The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Luka Doncic and the Mavs

Episode Date: May 8, 2024

Colin points out Luka Doncic's ball-dominant style is not sustainable for an extended playoff run  He questions Jayson Tatum as a true Alpha for the Celtics as they continue to win in the postseason but Tatum remains their 3rd leading scorer Jalen Brunson's hard work is paying offSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith ruling. of two.

Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliver Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at

Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Boy, do we have a lot to talk about. A lot of things going on. In L.A. It's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening.

Thanks for making us part of your day. I had a late night last night. I'm going to try to get through today's show, J. Mack. A cigar hangover. Whatever. Nobody cares. A cigar hangover? Hey, listen.

The audience just wants performance. They just want me to go up here and talk. Are you as banged up as Luca right now? This will be my flu game. My cigar flu game. This is my MJ flu game. All right, well, I start with this. You know what I've said before.

I think Luca's great. It's going to end up one of the top five scores in league history. But I don't see him as a face of the league guy, and I don't see him as a guy holding trophy after trophy after trophy. He may be like Dirk, go get one. But again, number one usage rate player in the league. that means. He's got the ball in his hands more than any player of the league. And once again, like a James Hardin, you get to the postseason when you're the number one usage rate guy,

you're hobbled and you're run out of gas. Look at his three-point shooting. He's lost his legs. Janus, number two usage rate guy, got hurt. SGA, number three usage rate guy. His numbers are down from a regular season. These usage rate guys that always have the ball in their hands, it can work for short runs like Jalen Brunson's doing it now in the playoffs, but 82 games, you get worn down. All those minutes, all that dominance, all those possessions. And again, Lucas three-point shooting's got into the tank. He's actually now playing defense as well.

So he's hobbled. He comes in banged up, worn down, hobbled. Jason kids playing him through all this, and he's not the same player. So it's one of the things about maybe life and basketball, pick your spot. You know, NFL, you've got one game a week. If you're an offensive player, you've got 55 plays. Same in hockey. You're on the line.

It's 45 seconds. You play mad, crazy, intense. But in basketball, you've got to pick your spots. LeBron's 39. He picks his spots. He takes enough games off. He picks his spots. He didn't take a ton of games off.

Didn't want to play back-to-backs. Picks his spots in games. He's 39 and still robust. James Hardin, usage rate guy, late-night guy, 34 and looks old. MJ was great at P. taking his spots. And I think this is what's going to happen to Dallas is that, A, Luca, when he always has the ball in his hands, it's going to be hard to play with. Now, you could say, well, Kyrie, Colin, this thing's working. Now, half the season, yeah, would you be surprised if it blew up tomorrow or blew up next week or blew up at the trade deadline? The Kyrie moves a desperation move to get somebody that could play with him after they gave Jalen Brunson away and he became a star in New York. This is not an anti-Luca thing. It's a, when you get these players, the James Hardin, the Lucas, are two that jump out to me.

Janice, always, ball dominant, ball fans, asking a lot. Now they're asking Luca to play defense. He's worn down. He has lost his legs. Now, Lucas is always going to be able to score. He can go out tomorrow in the next game and score 45 points. But this is what I always felt Luca was. He was going to end up a top five NBA score, but his career would look more like Hardin,

better than Hardin, but more like Hardin. and then it would MJ. And so, again, the Kyrie move works now, but nobody in the league wanted him except the Mavericks. And never forget this. In the NFL, four of the last six teams where the quarterback led the league in passing, in a passing league,

either didn't make the playoffs or didn't win a single playoff game. Just like the NBA, it's about scoring. It's about having a star. Yes, Lucas scores that he's a star, but there's a way to do it. There is balance, and the Mavericks feel lobsided. Luca, his teams are lobsided. You have to get defensive players before this year to protect his defensive liabilities.

Now he is playing defense, but because of his usage rate and playing defense and the minutes, he's a broken down player. He's still great, but he doesn't quite look the same. So again, those NFL teams, four of the last six, where the quarterbacks led the league in passing, they don't make the playoffs, or if they do, they don't win a game. So it's the construction of the team. You follow, everybody talks, you know, lazy, lazy media people.

MVP talk, MVP talk. Nobody cares about that. Win the games. Nobody cares about MVP stuff. I mean, in the NBA, the MVP is your favorite story. Westbrook wins it. M. Bid wins it. It feels like the right thing to do.

