The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Nick Saban vs. Jimbo Fisher, Warriors, Celtics, Baker Mayfield

Episode Date: May 19, 2022

Why the Warriors are playing with a sense of urgencyNick Saban's comments come off as being manipulativeColin has some good advice for Baker MayfieldWhy the Celtics needs to win it all this yearSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I don't care which 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 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 I Heart Radio app,

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I love today's show. Joy Taylor is joining me. Bruce Feldman in one hour. Sabin Jimbo Fisher. Gloves are off this morning. haven't seen anything like this in a decade in college football. This is old school. It's unbelievable.

Joy, how are you? Old school is definitely a word I would use to describe what's going on here. There are a lot of older people having some trouble adjusting to the new worlds. Put it politely. Barkley and Shaq yelling at each other last night. Well, that's normal. Jim O'Fisher yelled each other at the sport. All right, let's talk.

Start with the Warriors. Maverick series. Dallas will not shoot that poorly the rest of the series. Dallas had 25 uncontested three-point shots. They made eight. It was brutal. I've never seen a good team miss more open threes. But I said after game one, Celtics heat, I couldn't take a lot from Miami's win. They had three more days rest. They were at home. The Celtics lost Marcus Smart right before tip-off, their best defender. They came out of a grueling series. I can't take much from that series. I still like Boston in six.

But I watched last night, and I picked the Warriors to win in six, and there are some things that Golden State does that could give Dallas trouble, and it may not change. Now, Dallas will shoot better, and Luca will bounce back. He's had some atrocious playoff games, one or two, always bounces back. But here's the issue. Dallas was rested. Dallas was healthy.

And Dallas got worked by Golden State's defense. And I said this. My prediction was before the series. Phoenix did not match. up with Luca. Outside of McAil Bridges, and he's not a great matchup, they don't really have enough bodies to throw in him. Booker can't guard him. Chris Paul can't guard him. Jay Crowder's too slow. Aitin's not quick enough. But Golden State's got three guys they can put on him, and they can take turns. Draymond Green, elite defender. Andrew Wiggins, high-end defender. Jonathan

Coominga, wildly twitchy, athletic kid you can put on four or five minutes to half. Body after body after body, and they're going to make things, there'll be obstacles for Luca. Now, he'll bounce back, this is going to be a tougher series for Luca. And he's single-handedly carved up in game seven Phoenix. He's not going to do that here in repeated games. Also things that work in Golden State's favor. Dallas look tight. Well, they should.

They haven't been here before. Golden State look relaxed, but they should. They've been here a lot before. Also, very rarely does the favorite play with more urgency. But those Golden State guys, Clay, Stefan, Dremont, they know this could be it. They're getting older. They're getting injured more. The favorite here is playing with more urgency.

I mean, Dallas knows there's a long runway for Luca and championships. They got 10 more years of this stuff. And so the only concern I had about Golden State, offense is about talent, defense is about motivation. It's hard to play defense. You have to motivate guys to play defense. Did Golden State so troubled Dallas? Did Golden State so discombobulate Dallas so easily that on the defensive end, are they going to get that effort in their next home game? That's the thing I worry about because we know Golden State, even with KD, has a history.

Teams that are brilliant offensively, Clay and Steph and Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins, teams that score quickly can take their foot off the gas. Now, we've talked about this. If you play great defense like the Celtics, they have bad games, but they bring that defense. Like, that's pretty consistent. Golden State didn't even show up against Memphis. They barely got off the bus. They lost by like, they were down by like 50. That happened when Kevin Durant was there.

When buckets come easy and for Golden State, they come fast, they come in threes, they come in bunches. Sometimes they have a history in the last six, seven years. They take their foot off the gas. Now, they're favored by over six points in game two. that seems like a lot because Dallas is going to, they're going to hit some of these shots. They had 25 open threes. They got great looks. And if you play Luca, the way they played Luca, you're going to get other guys open. And they're going to hit more than eight. If they hit 13, 14, I mean, if they had a hit three in the first half, we'd had a real game at half. But Steve Kerr talked

about it. They threw a lot of looks at Luca and it was effective. I thought Wigs was fantastic. You know, Donchich is as difficult to cover as there is in this league. I think it's important to try to make him work. He's so good. You know, any great player in the league, you're just trying to limit the damage that they do. There are real matchup advantages for the Warriors over the Mavericks, and you could see it last night. Dallas will shoot better and they'll win a game or two.

