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

Episode Date: June 3, 2022

The Warriors looked rusty in game 1 of the NBA Finals Steph Curry didn't have a bad game When athletes start to talk about retirement    Guest: Kevin O'ConnorSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Here we go on a Friday game one NBA finals and the books 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. It is great to have you in today. Joy Taylor, my fears of a rusty warrior team outside of Steph. So we also said let's not overreact to game one. It's hard, though. I don't know that there is a whole lot to overreact to.

I mean, that was a spectacular fourth quarter by Boston. Yeah. But other than that, it was a very close game. Boston just took over in the fourth. It happens. Get about seven straight threes or seven or eight threes very quickly. It was amazing to watch. But other than that, it was a close game.

Yeah. So let's start with this. My number one concern with the Warriors wasn't really in the series. I like them. I said, people tend to think the more rest a pro athlete gets, the better they are. Never forget, both NFL teams that had a buy this year, number one Tennessee and number one Green Bay at home, both lost. And in both instances, the offense struggled.

You're not going to forget how to tackle, but offense tends to be choreography. And last night, Boston was less rested, but it played closer to last night's action. shot a better field goal percentage, a better three-point percentage, a better free throw percentage. They had far more assists. Their offense was outside of about a six-minute stretch, much more fluid. Less rest is overrated. Ask yourself, you ever taken two weeks off of work and you come back? The first day, isn't it a little off? I talk for a living. Every time I take a vacation, the first day back, I'm not quite right. It's why my only bet last night was the Celtics plus one and a half in the first half. I thought they would play a very good first half.

Yes, Steph Curry was great early. He's also usually the best offensive player in the league on any given night. That's just part of his DNA. Ball handling, shooting. He is a naturally gifted offensive player. But outside of Steph, Draymond Green was awful offensively. Jordan Poole was awful offensively. Andrew Wiggins was off.

And I thought Steve Kerr frankly played Andre Iguodala too much. He hadn't played since the Denver series. He hit one big three and that was it. So I think the Warriors defense, you can look at it after all those threes hit by Boston, but they'll never hit that many threes again. And by the way, the Warriors defense gives you lots of threes. They gave Dallas open threes. Dallas just didn't hit him.

And Boston, most of that game didn't hit him. They hit them in the fourth quarter. But I said, let's not overreact. And I said it this week. One team gets a ton of time off, Golden State. They're integrating all new players in. Peyton's going to play. Otto Porter played.

Andre Iguodala hadn't played in weeks. He played 12 minutes last night. In my opinion, again, too much in the fourth quarter. Now, there are two things I did see in this series, and I don't think they're going away. And I do think they're Boston advantages. Number one, and we know this as a rule. The NBA refs in the post-

season tend to swallow their whistles. So they allow more physical play. Well, and I've said this for years, you get to the finals like it's a different level totally. They didn't call anything last night. Now, I love that as a basketball fan. Just let the guys play. They're pro athletes.

They didn't call anything last night. Well, that's a big advantage for Boston. Boston's a more physical team, a better defensive team. They're a bigger team. They got big. I mean, Looney's the only big on that roster for Golden State. So that's an advantage. And as Boston fans are complaining last night, call stuff, call stuff.

No, no, no, no. You don't want the referees to call anything in this series. You want it to be a football game because you're the bigger, stronger team. You've got the defensive player of the year. You've got a legitimate big time big. Al Horford's got size. You want the refs to swallow the whistle. So that's a big advantage.

The second thing is, and we've known Jalen Brown's a good player for years. He averages over 20 points. he's become a great fourth quarter player. He is the best fourth quarter playoff player not only left, I think it was in the entire playoffs this year. He's become a great fourth quarter scorer for them. And that's not going away because he was against Milwaukee. And he was, I imagine against Brooklyn. He was against Miami.

And it really matters because Jason Tatum, and we've discussed this regularly, can disappear. Tatum is different. If Steph Curry is struggling, he doesn't stop shooting. He just shoots more. That's why his percentage goes down in the finals because he plays more minutes in the finals. So he plays about five more minutes in finals games than he usually does. And the Warriors ask him to shoot more. So that's why Steph's numbers are good in the finals, but his efficiency goes down.

