The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Steph Curry is simply different

Episode Date: March 7, 2024

Colin points out what makes Steph Curry different from the other all-time great NBA players as the Warriors look ready to make another run in the Western Conference He shares the truth about Russell Wilson and why his biggest failure was his inability to connect with teammates We shouldn't be surprised about the Mavericks this seasonSee 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.

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Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The HARD 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 SportsRedio.com

or stream us live every day on the IHart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go on a Friday. Stop percolate. Thursday, my bad, Thursday. Well, it's my Friday. He hosts tomorrow. I get ahead of it.

Here we go. He's got his Thursday shirt on. Live 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. Well, we're all making bets now, right? So I think it's Denver and the Celtics. NBA basketball right now is getting crazy.

Games are nuts. Lakers game last night with seesaw. Up and down. What a weird loss. Denver Suns two nights goes crazy. Boston blew it in Ohio. You know one of my bets. We all make bets at this time. You've been a big Dallas Mavericks guy, and they're circling the drain. And I'm a warrior's guy, not because, you know, my relationship with Draymond, but I do think they're bridging the gap young and old. And last night, Jemak, they finally had Wiggin. was back, Chris Paul, Steph, they finally had a full team. I happen to miss it because I was at the Lakers game,

what we'll just call the debacle at crypto. At crypto. Goodness gracious. So they had a full team. Here we go. Everybody's back. Steph was amazing. Milwaukee hung for a while.

Warriors blow them out late with a gigantic fourth quarter. Here's a sample of Steph early in this one. steph has shown how mentally tough he is the warriors are shooting it so well gary another three when you knock him down and he gets no love look at him celebrating you know we pay so much attention

and probably should to lebron's greatness age and longevity we forget steff's 36 very soon is he the anti lebron in many forms built a dynasty with his first team super loyal to friends and relationships. Finesse over power, shooting over driving, leaves

oxygen in the room for others. Doesn't have to always be the number one guy. Just think about what he is dealt with this season, Steph Curry, Draymond Green long suspension, the death of an assistant coach, Andrew Wiggins, another personal leave, the drama of Clay Thompson going to the bench. Chris Paul arrives. Hall of Fame Guard. Uh-oh.

And then misses a big chunk of the season. Bob Myers leaves as a beloved general manager. He's also trying to connect two generations. Two of their best young players, 21 years old. And then you got Draymond, Chris Paul, him. And here's Steph, 27 a game, cool as ever, shooting 41% on threes. Drama has surrounded him. forever, even when he first got there.

Do you keep Steph, Monta Ellis? He creates the Splash Brothers. The KD comes, KD leaves, the Draymond stuff, the changing of the guard, Mark Jackson to Steve Kerr. None of it faces him. He's never frazzled and remains the absolute rock, foundational piece, the steady soul of this great franchise. Forget his superior game.

The difference between. him and other great guards, James Hardin and Kyrie Irving, is a mile wide in terms of leadership, a get-it quality, self-awareness, intangibles. He's a remarkable player. You don't get any of this ridiculous, I am the man, put some respect on it nonsense. It's all about basketball IQ, working well with others, making things work, lubricating, not agitating, adapting, evolving, dealing with KD. He's had a lot of players with a lot of baggage and drama. Just look at this year what he's dealt with.

And here the Warriors again. He's also never demanding on coaches. You know, I like LeBron, but he can be passive, aggressive, little drops in the media, putting pressure on a GM, an owner or a coach. We've seen it a half dozen times in L.A. And I think the four best guards I've ever seen in my life in professional basketball, and I've watched it since the early 70s. are Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson,

Kobe Bryant, and Steph Curry. And he's the only one that could play with all of them. Get along with all of them. You could put him on any all-time team. If he played with Michael, he'd be like, hey, I'll just run around. If you spot me open, throw it. Kobe was hard to play with.