But in Boston, Miami's case, I didn't feel like game one was a tell. I kind of did last night in game one of this series. Okay, we got a little fight going on. So Nick Saban has dominated college football. And Nick, I like Nick. I know Nick. Spend a little time with Nick. I like Nick.

But Nick is very manipulative. he's got something to say a message. Joy and I have joked about this. He goes to the podium and you can just throw him a question and he'll go to another direction because he's got a message he wants to send to college football. So Alabama this year, Texas A&M out recruited him and beat him on four or five, five-star kids. And so Nick, in front of some of his boosters, the big money guys, as the NIL now, you can buy that high school player occasionally, right?

So Nick last night said this, taking shots at Jimbo Fisher and A&M, and it was in front of some of his well-heeled donors. I mean, we were second in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team, made a deal for name, image, and likeness. We didn't buy one player. But I don't know if we're going to be able to sustain that in the future

because more and more people are doing it. that's sending a message. I need more money from the donors. Texas has oil money, energy money. Texas is a much richer state than Alabama. Sark can recruit. Jimbo can recruit, and they have richer donors. They got more money.

And so he's sending that message. Those guys buy all their players. First of all, Nick's being a hypocrite and I love him. But when Nick Saban got to Alabama, he gray-shirted players for two or three years. It's considered sleazy. It was considered sleazy. Big 10 coaches see it as treasonous. It's a bad deal.

It's too complicated for people that don't like recruiting like me, but a lot of coaches see it as sleazy. It's over recruiting a year before. And Nick did it because he wanted to get good fast. And he over recruit guys and then pair them off and send guys that couldn't play to, you know, Troy and the schools around there. It was a way to have fewer whiffs in recruiting. And a lot of coaches like went, I heard from coaches.

A lot of coaches are like what Sabin's doing sleazy. Nick did whatever it took. That was the transfer portal before the transfer portal. Okay, Nick, you know I'm right on this, and that's true. It was legal, but it's kind of sleazy. Well, you can buy high school players now. It's a little sleazy, but it's legal. You can.

I don't like it. I've said before, I think NIL, you should have to be in a college campus for, like, say, a year, and then you can be paid as a sophomore, a junior, or senior. I don't like the idea that Nick Saban or anything. anybody goes into a high school, a 16-year-old's house and buys them. That feels like that's not the intent of NIL is to reward college kids, not to buy high school kids, right? So I think there needs to be some guardrails on this. It's like the NBA has a one and done.

You know why they do that? Because the NBA doesn't want their general managers at high school games. They want them at Duke or Carolina. They don't want their general managers, you know, Jerry West and his prime at a high school game in, you know, South Carolina. And so the name image likeness I'm not comfortable with. But anyway, Saban took a shot. Texas A&M bought all their players. And there are rumors.

I've had a few texts from coaches. There are rumors about A&M doing that. Jimbo Fisher this morning responded. It's a shame that we have to do this. It's really despicable. It's despicable that somebody can say things about somebody and an organ. More importantly, 17-year-old kids. You're taking shots at 17-year-old kids and their families.

They broke state laws. They're all money. We bought every player on this group. We never bought anybody. No rules were broken. Nothing was done wrong. It was all in the way we do things, the ethics in which we do things. And these families, it's despicable that a reputable head coach could come out and say this

when he doesn't get his way or things don't go his way. By the way, Nick Gray-shirting, and I like it. what Texas A&M may be doing, I'm told. I don't like it. In both cases, what are you going to do about it? I mean, there's always loopholes. That's why rich people have accountants. Try to stay ahead of the IRS.

