The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Heat-Celtics, Butler

Episode Date: May 18, 2022

The Celtics simply ran out of gas in game one  vs the Heat Jimmy Butler has proved you can count on him You don't necessarily need to be from a big college to be a star Guest: Nick WrightSee 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,

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A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered 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 IHard 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. I mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Oh, it is a Wednesday. It is great to be here. We are live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Nick Wright stopped by today. It is great to be here. A lot of energy.

Caught up on my jet lag. Took a sleeping pill. Jimmy Butler was fantastic. And Joey Taylor's feeling it. today. Well, you know, I don't like to brag, but. Well, we all like to a little. Well, listen, they won game one at home.

That's what you're supposed to do. Exactly. I will say Jimmy Butler is not getting his due for being the star, the amazing two-way player that he is. Many believe that. I mean, he consistently puts up 40-point nights, and it's very casual, and I think he deserves his flowers. All right, there you go. So it was hard for me to watch last night and definitively say, yeah, that's what the series will look like. It's hard.

Boston was missing two valuable players. One, they found out minutes before tip off. They had three fewer days rest. They just got through a grueling, physical series with big, strong Milwaukee with a lot of front court guys. They were on the road. They were also missing Al Hartford. Lowry was missing for Miami, but Horford was so good against Milwaukee. In my opinion, Boston ran out of gas.

They led by eight, played a perfect first half, and then in the third quarter, it wasn't just bad. It was the worst quarter of the Celtics in the season. That was the worst shooting performance all year for Boston in the third quarter. Is it a coincidence? It comes in game one on the road after the Milwaukee series. Jason Tatum had six turnovers in the third quarter alone, the most he's ever had in a quarter. I thought the Celtics were flawless in the first half, but as I watched it, I thought,

they're not going to keep this up. They just banged bodies with a big physical team in Milwaukee. And I'll double down on my prediction. I think, I don't feel great about it because I don't think we have a great team left. I think Boston wins the series eventually because over six or seven games, they'll get more quality shots. Was Jimmy Butler great? His nickname is Jimmy Buckets and playoffs. Jimmy. I think I read a stat last night where he scored 40 points like six times in his career

and five have been in the playoffs. But game ones in the playoffs have always been really tricky. Because game one of a playoff series is the only game in a playoff series where teams aren't equally rested. I mean, LeBron for years would sweep the first round and sit around for a week and a half waiting for the poor Toronto rafters to move into town and get beat by him. last night Miami was rested, they're at home, they were ready to go, and Boston looked tired and was outscored 39-14 in the third quarter. And it was not just the way Miami played, it was that they all had energy, Jimmy Butler's second half energy, Bamadabaius second half energy,

PJ Tucker's second half energy. When you have extra days off, what happens? You usually are a little off kilter in the first half. Miami felt off-kilter. They hadn't played in a while. In the NBA, you're playing every other night. Boston looked really good in the first half because they just got out of a series. They were in tune, and it was a little like a boxing match.

Boston found out before the start of the game, oh, we're missing two starters. So they went for the howitzer. They went for the knockout early. Miami weathered it. And by the third quarter, Boston was shot. Jason Tatum was a mess. So there are excuses in life. Dog ate my homework.

And then there are reasons in life. Yeah, the bus broke down. That's why I'm late to school. Here's Jalen Brown afterwards. We definitely wasn't prepared to be without Outland Smart. So it's not an excuse. We got to be better. We still had control of the game in the first half.

We lost control in the third quarter in a little bit. And we just got to be better. Got to play better on both sides of the ball. More discipline. We foul entirely too much. And we let the game slip away from us. There you go. not an excuse.

There are reasons. Still like Boston in the series. There are no great teams left. You'll watch two other teams tonight. The Dallas Mavericks and the Warriors, they're not great either. They just have some great players. We'll talk more about Jimmy Butler in a moment. So I thought this was a big story.

