The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Warriors, Curry, LeBron

Episode Date: June 14, 2022

The Warriors didn't fall apart during game 5 Steph Curry will be fine after his bad shooting night LeBron James will not commit to the Lakers before the draft or free agency   Guest: Anthony SlaterSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the 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, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but the show. celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack

what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard.

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, it is a Tuesday, and if you're a Golden State Warrior fan, it is a glorious Tuesday live in Los Angeles. It's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1, the Warriors with back-to-back wins have seized control in the series. Joy Taylor is joining me, Joy. Well, well, well, a couple games ago, we weren't sure, Warriors teetering, and here come all the veterans to pull them out of the quagmire they were in. Well, well, well, indeed.

I told you, it's, you know, when you're used to watching champions, like myself, you know, these are long series. You're going to be patient. You might lose a game or two. You can't lose faith. It's not over, though, but that was an amazing game last night. It was. Let's start with this. The Celtics were overwhelmed early in the first quarter. They collapsed late in the fourth quarter and were awful from the free throw line.

All three of those are pressurized situation, starting on the road, finishing on the road, standing by yourself at the free throw line. Celtics were bad in all of them. It's almost like these young guys have known. never been in the finals before. Meanwhile, the Warriors were fantastic early setting the tone. On fire late, confident, closing it out, and tremendous at the free throw line, almost like they've been in the finals six of eight years. It was also the Warriors' best defensive effort. And you really knew, here was a big moment in the game, when Boston had that brief six, seven minute run in the third, when they could not miss on threes. Golden State didn't collapse.

They kept shooting threes. They were playing aggressively. They couldn't get shots to fall. They could not get shots to fall. But they didn't sink into a hole. The minute the fourth quarter starts, boom, they're back on top and it's smooth sailing. In the lowest points for the Celtics in this game, they lost confidence. I watched the first seven minutes of this game without the sound on.

I was at home and I was on a call with my daughter. and it was an important call. So I had to watch, take notes. And I told her, I said, I got to watch this, but I'm listening. So I turn the sound down. And it's interesting when you don't have the announcers persuading you or the crowd. You get no commentary. You just watch it.

Like it heightens your sense, right? And to start the game, the Celtics were so tight. Their body language was so bad. It was so clunky. and the Warriors were loose and fluid and fast and running and it's like, yep, younger teams. We've seen this before. Tatum's 24. Robert Williams 24.

Jason Tatum 25. They can shrink in these moments. The Warriors have kids too, but they're all on the bench. Wiseman's not playing. Kaminga's not playing. Three potential stars. Kamingi, I think,'s amazing. The only young guy that's planned for them is Jordan Poole, who's 22, and he doesn't have a key role.

He played like 15, 16 minutes. So there's just advantages here. here with experience and it doesn't end with a roster. Ime Udoka's done a great job, but Steve Kerr has played in five finals, has coached in six finals. And I'm watching it last night and I'm feeling like this is starting to feel a lot like those Belichick Patriot playoff games. They'd just been in so many of those situations.

They just knew at the perfect time all the right levers to pull. Were they more talented? No, arguable. Did they always have momentum in those games? not really, but they just kind of started well, took a lead, finish strong, and were able to survive three and a half hours, the middle parts, the second and the third quarter, when you throw an interception, you lose a fumble, you get sacked. And that's what it's starting to feel like.

And I said before this series, I felt this. I said, I think Boston has more quality, two-way guys, better defensive players, younger in their prime. But Golden State's got more guys that can. end up with 18 points. They have more offensive weapons. And last night, boy, was that an example. So Wiggins ends up with 26 and Clay ends up with 21 and Jordan Poole ends up with 14. Gary Payton's a defensive stopper. He ended up with 15, which was more than that the entire Celtics bench scored. So I feel like, yes, there are matchups that play to the Celtics and they do

have a deeper reservoir of two-way guys that can defend and score. But this is the NBA. It's a 75, 25, 75, 70, 30 offense over defense league. And between the Warriors' coaching, between the Warriors' experience, and between the Warriors' more talented offensive roster as the league is pivoted, like the NFL to a more offensive league, I feel like the Celtics are a little overwhelmed the last two games. They just don't have enough ammo. And the other thing, and I go back to watching the first six, seven minutes without sound,