Steph could play with him. He worked with KD. KD can be a lot. Got along great. He gets along with every. everybody. And that's an underrated skill. I love LeBron. Think he's the all-time best

at doing great things across the board. But there are some things about Steph I strongly prefer. And last night, another classic performance. The band is finally all back together. They add Chris Paul. It's a new GM, the death of an assistant. Clay comes off

the bench. Young kids everywhere. And they're blowing out Milwaukee. Here was Steve Kerr after. We feel like we We've found some combinations. We've got a, you know, we're three quarters of the way through with the season, so we've got a pretty big sample size of the different combinations out there. And so I think we're in a good spot now where we're able to put together the starting group, which has done a great job here the last month or show, and in a second group, now that we're fully healthy with a lot of really talented players. Great win, Warriors, finally, the entire unit is back, and I'll make my call.

Warriors end up in the Western Conference Finals against Denver. I'm calling it out right now. Celtics Nuggets make the finals. Warriors get to the Western Conference final. See how Steve Kerr said, we got some combinations now that are working. The season's going down, everybody's healthy, everybody's coming back. like what I see. So when Russell Wilson was in Seattle and he was crushing it, I was a huge Russell Wilson fan.

And people would always say, oh, you're a Seattle Homer, you're from there. You're a Russell Homer because he comes on the show. And I was like, no, I think he's a really unique player. He got a lot of guys drafted. I mean, he was on a route to the Hall of Fame. And he wasn't for everybody. But if there was ever a documentary about Russell Wilson, it would have to be titled, there's something about Russ.

Here we go again. he's now leaving Denver and Carl Mecklenburg, a very respected former Bronco legend, a great four-time all-pro, six-time pro bowler, said Russell Wilson isn't a leader. The foolishness that went on in his first year at Denver, a private coach, own office at the facility, family at training camp, other players didn't have those privilege, proved his self-centeredness. Here we go again. I've never seen anything like it. Multiple Seahawk players went public.

with a Super Bowl winning quarterback, hammering him. They didn't even do that with Jay Cutler. And, you know, I was told for years, a lot of guys didn't like Jay Cutler. Multiple guys didn't hammer him when he left. Zach Wilson, you heard private grumblings. Nobody goes public with it. Searck players went public. Former Bronco legends, go public.

Here we go again. I mean, Jeff, George, Colts, notoriously arrogant guy. I don't remember teammates taking shots at him. Elway could rub people the wrong way in Denver. You know, he ran the city. Nobody took shots at him. Peyton Manning ran Indy. Nobody took shots at him.

Cam Newton could be style over substance, little distracted. You know, but teammates loved him. I knew two guys on that team. They loved it. Matt Ryan left Atlanta, all that dead cap money limited the team. Never hear anybody taking shots at him. Aaron Rogers. I was talking to New York sports writer Ian O'Connor the other day.

A great author, he's writing an Aaron Rogers book, and he's like, you can't find a player. Any top player he's played with overwhelmingly, they love Aaron. Aaron may be disliked by some media or out of the room, but in the room, they like him. And here's Russell Wilson. Again, getting tagged by a legend of a franchise. Seahawks, Pete Carroll was done, Sean Payton publicly bashed him, then leaked stuff to a another reporter to criticize him? I mean, is it

overt religious conviction? I don't think so, because Kirk Cousins has that, and everybody loves Kirk Cousins. And Russell's better than Kirk Cousins in his prime. I don't know what it is in Seattle and now, Denver. Start the documentary. There's something about Russ. The gloves come off.

People just don't do that to bad players. I mean, McColl Hardman got crap because he called out an organization. I didn't call out really play. And people were like, whoa, McCull Hardman, who is he to say? It's a star player. And people taking shots at him. I don't know what it is. My guess is, and I've heard this before, that instead of building relationships, he's more interested in sponsorships.

He's more interested in the perception of how he's viewed than building relationships in a room. That's what I've heard. Before, more than once. But it is weird. It just doesn't happen. star players, two Super Bowl guys. We've had egos at quarterback, distracted quarterbacks, arrogant quarterbacks. Nobody gets criticized the minute they leave town more than Russ.