I thought this story is worthy of our first segment. The U.S. Soccer Federation did something that was very historic yesterday. women's and men's national team unions agreed to a collective bargaining agreement and they will pay each the same. Now, a lot of it is contractual stuff. It would all bore you. But it made me think about something this morning. You know, my wife says this, we have six kids between us. And she says this, and I always think it's just such a great line.

She says, I don't love my kids equally. I love my kids uniquely because they're all different little human beings. And there's certain words out there that normal. What is normal? Equal. What is equal? I have a podcast network. It's called the volume.

I have men. I have women. Some are young. Some are experience. Some less so. There's podcasters and editors and executives. I don't pay everybody equally. I couldn't afford my company if I had to pay everybody as much as I pay Draymond Green.

He's my rock star. But the Olympics in the World Cup are a different business. Not only are they a showcase of our global talent, but they've got big corporations called the IOC, the International Olympic Committee, or in soccer, FIFA. Money's never an issue. In fact, they make more money than we probably know and give it to people. They probably shouldn't. Bribes are often considered part of landing a World Cup or the Olympics. money is not an issue.

What is an issue, though, is with all that money they make, how do you spend it? And I've always thought the World Cup and the Olympics are different. They're not only, we're not only representing our country, but we're representing to me ideals. I'll give you an example. My entire life, Russia has cheated at virtually everything. They're okay with it. That's what they stand for. And that's why the world doesn't like Russia.

We don't think they're good people. I'm not saying all Russians are bad people, but their leadership is doing bad things right now. So therefore, they're comfortable with that. And in my experience of watching the Olympics, even when they win, I think they're on the take. I don't have the men's and women's revenues in front of me right now.

Money's not an issue at the World Cup. Money is not an issue at the Olympics. How you spend it is. Our women have been globally dominant as long as I can remember. Now, I am older and my memory is not as good, but as long as I remember, our women have been globally dominant. Our men have been, as long as I remember, how do I put this nicely? Globally challenged, they couldn't qualify for the last World Cup. If our World Cup teams, and I was thinking about this driving in this morning, if our World Cup teams are a representation of us, us, collective, us as men, us as women, equally.

Equals a weird word. My wife doesn't love our kids equally. What are you saying? I love them uniquely. all right and that's how I run my podcast business you know uniquely but that's not what the Olympics are about that's not what we're about symbolism matters what our allies see what the world thinks of us and by the way we make a lot of mistakes I am not saying Russia all bad we all good but in this instance I don't want to hear about revenue revenue is

not the issue for the soccer federation. Okay, they're not discount shopping. Nobody's at Walmart here, right? It's how you spend the huge revenue you have. It's the right thing to do and the right time to do it. All right, there

go. So, I know you think I'm making a lot of excuses for the Boston Celtics. And I don't, and I've said this before, I compared them to yogurt the other day where they always brag about their consistency. And my takeaway is, I had three yogurts in the last two weeks, and they're all consistent. But that doesn't mean it was the greatest thing I even had until I ate lunch. But I did think last night,

you have to be fair. The first games of playoff series can be really tricky. One team has less of a series. One team's at home. Another team goes seven games against a physical team is on the road. Finds out before tip-off, they're missing the NBA's best defensive player who would have help guard Jimmy Butler. That's why Butler goes off, has better energy at home. So I do think Boston wins game two. I'm putting it out there. All right, a lot of things today.

Nick Wright stops by. Now, Nick Wright is, you know, he's really been on this Dallas Mavericks thing. Nick generally not terribly humble when he ends up on the right side of things. So we'll have to address that. I would imagine he's going to pick Dallas over Golden State. buy or sell a car from your happy place at driveway.com. Now, I don't know what your happy place is. It is a sofa.

Is it at home with the unlimited nachos? Is it on the morning, on the first tea? Chris Morning. My happy place is right here talking to you, America. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on 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 I-Hard 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, 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. 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 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's 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,

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. 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 Hardway 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? 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. I tell my kids, you don't have to have a lot of friends. You don't even have to have a best friend, but you'll be able to define it very easily.

If you had a major crisis in your life, who would you call it three in the morning? Even if you knew they had work in the morning, who would you call? That's your foxhole friend. That's the friend you call when you're in trouble. Get you out of jail. Get you to the airport.