There's loopholes. You can take advantage of loopholes. In fact, a rich guy may fire his tax accountant if he doesn't find loopholes. So don't get me started on this. I like Nick. But Nick talks always with intent. Nick is always intentional. No exceptions.

Nick never just ad-libs. Nick, from the day he's been to Alabama, sends messages. And he was sending messages to his donors, I need more money. We're going up against those Texas schools, and Alabama's not a rich state. Texas, I think, is the third richest economy in this state. California, by a mile, New York, Texas. They got big oil money, and those guys love their college football. And they got big energy money, and those guys love their college football.

And their longhorns and their Aggies. But Jimbo took it a step. step further. He went after Nick personally. Some people think they're God. Go dig into how God did his deal. You may find out about a guy that a lot of things you don't want to know. We built him up to be the czar of football. Go dig into his past.

Boo! Getting salty out here! I'm going to defend Jimbo Fisher. I'm going to defend Jimbo Fisher. Nick's being a hypocrite. Nick said it for a reason. Nick made it personal. Nick went over the line.

Nick needs to apologize. There is no proof Texas A&M is buying players. My gut feeling is no proof. Nick needs to apologize. He needs to call Jimbo and apologize because he picked on kids. He ripped a coach. He ripped a program. It's unprofessional.

And Nick Saban, frankly, is held to a higher standard. Nick Saban is Mount Rushmore. He's up there with Woody Hayes and, you know, Bobby Bowler. and whoever you want to put up there. Nick owes them an apology. By the way, sometimes you're step in it. I've stepped in it. You step in it. Nick stepped in it. But don't kid yourself. He did it to send a message. He did that right in front of donors and boosters. And it should be noted. Sark is a hell of a recruiter. Jimbo Fisher is a great recruiter. And now Lincoln, Ronnie, at USC with his Texas connections, he's pulling kids out west. Texas is not going to be as friendly to Alabama for the

several years. That's salty. But you know, you start telling, you start calling guys out, you kind of stepped in it there. And Jimbo's right. I don't love Jimbo firing back, but Jimbo has a right to protect his integrity, protect his university, protect his players, protect the players' families. I totally back Jimbo Fisher on this. Woo! College football season started today. Nobody better pick on Lincoln Riley. You think I just defended Jimbo. Fisher. Oye, yoie. 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 which I'll say it. 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 podcast, The Clifford Show.

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

This is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. They're 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.

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None of the bull. Bruce Feldman's going to join us. Next hour, that stuff is spicy as joy says so here's a story baker mayfield's still in the cleveland roster baker mayfield doesn't want to be in the cleveland roster the cleveland roster now includes deshawn watson and the nfl is down in texas right now figuring out what to do with joshan watson a lot of variables a lot of moving parts ian rapaport suggested yesterday they need to make amends and baker mayfield knows

Cleveland is a place he should probably play. Now, Baker doesn't want to. Egos hurt, and those Oklahoma egos are sizable. They come with a big chip on both shoulders. Baker lose the Oklahoma ego. Go to Cleveland play and get a second chance. Because nobody wanted you. Seattle thought about it.

Carolina thought about it, and they're both rebuilding. No good team is. interested at all in Baker Mayfield. So your career is essentially in the toilet. You've got some money. So do a lot of people. What do you want your legacy to be? Number one bust. Cleveland's roster is still good. DeShon Watson's going to get spent maybe seven to eight games. I looked at your schedule this morning. You can go five and two, six and two in that schedule, and guess what? You'll get a second shot. But more importantly, it will flip the narrative from cocky, ego-infused Baker to, you know,

that took a lot of guts by Baker Mayfield. I'll tell you, that kid put his ego aside. That's a team player. That guy is somebody I could build around. Because right now, all the narratives on Baker, he's one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the world. I think he's probably one of the top 25 quarterbacks in the world. But the narrative stinks.

The talent doesn't. We know he's talented. The narrative in this league, I talked to a gym about this. He's toxic. he's totally toxic. People don't even want him in the building as a backup. Too much snark, too much ego. How do you change that?

