The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Celtics-Heat, USC, Saban

Episode Date: May 20, 2022

Thoughts on game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals USC is going to be a powerhouse very soon Nick Saban is losing power and his comments come from fear   Guest: Cuttino MobleySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the 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 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 Cliver Show. This is a place for raw, unfills 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 IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1.

Find your local station for The Heard at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart radio app by searching Heard. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go on a Friday, live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. I wore a yellow shirt today.

I just feel, and enjoy, we don't coordinate. But we want this spring look. It's cloudy and gloomy today. It is. Which I love because I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, so I love clouds and gloom, and it felt like it was going to rain all last night. It was so nice out. We're very tropical today.

We are very tropical today. It's our tropic Friday. I planned on coming in with my face covered. That was a bad night for the heat. Not great. Rough watch. Well, the Warriors had a 50-point loss to Memphis, so it happens. You know, it does.

It does. If you hit your threes and one team doesn't, there you go. Parody, everybody talks about parody. Parody can be wonderful. It can be, but it can also give you the Miami Heat as a number one seed in the conference. I've said it all year. Great culture, great coach, love Jimmy Butler. I don't know.

I don't see it. I think Boston, unless Jimmy Butler wears a cape and a Superman, I don't think Miami can win another game in the series. I don't. So far, Butler scored 70 points in the series. The rest of the starters combined. two of a one draft that has scored 74 points. Boston's got better talent, better shot creators,

far more elite defenders. And, I mean, at one point, the Celtics went on a 17-0-0 run in a playoff game on the road. That's hard to do. And the minute the Celtics were healthy and equally rested, I said this in game one. Game ones are tricky in a playoff series. Be careful about making definitive opinions because Miami had three more days rest. Miami was healthier.

Also, the Celtics came off a very grueling physical series against a big, strong veteran team in Milwaukee. Now they're equally rested. Ran them off the floor. I also think Boston's big three of Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown, and Marcus smart. They're smart guys. They've been in this league now four and five years. They get it.

They have to win this series. Nobody thinks Miami's great. Everybody knows there's a reason. Your fan duels. there's a reason. Vegas, Boston's going to win this series. Almost everybody picked Boston for a reason, even though Miami was the number one seat. Boston's better. They got better players. In seven of the eight quarters, Boston's been the better team. And then they had one disaster quarter.

But it felt like it looked like last night, equally wrested and healthy, it wasn't that close. Miami does have a chance to win this series. And it's the same chance Dallas has. They got ahead a ton of threes. and the three-point shot is the great equalizer in basketball. Sometimes the best team does not win a game and sometimes a series. It is the great equalizer. And Miami was a very good three-point shooting team in the regular season. For whatever reasons, they're not shooting the three ball that well in the playoffs.

So that's bad news for the heat because it's their way to win. So far we've watched some playoff games, right? It feels like to me the Celtics and the playoffs. the Warriors are the two best teams left. The Celtics, great coach, great culture, easily the best roster of defensive players. Tatum can defend. Marcus Smart's fantastic. Jalen Brown's Athletic and Twitche.

Robert Williams. That's the best defensive team in the league. And over in the West, Golden State feels like the best offensive team. Steph and Clay, Jordan Poole. I was talking to the staff this morning. you know, in 10 or 15 years, Golden State on paper will look way better than they are now, because we're going to look up if they win the championship and go, Andrew Wiggins was their fourth best player, and some nights it feels like that.

I mean, he took Luca, discombobulated Luca, the great young talent in basketball. So the thing you have to worry about if you're the warriors who completely dismantled Luca and the Mavericks. and what you have to worry about with the Celtics is the same thing. Those teams both know they're better. Golden State knows they've got far more good players than Dallas. They know it. And Boston knows they're a lot more talented than Miami. And both now have blowout wins.

So the key is for Boston and Golden State. Can you bring the intensity? Don't get overconfident. Because I've said this, there's an old bet in college football. the last 10 times teams have met in a bowl game after playing in the regular season. Eight out of the 10 times, the team that lost in the regular season wins the bowl game. Nine out of 10, they win or they cover the spread. Why?

