The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Game 5, Curry, Rodgers

Episode Date: June 13, 2022

Thoughts on Jayson Tatum and game 5 of the NBA Finals tonight The Steph Curry critics are ridiculous Aaron Rodgers talks about retiring too much   Guest: Ric BucherSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I don't care what you're 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 Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

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Game 4 tonight in the Bay Area. It's the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening. I-Heart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. One hour from now, it's a good one. Colin was right. Colin was wrong. There's plenty of both.

Joy Taylor, who just landed about 45 minutes ago. when you grew up in Pittsburgh and you got to fly back to L.A. and there's one flight. All it takes are a little turbulence, a little delay, and it makes that trip, oh, so painful. Let's just say if you were in the Chicago airport this weekend, you saw me sprinting through it multiple times. It was seconds to spare, no hair. Well, Chicago and Dallas airports, if you have to sprint through an airport, good luck. Those are big airports. Or Minneapolis.

Oh, yeah, beautiful airport. I could not believe how big that airport was. I had, like, plenty of time in my connection there. I was like, if you got to sprint through this one, you are donezo. Yep. So tonight is game four. Jason Tatum of the Celtics is viewed, game five tonight. Tonight is viewed.

It's the game, right? Like the game five winner, oh boy, oh boy, here we go, game five, oh boy. Winner of this wins the whole series. I pick the Warriors and six. But Jason Tatum does prove there's a big gap between stars and superstars. Stars and the NBA are all stars, usually the best most talented player on the team. You know, they're going to average over 20 points a game. NBA's got, you know, 20 of those guys at any one time.

NBA's always had stars. Superstar is different. Superstar is iconic. Non-sports fans know who they are. They're culture setters. Jason Tatum is not a culture setter for the Celtics. Marcus Smart, you could argue, is the culture setter. Superstars have their own brand.

And what you figure out about superstars, no matter how good the other team's defense is, they get theirs. There is only one superstar in this series. And it's Steph Curry. We've seen now Luca a star and Jason Tatum, a star, discombobulated to a large degree by the Warriors defense, which is not the best in the league. Lucas efficiency plummeted. He became a huge defensive liability, and Tatum has yet to have a great game in this series.

Meanwhile, the Celtics defense is viewed as the best in a decade, and Steph is eating it alive. That's what Jordan did against Utah. I mean, it was harder, but he got his. MJ, LeBron, Magic, Kareem, Steph, the quality of your defense doesn't really change their game. In fact, Steph's scoring average so far in the series, his scoring average is higher than Jason Tatum's field goal percentage.

That's the difference. I said before the series, I thought Boston could outplay the Warriors five games in this series and yet lose the series in six. And I think Boston will outplay the Warriors tonight. That's no guarantee they'll win. There's more urgency for Boston. They will play a great basketball game tonight. I am convinced of that.

But they will shrink potentially because that's what they do and that's kind of what their leader's done. If you watch the Warriors, they play loose and confident, even though many of their best players are past their prime. That's the influence of Steph. Even though all the Celtics best players are in their prime, they get tight and have doubt. That's because Jason Tatum has verbalized that on more than one occasion. When you watch Jason Tatum, and I love him, I think he's a great player, but Boston was a bad clutch team. Look it up.

They were one of the bottom three clutch teams. They have stats for that in the NBA. And that speaks to Jason Tatum. He shrinks. He verbalizes it. He has doubt. And when you send it out there, opposing players see it, and they're going to work hard to pull that doubt out of you.

Steph never gives you any inkling that he lacks confidence. So in the biggest spots, where do you go to stop him? Tatum's starting to feel like Andrew Wiggins. Really, really talented. You can't depend on him. You're not going to depend on him in the finals. I think Jason Tatum is. is going to be a star for the next 10 years.

I highly doubt he's a superstar. He's even talked about this before. I'm sure that I've seen as a huge debate. Is he a superstar? Is he not? I want to know where that came from. Did I tweet that? Did I ever say that I'm a superstar

or I'm on the verge? That never came from me. But it has been a big deal his last year and a half or two years. And I see it all the time. And there's always been a question of the back of my head. I wonder who spoke on my behalf or said that or why that was such a big deal. Game five tonight.