It's odd. By the way, Dave Canales was his quarterback coach. He was asked, you know, this week about Carolina, which basically has an offense that doesn't function. And he basically came out and said, no, this is not a, this isn't a spot for Russ. and that's a guy that has the worst offense, and he's a new coach, and wants to, you would think, have a quarterback that's functional,

and he's like, nah, he doesn't work here in Carolina with Russ. Wasn't critical of him necessarily, but he kind of knows Russ better than anybody, and he wasn't interested. And that's the worst offense by a mile. Well, New York Giants without Seacon, Sequin, Barclay. It's one of the worst offenses in the league,

not interested in Russ. Just, whatever it is, it is. Like, this is very rare in sports. J-Mack. those warriors, you have to acknowledge the shot making Milwaukee folded late. Are you more concerned about Milwaukee

or more impressed with Golden State? Are these the same warriors that lost by 50 to Boston like four days ago or a different Warriors team? Didn't have all their part. Oh, God. Last game of an East Game Road trip. NBA is just where I told my buddy last night why I went to the Lakers game with.

I'm not betting NBA regular season. Like too much, the Kings lose to the Bulls this week. could fall behind 19 to the Lakers in the first quarter. I was like, oh, wow, this is going to be a blowout. And the Lakers get smoked by the Kings. You see this Warriors Celtics game from the weekend, the Denver, Phoenix. Like, every game is absolutely bonkers. I'm sorry, I can't put that much stock in Golden States romp over Milwaukee.

Well, they had a 32 to 9 fourth quarter. It's not bad. It's not bad. I mean, that's what Doc Rivers does. I mean, he's a choke artist. Oh, God Lord, that feels a little harsh. By the way, what was the comment about this shirt? I received two comments about the shirt on the way to the set from my dressing room today.

That rarely happens. Are you feeling this or no? Well, I mean, if we had slop machines in here and craps tables, I think it would be perfect. Well, the shuffleboard game we're going to play in the final hour today. This will work well with that. Andy Reid, Super Bowl winning coach for the Kansas City Chiefs. Andy Reid's joining us in 45 minutes. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio,

FS1, and the IHeard 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-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw,

unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, Follow at Clifford and a 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 all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. 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. You're now entering the No Bull Zone, sponsored by credible great rates, none of the Bull. So I don't buy into the Dallas Mavericks because I've said I think Luca is far more James Hardin than Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan. He's far more mellow than a championship player like LeBron James or Steph Curry. So now the Mavericks are playing very poorly. They've lost five of seven. There was a headline in The Athletic today. The Mavericks should be better than this.

They're running out of time. No, they should not be better than this. This is what they are. They are awful defensively. Because when your two most gifted players, Kyrie and Luca, have no real defense of effort. They don't have any interest being great defenders. They just don't.

It creates real defense. resentment. Most great teams, best players, D. Wade or LeBron in Miami, MJ, Scotty Pippin, Chicago, Isaiah in Detroit. Even Larry Bird not a great defender. McAil was. McHale was long, great rebounder, Robert Parrish, Bird was a willing defender. Kobe Bryant, a willing defend. Tim Duncan, a great defender. Find me the championship teams. We are top players have no interest in playing defense. The other problem is all their offense is is Luca and threes. They get

no points in the paint, like near the bottom of the league in points in the paint. There's also no proof that Kyrie winning really matters to him. I mean, he had a very promising situation in Boston, blew it up. Had a great team in Cleveland. Blew it up. And yes, Luca is a great

score, but he leads the NBA in usage rate. In fact, it's the most usage in league history. MJ finally, Phil Jackson came in, MJ finally figured it out. And MJ wasn't a point guard,

but Phil basically said, got to include others, got to trust others. And I've said from the beginning, I think Luca is much more James Harden than Michael or Kobe. Michael or Kobe stressed defense.

We're not only willing defenders in their prime, Michael was the best on-ball defender in the league. And they wanted the ball in crunch time, but Kobe and MJ paced themselves, deferred to others early in the game. When it was a big end of the clock situation, end of the half, end of a quarter, end of a clock, end of the fourth, overtime, that was different. But either Luca changes or nothing will.

I have never bought into this. There is a line in this athletic story by the writer. Here it is. Huge offensive performances from Luca aren't resulting in wins. Donchich, unfortunately, is one of the reasons. Even in a scheme that attempts to hide his defensive shortcomings, Luca cannot be a non-participant. Find me the championship teams

where your best and often second-best player have no real interest in defense. You can't be this good of an athlete offensively. You can say what you want about Yokic. Yokic is a better defender than he gets credit for. He is. He's not a great defender. Nobody thinks he's Janus. Nobody thinks he's an all-time great big defensively, but he's a willing defender. He also has Gordon on that team who's a much better defender.