It's hard to convince young athletes after you crush somebody that those guys can compete with you. So I think the Warriors in Boston are going to win this series. I think they face the same issue. The coaches have to convince the players, hey, these guys, they get hot to different series. Marcus Smart, after last night's great performance. We can't let them out hustle us, beat us to loose balls, offensive rebounds where they killed us, and transition and turnover. So we cut those down and, you know, our defense do what it does. So we just wanted to come in and beat a harder playing team tonight, and I think we did that.

Okay, well, many of you have been telling me that you think I've gone soft since I've come to California. Colin, you're not from California. Yeah, either is Matt Stafford or Sean McVeigh or Aaron Donald or LeBron James or Paul George or Lincoln Riley. Los Angeles is for the dreamers, the ascenders, the willful, the aspirational. Lots of people come to Los Angeles because they want to take a big source. swing and they can be joined by the smartest entertainers and the greatest athletes. I am not from California, but I do love the community in which I live. Joy is not from here either, but there's a lot to like.

And one of the things I like is they take big swings out here. People take big swings. So USC announced yesterday they got a commitment from the best college football receiver, Jordan Addison. That goes along with stealing the best coach in college football offensively in Lincoln Riley. and they also stole the best quarterback from Oklahoma, Caleb Williams. Three best transfers so far in the transfer portal have been Lincoln Riley, Jordan Addison, and Caleb Williams, and USC got all three.

I always roll my eyes at college fans. Occasionally a great program like Kentucky. A great program like Arizona. We'll be down. They'll make a bad hire. You see it in college football all the time. A great program. Notre Dame was down for a year.

years. Alabama was a mess. Florida was a toilet for a while. Once they get the right coach, they always rebound quickly. Let me give you four examples. Oklahoma with John Blake was a disaster. Bob Stoops got the job. Next year, seven and five. Next year, national champs. Urban Meyer took over for Ron Zuck, who ended up at one point working in a bank. Urban Meyer nine and three to 13 and one, won a national title. Remember, what a joke Bama was with Mike Shula? Saban took it over 7 and 6, then 12 and 2. Brady Hoke to Jim Harbaugh, we thought Michigan was dead. There were empty seats everywhere. Nobody went to the games, 10 and 3 overnight. And those four coaches didn't have a transfer

portal. They didn't have L.A. money in the NIL. Folks, if you don't get it, those who don't get it, don't get it. U.S.C. is going to be. be really good. Now because the previous head coach not only couldn't recruit at a high level, he couldn't develop. Most of USC's talent, probably about 90% is on the offensive side. So they're going to be a really lobsided football team this season. They'll only be

able to win one way. Outscore you. And because of that, they won't be able to compete with Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Notre Dame's really. good. Ohio State's going to be fantastic. They may win the whole thing. They're not there yet. They need another recruiting class. They need another year of the transfer portal. But folks, this is a huge national brand that just got a quarterback and a receiver from Washington, D.C., just like Pete Carroll did. I roll my eyes at myopic college fans, college

basketball and football. When you see these great programs, North Carolina for a while, Do you remember that post? Was it Dean Smith? They just couldn't quite get it right. Yeah, now North Carolina is now back at the very top. The big brands in college, I can make an argument. There's only really one college football brand that's been great in the last 20 years that wasn't 25 years ago.

And that was like Oregon because of Phil Knight's money and commitment. That's it. He just bought his way in. And I know Phil and I love Phil and he wrote a great memoir and all of it. But the teams that were great in the 50s and 60s and 70s, every time USC gets the right coach, John McKay, he wins national titles, goes to the NFL. John Robinson wins national titles, goes to the NFL. Pete Carroll wins national titles, goes to the NFL.

Lincoln Riley, a couple of boxes to check. Both will happen? Now, will they fill the Coliseum tomorrow? No, because when Pete was here, the NFL wasn't in town. L.AFC wasn't in town. The Dodgers weren't the best baseball team. The Clippers were a joke. It's a much more distracted market.