Nobody wants Yokic to win it three or four, five times in a row because his game's kind of ugly. Whatever it is, I feel like, you know, this is semi-predictable with Luca. big score, high usage rate. When they ask him now to play real defense, you're just asking too much of a guy. He's broken down, legs are kind of shot. Again, he could drop 30 in the next playoff game, but he doesn't quite feel the same.

He looks a little gassed. And here's Luca on his poor shooting night. When you look at your shooting night, you know, what went into that? Who cares? We lost. We just got to move on to the next one. I've got to be better. We've got to be better.

and just, you know, we know for game one struggling, but we got to focus their great team, great defensive team, so it's not going to be easy at all. We got to play very good basketball and focus basketball for eight minutes. Now, the opposite star player in this league of Luca is Jason Tatum, who I do think will end up winning titles, which I would prefer over just a guy who scores a bunch of points. but sometimes you wish Jason Tatum was more aggressive,

took the game over more often. So he was only the third leading score for the Celtics last night, and he's only the third leading score for the Celtics in the playoffs, despite the fact he's their best player. So I would prefer unselfish players. First of all, they're easier to play with. All Jason Tatum teams tend to be good and have good chemistry. So that's not the case with Luca.

He couldn't get along with Brunson. The Kyrie thing works now, but it could blow up. So I prefer the Tatum version of this NBA star. He just plays well with everybody. I wish sometimes, though, the only question is there is with Tatum. I feel like, you know, he's sleepwalking through Miami. He's kind of sleepwalking through Cleveland. And when he has to go toe to toe with an aunt or a Luca or an SGA or a Jalen Brunson,

that could happen very soon, can he give me a 44 point night if Jalen Brunson is, or if Jalen Brown is off and Porzingis doesn't play, and I need Tatum against the Knicks, I need him to score 46 points. Can he give me that? Can he flip the switch? He may be able to do that. But it's interesting to watch Luca, who I think has a very predictable postseason again. Now when you finally ask him to play defense, and he does, with his usage rate, it's just too much.

He feels, and he's guys are human beings, right? You've got to pick your spots. With Tatum, I actually prefer that kind of star, but it leaves me feeling like I want more. 18 points, third leading score in the playoffs. Can you give me a little next level? And can he flip that when he faces maybe an aunt or when he faces a Yokic or whoever, probably won't be Yokic, can he do that? So it's interesting because Tatum had this relationship with Kobe Bryant,

and Kobe Bryant can be a very selfish player, but Kobe Bryant. but Kobe Bryant knew when to be unselfish. That's why he ended up with five rings. He knew there were times to get it to Shaq. Kobe knew there were times, take the foot off the pedal, get it to Gasol. Kobe loved playing with Biggs. And so with Tatum, I'm really interested to see how this ends. They're going to win the East.

The Knicks will probably push him five or six. I think they're going to win the East. They should win the East. And Tatum is easy to play with. But it's interesting to watch Luca with a high usage rate being broken down. And with Tatum, I get no holes in his game. before this year, Luca had a lot of holes, mostly defense. Tatum, he's a good defender, he's a good teammate, can hit a jumper, can drive score at the rim, can hit a three, not a lot of holes in his game.

Again, I just feel like sometimes grab it. Now, you say, Colin, there's not the perfect player. That's right. I mean, Tatum is graceful. He's got a refined game. It's very complete. But it's interesting to watch last night. The heavy ball usage rate guy that you got to cover for on defense historically,

who is harder to play with, looks gassed. Tatum, you wish he was a bit more selfish. Say what you want, but it's like he's conserving energy. Which one's going to end better? My guess is the Tatum. So am I being overly critical of Jason Tatum for wanting him to be more, and maybe he won't have to be? But I do feel like there'll be a moment in that Knicks series

because they play such great defense that Jalen Brown will be held in check, he'll be off. Porzingis may not be healthy, and that's why a potential Celtics Nick's series is so interesting to me because I think you're going to need a 46 point game from him, maybe on the road in New York, and I'm not sure, I want to see if he can

flip that switch. Here's Tatum on the win last night. Not counting your defense, 7 of 19 shooting and you guys still put up 1.20, even if you might be not your best offensively that you've got guys behind you that can step up and have big games. Really just what I've been saying all year.