I think Boston's going to play great. I think they'll have a tremendous first half. They need to play great in the first half because the Warriors tend to crush in the third quarter. But I think it's a heck of a game. Not shocked if Boston wins. But I think we've seen a clear gap between what a superstar is and what a superstar is. and what a star is, Stefan Tatum. All right, like, I know it's a cliche, right?

You talk about this all the time. We talk about the Mount Rushmore of blank, blank, blank. You can talk about it in tech, you can talk about it in finance, you can talk about it in politics, you know, the Mount Rushmore, the four greatest. And in the NBA, I don't think there's a big argument by reasonable people of what the Mount Rushmore is. I think Michael's on it.

I think Magic's on it. I think LeBron's on it and Karim. Now there's three, to me, three great centers all time. Kareem, Russell, and Wilt. So Kareem, you got winning, titles, awards, and points. Russell, you got titles. Wilt outduled in both those categories. So he doesn't make it for me.

So Michael, Magic, LeBron, and then Kareem. But what if there was a mountain range, just down the road, Mount Hurdmore, or the NBA's Mount Rush a little less than more. I'd make the argument, Steph wins these finals, he's on it. It would be Bill Russell, Larry, Bird, Kobe. Kobe wasn't quite MJ. Baird's not quite LeBron, but when Bird came into the league, go back and read the Sports Illustrated articles, they talked about him like they talked about LeBron. He's a forward. How does he shoot and pass like this? I think Steph would make it.

Leadership, culture setter, confidence. When before KD. When with KD. When after KD. I don't get the critics of Steph Curry. I don't get it. It's almost like for years and years, Tom Brady was crushing in New England.

And there was this divide. You know, is it more Bella check or it's more Brady? And that was a fun debate. You could take either side. But you started hearing even media people say this. Well, Tom's a system quarterback. Whoa, wait, time out, time out, time out. We can argue who's more valuable.

I mean, it was like in L.A. Was it Shaq or was it Kobe? That's a good debate. I mean, the Lakers eventually decided Kobe will keep him. Shack will move him. But that was a good, healthy debate. And Brady and Belichick was a good, healthy, fun sports debate. But once you went to, Tom's a system quarterback.

It's like, okay, that's even Joy has a rule in the show. You can't compare anything to Tom. Like he's not a system quarterback. Let's stop with that. And I get that way with Steph. If you talk on the Mount Rushmore, you know, the four people that make it, Michael Jordan, had massive influence beyond the game with style. He made the game global. LeBron, massive influence in mobility.

Magic. I mean, literally made it cool to pass. Kareem created the greatest single shot. So we have said, beyond being great, there has to be an impact and an influence in your game. Look at Steph, the greatest shooter ever. He literally changed A.U., high school, college, and pro basketball. Michael didn't even do that. The impact, the ability to play with stars, alongside stars, behind stars.

If there's a mount rush a little less, I would put Steph there now. I mean, you could argue, Dr. Jay, between his age. ABA and his NBA, certainly he was the first star. I think a lot of us in my age bracket fell in love with, the style, the slam dunks. Like, there's something there for Dr. Jay. But the critics of Steph, I'll just never get. The ability to score. I mean, think about basketball.

If you're at the Y and you're picking guys and you've seen the guys play for an hour if you waited your turn to get your team out there and you can select guys. Don't you go with the best score? It's not like you're like, I like the best ball handler. I like the best on ball defender. You're always like, yeah, that guy can score. That's who you pick. Steph's the best shooter in league history.

That feels like to me, there's just a mountain range just down the road. You went to Mount Rushmore first, and then you told your kids, well, there's a second one. And it's like maybe it's not Disneyland, but it's better than six flags. It's very close to Disneyland. You'd stop off, right? So I think that's what we're looking at with Steph Curry. Game five tonight. Not game four, game five tonight.

