The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Are the Mavericks in trouble?

Episode Date: June 7, 2024

Ric Bucher joins The Herd to talk about what went wrong for the Mavericks in game 1 of the NBA Finals and moreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Wherever you may be. However, you may be listening or watching. Thanks for making us part of your day. J. Mack, go to a big event Saturday night. I am not. I'll be grinding on some analytics of the NBA. Hope you have a big weekend. You've got a big weekend for the family, big social events.

Saturday night. So, one number, can I mention a number you did not mention in the first hour? What, what number? One. What's that? Luca Donchard's had one assist last night. One. That's it.

One assist. Guys who were catching his passes and trying to score, one for six shooting. Just, I mean, you nailed it. Boston locked up Luca said, we're not giving the shooters anything. No airspace, PJ Washington didn't make a three. I mean, I'm trying not to panic. I think the Mavs will give him a series. but I like they just Dallas offense couldn't do anything zero lob dunks zero they had 54 in the

playoffs more than every other team combined and they didn't have one lob dunk they cut that off like that was impressive by Boston I gotta throw you this so we all know bellichick was great with Tom Brady got fired in Cleveland without him was really bad in new England without him so crazy me I'm going to say that Brady is tied to Belichick success. Tom won at Michigan without Bill. He won a Super Bowl in Tampa without Bill. I'm not anti-Bill. I think he's the smartest defensive coach the NFL's ever had. But he doesn't know offense. He's lousy at drafting offense. I've got proof. It's his roster. It's terrible. And he controlled the drafts the last seven years. I've had multiple people inside the

building tell me. He didn't even know certain terminologies. He's a defensive coach and a culture builder. But, so Bill struggles, and he did a good job. He went on television at the other network. And, you know, his media friends, Bill can tell stories. He can be funny. And I hope he does media. I hope he does it well. I still think he wants to coach.

But when he didn't get the Atlanta job, all the sycophants, all the Belichick buddies, how could they pass on him? I don't know. Let me read you a story from Damien Harris, long. time Patriot running back who talked to Robert May's good reporter for the athletic he said

do we have sound on that by the way here it is here's the sound what happened to Mac Jones in New England was not because of Mac Jones what happened in New England to Mac Jones was because of the fact you took away an offensive coordinator who coached him to be a pro bowler

and almost coached us to winning our division with a rookie quarterback and he his first year, and then you take whenever Josh McDaniels left, then you take Matt Patricia, who's coached defense his entire life, Joe Judge, who's been a special team's coach, you know, coach receivers at some point, and then you just throw him in there and be like, hey, coach this kid up, he's a first round pick, you know, but as long as you teach him what I say, everything's going to be fine,

and he went fine. He went on to say it was like, Matt Patricia and Joe Judge's offense, they were grabbing plays from Matt, Madden, no structure, no playbook. They changed the entire terminology. This is very damning. He said, Harris said the offensive leaders held meetings to figure out how they could bring

obvious concerns to Belichick, but those were not met with a listening ear. If anybody had anything to say about it, said Damian Harris. You got a very quick shut the F up. I know what I'm doing from Bill. that's the real Belichick not the one that's on TV telling great stories how could you pass on him in Atlanta

well I'm going to take a young coach whose best friends with Sean McVeigh and grab one of McVeigh's assistants and they've all done well in the NFL all of McVeigh's assistants win all of them do well Zach Taylor Kevin O'Connell they all do well

okay So I'm going to go with that guy with a young offense of young players who want somebody that listens over prickly Bill, shut the F up, and I'm begging Josh McDaniels to take that OC job in Atlanta. So I'm sure Bill will do fine. There's no proof Bill can win at the highest level without Brady. Cleveland, New England, no proof. All sorts of proof. Brady can win everywhere.

Michigan, New England, Tampa, Super Bowl. so I think this this is damning to me this is the Belichick that people hurt you make a few calls Belichick on his way up alienated more than a few people and you'll meet those people on your way down

but that story to me that's bad offensive players have to figure out a way to go to a coach how do we like how do we bring this to old grumpy guy I don't know that's that's a bad Look, that's what people inside the league that had an opportunity to hire Bill, that's what they're hearing. And now it's out there.

