half they were struggling just to get shots off.

And I was thinking about this last night watching. Is the NBA, and this is not necessarily a bad thing for the league, but the ratings will go down, is the NBA becoming the NBA of the 70s, where every year you have a different team? So if you go over to the last five NBA champs, Nuggets, Warriors, Raptors, Lakers, Bucks. This year?

T-wolves? I mean, eight of the ten teams that have been in finals in the last five years have been different. So that's very much the NBA I grew up with. The Blazers, the Sixers, the Lakers, maybe a Celtics, Washington, Golden State, New York. It was a different team every year. So we thought Denver was a little bit different because Yokish was unstoppable. And then suddenly he wasn't because Minnesota. even without Gobert last night, is so relentless defensively.

I'm sitting there watching in the second quarter. Denver couldn't get shots. And they were a good defensive team all year. I watched enough Minnesota all year. They're a good defensive team. But now Ant is not only dynamic, but he is super efficient. Nasreed playing with a ton of confidence, and their defense, which was good, is now playing with a playoff fever pitch.

and it's just relentless. And let's be honest about Denver. They were not great all season. I mean, they trailed the Lakers for 70% of that series, and the Lakers sneak into the playoffs. They've been a good clutch time team, but they play close with average opponents a lot this year. And what I'm watching feels like what I'm watching

is two talented teams, but one with Ant is super hungry, relentless, aggressive, and playing like an underdog. And the other team, Denver, is lethargic, start slow, now plays from too far behind, is a little arrogant, is a little listless, and by the time they look up, they trail by 16 to a team that's got equal or better talent. So in both games, Denver has tried to sort of ease into the game. you can do that with the Lakers. You can't do that with a player like Ant

who is the best player on the floor, knows he's the best player on the floor. Denver's got until Friday to figure this out, but I'm watching what you're watching. And, you know, it's not a styles-make-fights thing. I watched these two play in the regular season,

late in the regular season. They were very even. But can you go from apathetic to relentless? That's Denver. Because what I'm seeing from Minnesota, Soda is this is a little bit like the Knicks with a lot more talent. They're more or the same talent and they want it much more. And they're very efficient and they know what they are and their starring aunt is playing now. Not just dynamic basketball, smart, no bad shots.

It's just, I think Denver's cooked. I think it's over. And here's Ant after. We're doing a great job of, of, just trying to just pick them up early, like put pressure on everybody, pressure the ball, pressure the passer. Don't let it, don't let it do a great job of just pressure on the entry pads. Don't let it be easy, Knows front and Cow fron, trying to get our hands on everything,

touching, pushing, being physical. I'm watching that game last night in the first half, and I don't think I've ever seen a talented NBA team struggle to get into their offense like that. They couldn't get into their offense. That's like an outmatched college team. I mean, Yukon beat teams in the tournament and it was clearly the best team. People could get into their offense. I mean, Denver couldn't get into it.

Here's Charles Barkley. We saw one of the best defensive teams I've ever seen. You know, the stats, don't lie. They are incredible defensively. You talk about what even when they're, Rudy's not there, but on the perimeter, their guard and everything led by Ant Man. Their best player is playing great defense. the rest of those perimeter players.

Even without Rudy, man, this is one the best defensive teams I've ever seen. Yeah, you were texting me last night. Like, there are series that start out 2-0, but you feel like, oh, this team has a they need a couple days off. I don't know.

I watch that, and I'm like, yeah. And I think, again, I think we're falling into a 70s NBA. We're going to have potentially our sixth different champion, either Boston or a Minnesota, maybe an OKC. I don't think the Knicks are a championship team.

But I think we're going to have the sixth different champion in six years. It doesn't bother me, but the dynasty is over. We had the Hedels, we had the Warriors, those are done. And I think we're going into a decade of new team every year. Because I thought Denver had a lot of San Antonio feel to it. But Ant is exploding as a player. And I don't know how Minnesota moves, because I think there's been a lot of talk all year about you can move Carl Anthony Towns.

I don't know. I'm watching last night. I don't know. He gets a lot of buckets. He gets a lot of buckets. And this will disallow a lot of glomming on just to Ant if you have Carl Anthony Towns that can get you 24 a night. So your impression of what you watched? Yeah.