Because your talent is what it is. At this point, you're not going to change your talent. And the good teams aren't interested. You can change the narrative. So in life, change the stuff you can change. Go to Cleveland. Ego aside. Go perform.

Head down. And people will say, you know, I always like that guy. You know, he can be a little, a little much, but I think he learned his lesson. I could sign Baker to a throw it. We could build around Baker. We'd give him a little bit of protection. Most of the stuff in Baker's life, he can't change. He can change the narratives.

Sometimes in life, you got to eat a dirt sandwich before you get the Philly cheese steak. Remember when Shaq and Kobe split up? Shaq went right to Miami and won titles. Kobe didn't have a number two until. Pilgrisal. And so for like a year or two, Kobe sort of had to eat that. Ah, Shaq won the divorce. Just like Brady has won it. Maybe Mac Jones becomes great and then Belichick gets his turn. But the trading deadline is week what? Seven, eight, five and two. Suck it up, head down, be appreciative, perform, good team, good old line, excellent weapons, great running game. Nice coach.

Joy with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, news on the Kyler Murray front has been a little quiet lately, but there were some rumors of possible trade, and maybe the situation between the Cardinals and him remains unsettled. They're not really sure what direction are going in, and they're going to give him an extension.

Is he going to sit out? He does want a new deal, and he reportedly won't be too eager to play under his current contract, which would be $11.4 million in salary and bonuses in 2022. But what he is expected to be looking for is an extension a little north of what Derek Carr got this offseason. He signed, Derek Carr did, a three-year, $121.21.5 million extension with the Raiders in April. Now, I hate talking about people's money, especially people that who are obviously eventually going to get paid. Yeah.

Because it's just kind of an exercise in futility. But it did seem like there was a little bit of animosity brewing between the organization and Kyler. There were some stories about if he's really a good leader. and, you know, do they know if he's the future or not? Kyler Murray is the guy. And this is why I maintain this the entire time with Dak Prescott, and I will do the same with Kyler Murray. You already know if you're Arizona,

what life is like without Kyler Murray. Yeah, bad, not good. Stinks. You know that. You've walked that walk. So you don't want to go back to that lifestyle. That's a bad. That is not a redeemable lifestyle.

NFL team with a lousy quarterback situation. Not redeemable. It's not what you want to sign up for. Now, whatever questions you have about Kyler Murray, I think an extension like this is very realistic. And this is what I think, I think if you got, and Jerry's kind of talked about it, he wishes he had done the deal with DAC earlier.

If you do do a deal like this earlier with your young star, then you don't get put into a situation where you have to pay $230 million guaranteed, which is now the market for a top quarterback in the league, thanks to Deshawn Watson. Now, I don't think that Kyla Murray is in a position to necessarily demand that. But, as I always say, you should probably budget to have to pay your quarterback. that's like the one position you should want to pay because that means you have a guy. Well, if you own a broadcast network that does sports,

you have to budget for the NFL. Everything else you can live without. If you don't have the NFL, ESPN, Fox, CBS, you're not a viable sports network. So you have to budget for that. You may lose money on that. Okay, so the bottom line is, in this situation, is... It's a good thing to budget for.

Flip the telescope. So Arizona is saying, We'd like to pay you, but we'd like to do it after this year. We'll ask yourself this. You're not going to draft another quarterback as long as Kyler's there. Correct. So you've got to pay him a little early. Is it really the worst thing to pay him early if you look at the gambling money coming in?

If you look at the revenues going in, like to me, I look at it and think, even if, because I think Arizona is a little worried about the hurt thing. Okay, let's say he misses two games a year for the next three years. Would you take Kyler for 15 weeks a year? sign me up because I saw the Josh Rosen thing for three and that's not what you want. And there are so many good backup quarterbacks on the market now who are once former starters. Like the level of backup quarterback that you can have in the building now and pay a reasonable amount is insane. Like look at the backup quarterbacks.