I think it's going to be really close. And I'm taking the Celtics in the first half. All right, we're packed today, calling right, calling wrong. Tom Izzo, Draymond Green's college coach, stops by as well. I've seen him at a few of the finals game. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard 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 IHard 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

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

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it.

And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now.

Dollar Shave Club, Six Blade Razor, noticeably smooth shaves, swift hair removal. Sold at dollarshaveclub.com are in stores. So Devonte Adams surprised a lot of people when he left Aaron Rogers to go to the Raiders and reportedly the Packers offered him more money. That's weird.

Like I like Derek Carr a lot, but the Packers are a much better run team than the Raiders. And Aaron's the better quarterback than Derek Carr. It's a much easier division. And they offered him more money. That is a lot of boxes to check. Why, I mean, it can't just be family, right?

Like, why would you, oh, we found out on a podcast. This is why Devante Adams left. We talked throughout the whole process too, and he was aware of where I stood, and I was aware of where he stood. We had talks about his future and what he thinks his duration in Green Bay or just football in general would look like, and, you know, that played into my decision as well.

I got aspirations of doing really, really big things and being remembered. And I just, you know, it just wasn't really a point in my career that I was willing to sacrifice, you know, Aaron not being there, you know, after a year or two. This is precisely why you don't talk about retirement. If I started talking about retirement every day, everybody on the staff would be like, who, get the resume ready. We may be moving. or at least a lot of people would.

Aaron Rogers is so into Aaron. He feels this need to tell us everything about Aaron. Some stuff, keep to yourself. Keep it off Instagram. Keep it off Twitter. It's okay. You don't have to put every lunch on Twitter. Tom Brady, after leaving New England,

he went on Howard Stern. And he kind of did his, I'm going to tell you everything interview, after he left New England. And he said then, I made the decision a year ago. But none of us knew. because Tom kept it to himself, which was smart because if Brady would have said it out there, it would have been a distraction the entire year, every press conference, every story,

every game. Tom kept it to himself. Because Tom is all about whatever it takes to win, including strategy. Tom, like LeBron James, is calculated. Yeah, he's measured. Even though he's got an ego, he doesn't appear self-absorbed. Aaron doesn't care enough maybe about the team. He's just got to tell you what Aaron's thinking and how he's feeling and what Aaron's going to do.

You know what? Keep it to yourself. Brady understands his words have impact. Aaron's too smart not to know his words have impact. He just doesn't care. And it's like Brady's about winning. And winning is about strategy. LeBronzo has been about that.

Russell Wilson knew he was leaving Seattle a year before he left Seattle. But he kept saying, go Hawks. Greg, go Hawks. Love the Hawk. He had told Seattle, I want to go to Denver. So he weakened the Seahawks position, but he didn't make it public, right? Like Russell kept it to Russell. LeBron keeps his moves.

When I was on this show and I said, I think LeBron could be a Laker, people are like, they're terrible. LeBron kept it to himself. And that's what you do. Aaron's too smart not to know it hurts him. He just doesn't care. It's about Aaron, not about strategy. winning. And so in the end, you lost arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL because you kept saying, man, maybe I'll play, you know, one or two years and maybe I'll just, just,

maybe also you'll play three. DeVante Adams and you would be great for three. Would DeVante Adams really hold it against you? If you had three more years, you have a three year contract, and you did the three more years, and then you left and left him hanging for a year, Devante would have been paid, would have been great, would have been a star, locked for a Hall of Famer. Even Aaron's like, I may retire in one, maybe two, maybe three, don't talk about it. It's called strategy that most companies don't make it public. Stars. Aaron's now a company.