Nuggets are done, I think, obviously. The Timberwolves are, they're fascinating because of the way they're built with a lot of role players in length. But Colin, the NBA has to be careful what they ask for. Oh, we don't want these super teams. We've got to make these guys pay the luxury tax. All right. Yeah, you remember what the 70s in the NBA was like. Yeah, neither's anyone else.

Yeah, also, they're going to Amazon with their new contract. That's fine. A lot of people aren't going to pay for that, so you're going to lose big chunks of your audience there. So what keeps you alive is the NFL can go occasionally to streaming. You notice who the NFL put on streaming? Patrick Mahomes. Yeah.

Yeah, the NFL put Patrick Mahomes in streaming. You can draw an audience. It's smaller than broadcast TV, but it's an audience. And it's also the NFL, which is in its own galaxy. How many people turned on the game last night and were like, who's Anthony Edwards again? Honestly, I love Anthony Edwards. No, you're sportscasters.

We know it. We're into it. But, like, casual fans are like, oh, the nuggets are in trouble. They're losing to who? Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels? People don't know these guys. It's going to take some time. Listen, you know we like the NBA.

We're going to watch, right? Yeah, yeah. But are these teams going to rope in the casuals? No, we were talking about this morning in the meeting. I said, if you got to a Minnesota Celtics final, even with the Boston brand, I'd be really fascinated to watch the numbers. If it was an OKC Boston, I mean, it's not going to happen. But you can say what you want is football is not market or player beholden.

Baseball is. NBA really is. And we don't care so much about the numbers for the game, but like the numbers for our show. Are people tuning in to hear us talk Minnesota OKC? Or would they rather hear another Jets topic for 15 minutes? Because we can do that. I mean, I can do that all day. Well, you can.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. 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.

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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. 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 Fourth 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. So I thought this was interesting. There's a lot of talk.

about women's basketball has arrived and my take is no Caitlin Clark's amazing women's basketball has grown but last year the WNBA finals got 700,000 viewers that's tiny I mean Caitlin Clark went to the league the draft the WNBA draft tripled the ratings for the finals so I do think we've seen a league before that has been changed because of a player so before Magic and Bird the NBA was irrelevant the finals were on tape delay And then Magic Bird came in, and they didn't quadruple the numbers, but they ignited, re-ignited the Celtics Lakers rivalry, and that obviously helped the league. But it was Michael Jordan who arrived and made it more commercial and global. And the reason MJ did it wasn't just because he was cool and dressed well and good-looking.

His game was great. And I think that's the difference with Kailen Clark. Her game is great. It kind of feels like genderless. It's just the way she steps back, the twitchiness, the crossovers, her game's great. We've been waiting for this movement. Ah, the WNBA and women's basketball. She got 19 million people to watch the finals.

It's probably going to be 6 million next year. That's a good number. But, I mean, the WNBA got 700,000 for the WNBA finals last year. That's like in the same ballpark of the UFL, which has been a league for 45 minutes. Sometimes the UFL gets 900,000. So that's not a knock, it's just a reality. It's a brand new league. Two leagues formed for them for once, the first year.

It's debut. So I think with Caitlin Clark, when I watch her and all this stuff about, I mean, I've seen golf my entire life was sleepy. And then Tiger arrived, and it wasn't. It looked the same. It was fine. I'd watch the Masters. But nothing really got me to a TV. It was guys in bad slacks.

Some of them had guts. And then Tiger came and looked like a safety, a free safety in the NFL and hit 350 yards off the tee. and it just looked different. This whole thing about the movement and the growth, a lot of it's just Caitlin Clark. Her game just is different. It's just great. The way she sets up her shots and sees the floor and distributes the ball,

you give her a couple closers on the offensive end. They could dominate the league. So I don't watch enough women's basketball college and pro to be some expert on how players will transition from the collegiate game to the pro game. Even in the NFL, which I live for, you miss it all the time. But we can talk about all the movement stuff, But in the end, the game is what made Jordan so popular.

Switching hands, the tongue out, the style, the dunks in your face over you. It just looked different. There was a lot of talent in the NBA. Michael's game just looked different. And so did magic, and so did Bird. But Michael was a different kind of different. Even among great players, it was like, yeah, we can't stop him. And for the record, Ann Edwards has a little bit of that, even against Durant.