We got a really, really talented team. shows the depth of our team and how we can win games in a lot of different ways. It just presents another challenge of, you know, what else can you do to impact the game in a positive way? Now, it is when I'm watching Jason Tatum, J-Mack, I really feel like this. I feel like he knows I can conserve energy against Miami. I can conserve energy against Cleveland. So it may be a very smart play on his point, but having your best player as your third leading score

as you go into your second series is different in the history of the league. That's just not the way it usually works. And my take is he's kind of just sitting back and waiting for the moment, and that's why I think the New York-Boston series could be great. I would prefer the Tatum star over the Lucas star. Easier to play with, always going to have better chemistry,

not a lob-sided team. You don't have to protect him on the defensive end. but I still do feel with Tatum sometimes I need 46 tonight and I think against the N, I don't think he's going to need that against Cleveland. They're going to fly through Cleveland. But the NICS series potentially, if they beat Indiana,

I think, you know, we kind of think maybe they will. I don't know if you do. But that's one one that to me is the best potential playoff series left, including the finals. It will be that NICs series that will force Tatum to do a Bronson. Yeah, it feels like the NICs, the way they play defense. their style will give the Celtics some problems,

and that's going to have to be Tatum to take over. By the way, have you noticed, remember early in the NBA season, the scoring was like laughable. Guys were scoring 152, and people were like, this is out of control. Sometime after the All-Star break, some numbers came out there. Scoring's way down, and the reps are swallowing their whistles. And who are the physical teams that are benefiting from this in the postseason?

Minnesota. Minnesota. OKC last night with the Dorcher Chamber. New York Knicks. So we're seeing a change quietly. Who can handle this physical play? With the refs are, let them play. No, this is a great observation by you.

So the NBA All-Star game has become embarrassing. And so the NBA was watching the scoring, and I'll give Adam Silver credit on this. Baseball can never make a move. Adam Silver and Roger Goodell, to both of their credit, watch the games, see an issue and tweak it in season. As if a commissioner can't do that. There was pushback. Well, it seems like you've made a change. Anybody here own a business?

What do I have to wait to the end of the calendar year to make a change? That's idiotic. Adam Silver looked at it. There's no question they did this. There's no question. Adam Silver looked at it and said, guys, the game now is too easy. It's aesthetically not as pleasing. Physicality in hockey.

We like it. Football. We like it. We like it in the NBA. Now, we don't want to have the Detroit Pistons tackling people. But what is making these games so intense? is your... It's physical.

And by the way, it's just like if you ever play basketball at the YMCA, it doesn't get snippy if everybody's just jacking threes. It's when bodies start hitting down low. That's when guys at the YMCA

will think about the NBA and what's at stake. So when you're watching these NBA games, the league right now, what they've done to tweak it has been marvelous. It is physical basketball, still a lot of threes,

but the physical basketball, to your great point, is really benefiting the Nix, well, the defensive teams. The Celtics, the Knicks, OKC, and Minnesota. I mean, more than anyone. The problem for Denver is they haven't adjusted to it, and that's why in game two, they're losing their mind, complaining about calls, Michael Malone running on the court. Denver has not adjusted to this physical play.

Minnesota's picking them up full court. I don't know if you know. They're like all in their face, and like they're just, Denver's just bothered by this. Minnesota adjusted. well, Chris Finch, who's coming on the show today, I believe. Just very smart coach, seeing what's coming around the corner, and, hey, let's adjust our defense. Well, the question with Minnesota all year was the construction.

When they went with the two bigs, it was like, is this going to work? It wasn't that they didn't have good coaching. I've said this over the course of the years, why we bring Finch on. They always look prepared. They never get blown out. They adjust very well. But it was always like roster construction. Conley's a little old.

Ant is emerging, two bigs. Now you look at it, and you're like, oh, you see this. their vision. They were building this puppy for Denver. They were building this puppy for Yokic and Denver and size and it's like, oh, what a nightmare for everybody. By the way, the Knicks lost Mitchell Robinson for the

playoffs. Another guy. Three of their top eight guys out. That eliminates any chance of beating like a Minnesota. And if they got to the finals, now they got small suddenly. Let's see tonight. If we want to do wagers, wager Wednesday. What's Indiana getting tonight? I think three. I would

it's close. Well, all Nick games are close. They win them all at home and they're all close. I want to take a look at the Pacers on the money line tonight. I'm sorry, Nick's fans. Hey, can I, can I, there's a story out about Jalen Brunson's putting up Jordan numbers, and I have a take on that. Yeah, it's called The Herd. I do takes and stuff, so I've got a take on that.