There's a lot of mouse to feed in sports. And I imagine with this schedule, which includes Rice and Fresno State, they'll still be empty seats. But those that don't get these big Oklahoma, Michigan, Florida, Bama, USC, folks, in four months, four months, USC is a completely different roster. Harbaugh, Stoops. Zuck, Saban did it without the transfer portal. Yes, I'm from somewhere beyond California. But when you live here, you see it over and over and over.

Great people want to live here. They want to challenge themselves. Like all these 20 and 21 year old kids deciding lots of choices, we want to be back at USC. Oh, it's just, that's why I wore yellow today. I feel just the colors. flowing. And, and, you know, I'm also rooting for the Texas Longhorns and the Miami Hurricanes. I've told you this before. I have had enough of rural college football powers. Give me the canes. Give me the horns. Give me USC. The attendance and ratings have gone into the

tank for the last seven years. We're over small towns dominating. I want the canes. I want the Trojans. I want the horns. All you kids out there, consider the big city once in a while. It's a great place to live. All right. Cotino Mobley stopping by one of Russell Wilson's teammates is joining us. And Nick Saban, we demanded he apologize. He did. 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. 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, 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 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 Jett. 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 all day, but just so you 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,

podcast 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. All right, welcome back. So yesterday, one of the lead stories we had in the show, Nick Saban went off the rails a little bit and started ripping everybody Dion Sanders and started ripping Jimbo Fisher. And when anybody lashes out in life, that's why I don't take anything too personally on Twitter. When people lash out, there's three reasons psychologically why anybody lashes out. Jealousy, envy, and fear. Now, I don't think Saban's jealous or envious of other coaches, but there's some fear here.

Texas A&M kicked his butt in recruiting last year. It was the best recruiting class in the history of college football. They got seven of the top 34 players. Texas was also top five. Texas Tech for next year. Leads the country. Texas is a big boy economy. Alabama is not.

Nick is now at a resource disadvantage. That's why he's suddenly chirping about parity, which he doesn't give two you know what's about. What he doesn't like is losing dominance. Texas has a lot more money and a lot more resources, and I'm here for it. I miss the Texas Longhorns being great. I've been told forever Texas A&M is going to be great.

I'd like to see both. College football's better when Texas is fantastic. any Texas school. I grew up with a Southwest conference. Now, they all cheated, but nonetheless, it was fun. I don't think the SEC dominating the sport. I don't think it's going to end the sport. I don't think it's good for it.

Ratings, attendance, down into the tubes. People out west don't sit around wanting to watch college football in the South all the time. Texas, we've got a connection to Texas. It's a quick direct flight. A&M beat Bama last year. Nick knows he's had a oil energy money disadvantage. Mario Cristobal is going to cut off some Miami recruiting. Lincoln Riley's already shut the door and some California recruiting.

And Texas, good luck stealing the best players from Texas now with Jimbo Fisher, Steve Sarkesian, those facilities, and that oil money. And Nick knows it. He's no dummy. People lash out for three reasons. Jealousy and envy. He's neither. And fear he sees it.

He's getting up there in age. These coaches are younger. Jimbo just beat him. They just hammered him in recruiting. Nick now came out yesterday and acknowledged he was a little over the top. You know, I should have never really singled anybody out. You know, that was a mistake, and I really apologize for that part of it. I really wasn't saying that anybody did anything illegal in use a name image and likeness.

I didn't say that. That was something that was assumed by what I said, which is not really what I meant, nor was it what I said. So there's nothing illegal about doing this. It's the system that allows you to do it, and that's the issue that I have. The same system that allowed Nick to gray shirt kids 10 years ago, which most of the country thought was sleazy, but it was legal too. This is fear-talking, and this is what it looks like. When people in power, he now doesn't control the players like he used to. They can transfer.

He doesn't have the resources. And Alabama, according to his story, wants to pay all their players about 20,000,000 a year. That's cute. Quarterbacks now go for a million, the great ones. Defensive linemen have been going for 100,000 for years in the SEC. They just paid him through a church. Nick Saban had never lost to one of his assistants. He lost twice last year.

Lane Kiffin, building a power at Old Miss, Sarket, Texas. Jimbo at A&M and Kirby Smart's got that puppy rolling at Georgia. Nick's getting older, little less mobile, not as dominant, players have power, money coming from different places. That is what fear looks like. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Haven't even mentioned LSU.