Mitch Chubesky was a backup quarterback last year. Like that's a very high level backup quarterback. Right. So it's not like you're going from Kyla Murray to someone you've never heard of before. There are a lot of solid guys out there in the league and talent that can step in and win you and split that two games, which is all you can ask for from a backup quarterback. Yeah, and I just think if you really like somebody, if you're really into somebody's skill, you're going to pay them. Don't lose sleepover when you're going to pay them. No.

Like Dallas kept putting it off and putting it off and putting it off and putting it off and in the end, there was no value. They overpaid for him. Like if you like somebody and there's really, he's the closest thing to Russell Wilson. in the market. He's Russell, but not quite Russell. There's not a duplicate. Like, go. There's also one Russell Wilson.

There's one Patrick Mahomes. There's one Josh Allen. There's one Joe Burrow. There's one Justin Herbert. All of these guys are so different. There's one Lamar Jackson. This is a, forget paying for the corner and the receiver. You should want to pay your quarterback. That means you have someone worth paying, which is what everyone is looking for.

And that's a good situation. So the Celtics and heats have game two tonight. Yeah. And they will likely get Marcus Smart back. He is listed as probable with a midfoot sprain. Al Horford is still in health and safety protocols, doubtful for game two. The heat will also be, again, without Kyle Lowry, who's only played five games this postseason dealing with a hamstring strain.

Max Drews and Gabe Vincent are also questionable for the heat in game two. So we're getting to that part of the season where guys are, guys have put in the time. starting to get a little banged up. Yeah. Other role players are going to have to step up for everybody. I mean, the injuries has been a part of the conversation in the postseason all the way through. Obviously, Chris Middleton, John Morant. So you have to balance your roster.

This is why you want a deep roster. You're dealing with injuries. You're going to have to overcome it. Everybody has, and that's just what the situation is. You have this in every postseason. But this particular game, I think, is going to be on the lower scoring side. The Celtics are going to come out with a lot of energy, try and limit the mistakes that they had in the second half.

Likewise, the heat, that initial first half in game one was a disaster. I don't think they're going to do that as well. I think it's going to be a defensive battle tonight. The heat are favored by three and a half in game two, according to Fox Betts. And the Celtics just announced that Derek White will be out due to personal reasons. So it's going to be a lot of adjustments from the coaches tonight messing with these lineups to make sure everybody's on the floor. All right.

So we had a little moment on the show yesterday where we were discussing Luca Donchich and his, we assumed lunchtime. If it had been posted when it went on the internet, it would have been breakfast time. Now it appears it may have been dinner time beverage choices, but this picture of Luca Donchitz went viral yesterday. He's having a beer with his coach, Igor, and Bobon. And there was some debate when it was.

It wasn't really actually confirmed before we got off the air when the picture was taken. Right. Well, Mav's spokesperson confirmed two TMZ yesterday. It had not been taken yesterday. morning at 9.30 in the morning. All right. So we don't know exactly when it was taken, but it was not a game day beer.

Congratulations to all the guys out there who were freaking out. I'm like, Luca, I have a beer on game day too. No, you're not. It was a little early to get your beer on, but, you know. Yes. Also, you know, he's at the facility getting some shots up and, you know, getting ready for the game. But that did not go

very well for the Mavs yesterday. 20 points. The few is for him in this postseason. Seven rebounds. Four assists. seven turnovers for Luca in game one. The game wasn't terribly surprising to me. Again, I think these series will go long. Game one usually goes to the home team. And Golden State's done this a time or two.

So I still think it'll be a long series, but that was a rough start for the Mavs. It was. A lot of missed open Jays. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurdline News. Marcus Smart is probable.

So if he plays, I think Boston can win tonight. But it, you know, it's interesting. Sometimes in sports and in life, you can be too patient. Now, patience is one of those things. Oh, patience is a virtue. Yeah, a lot of the times it is. It is. But sometimes patience masquerades as cowardice and fear.

Be honest, player. You're just, you're afraid. You're not patient. You're afraid. Boston has moved to me. If they don't make them move this off season. If they lose to Miami, they've gone from patience to cowardice to fear-based. You have to win this year.