Good points today. You're carrying me. It's my Jordan game. It's my flu game. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the Iheart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

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

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple. podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer 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. Tript 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. 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, is 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 so i was a vacationing last summer in a little place in rhode island and there's this little sandwich shop i like to go to and one of the reasons i like to go to the sandwich shop is because i can see the effort the employees and the owners put into their work like it's just not your typical BLT like i like companies where i can literally see their dedication as a consumer and i am loyal to those companies And there's been stories this week about Jalen Brunson has now joined Michael Jordan in a very elite class of NBA playoff scores.

And Jalen Brunson is not Michael Jordan. But I can watch as a consumer Jalen Brunson's game and I can see the work he puts into it. Ball handling, floaters, finishing at the rim. The opposite of Mello, who was a natural score day one in the NBA, but I never felt adamantling. to it. Never became an elite defender, even a good one. Never became an elite three-point shooter. Mello

came in naturally gifted, but I never felt he was even in great shape. George Carl complained about that. There's a big difference. Jalen Brunson has talent, but I always appreciate LeBron in year 21 this year had his best year shooting

three-pointers. Think about that. Arguably the best player ever and LeBron is still working on his craft. With Mello, I just saw a long, agile, natural score. With Jalen Brunson, I see the time in the gym. Go to his college career. He averaged nine and a half points a game at Villanova. They won a natty.

He was the fifth scoring option. Two years later, he was close to 20 a game as they won a natty. And he was the man. That's work. He was a completely different place. player in two years. Even in these playoffs, his scoring average, this is remarkable, especially for a smaller player, it goes up every quarter. That is elite shape, elite cardio, elite work. I've said this. He and Tatum, he gets cleaner looks as a smaller player. He has so many moves in his

arsenal. And I remember years ago watching a center name, Akeem Olajuwon, and you would watch his footwork and you're like, that dude puts in time. Like that footwork Akeem had made other set. Go ask Shaquille O'Neal about guarding Akeem. He wrapped him in circles. Dwight Howard had just as much or more talent. He never developed a go-to offensive move outside of a dunk. That doesn't mean Dwight Howard didn't practice or Mello didn't.

But you go to businesses around this country, the really good ones, you can see the effort at that sandwich shop you love, at that breakfast place you're loyal to, at that airline you're more willing to go to. When I watch Jalen Brunson, he's not MJ, but MJ and Kobe were craftsmen. I mean, Kobe and MJ had three or four moves each that they mastered, just weren't going to stop him.

Chris Paul's got some of that. Chris Paul's not Duncan, not high-flying. That behind the back, back through the legs, mid-range fall away. I mean, he's got that thing down. Pat and has for 15. 10, 12, 15 years. So that's what I appreciate about Jalen Brunson.

He's a second rounder. He's not super vertical. He's not. That game, that's craftsmanship. That's just not going to the gym. We've all had that person in our family. I work hard. I put in 44 hours a week.

And then you see the employee that puts in 64. Like, that's what I see with Brunson. That dude has refined, polished, outworked people in the gym. Here's Jalen talking to. about how he views his offense. I think, what can we do? How can we be aggressive? How can we attack?

And where can we get the best advantage for our team? And it has nothing to do with me saying, I need to hit this amount of points. I need to hit this amount of shots. I'm reading how the game is being played. And that's just my mindset. And that's how it's always has been. Really considering Dallas is like, yeah, this isn't right.

It feels like between Dallas and New York, he's added layers to his game. I mean, that is putting in the time. There's 44, 46 hour a week guy, and then there's 58, 60 hour a week guy. You can see the difference. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, let's start with the Chicago Bears. What an off-season they've had, adding Caleb Williams, Roma Dundze, D'Andre Swift, Keenan Allen to the roster. Woo!

Strong offensive units. a tight end. Cole Commet believes Chicago is setting up Caleb to succeed. It's exciting. We've got a lot of young, talented players. And I think for the first time, in a long time, I don't even know if it's ever happened. We have a infrastructure in place for a high-end talented rookie quarterback to come in. So obviously Caleb's very highly touted. He's been that way for a long time now. And he gets to go in a situation with a lot of veteran quality, good players. and also a really good defense. Look at that.