By the way, now, it's going to take about a year for Brian to get it right. nobody has talked about LSU. Brian Kelly has won everywhere he's been. Everywhere. I think he probably prefers it that way right now. I don't love his viral stuff, but the dude can, Brian can flat out coach. Now, Kirby can coach.

Jimbo can coach. Brian can coach. When Pete Carroll dominated SC, the PAC 12 was a tire fire. The top programs were a mess. A lot of Nick's success is Auburn couldn't get it together. Tennessee was a mess. and couldn't get the right coach. Now all these schools, Lane, Kirby, Jimbo, Brian Kelly.

It's pretty obvious why he's upset. Yeah, you're not going undefeated in that conference anymore. And by the way, the most underrated team in the country is going to be Kentucky, because I think they may have the best quarterback in the country. Mark Stoops is probably the most underrated coach east of the Mississippi. Is Kentucky east of the Mississippi? I think so. But, I mean, like Kentucky now is a tough out if you've got to go to Lexington and play them.

So it's like you can see the walls closing in a little bit. That's what he wanted, right? He wants more parody. That's all he cares about. It's a parody, Joy. Game two of the Western Conference Finals between the Warriors and Mavs is tonight. Golden State handled Dallas pretty easily in game one. But Steve Kerr is expecting things to get a little more heated as a series progresses.

It's the most competitive basketball on Earth. And these are the best players on Earth. and everybody's fighting for something that they really want. So there's a lot of mutual respect. But at some point in the series, you know, and it's always been this way for me as a player or a coach. It's just after a couple of games, it just starts to get testy because both sides want it so badly.

And it's nothing personal. It's just competition. Foxbed has the Warriors favored by six in games tonight. God, that is a lot. Dallas had 25 open three-pointers in that game. They hit eight. If they hit 14, we go in half. You could say the same about the heat last night.

Like if you can't hit your shots and you're going up against a team that is hitting their shots, then the gap widens very quickly. And you know what happens, Joey? And this happened to Dallas. When you get down by like nine and they're hitting threes, you start taking some bad three. to try and stay in it. So the gap, you either get back into a game or it's an avalanche.

Like Miami last night is just, we got to shoot threes. You're missing Boston's hitting. You go from 12 to 20 to 28, like fast. Yeah, it can be a 20-point swing. Boston was down. Yeah. That's how quickly it can happen. I, again, I do think that we react game to game, very kind of volatile manner in these long

series. Yeah. Like the Warriors were supposed to win that game. Obviously, we would have liked it to be more competitive. We would have liked the game last night to be more competitive. For that matter, the game one of the Eastern Conference finals would have liked to have been more competitive. But that's how it goes sometimes.

So we'll see. I do think it will be closer tonight. But again, the Mavs to me, it's not about Luca. Luca's going to do what Luca does. It's about everyone else. Are they going to be able to step up and contribute offensively? Because they are a good defensive team, offensively to stay with the Warriors. And if someone's having it off night, someone else has to step up.

But that's what championship teams do. That's why the Warriors can put up a performance like that or lose to Memphis by 50 and win the series. Because they have the confidence to come back from those situations. They've been there before. So Aaron Rogers isn't attending Packers voluntary workouts. You know, whatever. There's a lot of new changes in that receiver room this off season,

but he is not there. Well, quarterback's coach, Tom Clements, isn't concerned, doesn't think there will be any issue when Rogers finally does join the team. Aaron doesn't need reps at this time of the year. So, I mean, it's obviously, it'd be nice to have him here, but he's seen these things a thousand times, and he'll be ready to go when training camp starts. She's just, you know, it's at a different stage of his career now

where he's taking care of himself and working on his, what he thinks he needs to work on physically. I'm, I'm, if they want to believe that, That's like saying, you know, at this point, I don't need to do any prep for my show. You know, I just, you know, I know when I'm ready. If you want to believe that, Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, Breeze Manning to the last day, didn't believe that. Aaron has shifted to the summer and spring of Aaron. That's what's happening.