Jason Tatum's different. If Jason Tatum isn't feeling it, he won't shoot. But he will pass. And he often passes to Jalen Brown. And Brown's become a great fourth quarter player. So I think this is a real thing. And by the way, Jason Tatum verbalized this. We talked about this.

He verbalized the fact that sometimes he doesn't know if he's the guy. And they know that. Ime Aduca, after the game, talked about how Jason Tatum, like, this is his personality. He says stuff Michael Jordan wouldn't say. I don't know if I'm the guy. But Emae Adoka sat him down and said, okay, this is who you are. When you're not hitting shots, you can also help us. We've talked about it throughout the year, and I've talked to him at length about impacting the game when he's not having his best offensive night.

And so did that tonight. You know, obviously going three for 17. That's usually not going to happen. But what he did well and did early was get others involved, seven or nine assists pretty early in the game, finished with 13. And the shots not falling, he still attracts a good amount of attention, made the right plays. And I love his growth and progression in those areas where he's still guarding on the defensive end, still getting others. involved, not pouting about his shots and trying to play through some mistakes and some physicality that they were playing with him.

So when they went to boxing one on him to try to take him out, made it tough at times. But that's why we're a team. We don't rely on one guy. And you saw others step up tonight. Listen, if you're Boston, you feel great this morning. Now, Al Horford's not going to be that dominant the rest of the series. He's not going to have six threes the rest of the series. But Jason Tatum's not going to play that poorly the rest of the series.

My big takeaway is the refs are going to let him play. big edge to Boston, the more physical team, and Jalen Brown has become an absolutely dependable lights out fourth quarter score. That is huge. That's why these playoffs, you can go back 30, 40 years. The great fourth quarter scores, a lot of times end up with rings. Let's talk Steph. I mean, I swear to God. Steph Curry shoots 50% from the floor, easily the best, arguably the only warrior who was great offensively, finishes the game with more points than any player 34, and this morning it's, well, he shrank.

Oh, good God. Folks, let me remind you the Celtics devoured Kevin Durant in the first round. He was awful. They made Bam Adebayu in the Eastern Conference finals a defender only. Drew Holliday was half of himself, a shell of himself against this Celtics defense. And Janus, who shoots 55% from the field, shot 45% against the Celtics. This is what they do. This is what the Warriors did to Luca.

You're not going to stop Steph from scoring 34, but you're going to make him less efficient. Marcus Smart blocked two of his shots. You're not going to score on interior scoring in the paint. if you're the Warriors, if Robert Williams is healthy. Now, Robert Williams was limping early in the game, so you just, you never know with him. But as we talked about, refs swallow the whistles. This is not a situation like, let's say, Hardener Westbrook, where they're clearly not the same player in the postseason, where they need a whistle to be effective. Steph Curry doesn't.

This is also something to remember. Boston isn't just a really good defensive team. They are a historically great defensive team. I don't remember ever, six different players on a team. So starters and then another guy, all getting all NBA defense votes. I don't remember that ever happening. I mean, Al Horford is capable defensively. And he's their second best big defensively.

So this team's, this idea, though, that if you watched last night for however long that was, two hours and 45 minutes, if you watch that game, and you thought, Warriors lost because of Steph, get an optometrist. I can't help you on that stuff. For the record, when you play great teams,

KD was devoured by the Celtics. Janus wasn't Janus. Drew Holliday, Bamana Bayou, all star-level players in the East, significantly reduced against this defense. Steff had 34. And he didn't talk about the loss after the game.

It's not ideal, but I believe in who we are, how we deal with adversity, excuse me, how we responded all year. I've responded to playoffs after a loss, so learn a lot from that fourth quarter. Obviously, they made a lot of shots. It seemed like they missed until deep into the fourth. and, you know, when you have a team that just finds a little bit momentum like they did, and they keep making shots. So it's a tough, it's tough to kind of regain that momentum. Listen, if you look at the NBA playoffs, go back to the first round,

a lot of times, and I don't have the data in front of me, a lot of times whoever hits their threes wins the game. Boston, none of only hit them. They hit them all in about a six-minute stretch, like all of them. So that's just something. You just don't see stretches like that. You actually do. The Warriors, when they had KD, would have those stretches, like kind of regularly.