And they grind it out. Go look at the nuggets. They grind it out as a top five NBA defense, especially late when it banners. I do not, I've been watching basketball since the 70s. Every great team I've ever watched can shut you down when they have to. You know, the Warriors, Steph may have not been a great defender. Draymond was, Clay in his prime was. They brought in Andre Iguodala. Kevin Duranto has been a long and willing defender.

Mark Jackson's teams were built on offense, but Steve Kerr knew the value of it because he coached maybe the best defensive team I've ever seen in Michael Jordan and Scotty Pippen and Dennis Rodman's Bulls. So Jason Kidd talked this week about Luca stepping up defensively. Does Luca need to be better defensively? We all do. We all do. It's, you know, when you look at leaning on Luca offensively in which we do,

and he delivers, we have to be able to cover him. And cover not just Luca, but cover Kai. And the other three that are out there have to protect each other. It's not just one-on-one. The players are too good in this league to just play one-on-one. Who's he talking about? players are too good in this league that just play one-on-one

J-Mack with the news No No no no no Turn on the news This is the Herdline News Big one for my Mavs tonight They face the Miami Heat Where in a

It's in Dallas I'm seeing the spread Dallas minus four to half I wouldn't touch that with your For the record Miami Jimmy Butler Bam Excellent defenders Boston

Boston Boston Tatum, Jalen Brown, Drew Holliday, excellent defenders. Okay, let's go to the NFL, and the Buffalo Bills. Colin, this is a flurry of moves yesterday. Holy cow, they need to get under the salary cap. They ended up dumping five players. Several starters, including safety, Jordan,

Poirier, and center Mitch Morse. They are also releasing former Pro Bowl corner Tradavius White. Great, but heard often. He'll be a post-June 1 designation, and they restructured Von Miller and Rousseau. Douglass. They freed up 37 mil in cap space. Obviously, you know, they got to pay Josh Allen. I don't... It is a good year for centers in the draft. So they'll go draft to center, I would guess. Well, they also said they're going to move Connor McGovern, possibly to center.

Okay. Hey, here's all the cuts they have on the screen. Dante Hardy had some moments. Naim Hines. I think he had a bad injury, but... Wasn't Mitch Morris a captain? I mean, these are like captains guys. These are veterans. Yeah, like veteran guys who were named captain, so you're losing. It's like years ago when the Patriots lost like Bruske and Vrable and you bring in these young guys, you're not just losing players, you're losing IQ and leaders and the soul of a team. For a team to name a guy a captain, that means they're respected in the room.

Even the Patriots with Brady and his prime, when they would lose great players the following year, it's not the same team, not the same feel in the locker room. So we've seen the Chiefs lose a lot around Mahomes. Mahomes is able to cover it all up. Can Josh Allen do the same? Now, he was close against the Chiefs. Remember, it was essentially two misses on a second and third down, I believe, around the two-minute warning in that playoff game. And then the kicker, you know, screws up.

But I just, I'm sorry, I don't think Alan is on the level of clutch playoff as Mahomes. I just don't think he's there. And I don't think he can carry this team. Well, there are, there is proof historically there. When you get a dynasty, like a New England dynasty, the Niners, the Cowboys, there are really brief moments to beat them. Like New England, when they let go of the bruskees and the Rables, and they had a two, like a year period, or Tom got hurt, right?

Matt Castle play. There were a couple years where New England hiccuffed. They weren't bad. I think they won 11 games with Matt Castle, but there were some hiccups. That's when you have to take advantage. The question is, to me, this year was the year. Burrow got hurt.

And Kansas City's offense was kids. To me, this was the year for Lamar or Josh to sneak in the Super Bowl. These dynasties, they run longer and longer. They don't give you, like Denver. You know, if Jamal Murray got hurt this year, Boston has to win. Right? Like, if somebody got hurt, like, because Denver's not going anywhere for five years. Sometimes there's misfortune.

Your second best player gets hurt. Then you have to, because Denver is better than Boston. They're better late in games. They have the best player. So you may only get in the next three years, like one year where Denver loses a player. There's a suspension. You've got to take it. Buffalo had it this year.