That smells like 14 wins, doesn't it? 14? Geez. I mean, I know you're bullish on that division. That's played. I mean, you look at that, what we have on the screen. Sorry radio audience, but we give you the Bears projected offense. That's a lot of production right there.

That's a lot of good players. A lot of newness. Well, remember this. Roma Dunzee will not be your typical rookie wide receiver. So I've got it pretty well sourced from about four different people. They're like, whether or not he has a huge ceiling, we'll see. But as an adult willing to come in and make 65 catches, like he's a grown-up. He will look like he's been in the league four years.

So Moore and Rome outside, Keenan Allen back into the slot where he just totally dominates the slot defensive backs. When's the last time the Chicago Bears, Utah, oh, they have way more talent on offense than defense. Like never in my life. The only problem is... I mean, the best receiver ever is Alshan Jeffrey? Well, I mean, he's a good player, but that... No, Willie Galt was way better, right? I don't know.

You talk about my 70 80s, baby. Wait a minute. No continuity. Coach on the hot seat. Tough division. Well, I don't have them winning their division. Yeah, there's questions there.

But for the Bears, aren't you really looking? If you're the Bears, as I was talking to a friend that's a bear fan about a week ago, I said, expectations equal happiness. Don't be a Jets fan think you're going to win 12 when you're going to win nine tops. I said, if this year,

You only won eight games. You won seven last year. The division's clearly better. But like you lost two in overtime. You were highly productive offensively. You'd have to come out of this year and go, what an amazing rookie year. From seven wins to eight and that's amazing?

But what does it look like? With the Bears last year you won seven, you got blown out several times. You were a terrible fourth quarter team. You couldn't play from behind. If you're a team that can play from behind, you lose several close games to the Lions. the Packers. But you are clearly a consistent elite top eight offense. It can't all be about the

win total. I mean, for instance, go look at the AFC North. Cleveland could win eight, nine games and finish fourth. If Russell Wilson hits and the offense is productive, they may still miss the playoffs. Because Cincinnati with Burrow and Baltimore with Lamar are so elite. So with the Bears, don't talk about winning their division. Detroit's got a better roster and more momentum. You may not, I don't think you're as good right now. You may be as good as Green Bay, but I tend to think Jordan Love is a little, I mean, it looks like he's next level.

But if you win eight games, it may look different than seven last year. Okay, is Iber Flutes keeping his job if you win eight games? Tends on what it looks like. Okay, so if it, let's say you start out three and one, excited, and then they crater at the end. He's going to get canned. If they start out slow, he may not make it to Thanksgiving. No, that's a good point. When he wins matters.

So Iber Fluse needs to win in September and December. He could struggle in the middle. It could get choppy. If he starts 3 and 1 and ends the season 4 and 0, it'll be hard to get rid of him. And just wins a couple of games in the middle. They go 9 and 8, but they started strong and the ended strong. It's much easier to keep your job. That if you start 1 and 3, the wolves are out, you'll get no second chances.

If you end 0 and 4, you're done. It's like Justin Fields' last game against Green Bay. you're like, anybody on the fence is like, yeah. He doesn't look close to Jordan Love. So it does matter how you start and finish in this league. I saw a report that the schedule is coming out next week. May 15th. So that's exactly a week away.

That would make things very interesting for Bears fans. You get the schedule. Hopefully you got some cupcakes early. Any of you executives that want to leak stuff to us. Yeah. I'll help me with. Maybe rewards coming here with. Next up, the New England Patriots, the worst team in the AFC East.

They did find their quarterback of the team. future in Drake May. A lot of rumors that they were going to trade the pick. Well, de facto GM Elliott Wolf spoke to Adam Schaefter said the Patriots never came close to trade in the pick. And the talent and the person led them to selecting May third overall. Wolf added, we think there's a lot to develop there with him whenever that time may be. Yeah, I like that. Whenever that time may be. That's right. Let's let Brissette take the lumps early and maybe Thanksgiving you transition into Drake.

Nobody thinks he's a polished product yet. Don't love that. I want my guy right in the fire. Toss him in there. Right in the fire. Oh yeah. It's not like other than the jets, the defense is in the division. By the way, you do realize Lamar didn't go right into the fire and Mahalms didn't go right into the fire. Lamar went 32nd overall.