Aaron is, I mean, here's a guy last year. We know he doesn't work with young receivers. We know he has trust issues. They got a young receiver last year. He threw him four catches all year. This year he's got Sammy Watkins, three rookie wide receivers. Didn't they just bring somebody else in, Joy? Ed Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb, Juan Winfrey, Amari Rogers, Malik Taylor,

and then three rookies, Christian Watson. He has a relationship with. Two of those guys he's got a relationship with. Yeah. The other guys you're just kind of going to add. Tom Brady was at Jesuit High School in Tampa. In a pandemic. During a pandemic illegally working on relationships with stars, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin,

like Grong. these are kids. You just think, you know, he doesn't need any reps. That is the biggest bunch of bull. And the fact that Green Bay buys into it tells you, Aaron still controls the operation. I don't know if Green Bay does buy into it, but I don't think they have a choice.

That may be right. I thought about this because, like, what I do voluntary stuff for work. Yeah, and I do all the time. And I'm pretty sure you do too. Yeah. There's stuff that we do that we don't necessarily get paid for. or have to do or have to be at for work.

We have to be here live doing this show every day. But that's what comes with the territory of certain jobs and certain positions and certain responsibilities. You don't have to be at voluntary workouts. And to your point, if they had secure relationships and had reps and reps and reps together and this was a room that hadn't just been completely turned around, I don't even think this would be a story.

Like, who cares? Of course, Aaron Rogers doesn't need reps right now, but those guys do, and they need it with Aaron Rogers. So he doesn't have to be a voluntary workout. It's kind of an unspoken thing. If I'm supposed to be there, make it mandatory. But sometimes you have to do things that aren't mandatory if you're trying to be a champion in a winner. And I also have a resume where Aaron has trust issues with his own family. And you had the most catastrophic ending to a season ever.

in the league and got a complete pass for it as the Packers always do because nobody likes to be critical of the Packers. I know it's a thing. But that was a disaster. And if it was any other team, if it was any other team with the season that they had as loud as Aaron Rogers were, they'd still be getting roasted on every show every day. But because it's the Packers, it's like, well. They had one offensive touchdown against San Francisco, the opening drive on script. not another one. Devante Adams leaves.

They lose their right tackle. And Aaron's like, eh, just the messaging of it is I'm too important to be there. I just don't think they're a championship team. Thank you. They're done. I'm not outraged by it. You're just not somebody I consider capable of winning a Super Bowl. Which is fine. Everybody's not going to win a Super Bowl. Every time Aaron's at a coffee shop, somebody sends me a picture. I got like 30 of them. Why? I've seen more of him at coffee shops than I have in the last

Six months in the Packers. Well, last three months. He's drinking a lot of... Why coffee? He's got a place in California out here. Oh, okay. Doesn't make it at home, apparently. Don't start that.

You did that for two days. Not even two days. You made one day. It is a ripp-off. Outrage at the price of coffee in coffee shops. It's brutal. You think it's bad where you live. If you guys missed this rant, it was so...

I didn't buy it for one second. Collin was so outraged at the price of two coffees that he insisted that he was going to make his own coffee in like a mug and bring it to work every day. But that's tedious. So I eventually went back. Of course it is. That's why they make money

because nobody actually wants to do that. We're halfway through the USFL season and there's still one undefeated team remaining. The Birmingham Stallions lead the South Division with a 5-0 record and are looking to stay in the wind column. They play the Michigan Panthers tomorrow. In the North Division, the New Jersey Generals are at the top since losing their opening game to the stallions,

they've rattled off four straight wins. So they will have a chance to make it five in a row against the Houston Gamblers Sunday on Fox. So here is the full schedule tomorrow. Tampa Bay Bandits against the Philadelphia stars, Michigan Panthers against the Birmingham Stallions, and the Pittsburgh Mallors, who finally got a win against the New Orleans Breakers

and Houston Gamblers against the New Jersey General. So that is your week six schedule for the USFL. Good stuff. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. It's funny about all this stuff. It was watching the Celtics last night.

The Celtics remind me a lot of Phoenix. And traditionally constructed, big man, a couple of good wings, point guard, a Mark smart, crisp ball, not a score first, then a good wing score, Booker Jason Tatum. Everybody coachable. Players are committed both ends. McHale Bridges, going to give you. both ends. DeAndre Aiton, both ends. Chris Paul both ends. Former NBA players or coaches. Drafted and developed roster. Very strong regular season team. No load management here.