It's like, oh, hey, he's way better than Kevin Durant. And Kevin Durant's great. So I think with Caitlin Clark, when I look at her, there's a story today. day that basically the Connecticut Sun season tickets have doubled because another player on another team. Caitlin Clark goes to Indiana, the Connecticut Sun, their season tickets have doubled. And that's the Jordan effect. In baseball, the Yankees, when they had Jeter and A-Rod, they had that effect. They would charge double when Jeter went to Colorado against the Rockies. They, you double the, that's a brand. But I think Caitlin Clark more than anything, when I watcher with my untrained

WNVAIs, it's just like, man, that just looks, that's a good game. More than any movement, that is a really good game. And so you're seeing stories now where other teams are doubling their, in Connecticut, I lived there for 10 years. That is a state with an unbelievable women's college basketball program, the best ever. When they're doubling, they're aware of women's basketball. When they're doubling their season tickets, she hasn't played a game yet. Like that's that it's not just some movement.

It's Caitlin Clark. It's the game. Jay Mackle of the News. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. The other thing about Clark, like she's got a target on her back, right? Everybody knows she's a superstar. And she's coming in hot, like firing, taking people off the dribble.

She's not afraid. Like sometimes rookies defer to veterans. No. There's none of that with Caitlin Clark. She looks like she belongs. It's not just a score. The comp for guys would be. as Steph Curry was a great passer, and he's a good passer.

But her ability to set people up, you know, at Iowa, they didn't have the closer. She scored her, they mostly didn't. Her ability to see the floor, dribble ball, head up, see the floor, great vision, set people up, cross people over, always get a shot. Like that, we can all talk about movement stuff. That doesn't really matter. In the end, she's just different. I've never made a WNBA bet in my life, but part of me wants to just bet Caitlin Clark to win the MVP.

Because why not? And it's fun. You're going to be watching her games, obviously. Like, she's going to be in the mix. She's going to be finished top five. I guarantee that, right? She's going to dominate the league. Right out of the gate, let's talk about the Dallas Cowboys, Colin,

yet to come to turns with an extension for Dak Prescott, which has led to questions about whether Cowboys view him as their long-term quarterback. Well, Stephen Jones made an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio and gave a full vote of confidence for Dak. I totally think that can lead us to a championship. He does everything to right. way. You know, he's certainly the leader of this football team. It just so happens that, you know, sometimes, you know, that old oblong football doesn't bouch your way. And, you know, we've had

some tough breaks and tough games there in the postseason. You know, we're hanging around the rim. We've just got to go up there and grab it to use a basketball term and duck it in. And we're hanging around the rim. We just got to get the job done. Yeah, I don't, that's not what I saw when they got routed by Green Bay at home. Like, that game against Green Bay, there was no question. Three series into it. Jordan Love was better than Dak, and Green Bay was going to blow him off the field. That wasn't a hanging around the rim.

The Rams hung around the rim against, like, Detroit. Like, the Rams were a team you're like, if they get that Puka Nakua call, they're in the NFC championship. The Rams, remember, the only game they lost late was against Baltimore. Like, they were in every game. They almost beat Baltimore and Baltimore. destroyed San Francisco. Baltimore was destroying Miami.

The Rams were the hang around the rim team that you kind of felt like if they got a break in a rebuild year, well, this wasn't a rebuild year for the Cowboys. And they got routed at home. I went back and looked at their playoff history. This bounced the wrong way stuff. I don't know where he's coming up with that.

I mean, the Niners, is he thinking about the Niners game where Dak ran the quarterback's sneak on fourth down and then they ran out of time? That's on the Cowboys. That's not like an unlucky bounce. Remember they lost to the Rams 30 to 22? That was not very close. I think the Rams ran for like 250 yards. There was Aaron Rogers at home 3431. Great game. Packers won on a late field goal. There isn't like maybe the Des Bryant play. Remember the Des Bryant catch in Green Bay that they ruled no catch? That was a decade ago, Colin. Like I don't know

what Jones is talking about. And it almost feels like the Dallas ownership a little delusional. A little. It's like the Lakers keep running through coaches. You're on you're 8th and 14 years. You're the New York Jets. Like people around the league are like, who wants that job? Have you seen the candidates? It's another assistant that's never been a head coach. Well, that was Darwin Ham. I mean, if you're, you know, the answer, when it, anytime a franchise gets into that, like the answer is, oh, is you're delusionally thinking you're close. No, you're not.