Get you to the hospital. I had to call one of those a couple years ago. Jimmy Butler is a foxhole guy. Analytic people tend to think analytics and numbers solve everything. And they matter. I like analytics. I prefer man-aletics. Jimmy Butler's all man.

He's shooting 59% in the playoffs in non-three-pointers. That's like what wilt would shoot. That's what centers shoot that dunk the ball all the time. That's a remarkable number. He's very Kauai Leonard. He's get a bucket, get a stop guy. effort A plus, passion A plus. He's the anti-Benz Simmons.

But what he really is is something analytics don't measure. Competitiveness. I've said this about Aaron Rogers. The analytics love him. He's so pretty. But Aaron Rogers has a very small number of come from behind wins in his career. It's odd. Fewer than Matt Ryan.

Far fewer than Matt Stafford. Because Aaron's not a foxhole guy. He's a baller. but also a bailer. He's not there for you when you really need him. He's great when it's comfortable. And after the game, Eric Spolstra talked about what makes Jimmy Butler special, and it's not an analytic.

Jimmy Butler is an elite competitor. There's a lot of guys in this league that are playing basketball. He's competing to win. That's a totally different thing. And he does that as well as anybody in this league. Every time and pocket in the game when we needed a lot. control the game or get the right shot or make the right decision. Jimmy had his fingerprints on that.

If you're driven by competition and the stakes get raised, you're going to raise your level of play. And it's not about trying to get bigger numbers or it's about doing what's required. Be the last man standing last night Jimmy Butler was. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. One of the officials began direct meetings with Dishon Watson yesterday.

This is a new development, as the league looks to determine whether he violated the personal conduct policy and if so, what discipline should be imposed. He is facing 22 civil lawsuits from women who have accused him of inappropriate sexual conduct during massage sessions. sessions. So two grand juries and sexes have denied to indict him on criminal charges. And he has denied all wrongdoing. But as we know, when it comes to the league, you do not have to be indicted. You do not have to be prosecuted. You do not have to go to jail. You don't even have to be arrested in order for the league to suspend you. They can just determine that you violated the personal conduct policy and then they can suspend you. And that is up to the commissioner, obviously. They have not they do have panels and such, but it is not a, that's the process of it.

The commissioner is going to decide how many games he should get. Now, this is an unprecedented number of accusers in this particular situation. Obviously, the main one that everyone is going to pull up is Ben Rathesberger in 2010. He got four games. Now, this feels far more egregious because of the number. Correct. Well, yes, it is. I mean, it's incomparable.

when you talk about the number. But he got four games in 2010. Now, if you're looking at some of the other suspensions, obviously Ray Rice was indefinitely. Greg Hardy got four games. Ezeko Elliott got six games in 2017. That's probably a more recent comparison. Kareem Hunt got eight games in 2019.

My assumption is that it will be around eight games. That's exactly what I think. I think, and I've thought about this, like, listen, certain people are not going to be happy. unless you said the whole season. Correct. But also, you know, commissioners have that balance of, I work for the owners, I want to be reasonable, but very punitive. There's a lot of things weighing here.

I always start with eight. I start with it. It feels like eight games feels, again, what's appropriate? It feels more reasonably appropriate. Half the season, you're out. Well, Kareem Hunt's is the most recent that I'm looking at right now. and he had who was involved in, you know, this type of, you know, misconduct. Obviously not the same exact situation, but he got eight games in 2019.

So again, I would go to eight games as well. Once again, I don't think that this should be in the commissioner's hands. I've always felt that it should be a rotating set of diverse people that changes every year. The players and the owners and coaches can vote on who these people are. Commissioners get in trouble. Something similar to, I feel like we have this jury, something like that, but with qualified, diverse people that are voted on so that you pass the power onto these people. Maybe they serve for two years and then another group comes in. But it shouldn't be all on the commissioner to make these type of determinations, in my opinion. Yeah, no, I think commissioners in my life get into trouble when they have too much power in crisis situations and there should be multiple voices. So, yeah, I've never understood. If I was a commissioner, I would want so many people giving me input on this.