Rick Buecker covering the NBA for a long time, Fox Sports NBA analyst. So let's start with this. I mean, Luca didn't get a lot of help. I said this earlier. The Celtics are so gifted offensively, they have a cushion. Tatum scores under 10 points under his average. They were leading by 29. Kyrie's struggles, they get blown out.

what do you make of Kyrie's struggles Rick he's had two nine point playoff games he struggled from three he's been very hot and cold in the playoffs from beyond the arc what did you make of his performance well this is

partly why when we talk about him being one of the most skilled players in NBA history or we hear players and coaches talking about him and his skill it begs the question okay he's one of the most skilled ever, why hasn't he won more? Why hasn't he considered one of the all-time great players?

It is because he doesn't always apply those skills appropriately. He gets lost in trying to go one-on-one to prove that you can't guard me or you two guys can't guard me instead of just make the play that needs to be made to win the game. Now, I've seen more of the latter, the smart Kyrie, in Dallas than I ever have before, which is why I believe that this is the best. basketball that he's played but we have seen at various times especially when Dallas is struggling that Kyrie wants to take over and Luca has the same tendency and it backfires on them massively if you look at any of the games that they have lost particularly game ones whether it's Oklahoma City or it's

it's this one or even against Minnesota in the first game generally it's a result of those two guys trying trying to do far too much on their own. And that's what we saw with Kyrie. And in game one, I would fully expect that he's going to make an adjustment and get back to the Kyrie that we've seen more of. I would expect the same from Luca. Adam Silver, the Commissioner, was pretty up front and verbal

in regards to KD joining the Warriors. He did not like it. He thought it was a competitive advantage. So the new CBA, the apron they have, is trying to avoid three stars on one team. Well, you don't have to call Drew Holiday and Porzine. as stars, but they're damn good players. They were number two or number one scores.

So in a way, the Celtics are now what Adam Silver is trying to avoid, which is a stacked roster where Derek White's your fifth best player. Al Horford's off the bench is a multiple-time All-Star. And I watched this game last night, and I'm thinking,

it's possible this is a bad matchup. Minnesota is so limited offensively. O'KC as kids. Is it potentially, is this just, Boston's going to get there 116 to 118 in every game and you're just going to got to cross your fingers that Luca and

Kyrie are hot. Is it potentially a bad matchup for Dallas? I'm not there yet, Colin. I understand why some people would think that, but I haven't forgotten the Oklahoma City game where Dallas once again got blown out. For the same reasons. It became two Luca and Kyrie-centric. Oklahoma City came out, shooting lights out from three-point range. Boston did the same thing in game one. Now, Boston, there's no doubt that Dallas did not take Boston

as seriously as they should have. They came into this game thinking, we did the toughest work already, which was beating the Minnesota Timberwolves and their defense. And we can bully the Boston Celtics. None of that worked. And so they've got to go back to what was successful for them in the previous series. Now, Boston may just be too talented to fail because to your point, like one guy can be off, two guys can be off, you got three or four other guys who are going to be on, and that may be the difference. And Boston is also a little more versatile defensive than Minnesota was. If you could get Carl Anthony Towns rotating, Rudy Gobert having to step out away from the basket, you could exploit them. It's going to be harder to do that with Boston. But I still

believe that we saw at moments in game one, where Dallas was able to create the same openings, the same drives to the basket that they were able to get against Minnesota and Oklahoma City. So I'm not dismissing the belief that Dallas can still win this series, and I'm not even dismissing it that they can win it in six games. So Porzingis got a reputation in the NBA, fair or not, and you have to be careful in the NBA, because people come into this league at night. They're not fully formed. If they get into a bad locker room, they can get a bad reputation. He was called like a bad locker room guy.

And then in Washington, he kind of popped. He kind of became what we thought. And Boston seized that. So it's interesting. Porzingis, when they acquired him, there was sort of this, yeah, let's see if it works. That's kind of what everybody said. Then you watched last night, and you're like, yeah, it works. That's a problem.