Well. Or you think the coach, a coach will solve your problems. No, it won't. It doesn't, a coach, even as good as Spolstra, is. Well, they've got one of the top five owners, one of the best GMs in league history. It's the culture, the heat way. It's not just spolstricken coach. Well, wait a minute. Dallas being close. They've won 11 games three years in a row. They've been in the playoffs three years. They have Super Bowl odds that are top 10 in the league. And I know there's only 32 teams. They're in the mix. They're not like very close.

They should be on your Super Bowl bubble. No? No. No. They have no running backs on the roster of note. Dak without 100 yards rushing is a sub-500 quarterback. That's why there was a rumor yesterday about Najee Harris Steelers to the Cowboys, and I'm like, that's a good rumor. They could use it. He'd be the best running back easily. Say Harris, really?

No, I mean, they have Warren, so they don't need it. Steelers do not need any more skilled people. They're fine. Not Emma Smith. I'm sorry, not Emmett Smith. Zeke Elliott's back. What are you talking about? I mean, our reaction to that tells you the story of that.

offense. I thought that was a tasty rumor. Like the Cowboys were like, that's not true. It should be. That's a great rumor. Naji Harris to the Cowboys, you should love that rumor. I hope it's true. Why not? Next up, the Falcons and Michael Pennix. Here we go again, Colin. So Pennix goes eighth overall, and that's a few months after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year $180 million deal. The move reportedly left Cousins shocked and disappointed, right? Well, according to Sports Illustrated, One of the major factors in Kirk Cousins leaving the Vikings was their plan was to draft a quarterback. And now he goes to a team that drafts the quarterback. Colin obviously chasing guaranteed money in Atlanta helped Kirk Cousins get there.

But I'm just saying mentally, this guy's got to be extremely disappointed. And I know you don't care if you're the Falcons. Well, listen, his whole career, he drops to the fourth round. And then Washington, you know, he feels like he's never respected. Then he goes to Minnesota. Aaron Rogers gets all the love in the division, even though he's 500 against Aaron Rogers and out duels him multiple times. And then they're going to draft a quarterback, so he says, I'm out of here.

Then he goes to Atlanta and they draft Pennock. So I have sympathy. Even though I have no problem with what Atlanta did, they got a game-changing potential quarterback that other teams try to move up and get. I understand the life, the reality of Kirk Cousins is, I'm not getting a ton of respect. I would, however, push back and say, you're the richest quarterback to play the position maybe ever in terms of salary.

You have milked the monetization of the position. And in life, sometimes you either become the rock where you get the money or you become a great actor that gets the critical acclaim. Very rarely, do you get both? Where you get rich, I mean, Brady had to make his money a lot of it out of football. So it's very rare. Michael Jordan, by the way, made a majority of his money out of basketball. It's very rare when a quarterback gets both.

Mahomes gets both. Manning got both. Critical acclaim and the bag multiple times. Kirk has never gotten the critical acclaim mostly because we watch him and say he's a beat. But he's gotten the monetization part of it, the money part of it, he's made more than Tom Brady did in his career. I read that about two weeks ago and I was floored. So this is who he is. People do not view him as Super Bowl Kirk.

They look him as stabilizing Kirk. He stabilizes your organization, can get you to the playoffs, maybe win a playoff game, and that's a reasonable view of what he is, especially now off a surgery. That's a reasonable view. So why would you spend $100 million guaranteed a four-year, $180 million deal on a guy who can get you to the playoffs? Because you're in a horrible division, and your owner's, 81 and what you don't want to be is Desmond Ritter Atlanta. So he makes you viable.

Some teams in this league just want to get back to being viable. The Niners are looking for Super Bowls. The Rams are looking for the Ravens, the Chiefs. Some of these teams are looking for stabilized. I mean, Baker Mayfield in Tampa, post-Bradie. Baker stabilizes you. You'll be a quality football team with Baker. You don't think you're going to build around him forever.

So Atlanta's in that, hey, right now Carolina is praying for stabilization. They're not a Super Bowl team. They just want Bryce Young to get us to 500 and not to be a laughing stop. It wasn't that long ago that Matt Ryan, who, let's be real, he's not that much of a better quarterback than Kirk Couss. Their same guy. Yeah, he got him to do a Super Bowl. And they were, what, 10 minutes away from winning the game. So why can't, I just can't ride with that logic that Kirk Cousins can't win you a Super Bowl.