And they got Kansas City at home. At home. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everything lined up for them. So I'll say this. Obviously, the quarterback most important position, if you lose your quarterback, you're toast. Usually. Now, with Josh Allen goes down, this is like a four or five win team, right?

No question. So Joe Flacco filled in for Deshawn Watson, and Cleveland got to the playoffs. They're built different than Buffalo. They can beat you a lot of different ways. Defense is good. They got the run game. Tight end. I just, I don't know if Buffalo has enough to get to the Super Bowl.

I think, I never want to be harsh, but it feels like the ship has kind of sailed, right? I think they'll be very, very good. They'll be competitive. 10-11 wins. If the Celtics don't win this year, they'll be very, very good next year. Like, they're not, Buffalo and the Celtics aren't going

anywhere. Just doesn't mean you're going to win a championship. Yeah. Next up, Drake May has been seen as the second best quarterback prospect behind Caleb Williams for many, many months. But Jaden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy keep rising up the boards. However, Chris Sims, has he been on the show former quarterback? I think he's been here. Yeah, of course. Yeah, I know for Sid. He says Drake May is his six best prospect heading into April's draft. You watch a highlight package, you need to go, wow, looks the part, got the prototypical. size, right, and kind of got the look of a franchise quarterback. So you watch the best games in his career, right? Yeah, you'll see a few of those throws, but for every one of those throws, there's five of like, what the hell is that throw? Right? There's no way. Evaluators,

coaches, coaches, quarterbacks, any of that are going to be able to get behind, like, right now, and Drake Bango, oh yeah, he's ready to go. He should be the number two or number three pick of the draft. No way. There's, there's too many things about his game that. that need to be polished, better, improved. I do think there are reports and rumors on Jaden Daniels, Arizona State LSU going number two. And I think, and what I would say about that is Cliff Kingsbury, the play caller now, has had Kyler Murray,

has had Patrick Mahomes. Jaden Daniels, some of his comps are a little Kyler Murray. I'll just say it's a very similar style. Okay, let me just drill down for a moment on sixth best quarterback in this track. We don't know. We don't know. Neither just Chris Sims. So I decided to look it up.

I'm not bagging on Sims. This happens to everybody, you know, you dish it. You got to be able to take it. Chris Sims had Mack Jones as his top quarterback a few years back ahead of Tua, okay? And he was, you know, doing a victory lap when they got to the playoffs. Mac Jones, he's done, okay? We don't know. We can just admit, we don't know.

The teams don't know. Colin, nobody knows. Well, it's okay to say that. With certain positions, I would say running back, edge rusher and cornerback. You can play regardless of how bad your coach is. Max Crosby hasn't had great coaches. He's great. Running back, Josh Jacobs hasn't had great coaches.

He's been really good. There are certain positions at Corner, Sauce Gardner. You can either play or you don't. I mean, Patrick Certan was great when he had Nat Hackett as a head coach. but quarterback is very situational and dependent on your play caller. That's why CJ Stroud crush. He's got a great play caller. Your GM, the protection your quarterback, if you're a deep threat,

you've got to have the time to throw it deep. So he has Caleb. Listen, I don't think this is... I'm okay with Jane. Listen, I don't think this is terrible. Is Sanchez talking quarterbacks for the draft? I think he is, right? I don't have a problem with this.

You're not a problem with Bo Nix third? So for our radio audience, Chris Sims has Caleb, then Jaden Daniels, a guy I like Bo Nix, Michael Penix, J.J. McCarthy, Drake, May. I have no problem with that. I don't. That is insanity. I don't like J.J. McCarthy as much as everybody else. I agree. That's fine. That's just my opinion.

I think you're just smitten with Bo Nicks from that one game you went up to. I don't think he's great. I think he's going to end up with Denver. And so if he ends up with Denver, I think he's basically. his offense in Oregon, which was basically, we're going to scheme it up, deliver the ball where we scheme it. That is exactly what Sean Payton wants. So I think, I don't think Bo Nix to the commanders or patriots would flourish. But if you look at where he sits in the draft, I think he's going to Sean Payton, and I think that absolutely works. I'm ready to make, how many steak dinners do you owe me? Like four or five? I forget. I'm ready to say Bo

Knicks drops to the second round in the draft. I don't think he goes first round. I've been making some calls this week. I got my mock draft coming out. Fox is asking me. They click well. Bo Nix, not going to go first round. You're taking shots at Chris Sims.