Well, I don't even think it's just on the commissioner. I would imagine that the coaches and players and owners would want this as well, because then you actually have conversation and it feels as close to, quote, unquote, fair as you're going to get in our society. I mean, we have this in place already. It's not a perfect system, obviously. But when you have a panel of people and you can select them as players, you can vote on who they are.

They're qualified. They're diverse. there's women, minorities, have a diverse group of people from different backgrounds who can weigh in on situations like this and make a determination. To your point, no one's going to be happy with how this ends up going. And quite frankly, this is what the Browns signed up for and Deshawn Watson, which is why they structured his contract this way. But I do think we were going to get, it's looking like, and I want to get out of ourselves here, but as things start to develop and the cases start to progress, it looks like we might get an answer before the season

starts on what's going to happen with Deshawn Watson. So the NBA is in the final stretch of the season, has the conference finals tipped off last night with the heat win. But that hasn't stopped us from looking ahead to next season, where it looks like five of the league's six top salaries are no longer in this year's playoffs. I saw this yesterday. I threw up in my mouth. Let's take a look at this.

Oh, God. So Steph Curry is making $48 million. I can live with that. This is for the 2022-23 season. Yeah. James Harden, 47.4, and obviously his contract is a point of conversation with the Sixers going into next year, which that could skyrocket. John Wall, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant. John Wall is making 47.4. Russell Westbrook, 47.1.

LeBron should be making, you know, whatever they could possibly pay him. But 44.5, and Kevin Durant as well is making 44.2 million. The other interesting thing about this list to me is that three of these players did not make the playoffs at all. One of them got swept in the first rounds. And of course, James Hardin was tragic in the second half in the playoffs this postseason. This is a rough list. This actually, look, I don't get really upset with what players make. I'm not running them that check.

So it's not coming out of my pocket. It really doesn't make any difference to me personally. how much people make. I'm a huge advocate for people making as much money as they can make at what it is that they do for a living. This is what basketball players do for a living. They play basketball. They want to make the most money. They can't play forever. We know all that. I do think, however, it feels like the NBA is making a bit of a shift now. It seems like we're kind of coming back, as we always do, big swings and things are starting to correct now, where you're looking at the teams that are remaining in the postseason. Who do we have? Miami. We already.

know how they build teams. Golden State. We already know how they build teams. The Celtics. We obviously know how they build teams. They've been in this process forever. And now Luca, another team that has drafted a young star, developed him and put pieces around him. It's all good coaching. Culture. Culture. Deep rosters, strong role guys, developed players. And you're seeing the results of that. And Milwaukee is all of that. And they won the championship last year. So I do think we're going to get into a space where teams are going to be less hesitant to make these big swings on the superstars that might not be reliable at that point, you know, several years down the road. We'll see how it goes. But that is a pretty, that's a rough list

when you consider three of them were not in the playoffs this year. John Wall has really monetized his brand. The brand. He's made a lot of money. Make your money. Doesn't play much, but he makes a lot of money. I mean, yeah, that's how it goes. Well, Steve Kerr has been cleared from the NBA's health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID before game four of the series against the Grizzlies. So despite his absence, the Warriors were able to go on and win the series against Memphis. And now they have Luca in the Mavs, which tips off tonight. Very excited for this series. Yes. Here is Kerr on missing Golden State's last two games. I just felt like a better test. I mean, if I give, you know, passes on to the team, I'll never, or give

myself. You know, not easy to sit at home and watch, but symptoms weren't bad at all. And it was just kind of my turn, you know, it seems like the last couple of years, practically everybody on our coaching staff and our team has had it at some point. So it was just my turn, but luckily, wasn't too bad. There you go. Well, glad to know that he is healthy and back. And obviously, they are their championship team. We're able to get it done without him there, but you're going to want him for the Western Conference Finals and the finals, and he's back. So, warriors are favored by five and a half tonight. I like Dallas to cover. Here's what will be interesting. Between Brunson and Dinwiddie