Matt Ryan nearly won a Super Bowl like five years ago. It wasn't that long ago, wasn't it? I think people view Matt Ryan. at a little higher ceiling. Because he was drafted in the top five. Yeah, well, I mean, he's a more naturally gifted, I think, overall quarterback than Kirk Cousins. But he only did that once in his career. Again, you're saying, can a guy get you to the Super Bowl?

Stan Humphreys got to a Super Bowl. Rex Grossman got to a Super Bowl. Trent Dilford, right, won a Super Bowl. So Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl. Stuff happens, but you can't take an outline. Could Kirk Cousins, if, by the way, Stafford got hurt, and Blankety got hurt. And the division, yeah, I mean, there's always opportunities.

And you won your division, you got to buy. And in the second round, you played the Rams, and Stafford got hurt the week before. And then you're in the NFC championship, and Brock Purdy goes down during the game. And stuff can happen, but I think Kirk has seen rightly so as a stabilizing force. And I think that's the game Atlanta's in them. It's why they hired a new coach. And they paid Kirk. Can we get this thing back on the tracks?

Kirk gets you back on the tracks. So Kirk Cousins is the best quarterback in that division, correct? I think so, yes. Not by a lot. I think Baker Mayfield throws a... See, and that's the weird thing. Like, I mean, any number you want to look at, Kirk Cousins is way better than Baker Mayfield.

But because Baker went first overall, was a star in college. I think Kirk is a more consistently, a more consistently productive quarterback. Baker's got a little more talent. There's just like Hidden Brain podcast where they talked about people who are gifted naturally versus the tryhards, which are like the New York Knicks.

The guys are not thought of as like a top number one pick, but they just work their butts off. And for whatever reason, the perception is people respect the gifted guy more. The guy who gets drafted high. Like Sam Bradford was like a number one overall pick. People thought, oh, Sam Bradford, he's awesome. He's never a good quarterback. Never. But he went first, and the perception was he's so gifted and talented.

Like, people think that about Baker. I don't think he's in the same class as Kirk Cousins. see you? Well, as a professional athlete, he has not been. Kirk Cousins, top 10? Well, I thought, I thought Kirk was undervalued coming into the draft. He was very good at Michigan State, and I thought Baker was a little overvalued. He should, you know, I didn't

think he was the number one pick. So, I think their talents closer than their draft selection. Much closer. Kirk Cousins' top 10 or fringe? He's always been top 12-ish. A better Derek Carr? Is that right? I mean, he's been more productive, consistent, big game, fourth quarter, quarterback.

Yeah. Final story is Victor. Wembenyama, he was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year. Every single first place vote went to Wembe. Chet Holmgren got almost every second place vote. Wembe Gama joins Ralph Samson, David Robinson, Blake Griffin, Damian Liller, Carl Anthony Towns as the unanimous rookie of the year. His numbers are staggering. And here's the crazy part, Colin.

He put up 2110, 3, 3, and 1.2 steals per game in 29 minutes a night. Isn't that crazy? Imagine. He gets to the playoffs next. year and he's playing Jalen Brunson minutes. What are his numbers? Yeah. They're superhuman off the charts.

Well, I think it's reasonable to think if I said to you, by the All-Star game next year, could these be the five best players? And I think it's very realistic. SGA, Ant, Wemby, Yokic, and Luca. And a couple of those, you're not surprised by it. But I think, where's Tatum? We've got a topic about that later. Oh, do we?

Celtics were 7 and 1 in the games he didn't play this year, and the numbers went up for the team. Stop in an eight-game sample. Tatum's got four years of dominance. If you're off eight shows, the numbers went up. Bosses would see that more as a small sample. Webbingyama is the second rookie in NBA history to lead the league in block since.

Tell me you remember this guy. Manute Bowl. I remember. Yeah, I was in the D.C. area. Manute Bowl was like a legendary figure. So he lived in West Hartford, Connecticut, in this corner house, and you would drive by, and I would always tell my kids, that's the tallest NBA player ever. My kids were like four.