Brady's a company. LeBron's worth a billion dollars. He's a company. These guys are industries. They're iconic. They've got their own brands. Keep it to yourself. Joy with the news

No No Turn on the news This is the Herdline News Well something else that most people feel Should have probably been kept

To himself Was Anthony Davis revealing The last time That he has touched basketball So the Lakers season ended over two months ago And Anthony Davis

is enjoying his time off And he revealed How long it's been Since he's done Any basketball activities In a video on The Nuk Squad YouTube channel. He said he hasn't shot a basketball since the Lakers' final game of the regular season

on April 5th. Yeah, I'd not go public with that. Yes, it was against the Sons and Phoenix. He only played in 40 games in the 21, 22 season, largely because of a sprained MCL. He suffered in December and an ankle injury later in the season. Now, he did say that his normal offseason routine is to take a month off to let his body heal. And then he goes six weeks of just weight training. And then he gets back into basketball a month to a month and a half before training camp. So it is part of his normal routine to not pick up a basketball for this amount of time. That doesn't make...

I think the pushback on that would be maybe your normal routine isn't working since you've missed 87 games in the three seasons that you've been with the Lakers. I think what when I see Janus and Anthony Davis, every year Yonis, converts a flaw to at least it's an ally. Like every year we say, oh, Janus can't do that. And he comes back in the offseason, you're like, I can do that. I think with Anthony Davis, we're like, he kind of, his game's his game. And he just doesn't want to play a five and he's not going to get stronger. And then so I'm going to go out and drift outside.

And then he had a terrible year shooting threes. Like there's no big shock here. The greatest players, MJ, Steph, Magic. They're kind of obsessed. even in the offseason. They are. Right. And everyone doesn't have to be the greatest player ever.

That's right. So that's fine. I do understand the reaction to hearing this. If you're a Lakers fan, and when you initially hear this, there's a little bit of a shock factor considering the way that the season went for Anthony Davis. And to your point, the way that he shot. So when you say you haven't shot a basketball since April 5th, that's going to come across as a little bit confusing.

considering the way that you were shooting the basketball this year. But again, you know, we're not physical trainers. We're not doctors. I don't know. I'm just looking at the numbers and the evidence that's there that whatever, perhaps, whatever your routine is probably should be altered a little bit if the results of it are you continually not being available. Well, Darvin Ham is reportedly going to go bring in Rashid Wallace to work with Anthony Davis. So like the Lakers are aware of this. This is something in the building. We talked about this a couple years ago after they won in the bubble. There was a sense, I think we agreed on this, that the new Laker team would be one and one A, that Anthony would probably play more minutes than LeBron. It was a nice baton tie. It would still

be LeBron with the basketball. And Anthony came into that season out of shape. And it's like, dude, we're kind of in the middle of COVID. Like, there's nothing else to do really at home, work out, getting a treadmill. And he came in out of shape. And I think in that moment, I was told that LeBron was frustrated, the team was frustrated. You can like a guy, but be frustrated with him. They like Anthony Davis, but people in the building are like, we thought we were getting a little more. Yeah, I mean, I did not think that that was going to happen.

I never bought into that whole plan or idea. I think you have enough evidence of what Anthony Davis is, what his game is, what his personality is at this point. He, when he's available, is an excellent player, but he's not a one and he has availability issues. And that's just going to be what he is. So to me, most of what happened last year, you can point to, okay, they moved on from the coach,

Russell Westbrook, the roster was old. To me, it came down to Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis isn't healthy. He's your number two. LeBron's given everything he got. He's been the MVP conversation. If Anthony Davis is not on the floor, there's no way to evaluate that team.

And unfortunately, he's the key to whether they're going to be successful or not. So Bradley Bale has a big decision to make this summer. So he could decline his $36.4 million player option with the Wizards to hit free agency. And in an interview with Taylor Rooks, he gave some insight into his plans next season. He said, obviously, I consider my family, what do they want to do, where do they want to live, and obviously the team, I know what my decision will be based off of. And that's going to be where I feel like I can win. That's going to be my decision.

If I feel like I can win in D.C., that's what I'm going to do. and I want people to respect that. So he's eligible for a five-year, $245.6 million contract with the Wizards. That's a lot of money and a lot of years. How old is Bradley Beal? He's in his 30s now. I mean, I think, I feel like he's at the end of his prime.