How did your mock draft do last year? I think it was spectacular. I mean, probably 91% hit rate, something like that. I forgot it somehow. You got buried somewhere here. Let's go to the final story and the Lakers last night. Goodness gracious. Up 19 in the first quarter against the Kings.

I watched it early. and I thought, I was driving. Driving home, I listened to the first quarter. I was listening to John Ireland, and they were crushing them. I would blowout. Okay, so LeBron left the game in the fourth quarter.

Listen, I'm not saying there's no ankle injury. I watched LeBron closely. Colin, fourth quarter, he was so pissed at his team. He didn't get in the huddle, sat at the end of the bench. Everybody's huddling. I didn't see anybody right about this. I'm watching it in the arena. I'm like, I got it on my phone.

I'm watching LeBron just sitting on the end of the bench. So it's not happy. Mad with his teammates? or Darwin Ham? I think it's Darvinham. And the coach tried to sub LeBron out in the second half when they're like down 17.

LeBron's like, no, I'm not coming out. And he had to switch the sub to Rui. LeBron just didn't, he was like, we're not losing to these guys. Anthony Davis was, okay, anyways, here's LeBron after the game about his injury. It's just my ankle.

It was just what I've been, what I deal with before the break, after the break. Just managing the best way I can, you know, played the whole third. Sat a little bit to start the fourth. and, you know, when I got back in, it kind of just something that's been dealt with it.

Some games is better than others. They feel it at all versus O'KC, and I didn't feel it at all into the fourth quarter of the night, so it was just, this game these days different. Quite possibly the craziest stat I've seen this NBA season. Anthony Davis, head-to-head against DeMonna Sabonis, is 0 and 9. What? It was stat muse and all these people put it up.

What? He is getting bodied. Sabonis had a triple double in the third quarter last night. Anthony Davis in foul trouble, complaining. This was a really crummy performance. Sabonis really isn't an offensive player. He's a rebounder and a defender. And the Lakers could not stay in front of Fox and Malik Munk.

Malik Munk looked like Michael Jordan last night. No, Monk has those weird games. He was volcanic. Yeah, well, Deere and Fox's a great player. He's one of the 12, 15 best players in the league. So I had said for a long time, I wouldn't trade Austin Rees for Tray Young or Donovan Mitchell or anything. I love Austin Reeves. He got abused by Deeran Fox.

I mean, it was bad. Well, timeout. He's a lefty. You know he's going left. And he's got like three lefty layoffs in a row. Deeran Fox is an elite top 15 player. Austin Reeves is the fourth most talented Laker. I'll say third, but I digress.

I love that you go to the game and got a reality check on Austin Reeves. Deeran Fox said, what did he finish with? 44 or something like that? I think career high, 44. I mean, and Malik Monk got whatever he. Well, Malik Monk has those knives. He's a very strange player. By the way, DeAngelo Russell, next time you want to call him the

third best Laker, watch him closely for five minutes. So what you're telling me last night is Reve Stunk, A.D. Stunk, and Delo Stunk. And when LeBron got hurt. Well, no wonder they lost. Well, no, no. LeBron was amazing. I think he had, I don't know the numbers, but he was unbelievable passing, everything. And this was

one of those performances when the Lakers are like, how did they just smoke OKC? And now they get destroyed by the kitten. They better not face the Kings of the playoffs. I'll say. It's a bad match. The Kings have a nice starting five. I mean, Barnes,

King and Murray, Sabona, Deeran Fox, have good players. Barnes and Red Velvet were so bad in the first quarter. They played like despairingly. And it was like the Malik Monk Show, man. He? I don't know. Kings look good. One game. I don't want to overreact, but AD, bro.

J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. read of the chiefs top of the hour Mark Sanchez stops in today. Peter Schrager. I got to talk to I got a tech Schrager. A lot of stuff going on

in his life. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Ben. Host of the 5th hour with Ben Mallor would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the 5th hour?