He started week 11. Josh Allen started week one, right? Yeah, pretty choppy first year. Joe Burrough started early, got beat up physically. It's okay to work people in life. Can't ask a 23-year-old person to do a 33-year-old employee's job? Sink or swim, baby. Can you handle it? Toss him in there.

Well, first of all, go out and get a real wide receiver, but that's harsh. Final story, this is a weird one. So Austin Rivers, remember the former Duke Guard? Yeah, sure. Who was in the NBA for a minute and his dad, obviously, is Doc Rivers. He had a controversial take yesterday on a show called The Pat McAfee Show. Rivers made the argument that the NBA has the best athletes in the world. I think many people agree.

Maybe, yeah, sure. But he added, I can take 30 players right now in the NBA and throw them in the NFL. You cannot take 30 NFL players and put them in the NBA. Let me tell you something. No NFL player could play in the NBA and no NBA player could play in the NFL. you may be able to get like, could you turn Luca into a tight end? Maybe. But let me tell you something about basketball players.

Adam Silver acknowledged they were getting their feelings hurt because of social media. It is not a pampering league. The NFL, the coach barks. You get your head knocked off. You get hurt. You have to play hurt. The NBA is a players league. Guy gets a sniffles.

Somebody says something mean on Twitter. The commissioner is there to comfort you. Settle down. The NFL, they coach hard, they demand you play hurt. It's a totally different culture. Now, do I think basketball is more skill-based outside of like kicker and quarterback? Basketball is more skill-based. I mean, if you're a basketball player and you don't pick up a ball for a month,

even Steph Curry would be like my shots off. In the NFL, if Tony Gonzalez took a month off, he can still catch a football. I do think basketball, golf, tennis, there are sports. like baseball you got to get in the cage every day football you don't even have to play high school football you don't have to play college football Antonio Gates and you can be a Hall of Famer so I do think there's more skill in a lot of sports but what football demands of you practice is hard play hurt playing crappy weather we don't care if you can't handle your Twitter feedback it is a hard league that creates men very early that's why NFL players

tend to have families earlier it at it demands you great up really quick. The NFL demands you get over yourself really quick. Tom Brady, the goat, getting barked. You couldn't do a Tom Brady roast with Hardin or with LeBron James or with KD. You could never do a roast like that. So the NBA may have better athletes, but the NFL demands a different level of accountability, toughness, mental toughness, physical toughness. Nobody cares that you played last night or yesterday. There is no load management. got more games. NFL's now going to 18 games, three more

playoff games, and you get tackled. So I'd take 82 basketball games over 1820. I get tackled games. First of all, I'd love to see LeBron after he retires, like Brady, go and get roasted. That would be amazing. That would be incredible. I don't think it'll happen. No, it's not going to.

But, like, of course, there's a million players out there. People are like, oh, look at the high school stats. Mike Evans had the receiver for the bucks, right? He is 6'5. Mike Evans walks into the NBA, he's a smurf at 6-5. In the NFL, he's like a jump ball receiver. NBA, he's like Josh Hart-sized. I think you could probably take a Luca or a LeBron in their prime and say,

fellas, we're going to ask you to play tight-end. But by the way, you would not be the sports-best tight-end. You would not like it. Charles Barclay is one of the biggest, toughest guys in league history. He tried out for football. He got tackled twice and said, I'm not doing this. Who wants to get tackled? When you could be CJ McCollum,

and make 50 million. Go to an NFL game sometime if you can as a fan. If you could ever get a sideline pass. Oh, come on. You cannot believe how hard the hits are. The speed. You cannot believe guys get up. Like Christian McCaffrey is your size.

And if you're by the field for a Niners game, you just cannot believe he gets up. So like NBA guys, and again, I think they're great athletes. I'm not denying that. But this comment is absurd. Nobody for either sport is going into the other sport. You cannot find 30 guys in basketball to play in the NFL. I do think you'll get in it.

It would be easier basketball to football, football to basketball, because the skill level. But that's what 30 guys? I mean, some of the twitchiest guys in the NBA could slide into skill position spots. Like a take Jalen Green of the Rockets, amazing athlete, ridiculous dunker. But where's he can go play wide receiver? Just go run, go routes.