Like every second or third playoff game, they'd hit six straight threes in the game's over. I don't think Boston's hit that many since all these guys played together against the good team. Good for them. I still contend the great thing going for Boston in this series is the rest are going to let them play. If the refs continue to let them play, and that's kind of the way it works in the finals, That's a big edge for Boston. It's going to be a very physical series then, and I would say edge to the bigger, stronger team.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

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But it is. When you watch a game happen and you tend to go, oh, this is the series. These are really good coaches. These are really good coaches. Boston went seven games with Miami, who was falling apart. So Boston's going to have their dry spells. Draymond Green talked after the game. This got a lot of people worked up after the game when Draymond Green said this.

They stayed within striking distance. and they made shots late. So we'll be fine. We'll figure out the ways we can stop them from getting those threes and take them away. But I don't think it was a rhythm thing. We pretty much dominated the game for the first 1, 41, 42 minutes. So it'll be fine.

He's not wrong. and Golden State's been here before. Remember, Golden State relies heavily on the three. They have awful nights. They got rolled by 50 by Memphis. They got rolled in game four against the Mabbs. They'll get rolled occasionally when they're off. Usually at Chase, that's not the place. But they were in total control of this game for about 75% of it. Every time Boston inch closer, they'd pull away. Boston down 11, they'd pull it to four. That's back up to nine. Boston down eight, they pull it to three, back up to nine. That was the game. game. And then Boston was greater than they've ever been from three point land. Again, the

betting line for game two is the same it was for game one. Now, the difference here, and there is a difference. And this is why if you're a Celtic fan this morning, you've got to feel pretty confident. The difference is Dallas, Denver, and Memphis, who the Warriors have beaten in the West, well, a playoff experience. They haven't been in these games. They could beat them for a game, but you always kind of felt with Dallas and Denver and Memphis, it was inevitable. I think you forget. Here's the playoff experience Boston has. They've been to four the last five Eastern Conference finals.

Al Horford has 142 playoff games. Marcus Smart 83. Jalen Brown 80. Jason Tatum 69. This is not the Mavericks. It's not the Grizzlies. It's not Denver. You say, well, they haven't been in the finals.

Aaron Rogers has only been in one Super Bowl. Do you really think in the playoffs, Aaron freaks out? Oh, postseason. He hasn't played well. The Packers haven't played well. But like Aaron's been in the playoffs. We don't worry about Aaron in the playoffs or the Super Bowl getting really nervous. You know, your first game in the finals can be a little, wow.

Did Boston look overwhelmed, anxious? No, I mean, Boston did what Boston did. They had a six-minute lull offensively where they couldn't hit a shot. they do that on games they went all the time. They were great defensively. And Jalen Brown was great. You know, again, fourth quarter scoring. I mean, really, if you take out Al Horford's Blizzard,

and a lot of what Boston did, this is what they do. So Jason Tatum was worse than usual. Horford was better than usual. But this is different. This is an organization, Boston, that they have the most experience, playoff experience in the Eastern Conference. So they've been here before.

This is not a team that's going to get, you know, freak out. I still contend Golden State, though they've lost home court advantage, has more guys capable of scoring and creating shots. But after you watch last night, it's not a significant gap. We've got to come to terms with Jalen Brown has become a go-to fourth quarter score. He's always been good. He's averaging over 20 for years. But he's a big-time player in the fourth, and that's where titles are often decided.

he was athletic the day he got in this league. He could score. He wasn't this when he got into the league. Marcus Martin, Jason, Tatum, we always kind of knew what they were. Smart would be a defender. Tatum would be the most talented. But I think the growth of Jalen Brown now is just we've got to put him in that category of guys you can trust in big spots.

Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, LeBron has hit another milestone in his. his career. One, no NBA player has reached during his career, according to Forbes, he is the NBA's first active player to be worth $1 billion. Active player to be worth that. Active player, yes. A lot of guys, you know, not a lot,

but there's a handful of guys done it after they've done playing. Well, Jordan is the only other basketball billionaire. He didn't hit 10 figures until 2014, which was more than a decade after he retired. So LeBron has hit the billionaire club much sooner than Michael did. I thought if you were woke, you went broke. That's what I thought too. Apparently, apparently woke still pays. I don't know.

The checks are still coming out. They're not bouncing. Yeah. Well, he's earned more than $385 million playing basketball, but endorsements, obviously, and business ventures got him to this landmark. Forbes estimated that he brought in over $900 million in income off the court. Oh, last year?

Which would speak specifically to the... That's over the course of his career. You made $900 million. Over the course of his career. Oh, okay, okay. So here's the estimated breakdown, according to Forbes of LeBron's billion dollar fortune. Spring Hill Company, 300 million. Yeah, that's his production company.

With Maverick Carter and the guys. Yep, just saw a movie the other night that he did hustle with Adam Sandler. Fenway Sports Group, 90 million. Yeah, now that's the ownership group. And they own some other stuff besides the Wren socks, I think. Yes. Real estate is 80 million. Blaze Pizza, 30 million.

And other cash and investments. over 500 million. I'm surprised Blaise pizza isn't worth more than 30 million. Because that's all over L.A. I see him. Yeah, but there's a lot of pizza places. All right. Okay.

That's pretty good for a pizza place if you're worth 30 million. This isn't super surprising. LeBron's been really amazing. I mean, I say all the time, I think he's the greatest superstar we've ever had in the history of sports, not just basketball.

He, the idea that he could be in the spotlight from the time that he was 16 years old until now at the age of 37 and manage his career the way that he has being the face of a league, the chosen one from the moment that he steps foot in the league is remarkable. Well, it's really interesting about this. Everybody wants you to keep quiet about politics

unless they agree with you. Right. So in my life, Michael and Tiger didn't go into politics. LeBron and Muhammad Ali did. And those are the four biggest athletes. So two didn't and flourished. Two didn't flourish. So this idea that you can't talk politics, yes you can.

Muhammad Ali did. And he was the first superstar in my life. And LeBron is the last one. And he has. So there's a lot of different ways. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. LeBron isn't really someone that I could consider to be political either.

Like he has dabbled in some politics. But he won't dodge it. He doesn't dodge it. And it's people, obviously, they have ties because a lot of policy affects social issues. But it's more about community and social issues that LeBron speaks up on that gets everybody upset. Not everybody.

But what people don't understand about this like the go woke, broke thing, whatever nonsense, which is fascinating to me, but, you know, whatever. People aren't very smart sometimes. People think you don't like, oh, like I come to sports and I just want sports. Well, everyone doesn't feel that way. There's also the other half of the world that does want athletes to speak up and does look to our stars to use their platforms. So just because you don't agree with what they're saying and you don't want to hear it, there are millions of other people that do.

So there's obvious evidence that this doesn't hurt your brand. If anything, it can help your brand because there are a lot of people that do want athletes to be vocal. Well, also, if you look at the advertisers that LeBron has connected with, many of those companies, like a Nike, want their athletes to be empowered, period. And so they don't deal it as a negative. in social issues themselves. Remember when Nike did a Kaepernick ad or something and everybody freaked out, I waited two days and I bought Nike stock because the Nike audience is younger.