I'm watching the body language. What I really feel like in the last two games that has happened, the Celtics are just more uncomfortable, more often in this series. Is it the Warriors defense? Is it the lack of experience? I don't know. But as I sat there watching it without the sound on,

I'm like, everybody should watch it like this. You should watch like six or seven minutes without the sound on. Don't be influenced by the announcers of the crowd, the cheering, the booing, whatever. Just watch the body. language of the players. You could see it with Boston. That was a big spot. They couldn't at free throws. They were terrible early and they collapsed late and Jalen Brown talked about it. They're a really good defensive team, you know, discipline and sound. They're going to force us to do what obviously we don't do best. So we just got to continue to recognize the game,

see the game and making game adjustments and take care of the ball when it comes down to it. another game with too many turnovers, and it costs us. Listen, we knew coming into this series, Boston was not a great clutch team. They have these things in the NBA called clutch time stats. Boston's bottom of the league. We knew that. We knew the Warriors were better clutch, and the Celtics were bad. We've seen that.

We also knew, coming into the series, that the Warriors were a much better shooting team, especially from distance. I think the Celtics ended the regular season like 14th. So there's things we knew, and a lot of times when you get into a final or a Super Bowl or a conference championship or the Final Four or the World Cup, you're trying to hide your flaws. There's no perfect teams with a salary cap, right? Baseball, you could have a perfect team. You could just buy it. Dodgers batting order is nearly perfect. Yankees pitching is nearly perfect, right?

But you're not going to have that in salary cap sports. So what you're trying to do is often elevate your stars, and they do that on their own a lot. But hide your flaws. Celtics lack of clutch, the Celtics inability to shoot consistently, it feels like it's caught up to him. So speaking of shooting, oh, I knew this would get talked about. Steph Curry did not hit a three-pointer. Oh, my Lord. Oh, my takeaway.

So what? I mean, does Steph Curry at this point need to defend his shooting? He's the greatest shooter in the history of the league. Really? Shakespeare came out with a bad play. What does he have to defend himself? At some point, this is what he does better than anybody ever. He actually played well.

He was a plus 15 plus minus. He had eight assists. He easily played his best defensive game of the series. And I thought he did a great job. And this is why his ball handling is so underrated. When the Celtics go dry, you can sense it. They look tight. When the Warriors went dry in the third quarter, they were still loose.

They just couldn't hit shots. And a lot of that is just Curry's ability to, He drives, he gets stopped. You can't trap the Warriors. Nobody moves like the Warriors. Nobody cuts like the Warriors. And that's all initiated by Steph Curry. I mean, would you rather have Jason Tatum doubting himself after a bad quarter?

Or is Steph Curry saying today, yeah, I was going to keep shooting. I saw Michael Jordan in a closeout game shoot 26%. They won. By the way, they won. I saw Tom Brady in his first year in Tampa. NFC championship, I think it was against Green Bay, was terrible. Terrible. And they won.

Warriors won. And for the record, Steph, Michael, Brady, when they have these clunkers, they're always great the next game. But when I watched Steph, again, Tatum feels like he had played well last night for his standards, but he feels like he's shrinking occasionally in big spots in the series. Steph's just missing shots. There's a big difference between shrinking. and missing shots. Steph continues to be fluid, keeps assisting, keeps shooting, keeps initiating offense.

And again, I thought last night, Steph's defense was easily the best he played in the series. And that's the difference. If I'm Boston, I'm flying back home and I'm thinking, so Steph's like 0 for 9 on 3s, and we got housed? That's not a good flight home. We got housed, and Steph was the coldest he's been in four and a half years. So I think, as Draymond Green said after, Stefan's shooting, he's going to be fine. Whether Steph against 43, 10, and 4, or whether he finishes with 16-0-7 for 22 shooting, a win is a win.

He was 0 for 9 from 3. He's going to be livid going into game 6. That's exactly what we need. For the record, Kevin Durant's watching this now thinking, you know who else is thinking that? LeBron. There's a story about that around the corner. 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 unleashed. 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 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'm 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 what 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 Hey, They said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little camp? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapy.