They play hard every night. The question with Phoenix was, when you face a great player, Steph or Luca, will your guy, Devin Booker step up? And the feeling was no. And that's what I feel with Boston. When they meet either Steph or Luca in the finals, because I think going to win here, will Jason Tatum be able to match you? And because when I look at Boston, I really see a lot of Phoenix. It's a traditionally drafted and developed team. That's the way it was before all this mobility stuff. You draft and develop. You're patient, three and four years. You may go and get a Chris Paul. You go and get like an Al Horford. You know, you get a veteran presence, a guy who can hit a shot. That's kind of what they are. Coachable, two-way players played hard every night.

We're the number one, two teams in the NBA this year, Boston and Phoenix and blowout wins. They're committed. The chemistry is great. They know what they are. It's been years they're playing together. And the only question is, when you meet that great player, does your guy rise to it? And Devin Booker felt like didn't quite game seven. And Tatum did with Janus.

Will he do it with Steph if they get past Jimmy Butler? But it's team basketball. It's old school basketball. You know, you think all the time I like all the new stuff, but I've said this about the NBA. There are times when you watch these playoffs, it's basically who hits their three pointers. It's not very nuanced. I see people on the internet trying to do analysis all the time. Dallas missed their threes.

Golden State hit him. That's the game. Last night, Boston hit them. Miami missed them. You can talk about screens and picking rolls and off. Who hits their threes? Who doesn't? Wins 90% of the games in the NBA now.

So I do like players that are, you know, kind of committed on both ends of the floor. I do like the traditional construct, the big, the wings, the non-scoring point guard. I like it. It's old school. It's 70 to 80s basketball. But they don't, you know, this series, Dallas isn't as good as Golden State and Miami's not as good as Boston. Their way out is the three-pointer.

I think Boston can win it without being great from three. I think Golden State, the way they slash and cut, can win it without being great from three. That's the only way Dallas is going to do it. That's the only way Miami's going to do it. They've got to hit shots. A lot of them. A lot of threes in bunches.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Mike check. Do you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game? What's good? This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson. Let me tell you a little bit about my new series, KJ Live. KJ Live is the only show featuring me going one-on-one with the brightest basketball minds on the planet to get the real.

And when I say real, I mean that real. I got legendary Hall of Famers, elite coaches, and the top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things hoops culture that you will not find anywhere else. To make your next move, your best move. And tap in with me on KJ Live, wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple 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 Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because. of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

Think about your happy place. Maybe it's your sofa on game day, your fishing boat, wherever your happy place is. Driveway.com let you buy or sell a car from their new or use. Driveway.com. There was something funny happened yesterday. J.J. Reddick had called out like basketball players like in the 50s, 60s.

And he said, you know, these guys are Bob Coosie's playing against firemen and plumbers. Bob Coosie's 93 and still very sharp. Bob Coosie fired back at J.J. Reddick. and said, was Wilt, a fireman? He was a great fireman. Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor. I will say this to Bob Coosie.

If you go back to YouTube and you look at Bob Coosie video, he does a lot of stuff with his right hand. And so a lot of current players look at that and go, God, give me a break. Everything's with his right hand. I covered J.R. Rider, Isaiah Ryder. He had no left hand. Isaiah just didn't want to work at it. Super talented guy.

Very enigmatic. He was literally a right-handed player. So if you look at the Bob Coosy video, it's pretty clever. he's a very nimble, clever passer. Now, again, a lot of that stuff looks corny now. But 50s and 60s, nobody was doing that. Maybe the Globetrotters. I mean, nobody was passing like that.

So it's very, very difficult to compare eras. It's almost impossible. Now, we know Michael Jordan 100 years from now, and LeBron James will still be great. In track and field, as you know, Joy, you ran, you know that stuff. In track and field, we can say the 60s doesn't compare to the 90s. 90s, but you do get to a point in track and field over the last 30 years where people aren't breaking records constantly. The human body can do, I mean, you're not.