I waited about two days because the market overreacted. And about two or three days later, I bought Nike stock and did well with it. I mean, that's my point. We live in a very divided society, but one half always thinks that they're speaking for everyone in the country. You're speaking for you and the people that you hang out with. Yeah, there are people that don't want their sports. in politics. I think there's absolutely a big chunk of that. And there are other people that

like that we tend to think. Just consider it half. Ignore the people in the middle who don't get outraged by everything. Consider it half. So whatever you feel strongly about, the other half of the country, which is millions and millions of people, feel opposite of you. And they're still going to buy that product. That's right. So that's just how all of this works. It all balances out. But congrats to LeBron. I think he's done an incredible job, not only being the face of the league for as long as he has, but obviously on the business side of things, which again, going all the way back to things that we've been talking about for months,

this is why being aware of how to build businesses, how to handle money, how to grow wealth, should start at a younger age. Hello, NIL. This is what you have the capability of doing when you are a superstar. Yeah, I got another NIL story today. That's a doozy, by the way.

So there's been some talk around the NBA about potentially shortening the season and playing fewer than 82 games. Adam Silver was asked about the possibility of that before the final. and he didn't shut down the idea. I'm not against potentially changing the format of the season, even possibly shortening it a bit, if we can demonstrate that that's going to have a direct impact on injuries.

What we're hoping is we can all work collectively, the 30 teams together in a non-competitive way, together with our players association, and figure out what is optimal on these players' bodies. so that they're incentivized to play, but aren't overdoing it to the extent where they end up playing too much and pushing through injuries that ends up hurting their careers. Yeah, by the way, wasn't last night's game great because everybody was available. All the stars were available. Yeah.

Yeah. The bad finals is when the warriors fell apart physically and the Raptors, the underdog, were healthy and you're like, this kind of stinks. Like it didn't do very well. You want to beat people at their best. Yes. And it feels more complete. It doesn't take anything away from the team that does. win. You get breaks along the way. Every team got breaks along the way that is here right now.

Celtics got several breaks. It doesn't take anything away from them being in the finals, but they did get breaks throughout their postseason run. So do the Warriors. But what I like is that he didn't shut the idea down. Because aside from the injury factor, there is obviously the looming idea that there are too many games during the regular season. For consumers, you need to have a little more of a sense of urgency during the regular season. Fewer games creates that. Right. Now, remember this. People say, well, Colin, it used to be okay. We didn't have iPhones.

Correct. So what has happened in the American culture is we are far more distracted and we didn't have YouTube and we didn't have Instagram. So people are now consuming games differently on a multitude of platforms. So you don't need as many games to monetize the sport. The big money now comes from television. Yes. And the ratings have been great for the NBA and the playoffs. Because there's urgent.

But the average consumer, you have to create. In the 70s, I would sit and watch as a kid. I mean, even in the 80s, I would watch a three and a half hour baseball game. I haven't watched a complete baseball game since like the World Series. So the world has changed and the sports that can figure this out. We've seen this college football, by the way, has got a little issue. Those games are now going four hours in college football. Like the NFL gets it.

They keep the clock running more. You want to stay in that three hours. window. Even for college football games now, there are times you're like, this is four hours and 10 minutes. I love college football. I don't got four hours, 10 minutes. If I want to watch two games on Saturday. It's your entire day. So it's all the sunshine. Yeah. So I do think the NBA, and there's contracts with arenas you have to work out. More playoffs, less regular season, healthier players later. It removes back to backs. It helps with travel. Better quality of play. guys arrested. And the other issue that it would help to solve.

because it would make it almost impossible to argue is load management, which is a huge issue. And you go to 6870 games, you find players for load management. Guys don't want to do it. They're not playing back-to-backs. I think it is a fixable problem. The NFL is built just the structure of the sport for this kind of urgency. So it is moved perfectly into this era that we're in

because that's just the way the sport is constructed. But baseball and NBA, the regular seasons, there's just so many games. There is no sense of urgency for the regular season. So Tua is under a lot of pressure to take a big step up this season. These videos causing a stir. You guys in these practice videos. Well, they added Tyreek Hill, and he's gotten some criticism specifically for his arm strength, and he is pushing back on the doubters.

You know, for me, it's just zoned that out. I mean, we come out to practice. Everyone else, Twitter Warriors, you know, keyboard warriors, whatever you want to call them. You know, they're not out here practicing with us working hard. So I don't know if you guys recorded that last one to Tyreek, but I don't know about you, but that looked like money. That is funny. Well, I mean, I think this is a fair criticism of TWA. Now, I don't care about practice video.