Careers, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

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

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

Story today that LeBron James is not expected to commit to the Lakers before the draft or free agency, according to Eric Pinkus at the Bleacher Report. Why should he? But as I'm watching that game last night, and you know, you sit there over the course of three hours and I take notes, this is what we do for a living. And I, you know, you think about a lot of different things. And if you're LeBron watching the Warriors, and I mean, LeBron had a comment the other day, he watches everything. He's on social media constantly. He said the other day, after he watched Tom Brady signed that huge deal with Fox here, he's like, yeah, I thought to myself, damn straight, I may want to get into the media. Of course. He's watching everything. And so if you know it's

basketball related, if he's watching football contracts, you know he's watching basketball. And he's watching that game last night. Forget the fact they have Steph and Clay and Wiggins and Dremont and now emerging Jordan Poole. They also have something he'll never get the rest of his career if he stays in Los Angeles. Three stars, 19, 20 years old. James Wiseman the Center. Moses Moody. Jonathan Cominga.

Forget the components that are playing in starring. They've got another wave of stars, a big, a wing, a guard, all waiting in the wings. And so I feel this year coming up, because remember, the Lakers were one of the

favorites to win the championship this year. But I think this is the first year in LeBron's last 15 to have zero chance to compete for the championship. Forget winning a championship next year. That's not going to happen. They can't compete for it. And LeBron knows it. You're not going to get, I mean, come on, folks, you really think Anthony Davis going to be healthy for the entire season? You think the Westbrook thing's going to turn around?

Darwin Ham is a rookie coach. They got no bench. They're too old. No players in their prime. And my theory is, LeBron's too smart not to know it. LeBron's a good observer. He's a good teacher. He's a good listener.

He's watching this right now thinking, the Warriors got the best starting five in the league on any given time. They have three emerging stars underneath. One of them, Jordan Poole's playing. The other one, Moody, Wiseman, Cominga. They also have probably the best coach in the league. They also have maybe the best owner in the league. They also have an elite front office exec and Bob Myers.

And so LeBron's going to end up with four titles if he stays there. That's it. They're not winning. It's over. And Steph's going to end up potentially in the next week, capturing his four, with a long runway, a better GM, a better coach, more beloved, one franchise, and a long runway as Wiseman and Cominga and Moody and Jordan Poole just keep growing and getting better because that's what the Warriors do.

They draft, they develop, and they create second round picks into stars like Draymond. So whereas in football, Brady and Russell Wilson could kind of chair. pick a team, right? Brady at the end. Russell's right in the heart of his career. I'm going to cherry pick a team. LeBron kind of did that with Miami. But now he's at the end and he kind of stuck. So he's not going to commit. I absolutely believe LeBron is trying to speak something into existence. And that's Golden State. He keeps dropping hints. He wouldn't leave California. That's where all his businesses are. And if he had to leave the Lakers and Southern California, he's very much a businessman. Where is the one place that's richer than Los Angeles? Silicon Valley. They just move

up the road, keep his place down here. Sun's playing basketball here. To me, it feels obvious. He's not just suddenly interested in Steph. He sees the dysfunction. He sees the roster. He sees the Westbrook salary cap issue. He sees Anthony Davis's health. He's going to throw it out there again and again and again how much he'd like to play with Steph and the Warriors. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Kevin Durant likes social media. He loves social media. Pretty good at it, too. He is. And he has no problem going back and forth with people on social media, which I, I don't mind either. I enjoy it. This is how Katie likes to use his social media.

I like that he does it as him and not burner accounts. That's right. So there's that. And late Sunday and to Monday, he was going back and forth with Twitter users regarding his leadership and playmaking in the team's first round loss to the Celtics. So Dragonfly Jones insinuated that players like LeBron, Janice, Steph, and Yokic can handle double teams. and talked about KD's playmaking, showing the tweet here. And Durant responded, it's a lot of buzzwords in basketball that confuse me, like leadership and playmaking. Can I get a definition, please? He also pointed out Katie's lack of struggles, well,

pointed out his struggles passing out of double teams, to which Durant replied, I highly disagree with this take. I don't believe I struggle with anything basketball related. He was also asked about being a leader, and Durant replied, I'm an employee and one of the guys in the team, some moments I'm out in front, some moments I'm not. The main message comes from the coach, in my opinion.