I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mallor show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen, picture if you will, a world where we chat with captains of industry in media, sports, and more every week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's

superhuman documented it all. Embedded in the games and with the athletes. for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the 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 new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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're saying, well, 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 all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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. Saturday, it's a huge regular season finale on Fox. First 10th-ranked Creighton takes on Villanova at 2.30 Eastern. Then at 5, 8th-ranked Marquette Battles Xavier. And in primetime second-rank Yukon faces Providence. It all hits off Saturday on Fox.

A lot of people say they're committed to something, but they're not really committed. You know, if I want to get in shape, well, you're going to change your lifestyle, you're going to eat better? You can't work out your way past a bad diet. Are you really committed to getting in shape? I am going to lose. I am going to do this. I am going to... 45, 50 hours a week is not committed to work.

You've got to get closer to 60. 60. Sorry. How committed are you? So Jerry Jones always talks about how much he wants, how badly he wants doing a Super Bowl. Like that's the thing. It's about winning here. No, it's not. Yep, yep, yep. Just talk. You're not about winning. New England was about winning. We'll get to that in a second.

So this is Dalton Schultz is on ESPN. And he said, the focus in Houston, it's just football. Describing some of the interactions and stuff, you'd see, day to day in Dallas. When I tell people, it surprises them. You think it's normal when you come to a place like Houston. There are people literally going on tours while you're lifting weights in the weight room. And they've got like a one-way mirror for people to look in. You're just like a zoo. You got people tapping on the glass, trying to get people's attention, and you're doing power cleans or whatnot. What a joke. Again, Jerry tells you it's about winning. No, New England's

about winning. They had a superstar quarterback that took pay cuts. The head coach had the power, not the players of the owner. Sacrifice was the team brand. Popularity, irrelevant in New England. Belichick didn't care. Dallas is about three things.

Jerry's ego, he calls himself the GM, a constant discussion of DAC's contract and embracing the brand over everything. Business first. maintaining the image of America's team. Like Kansas City right now, like New England, is about winning.

Their facilities, the players voted, average. They don't care. They pay the best coaches and players. It's not about showing their facilities off. Their owner in Kansas City, mostly hides. Much like New England, the coach has the power, not the owner. And the Cowboys, for the record, I've been on this for several, years. They led the NFL last year in paying their picks, their draft picks. Now, that sounds like

something that you'd like. We draft players. They end up being good. No, they often overpaid their players validating their picks. They don't keep up with the Joneses. They believe we are the Joneses. This are picks. Very insular, very mom and pop. We draft. We validate. We validate. date, we pay our picks. So a lot of people say they're committed to things on what level. The Cowboys with Jerry Jones are not totally committed like a Kansas City. They're not committed like New England in the dynasty. They're not committed to winning. You got players doing deadlifts and like Dalton Schultz says it, it felt like you know, you're an animal in a zoo, people trying to get your attention. You think that, do you think that would pass? You think it

be something that Belichick could be for? Of course he wouldn't. Because Kraft, Belichick, and Brady in that 20-year stretch, we all knew it was about doing your job, sacrificing, and winning. Don't believe the chatter. Don't believe the talk. It's not about winning in Dallas. It's serving Jerry's ego. So I saw this. This is crazy. So there are a lot of Sequan Barclay, great running back for the Giants. When he's healthy, he's great. A lot of rumors where he's going. Eagles, Raiders, Bears, Patriots. I would keep your eye on the Texans because C.J. Stroud is not a guy that moves. He's not going to gobble up rush yards and they need a run game.

This to me is interesting. Like if you had an optimism meter in the NFL, like you had a meter on optimism. And there are certain indexes with our economy. Like to see is the public feel good about the economy, the bad about the economy? Economists keep track of those. But if you had an optimism meter in the NFL, NFL obviously like your Baltimore's, Kansas City, Buffalo, a lot of optimism. Middle of the pack is probably, you know, Tampa, Seahawks have a new coach.