I'd have no problem signed him. Bradley Beale is 28. Oh, okay, so I thought he was like 30. So I got no problem signing him to big money. He takes care of his body. It's not a matter of the contract. Of course I'm giving Bradley Beal that contracts. He's 28 and he averaged 23 points, 4.7 assists, I mean, 4.7 rebounds 6.6 assists last season.

If he changed his teams, he'd be eligible to sign a four-year $182 million. He's made a lot. And he's a smart guy. He's been good with his money. That's a big swing of money. I know it is. I know it is. 245 to 182.

One-year difference on the contracts, obviously five-year to a four-year deal. But at this point in his career, I mean, and he said it, he wants to go where he can win. Of course. I mean, there are. definitely going to be some takers for Bradley Beal if he wants to put his services on the market. I was told LeBron and LeBron's camp, they've been after him for four years. LeBron's guys love Bradley Beal. And one of the reasons they love him is stuff you don't hear about.

He's a complete adult behind the scenes. Oh, yeah. I mean, he would be an amazing addition to any roster. But if you're a roster that's ready to add that final piece to be that championship level contending roster, You give Bradley Bill whatever he needs. You put him in Dallas with Luca. Much better defender. See, the Miami feels like where he's going to end up.

That feels, no, doesn't it? No, you're a perfect situation for Bradley Bill. What do you give them? You give them, you probably have to give him. I mean, you give them what they want. You give him Bam, a draft pick and Tyler Hero. You're asking me what I do it. Yes, I would do it.

I can go find a big that can defend. I like Bam, but Bam gets reduced. If you go start looking at the Eastern Conference. Well, if you look at what a team that would add Bradley Biel, what they would be needing, obviously they need a solid two score. What or a two? Yes. And someone you can rely on to give you 20 a night.

Like, you have to be able to give things up to get something like that. That's the value that puts you in a situation. I mean, look at Jalen Brown. He's the MVP of the series if they win. Well, here's the thing. if you're reluctant on giving BAM up, I'd say this. Look in the East. Janus will shrink BAM.

Robert Williams shrinks BAM. So if you're, if you look at the East, every time you get to the end of it, BAM's going to be much less dependable offensively. Well, that's the issue. That was the issue with BAM in the postseason was you did not get enough. Defense, he's going to do what he does. That's great. Defensive player of the year candidate.

But he did not give you enough offense. You're seeing what Marcus Smart is doing in the postseason. Like, you have to be able. to be reliable offensively to contribute if you're going to be on the floor that much. So the USFL playoffs are set. The New Orleans breakers beat the Tampa Bay Bandits, 17 to 6 to secure the final postseason spot.

So they will take on the Birmingham Stallions in one semifinal matchup and the New Jersey Generals and Philadelphia stars will meet in the other semifinal when the playoffs begin on June 25th. So the Stallion's undefeated season is over after losing to the gamblers, 17 to 15.

The Panthers beat the gym. generals, sorry, the generals beat the Panthers 25, 23. Houston Gamblers beat the Sallion, 1715. Breakers beat the bandits, 17 to 6. And once again, the Pittsburgh ballers lose 17 to 16. Of all the spring footballs we've done, this is just my interpretation on watching a little bit of it, this is the best football. It doesn't have the biggest crowds.

It's not the flashiest like Vince McMahon's. But in terms of I can watch it and I see NFL bodies, it's the the best version of spring football for that. And it's also being bet on the most, which is one of the reasons is the league. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Ly News. The Bradley Beal to Miami feels right. That's the team that desperately needs him. And, you know, Washington needs a lot. But I think in the end, I never have a problem with a player taking the money for your first seven, eight years in the league. Get your first contract, get your second.

But by the third, if you're 28 and you've like been on a losing franchise, then at some point it's like, I want to win some games. Then I don't get it. Like, let's be honest about it. LeBron went to Miami. He wanted to win. LeBron was worth $200 million back. He wanted to win games.