I am not moved either way. You can look awesome in practice. I mean. You know I love practice video. block can throw it over to mountains. But when it's when there's, it's live game and there's defensive linemen running after you,

the accuracy. You and me disagree with this. I just, I don't, I just don't, I can't get crazy about. I love practice video. I know you love it. I can't get crazy about practice video. But since his rookie season, he ranks 30th among qualified passers and average air yards per attempt at 7.13.

He had 27 big pass plays that went for at least 20 yards last season. That was tied for 29th among quarterbacks. But we do know one thing he is, is accurate. So he led the NFL and completion percentage on passes at least 25 yards down field completing 50% of them, but he only attempted 18 such passes, which is the second fewest in the league.

So when he does attempt them, he is accurate, but he doesn't do it a lot. I don't know that that matters so much that you've got to have this cannon to throw it downfield. I think it's important in big games when you have, when you're up against it and it's a two-minute drill and you have no time out and you've got to push it downfield. That's when it matters. and coincidentally, that's what the best do is Patrick Mahomes, 13 seconds, go out and win a game.

But I don't get, I'm not, it is what it is. Like, you're not going to make a guy into a massive arm. He either has that or he doesn't. Yeah. So if that's not his game, then you have to compensate for him. That's what a Tyree kill would essentially do is stretch the field. We'll find out this year. Yeah.

I think Miami is going to be a playoff team. I love what he did that. They better be. He was pretty, he's pretty, funny at a mic. Two is pretty good at the mic. I like when he has the confidence. I felt so bad for him last year. Dealing with that the Sean Watson nonsense. Well, he also had a coach that literally we found out now. Like they were, they didn't like each other. I mean, that's been

published now by people who cover the team. He's had a, I have, I have sympathy for two. I mean, I've been saying it from the beginning, so it's not news to me. But yeah, he's at a, he's at a rough go. It's nice to see him be able to like, you know, shine. I have his confidence up there. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for

shopping back. The Herd Lie News. So there was this match the other day. You put all these quarterbacks, they play golf. It's okay. The best part is Charles Barkley, and they talk afterwards. And both Brady and Aaron Rogers talked about retirement. Now, I don't love my quarterbacks talking about retirement, but, you know, it is what it is.

And Brady talked about retirement saying, you know, he was going to retire. Then he, at this stage, it's like 55, yes, I'll play in 45. No, it's not 100 nothing. That's just the reality. I've gotten older. I have other responsibilities, off the field, family kids. Aaron knows these things because your life gets bigger as we all do. Our life gets more full.

Aaron Rogers also talked about retirement. Again, prefer he doesn't, but whatever. It's not the end of the world. He said, listen, when you commit, said Aaron, you're 100%. But the older you get, the interest change and the grind. I think it wears on you a little bit more and more. The football part is the easy part. That's the joy.

It's the other stuff that wears on you. It makes you think about life after football. Tommy obviously sets the bar so high with playing so many years. I can definitely see that end coming. What's interesting is Aaron Rogers, in any other era, would be retiring probably after the season. He's 38 years old. He's 38 years old right now.

Let me give you a list of guys that retired at 38, 39 years old. Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Big Ben, Joe Montana, John Elway, Steve Young, Kurt Warner, Dan Marino. 38, 39. Now Aikman had some concussion issues, and Bradshaw played in a different era where you could literally body slam quarterbacks into the concrete astro turf. But 38 is the reasonable number. It's time to wrap her up.

A lot of hits. You can walk away, not hobble away. It just so happens that Aaron plays in the era and is compared to the most willful, brand conscious, driven, ascending, healthiest. Like, he just happens to be the next door neighbor of like Tony. Robbins in the world of public speaking. Like there's guys that do that for a living, then there's Tony Robbins. And I think if Aaron left after this year, he has three years left on his contract,

even the Packers have acknowledged, they have acknowledged it's three one-year deals. I do not think he will finish his Green Bay contract. I don't know if he'll play more than three years. He is a different cat. He's got lots of interest. And he's also, I think it doesn't get published a lot because when an NBA player has a shoe deal we all know about it. I don't think people realize how much money Patrick Mahomes

and Aaron Rogers make off the field. I don't think fans have any idea. Shoe deals you hear about through Nike. I saw a list of the money Mahomes makes off the field. It is way more than his football income. And that used to be like territory for basketball players. Now we've added another layer, social media income. So that didn't exist years ago.