The bottom of it has to be Carolina and the Giants if they lose Seekwan Barclay. I mean, the Jets at least have Aaron Rogers. The very bottom has to be Carolina and the Giants if they don't have Seekwan Berkeley. Daniel Jones in games in his career that Saquan doesn't play is 8 and 14. And the average of 17 a game. So in 2020, now Joe Judge was the coach, but in 2020, when Sequin barely played, Daniel Jones had 11 TDs and 10 picks. The offense was 31st in the NFL. So when I look at the Giants, you know, when I was back there years ago, eight, nine years ago, I felt like it was this great successful accounting firm.

They feel like Blockbuster video. They have not pivoted. Not very good upstairs. in 12 seasons since the Super Bowl, this is hard to get your brain around because they were so good for so long with Ha Stettler and Sims and Eli Manning. In 12 seasons since winning the Super Bowl,

they have one double-digit winning season. And that's in the weaker NFC. And now that Detroit and Houston, sort of NFL sad sacks, are headed in the right direction and feel very optimistic, good rosters, especially Detroit, and now that Washington,

another sad sack has a new owner, excellent young coaching combo and the most cap space. Ask yourself, outside of Carolina, what's a bigger mess in the NFL? You've got an owner that wants a quarterback that the GM and the coach, frankly, privately don't want. You got like people at the NFL Combine, Rich Eisen said last week, and he's not somebody that's going to bang on the NFL.

He works for the NFL network. He's like, the Giants keep using the football. phrase, buyer's remorse. I'm making it up. I mean, it's just, it is. Without Saquan, I mean, with Saquan Barclay, with Saquan Barclay, it's a BB gun offense. Without him, it's a cracked

water pistol, like, and the water's leaking out. Like, there's just, there's no there there. It is bad. It is bad. I said, this Carolina is obviously the biggest mess. The owner's impulsive. The quarterback looks overwhelmed. no draft capital. That's the worst organization right now in the league.

Take that out. You can say what you want about the Bears, but they're going to get Caleb Williams. And they do have some nice pieces. Montez Sweetsgood. They have an elite corner. They have an elite wide receiver. They have offensive linemen they like. They have a linebacker that's productive.

I mean, there's some pieces in Chicago, and they have draft capital. So, I mean, take out Carolina. Atlanta's got the pieces offensively. They need to Kirk Cousins or a Russell Wilson. Who's lower on the optimism chart meter than the Giants? You know who's really close to the Giants? Who? The New York Jets.

Well, but they do have a star receiver, a star quarterback. Star quarterback, really? I would say a better than average defensive personnel. Oh, great. Six or seven very good young players who are not getting paid yet. Now, you got Thibodon. Giants have a left tackle and an edge rusher. I like them both.

Don't have an elite receiver. not going to sign Seyuan Barclay. I get Aaron Rogers. You get Daniel Jones. I'm on take Aaron. I would take that. But you said the phrase sad sack, which is totally underrated. The other thing the Giants have is an offensive coach. But he had some pushback this year. Okay, Dable or Sala? Who you take it next five years?

Okay. Dable. Offensive coach. I'm taking offensive coaches. But I get Aaron. I get back-to-back. They have six or seven really elite players in New York. They have a better running back, better wide receiver.

No, they have a star running back. who they're keeping a star. Internal dysfunction has just plagued this franchise for over a decade. You know what it goes back to? People never appreciated Phil Sims or Eli Manning. There are certain players that while they're there, you appreciate. Everybody appreciated Joe Montana. Everybody appreciated in San Diego, Dan Fouch. You all knew how good he was. Everybody appreciated Peyton Manning in India or Brady in New England. Because Eli Manning was not, not a terribly consistent regular season player, right? Like, people didn't appreciate his IQ, his willingness to give others attention.

Take out Eli's nine to ten peak years. This franchise has been a mess out of those years. It's fair. Been a mess. That's a new. I'm going to create, I don't know if we can do it digitally or graphically, an optimism meter. Look at you, just ideas coming out of your ears. Well, this is the last show for, you know, tomorrow off.

For what? Three days? By the way, I just had this analogy. The Jets quarterback, whose name I refuse to say, is there a chance he's Michael Jordan with the Wizards here this year and next year with my Jets? Not terrible. Andy Reid next. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy,

Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L'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.

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, what's good, y'all? You're listening to and learn the hard. with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor.

It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human