And then LeBron went to L.A. By that time, he'd won, he wanted to build a brand. But I do think LeBron's getting tired as he looks at the West as it's getting better. I do think LeBriand's sending that warrior bat signal out there because he's interested. So I think the Celtics are going to play great tonight. That is my guess. And the way the series has worked, we just do this in the media. We do it as fans.

Whoever won the last game, I mean, first of all, that game four was insane. I literally didn't go to sleep for three hours. I had a cousin over at the house. We literally opened a bottle of wine, started smoking cigars, and sat and talked about the game for two hours. It was just incredible. But I think Boston plays great tonight. So there's six reasons I still think Boston can win. Number one is they still create matchup problems for the Warriors.

Robert Williams still, when he's on the floor, limits what the Warriors can do on the interior. So I think Marcus Smart can make things difficult. So the Celtics still have absolute matchup advantages in this series. And I don't think they're all solvable. I don't think the Robert Williams playing 30 minutes is solvable. Number two is it's been a seesaw series. It's gone back and forth, half to half, quarter to quarter, game to game. Whatever you saw last game, you're almost assured nearly the opposite will happen in the next game.

Number three is outside of Steph Curry, the Warriors are still struggling offensively to find a dependable second score. Wiggins was phenomenal in game four. He had like 15, 16 rebounds. Clay was hit and miss. Looney can be hit and miss. Jordan Poole can be major whiff or get hot. Reason number four. Boston hasn't lost back-to-back games in the entire series.

And if you look through the playoffs, they're not losing back-to-back games. They usually have some deficiencies, and people find them, most of them on offense. And then they, you may have Dukka move some things around. And then they solve that briefly. But they're not good enough. to really play poorly and win. Reason number five is that Celtics have already won at Chase. Over the last several years with this group of Celtic players,

they've really played very well against the Warriors, and they've at times played very well wherever the Warriors are playing. And reason number six is Jason Tatum is sort of due for one big game. Isn't he kind of due for one? Steff's had like four. We can just get one out of Jason Tatum. So there's a lot of encouraging signs, I would say, and one of them is Jason Tatum has not played a great game yet, and we're tied. That's pretty good.

I'd feel pretty good if I was a Boston Celtic fan. I like the Celtics first half tonight plus the points, plus one and a half. I think they, you know, I think they sense the urgency. Winner of game five usually wins the series. So I think you're getting two guys center of the ring tonight taking big swings. We know the Warriors will have a very good third quarter because it's the Warriors and that's what they do. So I think Boston leads after the first half. I think the Warriors have a big third and I think it's going to be absolutely fantastic.

Here was Tatum after game four. He knows he has got to step up. They're a great team. They're playing well. They've got to game playing things like that. But it's on me. I got to be better. I know I'm impacting the game in other ways.

but, you know, I got to be more efficient. Shoot the ball better, finish at the rim better. You know, so I take accountability for that. All right, Rick Buecker around the corner. Colin Wright, Colin Wrong, top of the hour. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. I'm George Reister, host of the Reister or Wrong podcast. This is the intersection where sports, business,

society and pop culture meet the truth. Absolute fire on Monday's, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Facts only. Make sure you check your feelings at the door because no BS is allowed. We keep it 100.

This is where real conversations happen. Listen to the Rights or Wrong podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'll say. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and 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 Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth,

or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose

on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. By the way, if I was the Milwaukee Bucs knowing that Bradley Biel could go to the Miami Heat or somebody in the east, if I was the Milwaukee Bucks today, I would trade Chris Middleton, a couple of first round picks for Bradley Biel. Beals better than Chris Middleton. You'll have a 1, a 1A, 2 level all-stars, and you're also keeping them away from Pat Riley. And if I'm Washington, Chris Middleton and two first-round picks, I'd take that.

So you can't just sit back. Golden State doesn't just sit back. The Rams don't just sit back. They add Bobby Wagner. They go out and add OBJ. A lot of people like they're content. Ooh, we won a championship. How's that work for Milwaukee in their history?