Well, yeah, but that's also a very quantifiable sport. That's right. You are this fast or you are not this fast. You jump this high or you did not jump that high. You can't compare errors in team sports. It's almost impossible. The greatest of the grades are always going to stand out. Kareem, Michael, LeBron.

Those are going, they're going to stand out because they stood out for decades. when they were playing. Now, we know Bob Coosie could not play in the NBA today. Bob Coosie probably would be a small college basketball player. But the sport also wasn't what it is now then. So it's like things are allowed to evolve. You can be great in the space that you were. Yeah, I mean, the truth is, and I'm, I, you know,

I've watched the Bob Coozy videos a hundred times. He was always the- Really great passer. Oh, no, no. I mean, he was always the easy guy to pick on because he only dribbled with one hand. But there's been, I mean, in my years watching, the NBA. There's been some one-handed guys here. Clyde Drexler, to me, never really developed a great left hand. J.R. Ryder, Isaiah Ryder, didn't develop a great right hand. There were one-handed players. But I want to play the Coozy bite. So Coozy fired back at J.J. Reddick. It is funny. I

give Bob Coozy credit. He's a great 93-year-old trash talker. Here it is. Do we have it? I will defend the firemen and the plumbers that he referenced. How about Bill Russell, a guy named Elgin, Beeler, Oscar Robinson, Shabby. We must have had the best firemen and plummet on the planet at the time. That is fantastic. It is. And by the way, you know, I credit J.J. Reddick because for years and years, when I used to work at the other place, I don't know.

I'm not sure what happened to that company, but I worked at the other place. And I had a conversation once with Harold Reynolds. He was a great man. I grew up in Pacific Northwest, so he was one of the best mariners ever. So I was a huge Harold Reynolds fan. And then I worked with him, and I really liked Harold. And we were talking about this one time. And Rob Dibble, who I worked with, and I don't know what happened to Rob, but Rob was a great baseball player.

And Rob was as big. Rob Dibble, as a pitcher, was significantly bigger, stronger than Babe Ruth. But Dibble and Harold Reynolds had both told me privately, you could never bang on Babe Ruth in baseball, because the sport just romanticizes its history. But Rob Dibble was a much better pitcher. than Babe Ruth would be if they, you know, bigger, stronger. And Harold Reynolds was a much better baseball player. But you can't say it because baseball just worships and romanticizes

Ted Williams and Babe Ruth. But the truth is, is very few players from the 60s 70s could sniff college sports today. And Coozy's probably one of those. Russell could play today. Wilt could play today. Jerry West could play today. Most can't. Catino Moble is now joining us, 11 years in the NBA.

Did you ever look at the old videos, Catino like, Bob Coozy, did you ever think to yourself, man, I don't know if those guys could play today. At least once, did you do that? No, I did a lot. First of all, it's good to see you, my man. Good to see you. Both of you guys. It's great to see you.

I did a lot. And listen, JJ was right on point. I mean, you got to respect the older guys, but we got to be realistic. Yeah, I think that's a fair way. I grew up, Catino, I grew up with, in the 70. So I want not. Dr. J, by the way, I think we would both agree. Dr. Jay was unbelievable. He would be a great player today. Is that fair? I don't, yeah, I think Doc would have been a great player today just for the simple fact.

He had big hands. He's athletic. He can dribble the ball. You know, and he attacked the room. He's going downhill, kind of like a yonist kind of thing. Yeah, yeah, I agree. So I do want to talk to you about the Celtic Miami series. The three-point shot to me, Catino is the great equalizer. When I watch Boston, Boston, I just think they have better players, better defenders, better shot creators. I don't think it's close. I think the only way for Miami to win is hit a bunch of threes. Am I wrong?

No, you're not. Now, the thing about Boston, what I love a lot is that they have a lot of guys that can switch. So you're not really creating, you know, the wrong matchups. So you have Tatum, you have Brown, you have Horford, you have Williams, you have Marcus smart defensive player the year. You have a lot of the Williams. You have a lot of those guys where. Six or seven guys literally are just defensive-minded players.