They didn't appreciate my NBA acumen. But, yeah, he lived five streets away. I mean, I was in the area, so I was not a bullets fan because they were terrible. They were the bullets at the time. And Tony Cornheuser used to just tear the. them to shreds in the newspaper. I mean, they were a laughable franchise. But I'll say this, Manute Bull, I'll never forget that guy.

He was, what, 7 foot 7? And he just blocked everything. Wambayama's like 50 times a lot. Well, Wembaoniyama's skill set offensively is... Have you seen some of the reels people put together of his highlight packages? No, it's incorrect. No, I think next year, the two players that I think can be the face of the

league, Wemby and Ant, arguably next year, will be the best players in the league. Yokitchch'll be very, very close. Sleeper. Palo Bancaro. Did you see the numbers he put up at 21 years old? You're a very, very good player.

Very, very good player. Good power player. Yeah, Orlando Magic reference in the show. Yeah, let me go. Say hi to the peeps. J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Herd Lie New. 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. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way.

We talk to coaches. We talk to players. We tell you stories. You download it. You listen to it. I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Ghalib on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 fourth. 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 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 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. 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 tontons 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 podcast. Sunday, the best of the best compete for the crown as the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, presented by Purina Pro Plan, begins with the Masters Agility Championships. Sunday, 2 p.m. Eastern, only on Fox. So, you know, it cracks me up. I said a couple days ago and a couple of weeks ago, I think we're at an inflection point with Aunt Edwards.

So he was a number one picket of Georgia. in a very, very awful draft, he was the safest bet, super athletic. And I've said, I see a little Dominique Wilkins, I see a little Michael Jordan. And, you know, the do-gooders in the media, oh, that's unfair. No, it's not.

He's had teammates do it. He's had teammates compare him. He's vertical. He's dynamic. He's aggressive. He's got confidence. He's a defender. He's got swagger.

Where he really is like Mike, he knows he's the best player on the floor. He often is, but he knows he's the best player on the floor. is, but he knows he's the best player. That is so Michael Jordan, even when he was on the floor with bird and magic. He knew he was the best player on the floor, and you could see it in his game. So whenever I hear, well, that's not fair. That's, it's fair.

Kobe was compared to Michael Jordan, leaned into it. Tiger was compared to Jack, leaned into it. If you're an alpha, if you're an Alzheimer, that's not, the comp is not going to crumble you and you won't get into the fetal position because he loves it. And that's who he is. by the way everybody's compared to everybody Caleb Williams is now being compared to Patrick Mahomes

If Caleb Williams can't handle a comp Then he can't handle a too deep zone This idea that these young people can't handle things My kids now 1823 much smarter than me Much more travel than I am They can handle it Let's stop

Kit gloves Oh oh I can't believe you're comparing He looks like Michael in place like Michael Now you stay at it Well, Michael was massive. Yeah, when you look at Michael's career in total, but Michael Jordan didn't win a playoff series until year four. Guess what year it is for Aunt Edwards?

Year four. Michael didn't win a title until year seven. I watched Minnesota the last couple games. Are we sure they can't win the title? So I think the comp is fine. I think Aunt may get there sooner. And I think all young players, nutrition, training, the game is more. more international, they're all better.

You can make an argument he is better now at his age than Michael Jordan. Now, Michael's the all-time best player, but I mean, he's had better nutrition, better training, better competition. I mean, that's just, it's a global game now. So this idea that it's unfair, I mean, Mike

Connolly is a teammate, and last week talked about MJ. You played with some great, you played against some greats. Who does Anthony Edwards remind you of? Oh, man. I think you guys mentioned it a lot. I think a young Michael Jordan, bro, honestly, he's unbelievable. Yeah, Michael Jordan.

The other thing, Ant was the number one pick. Even Jordan wasn't that. He just signed a $265 million extension. It's okay for us in the media to have expectations. He's a number one pick. Caleb Williams is going to be major expectations. His comp is Patrick Mahomes. those are totally fair.

That's what he plays like. Why are we so concerned about protecting basketball players? We don't do this with football players. Nobody has a problem at all comparing Caleb Williams to Patrick Mahomes. Nobody has a problem with it. Caleb Williams hears it all the time. Nobody's like, oh, let's protect it. He's fine.