Well, Dragonfly Jones is very funny. You should follow him. He is a great follow. He's one of the better follows on the internet, and he's got a great podcast, by the way. I think these are legitimate questions. When you're a star and have been eliminated in the first round, two of the last three years in the second round,

I don't think it's all Kevin Durant's fault. I think we've both said this. Kevin Durant's the only thing I like in Brooklyn. That's the only thing I'm down with. I do think what happened to Kevin in the first round is, let's be honest, as much as we say Drayman struggled or Clay struggled, Kevin's got Steve Nash as a coach, Steph has Steve Kerr as a coach,

who's got more of an offensive arsenal, more levers to pull. And I think Brooklyn's problem is, when they got into a jam against Boston, what levers do you pull? Simmons wasn't available, Drummond doesn't score. The other curries are rotational, player. So all great teams, even Michael Jordan's Bulls, when you face good teams in the finals

or the playoffs, you hit walls. Well, that's why I've always pushed back on the idea that you don't need a bench. I don't think the last guy on your bench has to be someone that can come in and contribute. But depth matters throughout the postseason, which is a very long postseason. You're going to deal with guys being banged up. You're going to need role players to step up when your stars are going through slumps or can't hit a three. You have to rely on the entire team. It's a team game. We always focus on the stars. It always gets laid at the stars feet, as it should. You make the most money. You're the face of the organization. You get the most praise when things go well. So yes, you do have to take

some criticism and carry the weight when it doesn't. But that was always my question with Brooklyn. I know what I'm going to get from KD. I actually agree with him. I think he does everything that has to do with basketball well. I don't think he struggles. There's nothing. There's not a whole woman to poke in KD's game. Can you pick at any particular star? I'm sure you can find something with Yannis. You'd like to do a little better or Katie or staff or anyone has something that you could improve on. No one's a perfect player. But KD is not somebody like, yeah, you know, he really needs to work on this. Kevin Derean is a complete player. Yeah, my knock on KD has been, I wish, and this is just his personality, and it's okay. I wish like Aaron Rogers, they were both

more confrontational. Instead of like talking around issues, I'd rather he'd go to Kyrie, confront him, and say, get a Vax, get your act together, be available. That's not his personality. And I'm okay with that because there's so many things about Kevin Durant I like. I'm, you know, like Aaron Rogers. There's so much good.

You just got to deal with the prickly. And with Kevin, this is his thing. Yeah. He gets sensitive. He's going to go after you on Twitter. I, you know, I'm not a. Hose to going after people on Twitter. It's not my personality.

It's more his. But the holes in Kevin's game are more personality-based. They're not game-based. Yeah, I don't have any problem with Kevin Durant's game. I don't either. I have no problem with him going back on before the people on social media. I do that too from time to time. Yeah.

My only real question for KD is what does he want out of the rest of his basketball career? I feel like I'm more disappointed than he is. I'm like, I want Katie. And that's fine. And similar ways to, you know, we very often compare him, Darren Rogers. I don't know what Aaron wants for the rest of his football career. Now, I think KD's going to play much longer than Aaron at this point. Yeah.

But the situation in Brooklyn to me is only disappointing because I want to see KD deep in the playoffs. Yeah. Personally, as a basketball team. Oh, absolutely. I want to see KD have more success. And that situation there, I don't know, is built for success deep in the postseason. That's my question with Kevin Duran. and it's not even really a question of Kevin Durant's.

The leadership thing, all those intangibles, like, I can take it or leave it. I don't need everybody to be a leader. Kauai Leonard is an unbelievable player when he's on the court. He's not necessarily a leader and still won a championship. So Sean Payton decided to step down from his position as head coach with the Saints after 16 years. This is an interesting story to me. This whole situation is very interesting.