and Luca, I think they're going to attack Steph Curry to force Steph on the other end to play defense. And hopefully, because Jordan Poole's not consistent offensively, he's really gifted, and Clay's not quite where he's been. I think they're going to go after Steph and make Steph really defend as much as he possibly can, lean on him. And so I think Steph's, I don't see huge games for Steph in the series. I see huge games for Luca. But I think the surrounding players to Steph, I think Dallas is going to say, okay, if Andrew Wiggins beats us and Clay beats us, we're good with it. We're not letting, because I don't think deep down, Golden State, Lucas becoming a little bit like LeBron and Michael Jordan in his prime. You're not going to stop him.

Correct. Steph, older player, doesn't get quite the separation on his shot. I think you can throw bodies at Steph, make him defend, pull him down. And then, okay, if Jordan Poole beats us, we can live with that. I think the only way that the Mavs win this series,

and I'm not saying that they won't. I really don't know which way this series goes. But the way that the Mavs win this series to me is to be consistent. The thing about the Warriors that we know is they are never, ever out of it. They can go on a streak like that, and they're right back in the game, and they have the confidence to do that as well.

So you're not going to blow Golden State out like Memphis did. I don't think that's going to happen again. Luca's going to get what he gets. Everyone else is going to have to raise their level of play around Luca and be consistent throughout the series. Now, I'm sure Golden State has some tape. They watched how things went in the last series with the Mavs. I know everyone's freaking out about how Chris Ball and Devin Booker fell apart in the last game.

That's fair. But that was a seven-game series. It's not like Dallas walked all over the suns for the entire series. So I think it's going to be a good one. I think both of these conference finals go seven. Good stuff, Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Ly News. I know through the years, Nick Wright has rolled his eyes at the draft and develop and patient Boston Celtics. And if they don't win this series, I said this the other day. You can mock the Lakers, but in 35 years, they've got eight titles. And in 35 years, the Celtics have won. They have to get this thing. Jalen Brown, Jason Tatum, Marcus Smart. They got to get the bag.

They got to win one of these things. So Nick right now joins us live. First things first. I imagine a little bit of a glorious night for you watching Boston stumble in the second half, specifically the third quarter. Well, listen, I'm not anti-Seltics to the level I once was. I thought Danny Aange was running a bit of a Ponzi scheme always talking about the future and now he's gone

and by the way, Tademan Brown were his draft picks and so I give him credit. Now one would argue Brad Stevens in a summer made better moves than Danny Aange had made in the previous five years flipping Kimba for Al Horford. That seems have worked out quite well. But I'm not as anti-Boston as I once was. But I do, here's what I liked about what I saw last night.

And Colin, we acknowledge in the NBA all the time that there are guys that are legendary regular season performers. Yeah. That flatly every year in the playoffs get a little bit worse. Yes. You know, Carl Malone was one of these guys. Yeah, yeah. Carl Malone's regular season resume is one of the, I don't know,

eight greatest players ever. His postseason resume is not that, so he gets dinged. Obviously, James Hardin is one of those guys. We don't ever talk about the reverse. What about the only actual playoff gym? in sports, not the beloved Jimmy Garoppolo, but Jimmy Butler, a guy who in the regular season, how about this, Colin, the last six years, Jimmy Butler in the regular season has zero, 40-point games. But in the last three playoff runs, he has five of them. Yeah. A guy who went

toe to toe with LeBron for the first four games of an NBA finals. Last year, obviously, was bad for the heat. And now this year, he just annihilated Jason Tatum in the cell. And the Celtics all on mid-range jumpers and free throws. So, listen, I have a lot of respect for what the heat have built. I have a lot of respect for them fighting for the one seed. And I have a lot of respect for Jimmy Butler, who doesn't really seem to care about much other than get me to the playoffs and see what I can do. And, yeah, I thought it was that third quarter was a tour to force.

They played perfect defense for six minutes and flipped the game. And, Colin, by the way, if the heat had lost that game, what's the narrative? Oh my God, they lost at home. Boston, them smart or herford. Horford, the heat are sunk or sunk. Now the heat feel like they're in good position to win the series. All right. So you were very early on this, very early on Luca and Dallas being the dark horse.