So it's kind of hard. And plus three or four of them can score 20 points. And that's a really hard thing to defend. Yeah, no, you know, when I look at Boston, I think it's the best defensive team left. And I think Golden State's the best offensive team. Because Catino, the way the Warriors cut and screen and move without the ball, they don't even look like the other three teams left. Just the way Steph kind of ignites and engineers the ball movement, do you give, I don't, I think Dallas has to shoot their way to wins.

I don't see it. Do you? Yeah, see, well, Dallas for me, the playoffs is all about matchups. So when Dallas played Phoenix, you can see, you know, Chris Paul smaller throughout his career, they would always put a big, a bigger guard on Chris Paul to make them take tougher shots. And then what Dallas said was, you know what, I'm going to have Luca beat you up on a defense event. And on the office event, you're going to exhort a lot of energy as well. So, you know, I think what, you know, you can't do that with Golden State because Golden State has playmakers, four of the five guys that's on the floor are playmakers, and you have two of the best shooters ever.

So you're going to move a lot of those Dallas defenders around, which can make, you know, tire you out. Yeah. You know, it's interesting. You played with Barclay and Pippen and Akeem. you retired in 2008 with, I think, a heart condition. But I don't know if you played against Bird ever. I don't know if you saw an old, you didn't. No.

I don't know. When did Larry Bird retire? I did 1990. Yeah, early 90s. Okay. And when did you come into the league? 99. Okay, okay.

So forget it. When they say Luca's Bird, when they say Luca is Bird, do you see it? I do. I do see it. I do see it because Bird, Bird was special, but Luca is, he's on another level, right? Bird, I think Byrd's confidence, bird's fundamental skills was at another level, and he was 610. Luca now is evolved, right?

Lucas, you know, jumping the ball like little guards, 30 feet from the basket, and he has moves like Bird. So, I mean, you know, listen, Larry Bird, you got to think about Light Bird had a lot of really good, great players with him when he's with Boston. It takes nothing away from Larry, but, you know, Luca hasn't played with a top 75 player ever yet. Yeah, you know, but my thing about Luca is they've got to get another great player on this team. Would you want to play with Luca? Because Larry Bird was at the forward. He wasn't running point.

So Larry was a great teammate. He made Mikhail better. He could play with guards. Is Luca a guy because he controls the ball so much that you would want to play with? I would want to play with him, but maybe because maybe I know how. to play. I mean, you're spotting up and you're picking your poison. You know, Jaylon Brunson, I love what he's doing. He's attacking the room. He's just a little smaller, you know, and it creates a little matchup sometimes when you're in Phoenix. But now when you're

Golden State, you have a lot of 6-5, 6-6, 6-7 guys that switching off on you at Jailen Brunson. So, you know, I think, you know, Luca's smart. You know, Lucas smart. He can play off the ball on the ball. He just needs a little more help. Yeah. All right, Catino, we got to run. you. I still, I do think Bill Russell could play today, but he's only six, nine, so I'm going to have to digest that a little bit. It's good seeing you again. Good to see you guys. Thanks. Yeah, it's, it's, the Larry Burr-Luca thinks it's the difference is Luca has the ball in his hands a lot. And not that Larry didn't on the break, but he had guards and he had he, Larry could do a lot of different things, off ball, on ball. Luca feels like he needs the ball a lot. Larry retired in 92.

92 and Cotino came in in what, 1996, 99, did he? Listen, at this point, there's a lot of decades. I've been broadcasting for a lot of decades, folks. Sometimes I lose it. Doesn't it feel like I think the 90s will forever be 10 years ago to me? Oh, no, no. That's why the 90s to me is just a blur because the NBA was wild and it's like I even get like the bad boys. And the bad boys and the bulls were simultaneous for years and then magic. And it was. It was like a 15 years where... But also like the early 2000s style of play was very similar to the 90s. Absolutely. So it feels like the NBA, I can draw a distinction the last eight years. It's all three pointers. Yes.

Like last eight to nine years, it's the Warriors. The game looks and feels totally... There's about a 25 year blur there for me. Hour two in L.A. next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the 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. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win.

Yep, that's me, Cliford 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 Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills 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 Cliford Show on the IHeard 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.