The Raptors in the East fell apart physically. The Miami Heat are starting two undrafted guards. Philadelphia had the hardened mess. The bucks lost Chris Middleton. This is the year. This is it. You're not beaten Milwaukee fully stocked next year. Miami has a way of attracting free agents.

they're not going to be starting undrafted guards forever. It's time. If you can't get through Miami, take a big swing. Lakers do. Eight titles last 35 years. You've got one. It was the one time he took a big swing. K.G. Ray Allen.

I'm not saying you move everybody. I'd keep Jason Tatum. But Jalen Brown, good B-plus player. This year, his field goal percentage was down, his scoring was down, his three-point percentage was down. He's peaked. He's good. But this is what he is.

This is what he is. good B-plus player. Marcus Smart, just one defensive player of the year. Yes, he did, and he deserved it. And for eight years, he's played his butt off on the defensive end, hit the floor, got run over, and that, my friends, wears you down. He's still a limited offensive player. What about Robert Williams?

What about him? $11 million. He used to be cheap. They gave him an extension. Now he's a little expensive for a guy that's limited offensively, and he's hurt all the time. Draft and develop. Green Bay, the patient.

sometimes feels like fear and cowardice. If you can't get past Miami with two undrafted starters, Milwaukee no Middleton, Raptors fell apart physically. Sixers had the hardened mess. I didn't even mention Brooklyn. Chances are Kyrie and KD play more regularly.

Like, you got to make moves on this. I'm over the, you know, we're just, we're patient here. You're the second biggest brand in the sport. Like, I understand Green Bay. Players don't want to play in Green Bay. Like, I get it. They have to draft and develop.

They're missing a leg on the bar stool. You know, you can get players trading, acquiring, drafting, and then free agent, and they don't get the free agent thing. Not very much. I get that. But Boston, big money, great history. But enough with the future and enough with patience. You don't win now.

You've got to take a swing. And again, I've seen the Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown, Mark is smart. You do realize they're all just better versions of what they were three years ago. That's what they are. It's the same group of guys. Marcus Smart's never going to be a one or a two. He's always going to be a defense guy. Jalen Brown's never going to be a one.

On great teams, he'd be a three. Jason Tatum is a one. Now, he's not a LeBron one. He's not a Luca one or maybe a Janus one, but he's a one. They always say that about kids. Your kids' psychology is developed by like 9 or 10. If they don't grow up with abuse or violence, you know, statistically, they're safe from a lot of bad things that happen in life.

It's the same thing with athletes. Athletes come into this league with a certain ceiling. You don't come into the league as a C ceiling and go to an A plus guy. Kevin Garnett, LeBron, young players, one and done. Jason Tatum came into this league with a chance to be an A player. Jalen Brown came into this league with a chance to be an A-minus B-plus player. That's what he is. Marcus Smart was going to be a C-plus to a B guy, all defense.

It's exactly what he is. Robert Williams, nobody saw him as Shaq, Akeem, M. Bede. It's not what he was. That's why I didn't go to a basketball power. Long, can play 11 a game, four or five years in, four years in. So I think you've got to take swings on this stuff. If this is the year, if you can't win it this year, you're not winning it. And by the way, again, Golden State, Jordan Poole is just moving into his prime.

Jonathan Cominga, you know, they're going to end up being very viable for years and years. Phoenix is probably not going away. Dallas is only getting better. I'm just talking east. But this is the path for you. It was laid out for you. You lose tonight. You go down 02.

You lose this series. Take a swing. I'm over the future thing and the patience thing. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays and noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Do you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game? What's good? This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson.

Let me tell you a little bit about my new series, KJ Live. KJ Live is the only show featuring me going one-on-one with the brightest basketball minds on the planet to get the real. And when I say real, I mean that real. I got legendary Hall of Famers, elite coaches, and the top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things who's culture that you will not find. anywhere else. To make your next move, your best move. And tap in with me on KJ Live, wherever you get your podcast from.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I 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 which I'll say it. 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 Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

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

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

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

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, I Heart Radio app.

Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. You know, for years and years, Rick Buecker was working in the Bay Area and watching this Warrior's Dynasty. And we were talking about this this morning in the staff meeting. This dynasty could actually be greater. If it wasn't for injuries, they would have beaten Toronto.

That would have been four titles. And they lost in a game seven on a shot by Kyrie Irving. It could be five titles. Like they've gotten unlucky physically. They've been unlucky. They've had multiple players hurt. The year they lost the calves in LeBron, Dremont got suspended. They had an injury.

Andrew Bogot got hurt. Then the year they lost at Toronto, they were a much better team than Toronto. But literally six guys on the team were hurt, all of their stars. Nothing against Toronto. love Canada, but Golden State would have won that series if they were reasonably healthy. And so here they are again, and you look at it, and I watched the matchups last night, and I'm like, I mean, Dallas is going to shoot better, but I mean, they're going to give Lucas some problems. Wiggins, Draymond, Cominga, they got bodies to throw at them.

Phoenix only had one. McHale Bridges. Rick Buechers joining us live. You know, you've covered these guys for a long time. I made the argument very rarely does the favorite play with more urgency. but Dallas has a long runway with Luca. They got 10 years of this. But you could make an argument, this is it.

Like Steph's getting older. Clay's not the same guy. How long can Draymond go? I mean, I look at them right now and I'm like, they played with an urgency last night. You often don't get with a dominant favorite. I mean, do you think this is their last potential run at a title? I wouldn't go that far,

but I do agree with the idea that the thought that Clay, Dre, and Steph are back, and so we're back to 2015, 2016, is not an accurate one. They do have reinforcements coming. But can Jordan Poole be all of that? And how are you going to make that transition? Where now he becomes a dominant piece of it and Clay and Steph become more complementary pieces. Is James Wiseman going to, is he ever going to show up. Can Jonathan Kaminga come in and be a defender at the level that Dremont Green was and be an offensive weapon? I can see where someone is being optimistic and say, look, all the pieces are there to continue and you can add life to Steph, Clay, and Dre. But that is really an insult to how

special they were in their heyday. And for example, the missing piece, Andre Iguodala, and how vital he was to the last run and he's not there. So I don't know if it's urgency where, hey, we like we got to make, we got to take this opportunity while we can or simply it's also a matter of how they play. They're going to play at a faster pace than the Dallas Mavericks are. And I think that's one of the great issues facing Luca and the Mavs is that the Warriors just play in a different way than the Phoenix Suns do. That's right. They are much more difficult. to decipher and to find the puzzle pieces to slow them down. And that's going to be the challenge.

I do think that they are going to rise to that challenge as the series goes on, that this is going to be a competitive series. If nothing else, they're going to be a much different team in Dallas than they were here. This is not an invincible warriors team by any stretch of the imagination. They have a lot of, they have a lot of self-inflicted wounds. Right. But as of right now, as long as the warriors don't do what the Phoenix Suns did, and I can't underscore this enough, there is nothing more powerful than a superstar scorned. And as long as Draymond doesn't get into Lucas face and start telling you're not all that, Jordan Poole doesn't start, you know, mouth and all. Like they don't challenge Luca the way the Phoenix Suns did. You saw Luca. Luca. Luca didn't play with this.

the same absolute fire in game one that we last saw in the Phoenix Sun series. That to me is where they have to be smart and not ask from more out of Luca or produce more out of Luca than he's naturally going to give. Yeah. Also, by the way, Phoenix doesn't play. Phoenix plays downhill. They don't have the three-point shooters. When they're down by 10 late, Phoenix is not a good basketball team. Golden State's often more lethal down late because they take more threes. So Phoenix has a way to play. They've got to develop an ability. Milwaukee took a while to figure out how to play from behind, not just downhill. I want to move to the east, and I said this earlier, is that patience may be a virtue, but it becomes cowardice and fear-based if you're patient for

too long. At some point, this is not a 401K. Okay, and the Lakers pivot-off players and are impatient. They got eight titles in 35 years. Boston has won, and it's the one year they went and got KG and Ray Allen. And Jalen Brown's an excellent B-plus. And Marcus is an excellent defensive player. And Robert Williams is a nice limited big. If you can't beat a team with two undrafted guards, Milwaukee Chris Middleton's out. They're better next year.