The earliest. The earliest, exactly. Not the dark horse, the favorite. I mean, I picked them. Go to the finals two months ago. Tried to get you to ride with me. You didn't want to do it, but go ahead. All right.

So you have them, I imagine. beating Golden State, which has far more offensive depth. They've got far more playoff experience. Many would argue the elite coach. What is it about you? You like Dallas to win this series? Oh, yeah, I like Dallas to win this series, and I like Dallas to win this series easily.

I think it's Dallas and five. Here's the deal, Colin. So the simple explanation is that, you know, I told you two months ago that 15 years ago, we saw a 22-year-old transcendent town. who, you know, looks for the best pass for, he looks for the best shot, who's 6-8, who's stronger than he even looks, carry, you know, somewhat of a hodgepodge cast of no other All-Stars to the NBA Finals, and we're going to see that again.

So the simple version is, it's a legendary player who's been playing at the highest stakes against grown men since he was 16 years old, and this is the next step in his arc towards being one of the greatest players ever. The more complicated explanation, however, is one about the X's and O's of this series, and I think I've got a few things that'll shock you. Did you know this year against the Mavericks? Steph Curry averaged 20 points on 39% shooting, 29% from three. Did you know that this was, in fact, against the Maverick, Steph Curry averaged 67% from the free throw line. One would think maybe was beat up a bit. I think this is an awful matchup for the Warriors. I think it's the

worst possible matchup for the Warriors because they are going to have to go either offensive, or defense and it's not hockey and you can't do shifts. You're going to have Steph, pool, Clay, and Dremond out there in your crunch time minutes. Who's your fifth guy? Well, if you want to have another rim protector because Dremont's going to be out on the perimeter at times trying to guard Luca, you go Luni. Now you have no offense. Because now you have two guys, the Mavs flatly will not guard, and Dremont and Loney, and that can wreck you. So, okay, now we're going to go Wiggins. We're going to go Wiggins out as our fifth guy. Okay, then you have one rim protector and he's Dremond, who's all.

also the only guy who's any shot to guard Luca. So you send him to guard Luca, now you have no rim protection, you leave him inside. Now you're asking who to guard Luca. I just don't, I think that Jordan Poole's defense is going to be exploited. I think they'll only target Steph Curry when they really have to because Poole's the more exploitable one. I think missing Gary Payton Jr. actually really hurts him in this series. I think the Mavericks win tonight. I would not take Dallas plus five.

I'd take Dallas on the money line. I think they win both in Dallas. And I think it's 3-1 and Luca's not blowing a 3-1 lead. Yeah, I just think, I think that right now Dallas is rolling on all cylinders, and I don't know why people would listen to me on this one, except for the fact I've been right about the Mavericks every single step of the way, every game they play. Humility is one of my favorite qualities for Nick Wright.

Now, so you like Daryl Morey, I like Daryl. But we went and looked up a couple days ago, championship teams over the last decade. You don't have to be perfect. You can have flaws. What you can't have is a terrible. contract. It literally lessens your bench, lessens your flexibility. You sign James Harden long term. You'll have the worst contract in the NBA for four years. Now, Daryl made a promise,

probably told him privately, I'm going to sign you. But it's very easy, since the fans and media will support you that the owner for the Sixers could come in and say, Daryl didn't get it okayed by me, we're not signing him to a long contract. I think it takes them out of the championship window. 50-45 for Hardin is you're out. You're not winning championships. You're not doing it. You won't have Milwaukee's bench or Boston's bench or Miami's bench. What do you do with a Hardin factor because deep down people believe Darrell Mori promised James Hardin, you're here to end your career. Well, I don't, listen, I don't know if Daryl did that or not. I haven't heard that he made any promises. I understand why people would think he did because they have such a long-term

relationship, but Daryl's not a dumb man, and Daryl knows he's, you know, the one thing he hasn't done in this league is when a championship make the finals, despite having some great teams. I think everything is on the board with Hardin. I think it is on the board he simply opts in to the $47 million. I also think, you know, there have been, I think Brian Windhorst was the first one to mention this. If it wasn't him, I apologize for misquoting him, that there was a rumor that Hardin's plan was to come to Philly and take less money so they can supplement the team. You got to keep in mind.