Upgrade. Chris Middleton. Send them to Washington and two first round picks. You get a better player Bradley Beale back at 28. Nobody's beaten Milwaukee in the East for years. By the way, if you're Boston and lose this series and they pulled that deal off, that'd be a, was that our big shot? Rick Bueker, Fox Sports, NBA, covered it since the early 90s.

So I was saying to start the show today, I said they're superstars and stars. And superstars are not only, you know, a star is an all-star, best player in a team, average is 20 a game. The league's got 20 of those guys at any one time. The difference is a superstar is you can throw anything at him. Utah had a great defense. Michael still got his. Celtics have a great defense. Steph got his.

And I think that kind of separates Stefan Tatum. And Luca, to this point, we've seen Lucas somewhat discombobulated. We've seen Tatum somewhat eroding. And I think this is what Tatum is. Rick, is that he's verbalized his lack of confidence. He's a really good NBA player. But if they lose this series, do we have to just acknowledge that's what Tatum is? There's no superstar here, just a really, really good player.

at least at least for right now Colin it is what he is right now and we use the term superstar way too loosely we apply it to to your point both superstars and stars and you are correct in terms of the difference between step and tatum and it's why i picked the warriors to win this series essentially because of the guy that you're going to go to in close games and i expect the rest of this series to be close games so but i don't want to dismiss or close the door on the possibility that Tatum can be more than what he has been to this point. Because so much of what he's doing or the mistakes that he's making are decisions. It's the decision making.

It's the boneheaded decisions that in the last game, I saw four or five of them in the first half. You simply can't have that from your best player. And so right now, it's why I don't want to put the ball in his hands or want to go, into this game five thinking Jason Tatum has to have this huge game. No, because when they've done that, when he's approached it that way, it means the ball's in his hand early, and he's not only getting his, but he's making decisions for everybody else. And his decision-making has been at the heart of his problems.

I don't have a problem with him shooting or looking to get him shots. I just don't want him to be the decision-maker and the creator of all those shots because he hasn't done a very good job of differentiating between when the shot is there for him to take and when he needs to be getting it to somebody else. So if you're Boston, do you throw the kitchen sink at Steph tonight, or do you expect Steph to have another great night? And, you know, he's had great nights in every game. They haven't won every game in the series.

They're two, two through four. What do you think the Celtics do? What do you expect from Steph tonight? I am trying, I'm going to make somebody else beat me other than Steph Curry. I'm going to make Clay Thompson have that game that everybody's been waiting for. I am, or Draymond Green or Andrew Wiggins, whoever it is, I'm going to make them beat me. Because this trying to wear Steph down while it has had a certain effect, the reality is that Steph has demonstrated that he can get through that. And so, look, I don't know how Boston is going to approach it, but that's how I would, I would approach it. I'm not going to leave it to Steph to beat me as the closer or the go-to guy, because he's demonstrated that he's the best, as we expected, as we would have expected going into this series.

Steph Curry has played like the best player in this series. All the other talk about. you know, what this means and where it goes with his legacy. First of all, we're 2-2 in the series. He's demonstrated that he's the best player in this series. That's what I expected him to do. Has he done a little bit more than we've seen in previous finals? Yes, how much that has to do with the Boston Celtics remains to be seen. But this idea that he's already the MVP of the series, it's 2-2.

We've got potentially three games left. Let's not rush to judgment. or change our thoughts about legacy until we actually have seen how this series plays out. I still think the Celtics have matchup advantages that force the Warriors to do things they'd rather not do. And I think it starts with Robert Williams. So if Robert Williams plays 28 minutes tonight, I would be the least shot person in the world if they clamp down on the interior, scoring for the Warriors, and nobody outside of Steph could hit shot. So I still contend the Celtics make the Warriors do things they don't like to do because of Robert Williams.