And it's going to be fine. I mean, if you look at his career average in the playoffs, it's 29.6. The only hire ever, MJ Luca and Iverson. So it's going to be fine. I mean, he even, Ant even did a shoulder shrug last week. He talked about it, right? We saw the shoulder. No matter what stage is on.

If it's in the regular season, the preseason, if I do something nice, I'm gone. I've got to let it be known. If I get an N-1, I got to flex, make somebody fall. I'm going to point at him. So, you know, and it brings excitement to the game. So hopefully someone tries to, like, come back and score on me or something like that. So that's probably, that's why I do it. When ants out there talking their shit, I know that,

we're in for a good night. Yeah, I mean, so Ant is talking trash to Kevin Durant. You think he's going to curl up fetal position when he's compared to Michael Jordan? Tiger loved the comps. Kobe

loved the comps. Pressure, the alphas don't run from it. So I was thinking about this. There's a lot of people, and I mean, this is an epidemic, and it's only going to get worse with the legalization of sports gambling, which I'm for. But it's only going to get worse. Oh, it's always the

officials, because people will have more money on games, more emotion, it's always the officials. So last night, the Knicks got some calls and people didn't like it. But let me say this. So the Knicks were one of the few teams in the NBA that were good and

took the regular season seriously. Yeah, it matters. Now they're playing at home. And it's the best home court advantage in the NBA, New York. It's the loudest. It's the craziest. So, yeah, they're getting the 50-50 calls at home. Yeah, I'm not losing sleep on it. They're at home again because they were the number two seed, and they took the regular season seriously.

So high seeds matter. And they always did. Maybe LeBron maybe made players think that, you know, home court advantage doesn't matter. We can win anywhere. But in close games, I believe having the home crowd is jet fuel in a very even series. And Knicks Pacers, I think it's pretty even. It'll matter.

May win you a game. So the Knicks aren't close to being the most talented team. The Knicks have to win by being better at hustle and effort and crashing the boards and late game offensive possessions and playing at home. So it matters. And if you're saying, well, what are you saying? well, what are you saying? I'm saying if they get the 50-50-go-either-way calls at home, that's the advantage of playing at home

and the advantage of playing 40 minutes a night and not doing load management and playing a little banged up and not having to be 100% healthy to play and being able to play on the occasional back-to-back because you'll play at home, get the calls, and for a team like the Knicks, maybe Boston it wouldn't matter. You know, maybe Minnesota or Denver,

it didn't matter in the regular season, or the Warriors during the Dynasty didn't matter. But it does for the Knicks. And I appreciate how hard they play. And I appreciate the effort in the regular season they're being rewarded for it. The NBA has got an issue. Like, the games look so different regular season to NFL. They don't in college football. You watch a Saturday game in October and a Saturday game in January.

NFL, you watch the Chiefs and Chargers play in December. you watch them if they played in February. The games pretty much look the same. In the NBA, yeah, I played two nights ago. I've got ice cream headache. I'm going to take the night off. The regular season doesn't look anything like the playoffs, except for the New York Knicks.

The one really good team, there's other teams that played hard, but they're one of the really good, high-seeded team. Oklahoma City's like this. Oklahoma City's a young team. They play with great effort. You know what?

Oklahoma City's probably going to get a 50-50 call at home to win a playoff game. I'm okay with it. put the effort in. So I don't feel bad that the hardened, you know, Kauai teams out of the playoffs. Sorry, not losing a sleep on that. I have

said this before. I'm not a real precious guy. Like I can mow through stuff, but it really is bad business. Load management's awful and Adam Silver has not aggressively attacked it enough with much heavier fines and the league

as a whole just sort of shrugs at it. It's bad. It's bad business. And now it's bad basketball playoff business. Home court should matter. I don't care. Nick's got a few home cooking calls. I'm for it. By the way, Rick Carlisle admitted it matters. I don't want to talk about the officiating.

We're not expecting to get calls in here. You know, it'd be nice if they laid off that one, but they didn't. So, you know, that's just the way it goes. I mean, it was, we challenged it, they reviewed it. They got a bunch of people in New Jersey that agreed with them. So that's just the way it goes. That's a realistic take. It's a playoffs.

It's New York. We're not going to get calls here. Load management. Didn't work out, did it, clips. Hour two next. 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, helped 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'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's 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 office. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 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 Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of 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 Podcast, 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.