It feels like we're going to get the whole answer in a documentary about 10 years from now. But there's a interesting. some rumors floating around that he was looking for a new coaching opportunity. According to our friend Albert Breer, the Dolphins offered pay in a four-year deal worth $100 million to coach the team. That's double Belichick. So that is, that is money. I didn't even know that was a possibility.

I think Sean McVeigh and Belichick are in the 10 to 12 million a year. And that is way ahead of the market average. Yes. Now, Gruden got a deal like this, but it was 10 years. Yeah, it was 10 million a year. 25 million a year. Yes. And now this was prior to signing Mike McDaniel. However,

Peyton decided to turn down the offer and will be an NFL analyst with us here at Fox this season. Now, Dolphins' Jam, Chris Greer confirmed in March that he did reach out to Peyton's team to gauge his interest. And Peyton said that he would, in April, that he would have

stayed with the Saints if he didn't decide to retire. Can I throw one at you? We know Peyton's going to coach again. Yes. Right? Like, we know. it. Sean, one of the reasons he left, and this is my conjecture, but once Drew Breeze left, I mean, Sean looked around and thought, I can't win with what I have. Yeah, it's a different team. It's a different team. I mean, McVeigh looked at Goff and thought, I need to upgrade. And Goff was a number one pick and has real talent. So where would he go?

So he's going to be able to go where he wants to go. I know where you're going with this? You think I'm crazy, but I keep saying this. I think this is the reason why he turned down the dolphins. If the Chargers, the second straight year, don't make the playoffs with Justin Herbert, that is a... That's not what I thought you were going to say, but that's a real possibility. Also, Dallas.

That's what I think. And if they gave him power and personnel, because if the Cowboys sink again this year, Jerry's getting older, you get to a point where Sean's going to be able to say, not only is this what I want, but this is the power I want with personnel. And because I think Sean's made enough money where he doesn't want to deal with any nonsense. He wants the veto power in the room.

No. Now, do I think he can win a Super Bowl with that? No. That's why, and this is, I don't know if Brandon Staley's a great coach or not. But you can't have Justin Herbert for two years and not make the playoffs when he's putting up massive numbers.

I agree. So Payton's going to have his choice on the job he wants. Well, that is a ton of money. In no state tax, Florida? No state tax. And they did make a lot of moves this offseason that would show that they are going all in and trying to support what they have there. That tells me that, to your point, he wants to go somewhere with a quarterback that he's sure about. Yeah.

And that he is looking at the long-term scenario there. Like, well, that's a lot of money. It's not a long deal. and the dolphins are very good at messing things up once they get things set. So I'm with you. I think he is going to wait for the perfect situation with the perfect quarterback for him.

And he can do that because he's Sean Payton. He has more than enough equity in the game to be able to make that decision. So the other L.A. team, the Rams, are fresh off giving everybody a bunch of money, Aaron Donald, Cooper Cup. And O'Dell is still in the mix. He is progressing in rehab from last season's ACL.

injury in Super Bowl 56. And Rams, COO, Kevin Demoff, has made a public. He wants Odell back and is optimistic about a deal. He said, am I optimistic that we can give a deal done over time? Yes, we would love to have him back. We would welcome back with open arms tomorrow, even after he crashed John's wedding, which was enjoyable and great to see him there.

If you crash the head coach's wedding and he's still willing to resign you, that's a good sign. So Odell is a free agent. So they have Cooper is a dominant one. Yes. Alan Robinson, a great two. Van Jefferson three, and that's where it's interesting. They have a second-year receiver out of Notre Dame who, I don't know if he knows how good he is yet.

So, like, they've got their three, but this offense now is so, I mean, it's just like you put a receiver in this group. It works. It does work. So it's very hard for them to let. I understand what they're like, can we just let him get in shape? Can you imagine not having to play him until after? Thanksgiving and springing O'Dell Beckham on the league? Yeah, I think that's what they want.

Now, listen, Odell obviously was in the right place. Cleveland was never the place for him. Colin and I have never been more right about anything in our careers, that that was not the right fit. We will line up for your apologies, Cleveland. That was not going to work. And it did it. And it was for multiple reasons.