So basketball guys now, football guys get tackled. Basketball guys, they like playing and shoot. Football guys get tackled. Now they're making shoe money. Now they're making beer money. Now they're making social media money. Like, I get it now. Like, you know, a lot of these guys just made football money and it wasn't close to what

it is now. So if you're a football player and you're 38 and a quarterback, it is a perfect time to walk away, not hobble away. And I don't think Aaron finishes his. three years. I don't. It's hard for me to be hypercritical. If he had a really good year this year and just got thumped in the playoffs and he said, hey man, it's been a hell of a ride. Money, Hall of Fame legacy is all set. I get it. I really do. I completely get it. But when you're side by side, when you're, I always say this, it's one thing if your brother's successful.

If he lives next to you, it feels worse. And Tom's made everybody look small at times. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays and noon Easter. 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LeVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right, Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to

up on game with me, LeVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexicoke Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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

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

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we

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Kevin O'Connor. We bring him on from time to time. So, you know, I made a promise on the air. I said, let's not overreact to game one. Golden State has been off way too long for an offensive team, an offensively driven team, to be off. Like, shooters want to shoot. So outside of Steph, I thought Draymond and Jordan Poole and Wiggins, I thought offensively,

they were just totally out of sync, which you could get away with, except you're playing the best NBA defense maybe in a decade. So I wasn't shocked by it. I was shocked by Al Horford shooting. Did you come away when that game was over? Was it a I can't believe what I just saw a moment for you? For sure, in terms of how the game played out, the fact that you have the Warriors having their third quarter avalanche,

and then Boston comes out in the fourth. 7-0 run with Steph Curry off the floor before he returns, with around 9 minutes, 30 seconds left in the game. And it just kept going and going and going in the entire fourth quarter. So in that sense, the fact we see Boston, to the fourth quarter with a double-digit deficit and then win by double deficit by double digits in that sense, Colin, it's definitely shocking. But in terms of like how the game played out in the types of performances we saw with

Draymond Green and Igwadala as non-threats, the Celtics weren't worried about defending those guys. And the warriors on the other hand, you know, they weren't worried about Horford. They weren't worried about Derek White or smart at times. But those guys can make you pay. Like, Dremont's comment after the game about, oh, they're not going to. and do that again. Maybe they won't shoot that well. Maybe they won't shoot over 70% from three those guys. But they can make you pay. Dream on Amigo Dahl, I have not yet proven that.

Yeah. Derek White's been hitting big shots all playoffs. So that's not necessarily a shock. And Horford's a five-time All-Star. You know, one of the things I did take away from last night, and we know this to be almost empirically true, is the NBA refs, when the finals come around, they let you play. They step aside and let you play. It's why a Westbrook or a Hardin or a Carl Malone, who kind of needed the whistle never felt as effective in the playoffs. Well, if the rest are going to let them play like last night, Kevin, that's a big edge for Boston. This is a big physical team. And as I watched that, I thought, oh, I forget how much they let you play in the finals.

So I kind of think Boston comes out of that game last night and thinks, guys, we can be more physical. I think it's an edge for Boston. Your thoughts? Yeah, I think that's fair. I mean, we'll see how they call it in game two. We'll know right away, just like, we sort of did in that game one. And it was also just refreshing to see those teams be able to play and be aggressive.

But I do think you're right, Colin, that that is an edge for Boston, because as you said, they had this historic defense this year when league-wide offensive rating is at all-time highs in the second half of the season in February, March, and to April. Meanwhile, Boston is this outlier-level defense, and they've maintained it through the postseason getting through Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and my, and my, Miami, three really tough matchups, especially that Milwaukee series. And now in this game won here against Golden State, I feel like they answered a lot of the questions.