James Hardin is made between the Adidas contract and his MBA contracts already half a billion dollars. And I understand James Hardin likes going out, but you can't spend half a billion one dollar at a time. So I'm sure he's got a lot of money left over. So I do think there is a chance. Thanks for getting the joke, Joy. I do think there is a chance that James Hardin signs long term, but it is not for this $45 million a year. Everyone seems to be preemptively concerned about a contract that James Hardin has not signed and has not yet been offered.

Obviously, giving James Hardin 5 for 270 would be a disastrous maneuver. I do not think that contract is going to be offered to him. All right. You know, I love Chris Paul. He is 37. He was 14 for 14 in a close. out game a week earlier and now he's supposedly bad. What did you make of the meltdown by Phoenix?

What was your takeaway on that? Well, a number of things. One is, you know what they always say, Colin, 37, incredibly young to be America's most accurate sportscaster, but incredibly old to be a starting point guard in the Western Commerce Finals. And all of a sudden, he looked his age. But Colin, I don't know how much you're a believer in the basketball gods or basketball karma, but my takeaway was the basketball gods did not like how the Phoenix back court was conducting themselves. Game one of the series. Let me present you the evidence.

Game one of the series. Luca drops 45. CP3s asked about him after the game. CB3 scoffs says, oh, they got a lot of good players, including Theo Pinson, who didn't even dress for the game. That was a little serious.

Game two for the series. After they attack Luca defensively, Chris Paul and Devin Booker are smirking out of his other and Kee-Kee in on the podium. Did that remind you of anything? Reminded me a bit, and I said at the time of LeBron and D. Wade, mocking Dirk Novitsky, a different Mavericks legend from a land far, far away during game three of the NBA finals. And then, so right when that happened, Chris Paul stopped playing well. And right after that, two times mocking Lukadontz, basketball God said, that's enough, my friend. This guy's a legend. We're not going to

have it. But Devin Booker had only done it once. He was fine. Then Devin Booker had the audacity to turn to the cameras after a flop to get a flagrant foul and call it the Luca special. From that moment forward, Devin Booker shot 22% and had 11 turnovers and 22 points the rest of the series. Not great. So I think those guys played with a little bit of fire. I think they were mocking Luca. I think they were scoffing at the basketball gods. I think all those things. And you don't do that with legendary players. And so I think if you're the sons, you have a fork in the road moment because Sarver's not going to keep Chris and pay Aiton. The question is, everyone's talking about them letting Aiton walk. You already have Booker. Do you pay Aton and find a home for

Chris Paul, like a home, I don't know, sunny Southern California. You can get Russ. You can get off another contract, get some picks, buy out Russ. I'm just saying, Lakers like old guys. Chris Paul can get on LeBron's, you know, a rehab schedule. It could all work out. But I don't think they're going to have, it's not going to be the same team. And I feel like the Devin Booker Chris Paul Windows slammed shut. Yeah. And a young Slovenian man slammed it on him. All right.

Nick Wright. So I like that it's not only Dallas beating Golden State. It's beating them quickly. And so my fan-dold bet today was Dallas plus five or five and a half and Steph Curry under 27 and a half. Because I think like you, I think they're going to throw a ball. I think they're going to make Steph work on the defensive end. And they're going to let Jordan Poole beat them or Clay Thompson.

That's my takeaway in the series. Yeah. All right. All right, well, that seems complicated. I'll just bet Dallas to win. You got under points. You got a plus five. Let's just go Dallas on the money line, my friend.

Let's make it nice and simple for the audience. Good seeing you. Welcome back, my friend. Thank you. Watch Right with Nick Wright, podcast, new episodes every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Thanks, my man, Nick Wright. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd.