Like they tried to make it work, both Baker and O'Dell and it wasn't right. This is the right situation for O'Dell. And I think at this point in his career, he wants to continue winning. and he contributed to that Super Bowl win. Oh, he was unstoppable in the first half. The injury was, who knows how the rest of the game would have gone for him had he not had that injury. So I do think he would make it work with the Rams as well. I anticipate that he's going to be back with the Rams this year.

They're openly saying they want to get him back. So it's just a matter of money at this point. And for Odell, this is the right fit, the right situation in L.A. They want you back. And it's easier to thrive in a place that's already good culture that all sort. wants you to be there. Oh yeah. Yeah, it matters. Joy with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. Joy mentions culture. Here's a great example. Andrew Wiggins, when he was in Minnesota with the T-Vowls, four coaches, six years. And we all said

Andrew Wiggins is a bust. Kevin Love left the T-Wolves. Got a title. KG left the T-Wolves. Got a title. Jimmy Butler left the T-Wolves has flourished. Andrew Wiggins, four-for-four, left the T-Wolves and has flourished. Really, really hard, next to impossible to overcome a bad boss or lousy management.

You can be the world's greatest actor. But Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks, you give him the wrong director, you give him a crappy script, you got a bad movie. So Wiggins has actually become a sneaky. MVP in this series. Okay. Early in the series, what did we say? Boston looked so much bigger than Golden State. They're getting mauled on the boards. Wiggins provided rebounding.

What did we also say early in the series? Man, after Steph, nobody is stepping up offensively. Wiggins provided offense. What were one of the big concerns? Who's going to defend Tatum? Oh, that's been Wiggins job. So it's interesting, though, and this is not a knock at KD, but Kevin Durant was so gifted that when he arrived in Golden State, it felt unfair. Like people thought, that's not fair.

And Kevin Durant, when he left Golden State, acknowledge, I'm never going to be one of them. I love him. I love being there, but I'm not one of them. But he entered the Warriors as the game's best closer. He entered with some success as a star. seemed unfair that he would be able to join them. Wiggins is the opposite. He was seen as kind of a semi-bust, chaotic situation.

He's not nearly as good as we thought. So Wiggins just embraced the Warriors. It was a life preserver. Finally, somebody, I know, I got a culture. I don't have to carry our basketball team every night. And that is a lot of what this is about. KD was a great fit, but he never felt like his entry point was different. Wiggins was just begging to get a grown-up coach and a grown-up owner and a great front office and a wonderful teammate.

And that is so important in this sport. We just overlook it constantly fit. How are you accepted? How do you work in the culture? And, you know, it is amazing really what winning does in sports. We talk about this all the time. If the Celtics win the next two games, all my opinions are probably the opposite. Like winning changes everything.

The winners write the book. But think about this. Wiggins comes to Golden State. He is viewed overwhelmingly as a trade piece. That is it for the first year. Now you look at it and you think, God, they can't play without him. You can't get, there's other people I'd move off of. He is now essential defensively rebounding.

He's a finisher. He went from a trade piece to absolutely this morning, feels like sneaky MVP boats. He'll get some MVP votes. He is essential. He's still in his athletic prime. He's their best athlete. He's highly vertical.

He can defend on the wing. We all talk about this in the league. What do you need? Versatile defenders. That's Andrew Wiggins. Draymond Green talked about him as a warrior after the game. A lot of people looked at their trade like, oh, it's another piece that they can move.

And we looked at the trade from the very beginning. Like, that is a guy who can fit next to a healthy group. Absolutely well. The bigger the challenge has been that we've thrown in front of him, the better he's responded. And that's a guy like that. That's a guy, you know, you want a guy like that. That, you know, when the states get big, they respond and they play their best basketball, and that's what he's been doing.