Brooklyn won't be that much of a circus. Like to me, if you can't win this series, Rick, for Boston, let's get over the Green Bay Packer theory of draft. and develop. You got to go take a big swing. I keep Tatum. I consider moving anybody else to get a number two star. My take on that, agree or not? I agree with the idea that if they can't beat the Miami Heat, then there is something seriously flawed with this Boston Celtics group. Now, taking game one, not having Marcus Smart, not having Al Horford, I think you're overrating Tatum. I don't put him in the category of the point forwards, the superstar point forward,

the Luca Dantzich's, the LeBron Jameses, the Kauai Leonard's. And you saw it in game one, because while he is a dynamic scorer and he can be a very good defender for his position, he is not by any stretch of the imagination a playmaker. That's why they missed Marcus Smart so much. He's also not a culture setter in terms of the toughness of the team. Again, Marcus Smart and Al Horford provided that. So as I look at this team, their biggest weakness is they don't have that tough, emotional leader if Marcus Smart is not on the floor. They don't have a playmaker.

You saw with Memphis, John Morant goes out, you have Tyos Jones. Tough, smart, backup point guard, highest assist turnover ratio in the game. that allowed them to still function without their big star. Jason Tatum couldn't fill that role without Marcus Smart not being there to be the playmaker. So for me, that's the missing piece. If you want to say I'm holding on to Tatum and to Smart and I will change out everything else, I'm good with you. I'm good with you there because I do think you can build around Tatum. I think he can become an even bigger star.

But I don't put him in that category of if I've got Kauai or I've got LeBron or I've got Luca, like all other bets are off. I think Marcus Smart is a vital, vital piece of this team. By the way, I want to ask you a Laker question. So a story leaked the other day and everything leaks with the Lakers. If they're thinking it, it gets out. But usually because they want it out. So the story got out there that they were, I only have a minute left.

They were asking coaches, how would you make Westbrook work? I think the Lakers wanted that out. So it makes the rest of the league think they're not as desperate to get rid of him. Right? Like, hey, we're going to make this work. I don't think they are. I think they're moving him. Right.

But what did you make of that story leaking? Two things. One, whenever you're looking for a coach, it allows you to canvas the league just to find out how people are thinking or to find new ideas. That's why you bring in six, seven coaches. You're just looking for information. You're looking for how people do things different. They are asking a question that they don't have an answer to.

That's why they're asking everybody. I dare say, Jeannie Bus, if she was, well, she's not going to take a bus, but if she was at the corner waiting for a bus, she'd probably be asking everybody there as well. What do you think we should do with Russ Westbrook? Because it is the number one question in terms of trying to make this team work. And the reality is they're not going to hire anybody that has a solution. Not if it means we're playing for a title.

This is a flawed roster. It is not going to play for a championship. But that is what the demand of being a Laker and running the Lakers is. You're supposed to be playing, especially if you have LeBron James, you're supposed to be playing for championships. So I believe it's a fact-finding mission. and if somebody comes up with a great idea that they hadn't thought of, who knows?

Might even get the job. Doesn't mean that they're going to get it done. Rick Buecker, good seeing you, bud. Same. Yeah, it's when anytime stuff gets out, generally people want it out. I've got secrets in broadcasting.

You have secrets. They don't get out if we don't want them out. So when every single Lakers story gets leaked, there's usually somebody positioning themselves. So I thought the Westbrook story getting out, that they were asking coaches about Westbrook, the view was, hey, Lakers may not move off Westbrook.

So when they call teams, they are perceived as not being desperate. We're going to make it work. They want to get rid of him tomorrow. Rising oil prices, supply chain issues have compounded our inflation mess. Gold provides a hedge against it and can protect your family's wealth.

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seven days a week within the IHeart Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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 game. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast, 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me. 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, unfilts 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your

podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.