Like, they have all these, no days off for about a three-week period. They get a little bit of rest. And then suddenly Horford's shooting the heck out of the ball again. Suddenly, it seems like they have fresh legs. And now with more days off between games, that's another thing that I think bodes well for Boston here in this series. You know, it's really interesting. It's funny. Brad Stevens said, listen, I think the players need a new voice.

And a lot of coaches won't do that. So he moved upstairs. Well, people may forget this. He's the guy. The minute he moved upstairs, he went and got Derek White and Al Horford. And Horford's a fascinating player because aesthetically, you know, he's not real vertical. He's not swatting shots. It's not Lobb City. I think sometimes people forget just how good Al Horford is. But this is a league where style, there are style points in the. the NBA, you know, in the NBA. I think, you know, when you say Horford won't do it again, I think he has just fit, I think his IQ, you know, you've covered Horford many times for years.

He's just a unique player in this league and kind of, if you could, talk a little bit about what he means to Boston and what he's added. I mean, I think with Al Horford, you think about who he was in Atlanta. He was always a good defensive player. He was always somebody who could play make and he would hit mid-range jumpers but the fact that as it shows on the screen now him just draining threes he's now a versatile switch defender his ability to go out and defend on the perimeter and just you know play his role that he needs to for this team with catch and shoots from three with drives to the basket with cuts to the basket he does it all and he does it at a high level and i think with horford here in this boston series the difference between him and draymond

They do a similar thing in their own respective ways with their playmaking with size. But with Horford, he's a threat to shoot. Draymond is a total liability when he's behind the arc. Horford right now looks like the better overall player than Draymond Green, which is saying a lot, considering how great Draymond is, considering how sensational he is defensively. But when you have a flaw offensively, when you can't shoot, you can be a liability to your team's success in the half court.

Horford is never a liability, no matter the circumstances on the court. And for the Celtics, he is just a vitally important player, especially when they can go to him at the five and retain spacing. And they did that in that fourth quarter is one of the reasons why they were able to just turn it around and beat the Warriors. 30, 45 seconds. I said the Warriors in six, I still like him. I'm not going to take too much from game one. Your thoughts this morning? I had the Celtics in seven, and I'll stick to that for now.

but the Celtics did answer a lot of the questions that bode well for them, at least moving forward in this series, considering the health, considering the fact they changed up their schemes mid-game, and considering, like you said, they might not shoot over 50% of three again, but the way the Warriors were defending them, they're going to have to make some significant adjustments because they can't sag off of Horford and white and smart like they were. Okay, Kevin's got a great story on what the Mavs need to add with Luca. Go to the Ringer, read it. Very thoughtful. No surprise. Kevin O'Connor. Good seeing you again, Kev. Appreciate it a call. You bet.

Yeah, it's got a really interesting story on what to do with the maps because we've talked about this. The idea that you can just throw any good score in with Luca, I don't buy that at all. I think you start half draft and develop defensive players, re-signed Jalen Brunson, also not a great defensive player. If you know what a player is, and we know what Luca is, he's never going to be in D-Wade shape, he's never going to be elite defender, then help him in those areas. Let he and Brunson do a lot of the scoring.

you know, there's been a lot of rumors about Rudy Gobert. I don't think it's a terrible idea. I don't. All right, that's good stuff. We got another NIL story. I'm telling you, these coaches just freak out now that players can make a little scratch and players can leave if the coach doesn't treat them well. It's amazing.

And it's the good coaches talking. It's not the loons. It's like the really good CEOs are freaking out. Guys, unbelievable. players are leaving. Tyrese Halliburton is going to join us. Guard for the Pacers. Good for him.

He's going to stop by our show. Hour one is down on a Friday. I love when we coming to do a show after a big game. Batting practice. Just keep throwing those 75-mile-hour fastballs in here. It's the herd. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

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

Others say it's unleashing huge. 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 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 are armored. 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 AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture

topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.