Like the guy that the chiefs just drafted. No, he could run go routes. And outjump everyone. Be careful about, because at the end of the day, even the fast guys have to have a route tree, or the league goes, yeah, just move a safety over, and he doesn't have route. No doubt.

The great receivers in this league are the guys like Jerry Rice who can run past you and have an exquisite route tree. Like even Randy, now Randy Moss, you say, well, Randy, again, Randy was a great football player from day one, and that's the, he played some basketball. But I think we think sometimes a guy is fast. He's going to be a great NFL player. Rinaldo Nehemiah, go look that one up.

Was a world-class sprinter that went to the NFL. 49ers, maybe? Darius Hayward Bay. Speed has totally... I don't think he's talking about having an awesome career. I think he's just saying you could plop guys in there. Michael Parsons, by the way, 6-3-245. Do you know what that is in the NBA?

He's like too small to be a shooting guard. Michael Parsons, who's a tank. So, I mean, I kind of ride with Rivers a little more. The JJ Watt jumped on his case and was coming after him. J.J. Watt was realistic. He said, Austin, you're not employed in either. I'm going to slow down. What do you need to make a personal for?

Gee-G.J. Watt, a little angry. I'm not bad for my flu game today. I'm bringing heat. We're 30 minutes in, man. Come on. I don't have much left, but I'm bringing heat. It's like the first quarter of an NBA game. Jay Mack with a news. Well, that's the news. stopping by.

The Herd Lye News. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches. We talk to players.

We tell you stories. You download it. You listen to it. I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Ghalib on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

I don't care where you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper 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 J. 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. 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, Keer 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 Hardway and listen now. Saturday on Fox, it's the game of the year in the U.FL as the 5-1 St. Louis Battlehawks take on the undefeated Birmingham Stallions. It all kicks off Saturday at 4 Eastern on top. So the NBA does this thing. They take the last two minutes of a basketball game for transparency,

and they go back and they look at the calls. So, you know, it's so predictable. NBA fans are fixated on officiating. So the NBA went back. They had four missed calls in the last Knicks Pacer games, and the last game. And two were miscalls that benefited the Knicks. Two were missed calls that didn't benefit the Knicks.

sorry it's not rigged. So with 119 left, Miles Turner should have been called for a three-second violation. Benefit Indiana. 53 seconds left. Just prior to the incorrect kickball violation, Dante DiVintenjo should have been called for an offensive foul. Benefit, Nix, 52 seconds left. Nessmith should have been called for a kickball violation. Oh, that's a little bit of benefit of New York right there a little bit.

And then with 10 seconds left, Miles Turner should. should have been called for another offensive foul. And so you go back and forth on this stuff, and it's like, oh, that benefited Indiana. Oh, that was the Knicks. That benefited Indiana. That was the Knicks. Two missed calls. So, but again, the refs cost us the game is now the equivalent of, I didn't make the team because the coach didn't like me.

That's what it's become. You're embarrassing, right? You get that only your fanboy friends buy into that. By the way, the Pacers, you want a perfectly officiated game. You had seven turnovers. you were out rebounded significantly, and you shot very poorly from three-point line, and the Knicks did not.

And usually in the NBA playoffs, if you shoot poorly from three and they shoot well, you lose the game. And you did, and you didn't have a terrific fourth quarter. So, I mean, just on this play alone, after that screen call that everybody got worked up over, which, by the way, the league reviewed, it was the right call. After that screen call that everybody was outraged in Indianapolis, Indiana foul Jalen Brunson before the ball was inbounded.

Well, you can't do that. That's a heavy punitive against the team, so you get a free throw and a possession. So the lead went from one to fourth. That's the game. But no, it was the coach didn't like me. If you think the league is rigged for the Knicks, remember Tyrese Maxie for the Sixers, remember when he hit two bombs to beat the Knicks late?

They were up by six with 28 seconds left. Tyree Maxie traveled in one of the shots. and they didn't call it. So that benefited the Sixers shouldn't have counted Nixon to wrap the series up. So I know it's just easier to say it's the officials, but what the refs are doing in the NBA is they're not blowing the whistle as much. And so the games are a little choppier. And there's more fouls and, and again, it's really hard.