KG, Kevin Love, Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins have all left the T-Wolves and crushed it. Really hard, even if you're an A-List actor, to overcome a lousy director and a bad script. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd Weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. I'm George Reister, host of the Reister or Wrong podcast. This is the intersection where sports, business, society, and pop culture meet the truth. Absolute fire on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Facts only. Make sure you check your feelings at the door because no BS is allowed. We keep it 100. This is where real conversations, happen, listen to the Rice or Wrong podcast on the IHeart Radio Apple, Apple

podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's

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

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

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

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

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam 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 y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines,

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. Welcome back. Anthony Slater for the Athletic Senior Writer

covers the Golden State Warriors. And, you know, we were saying is KD and LeBron who, you know, probably looking at this roster right now and the young stars aren't even having to play yet and the old stars are pulling all the levers and you know it's funny anthony i i you know i me aducco's had a great year but there is something to say about steve cur's played in five finals he's been in cotes in six there's nothing you can do about i remember sean mcvay's first super bowl against belichick he got

totally worked it's just the way it's just the way you know you're just going up against the an all-time guy do you feel like cur is outcoct email ad ducco or is it just count want. Yeah, I do think the stage, you know, knowing just in series adjustments, the, I guess pressure of the finals, the off days are very different. You have to schedule your practices different because there's basically like Super Bowl media days before every game. And also Steve Kerr's staff, he has two former head coaches who literally have taken head coaching jobs in the last like month on his staff. Kenny Ackinson, Mike Brown's running the defense, the substitution patterns. I just think this is such a veteran staff that has been through

this moment and just like also has like genius level players. Andre O'Donnell is over there. He's basically an assistant coach. So there is just like institutional knowledge just throughout that bench. Well, you know, I was thinking about the, I talked about this the other day with Marcus Thompson, who you know. And I said, Steve Kerr, uh, Steve Kerr was a player and, uh, Steph Curry's dad was a player. And Clay Thompson's dad was a player. And, uh, Andrew Wiggins, uh, dad was a professional athlete. And I'm like, after a while, like, the advantage. managed to having a dad.

I kind of look at the Warriors and it's almost unfair. To your point, I think this is one of the highest IQ basketball teams I've ever seen in my life. I just think they're, you know, last night when the Warriors got cold and the Celtics got hot, it would have been very easy to collapse. And I really, you watch their body language and I was like, no, they just went cold. Whereas I feel like when the Celtics go cold, Anthony, they get tight and they second. self-doubt. Talk about that warrior. Let's talk about that Celtic seven-minute run. Did you think that was going to decide the game? Yeah, I mean, because it felt a little bit like

game one in the fourth quarter, which is really the first time in these playoffs. You felt the Warriors get a little bit spook like you mentioned, where the Celtics would go 8 to 8 from 3 or something like that in the fourth quarter? Well, they went 8 to 8 from 3 after going 0 of 12 last night. And it just felt the momentum shifting. But they just, it was the third quarter. instead of the fourth, they had time to stabilize themselves. And yes, you could just feel that veteran presence. They purposely remade this roster this summer, only going after high IQ free agents,

Namania B. Elisa, Otto Porter, Andre Aguadala, because they had the experience last season with Kelly Ubre, Camp Bezmore, James Wiseman, who was a rookie coming in. They didn't understand the warrior system, the defensive schemes, all that. So this is just who they've built themselves to be because they are not the more athletic team in this series. They're not the longer team with shot blockers. they have to be the smarter team.

And I think at times that showed, and certainly the more experienced team showed last night. You know, Anthony, it feels like Wiggins has gone from a trade piece in the first year of the deal to absolutely essential. I could not see them moving him. I just feel like he's their best athlete. He may be their twitchiest athlete. I don't think you can, I don't think you can move him.

Do you bring the entire band back if they win this thing? Yeah, you do because, I mean, they're making just, you know, outrageous amount of money right now. during this runs. And even if they might get a game seven, that's an extra, you know, whatever, 15-ish million. But they're not even going to get that much more expensive next season, because Jordan Poole might extend, but his contract wouldn't, you know, I guess trigger until the season after. And Andrew Wiggins still has one more season left on his deal. It's about, you know, 33, 34 million. So you could run it back without yet, you know, having to absorb a payday.

Where it becomes more interesting long term is the thought was maybe you let the Wiggins contract to expire next season, hand over that position to a Jonathan Caminga, Moses Moody. But Andrew Wiggins is maybe changing that equation. Yeah. What do you make a Dremont's finals? Obviously, he struggled. Last night was one of his better games. He does add he can be a catalyst.