Colin, the Boston Celtics are the better team in this series. And Robert Williams is at the heart of that as a protector of the rim as you mentioned. Like everybody thinks of the Warriors as being this three-point shooting team. What makes them so lethal is their ability to finish at the rim. as well. Robert Williams has negated that in a big way in this series. So he has had his impact, and the Celtics collectively are the better team. They just have not always played up to it, and their decision-making has been at the heart of that. Yeah. What do you make of Andrew Wiggins? He was so good Friday. I mean, they really needed some interior presence, and I don't know what he

finished with, like 16 rebounds. What do you make of Wiggins? And how is he viewed inside the room in San Francisco? Well, he has made up for the fact that Clay has not been what you would expect offensively. And quietly, the reason that the Warriors have still been able to match the Celtics through this series is because he's made up for what Draymond Green hasn't been at the defensive end. He's been a huge plus on both ends, and it's why they've been able to survive without those other two pieces there. He is, without question, has been an instrumental part of this. Doesn't always make the big shot when you need it, but everything else is an ancillary player, he's been able to contribute. So I'm going to take, I don't even know who I like. I know Boston's

the better bet tonight. I think it's really close. I think Boston's going to lead at half. I think they know they have to lead at half because the Warriors third quarter outbursts. Your thoughts on what we see tonight? I would expect it to go a lot like we've seen these games go, where Boston has the lead in the first half, the Warriors close it in the third quarter, and then it's just a matter of whether, can Boston get any separation at the beginning of the fourth quarter, or is it going to be a possession-by-possession game at the end? If it is, then I like the Warriors winning it. If Boston can go in the last couple minutes with a double-digit lead, then I think it's It's there for them to take. Rick Buecker, as always, Fox Sports NBA. Good seeing you, Boop. You got it, Colin.

Tom Izzo and Rick Riley on the show. I did watch some golf over the weekend. There really is a hole. So I didn't yesterday. My wife's been sick. So, you know, being the good husband, I'm out there, you know, what do you need? What do you need? And she's just exhausted of me as much as she is the cold.

So I'm sitting there reading golf books and I'm sitting around and I'm like, and I forget, you know, because I don't, I tell you all the time. I go on, I Google what's on sports today almost every morning. And I forgot to do it on Sunday. And I thought there was a game Sunday. And all of a sudden about noon, I'm like, there's no game today. It's a big, what I was supposed to do? I didn't have anything to do.

You were a huge TV guide guy back in the day. Oh, no, no, no. I don't sit there and memorize it. Like I thought, you know, I thought it would be a Sunday. Usually the NBA put you on Sunday. Do you remember the TV guide, though? Oh, of course. Of course I do.

go through and like highlight. Yeah. Anyone in their 20s is no idea what I'm talking about right now. Every day to me is a fresh start. I don't know what happened yesterday. Every day is a fresh start. So I Google in the morning, what's on sports TV today? Like I'll do that during the college football season.

Like I'll wake. I don't care about that. I don't schedule my life because I'm not going to the game. So I'll get up Saturday morning. Game times for college football today. And then I'll look at it at 7 in the morning and go, okay, I can go for a jog now. I can get breakfast now. I got to watch the early Ohio State game.

Then I can go for lunch. Then I can hang out with the dogs. Then I watch Notre Dame. Like I, every day is fresh to me. And so tonight we get a game five, which I can't wait for. I think it's a really, I think we've had a great NBA playoffs. I really do. And, you know, first of all, the ratings talks irrelevant because if the NBA was available

on the market right now, every network would bid for it. I don't, I don't have conversations with people about ratings. You don't know what you're talking about. Networks pay millions of dollars to analysts, to break down ratings. You don't know what it is. There's a reason the NBA... I've got better stuff to do with my time. I mean, literally, hockey, their new TV deal in both Canada and the States, and nobody watches it here.

Hockey's got massive TV contracts from two countries. Basketball's going to be fine. It's fine. Yeah, it is. It's going to survive. I mean, that's my big hot take today. Basketball, professional basketball in America is going to survive. And it's game five tonight.

Tom is O'next hour. Colin Wright, Colin wrong on a Monday. Great to have you. in some Anthony Davis talk as well. Live in Los Angeles, it's The Hurt. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'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 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year.

It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, 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 IHeart 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.

This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.