Weekdays at 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. 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

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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. 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 all 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.

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, Ryan, Korn, 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, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. All right, welcome back. So I was sitting there last night

watching Jimmy Butler take over the second half of the game. And, you know, it's funny, years ago, I remember this was like 25, 30 years ago. I was at, you know, some event or something. And some parents were talking about, they wanted to make sure that, you know, the schools saw their kid, the big school saw their kid. And I said, trust me, if your kid's good enough, he'll make the pros. Figure out a way to make the pros. Too many parents think you have to go a certain route for your kid to be successful. They've done studies that it's much more important to send your kid to a

that fits than Princeton. But it's really hard to tell parents that, keeping up with the Joneses, got to go to a blue blood. So here's the top 12 players, in my opinion. We can argue about it, the bottom. But the top 12 players left. Some would have, you know, Andrew Wiggins in there, but the top 12 players left. Luca didn't go to an American college. Jalen Brown went to California, Marka Smart, Oklahoma State, Steph Curry Davidson, Clay Thompson, Washington, Washington, Jimmy Butler Marquette. Now, Spencer Dinwiddie, Colorado. There's a lot of football schools in there.

And you say, you say, well, there's a Kentucky guy and a Duke guy. Mm-hmm, yes. Two from college Blue Bloods. Well, what about the Nova and Michigan State guys? No, they went in the second round. Doubted, doubted, doubted, overlooked. Much like NFL quarterbacks, shouldn't they all come from Ohio State? I mean, Alabama?

Shouldn't they all be from like the Blue Bloods, Notre Dame? Five stars. Go to a linear progression to college. And then you go to the NFL. But that's not the way it, that's not the way it is. A couple of years ago, there were three quarterbacks starting from North Carolina State and two or three from Cal. Because to be a professional athlete is not just about talent. It's about intelligence.

It's about cohesiveness and maturity. and it's about toughness. Pro sports are hard and they're tough. And Jimmy Butler's tough. And Draymond Green is tough. And Jalen Brunson is tough. Of the top 12 players in the game right now, still playing, zero are number one picks.

Zero are number two picks. Of the four guys from Blue Blood basketball programs, two were overlooked. They're second round guys. And it just goes to show you once again. You would think, you see this all. the time in the NFL. Look at all the great quarterbacks.

Russell Wilson, third round, Wisconsin. Tom Brady, six round. Joe Burrell had to transfer. Big Ben, Miami of Ohio. Aaron Rogers Jr. College. Matt Ryan, Boston College. Dack, fourth round. Jalen Hurts, second round doubted.

Drew Breeze, wasn't offered by the Texas schools. Had to go to Purdue. Time after time, after time, after time. When we get to the playoffs, the hard schloid of just slog of going through the playoffs, the tough guys survive. It's not the Blue Bloods. It's not the pampered.

It's not all Kentucky guys. It's not all Duke guys. For years and years, it's changed now. But I can remember about a 10 to a 15 year period where Duke guys stunk in the NBA. I don't even need to mention names, but they were getting overdrafted because they were Duke guys. But Duke guys had the best coach, like Alabama players have the best coach. Like Alabama players have the best. coach and the quarterbacks at Alabama never get hit and the wide receivers at Alabama,

there's like three so you can't double any of them. You know, in college, the Blue Blood programs, you have the best players, the best coaches, the best facilities, the most time to throw as a quarterback. It doesn't work that way in the NFL. And so I thought it was interesting. Jason Tatum's from a Blue Blood School and Bam, out of Bayou is from a Blue Blood School. But Jalen Brunson, Villanova, second round, Draymond, Green, Michigan State. that's a blue blood, second round.

You'll get there, but toughness is undervalued. Metal, coachability, chip on the shoulder, totally undervalued. The CFOs that get it, get it, the CFOs that don't, don't. Head to netseweet.com slash herds, special one-of-a-kind financing. That is netsuite.com slash H-E-R-D. All right, Miami with a one-all lead, Mavs and the Warriors. Out West, start tonight. podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to Look Back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clivert Show on the I-Hard 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. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.