He's a very good rebounder. You need his size. I still think he's an excellent on-ball defender. What do you make? Where do they go with Dremont? Where does he fit? What do you make of his series? Yeah, this is, it always set up as a difficult series for a,

a little bit like OKC in 2016, where length shot blocking at the rim, just athletes out there that can take away some of his little flow to range shots. And then suddenly he gets a little bit, I think at times in his head offensively, he doesn't trust his three-point shot. I don't even think he's hit a three in the series.

But I think last night, finally Boston, you know, they broke under the Steph Curry gauntlet and decided, hey, we've got to blitz him more. You have to double him more. And finally you did see Draymond getting, you know, the fake dribble handoff to the rim and dunk, you know, a layup early off some step. Curry action.

And once he gets going a little bit offensively and, you know, eight points, I think there's some crazy stat where when he scores eight or more points, their winning percentage is like, you know, 900 basically over history. So you saw him, I thought, get a little bit loose. And then defensively last night, he was rotating like so crispy, which I don't think we've seen in this series, but you just go like slow-mo some of the defensive clips last night. He is at the heart of it, just how he is kind of quarterbacking that defense. And, you know, if they were the second-ranked defense in the league this season, he is so much a part of that.

It will, he does seem to be aging a bit, but that's so hard to give up. I mean, he's been such a heart and soul of what they do. All right. Game six. Boy, I just, I said this earlier today. I just feel like the Celtics, if you turn the sound down and watch the body language, they feel tight. And the warriors feel incredibly look loose. I don't know how you unwind that, how you emotionally unpack that.

Do you feel the series is over? What kind of, what do you expect to see in game six in Boston? I would predict an aggressive Clay Thompson early because he really leans into this whole game six, Clay identity. It's not even just some like, you know, fun thing that people put out there. Like, I think he might take eight or nine shots in the first quarter because he just like believes like game six, this is my time coming. And the thing with Clay, he, when he's.

really aggressive. He can be either really, you know, positive for the Warriors. He can just, like, basically lead him to a win because he just hit seven of eight threes or, you know, he could be detrimental. He could suddenly go one of eight and then the Celtics are up 10, 15 early and when a home team in front of, you know, one of the best playoff crowds I've ever been in front of in Boston, 9 p.m. tip. If they can get up 10, 15 early, suddenly you are looser. And I, I think there is a decent chance that gets back to a game seven. Now, having watched what I watched last night in that arena, I would definitely favor the Warriors in the game seven at home. But if it is game seven, I certainly can't sit here and say the series is over. All right. Steve Kerr, Mike Brown,

and the warrior stingy defense. It is highlighted in Anthony Slater of the athletics column today at Anthony V. Slater. Great seeing you again. We appreciate you stopping by. Yep. Thanks for having me. Yeah, the, you know, the Warriors, Brian Winhorst, who I know and really like on the other network was talking about this is the best team money can buy. And let's be honest about this. They're going to owe $170 million on luxury tax, and they don't care. They're making $15 million a home game. They're making six or seven in the conference finals. Why? It's California's economy. So they own a real estate. They monetize the real estate. I know y'all keep watching and thinking nobody likes it here, but the Rams and the Warriors

look like they're playing with different banks. It's California's economy. So think about this. The Warriors will make $700 million in revenue this year. A healthy NBA team makes two. 200. Almost four times that. Why? Because they can charge so much to these fans in Silicon Valley because the owner, Joe Lakeb, makes so much with his investments in Silicon Valley that they can just spend.

And they don't care about the luxury tax at all. It is almost like the Yankees in baseball, except the NBA. has a punitive tax and they don't care. Yeah, they're also willing to pay that tax. Yeah, but yes, which by the way, if I was a billionaire, I would if my team was great. Right, but every owner isn't willing to do that. That's right. But it does help when you're invested deeply in Silicon Valley and your consumers are Silicon Valley consumers. They're just charging 20 bucks for beer and $600 a seat

and it is completely legal. There is nothing illegal about California's economy giving you a boost in professional sports. Dodgers payroll, Rams, Warriors. There's a thread there. 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 acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are,

starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey,

or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliver Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a hear, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite office. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

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.