Think about officiating in the NFL. The hardest call is past interference, because it's almost always something you could call every place. You can call pass interference every play. But you don't want to stop the game. You don't want to muddy it up. You know, you want games. That's why baseball, by the way, they want the games to go two hours and 35 minutes, not three hours and 10 minutes.

College football. You want games to move. There's a fluidity and aesthetics and optics to a game. You don't want to call every foul. So the NBA has decided that you all, you know, at the trade deadline, All-Star game, we're going to let more go. The game's getting too loose, too easy offensively. It's not as pleasing. and it's been the right move.

But now you could call a foul every play. You could call pass interference every play. The NFL is always understood, and the NBA usually understands this too. Baseball doesn't. You're a television show. And so you don't want constant stoppages. You want some fluidity to the broadcast and the game. And that means some fouls.

It's going to happen. But you all want perfect officiating. But the Pacers got out rebounded, often having more length on the court out rebounded and outshot. And you missed a couple free throws and you had seven turnovers. Those aren't huge numbers. But I've said this, Minnesota's defense the way they're playing it right now, you could call a foul on the T-Wolves on every possession.

You could call a foul. I mean, I'm watching that Denver game. Jamal Murray's throwing stuff on the floor and everybody's getting worked up because the officials were letting stuff go. So as J-Mack very alertly pointed out earlier, Who is winning in the playoffs as the NBA has said, we're going to let aggressive win. Nicks are aggressive. Celtics play real defense.

Minnesota's hyper-aggressive. OKC plays real defense. Those teams are benefiting. It's just like cultural changes in the NFL. Oh, the defensive coaches like Belichick and Pete Carroll, they can't get it right. Andy Reid's flourishing. Sean McVeigh's flourishing. Kyle Shanahan's flourishing.

Offensive coach. all end up in the final four teams because there's been a cultural shift over 10 years in the NFL. Well, the NBA shift happened at the trade deadline. They're like, stop blowing whistles. The teams that practice hard, defend hard that are healthy, OKC, Minnesota, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, they're benefiting. I talk about this all the time in life. Life changes. Adapt or die.

Okay, ride the wave when it's working in your favor, Bill Belichick. But when the wave stops and you can't defend the same way, Bill, you don't put a defensive coordinator as offensive coordinator. You have to adapt. He didn't. He's out of work, right? As a coach. So I think Jay Mack really pointed to that is, you want, they went back the NBA and they went to four different plays.

Nick's benefited twice. And the one you crowed most about, the one that outraged everybody, that was the right call, the screen. Which it was. He was moving. He didn't give it. He didn't give the play. I think it was Defenzzo. It didn't give me any space.

That was the right call to make. But the problem was the kicked ball, which wasn't even kicked. It was off his hand. The refs called it a kick. The players were like, no, it's off his hand, let's review it. And then that was like not reviewable. I mean, the end of games in the NBA playoffs have been kind of crappy. Let's be real.

The refs keep butchering things. Well, they've been exciting, but all these reviews and the missed reviews. I don't love all the reviews either, but I would always rather get it as close to right as you can. But close to right isn't perfect. Remember, there's a reason sometimes in the NFL, the review will take three minutes. They're going to microfilm here. They're trying to get it right. And then the NFL often just says, we just don't have enough evidence after 38 looks at it to overturn it.

They may still not get it right. So the fans think review equals perfect. No, the review, I mean, I've seen this in college football all the time. They just don't have enough cameras. You know, in the NFL, you got 50 cameras. College could have 18. And so in college, sometimes you're like, I think he did it, but you don't have enough to overturn it. By the way, in court cases in America, with a jury, with prosecutors, the DAs, and judges, some people are wrongly imprisoned.

Some people are wronged in our court system. I mean, it just sometimes, I've got a better attorney than you do. I have a better argument that you do. Sometimes in college football, you just don't have the camera angle. the NFL, there's so many cameras now. You almost always, I mean, sometimes you'll watch an NFL game and go, where the hell's a camera? I mean, they got cameras on the flags in the corners.

But in college football sometimes, you'll be like, yeah, I think they butchered it. They just don't have a, they just don't have cameras to see it. So even with reviews, it's not perfection. I mean, you're on the freeway. A guy flies by. Nobody, nobody pulls him over. A guy's going slower 10 minutes later, cops see him, pull him over. There's still perfect.

We've got to get out of perfect. 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun,

thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the eye-heartedly. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.