I mean, I don't know. He's been good for a long time, but it does feel like this is the second iteration of him. This is the more perimeter iteration, right? Well, I believe that he's one of the things that makes him so valuable is that he can consistently score mid-range and finish at the basket. And the rest of the Boston Celtics are kind of up and down when it comes to that. I think that he gives them an interior presence that they otherwise don't have.

But more than anything, he has that and he has the willingness to take shots from the perimeter, and he has the willingness to step up defensively because he can't be punked anymore. And that was the reputation when he first came in. Came in, he was the unicorn, he expected to be treated like a star. Guys decided, okay, we're going to test you, we're going to test you physically, and he didn't always respond well to that. that. He cowered at times. And I felt as if Dallas came into this game thinking, we're playing the same Christops Porzingis that played here. Well, it's a different Christaps. He just got a little smirk on his face when they tried to get physical with him. Or they tried to challenge him at the

rim. He was like, ah, that was the old Christaps. I'm not bothered by this, and I'm just going to put this in over your head. So they've got to make an adjustment there as well. I just felt like Dallas came into this, into this game, thought, thinking that they could bully. The Boston Celtics collectively and Christopps Porzingis in particular, and they just got way too focused on, we're going to try to be physical and go at these guys, and that's going to be enough because we were able to do that against Minnesota. I think they have to be tactically a little smarter, and I would expect, again, I would expect that they will be in game two. So Dan Hurley to the Lakers, there's this feeling.

that, you know, P.J. Carlissimo came in as a bit of a barker in the NBA, but it should be noted that Kerr can use volume, Spolstra can use it, Popovich. You know, this idea that these guys are all just swell, and that's just the way to coddle him. It's like Mike Dan Tony could never confront a player, and that's why Dan Tony kept getting run. So I look at Hurley, I think he's smart, I think he can learn, pull back a little bit on the volume. my bigger concern is the Lakers, Rick. I don't want to waste too much time setting this up, but Harbaugh, now with the Chargers, McVeigh, Stafford,

USC Big Ten, Balmer New Arena, Dodgers on fire. Can the Lakers be patient as this puppy gets slow cooked for three years, and they're a 500 team? I worry about the Lakers and patience. I think Hurley can work. I think he'll be a little louder, but I think he's smart enough to pull that back a little. What do you make?

Yeah. I agree with you and that it's going to take some time. He's going to have to get the right guys in there. But I honestly, if they're hiring Danny Hurley, it's with a post-Lebron team in mind, not trying to squeeze the most out of LeBron James in the next year or two. And to your point, the one difference between PJ Carlisomose and Greg Popovich and any of the guys that could be tough, Eric Spolstra. another one who I would compare Danny Hurley to in terms of temperament and personality and the way he relates to his players because he will get after him but he will also pat them on the back and show his appreciation and will be loyal to them in every way possible and the thing that Danny has that Pop had that Spoh has is the fact that he can call himself a champion. It may have been at the collegiate level but he comes in as the hottest ticket

coming out of college. And I do believe we're at a stage now in the NBA where you need guys who are capable of developing talent. And we got this whole Lakers Celtics race going on. I believe the Lakers in a way, as much as they might not want to admit it because of the enmity between the two franchises, they're taking a page out of their book. They are going and getting a Brad Stevens, who did take a couple of years to build a team. But look at what they have now and look at how sustainable it is. The Lakers have gone with three guys who were go along, get along, player type coaches in Luke Walton and Frank Vogel and Darvinham. And I get the sense they're now looking at Danny Hurley as a guy who can come in and be a difference maker who can set a culture and a program and develop players with the iteration that's going to exist once LeBron steps aside.

Finally, Caitlin Clark, a little turbulence, hasn't been bad, almost 16 a game, six assists, not shooting particularly well, but we've talked about this. You can be Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, it's rough. Wembe, they didn't win any more games than the year before. It's hard. This is pro sports. You covered Steph. She's been comped to Steph, and I said yesterday, I think she needs to get in a weight room,

be about six, seven pounds, more muscle. I think, but you went, go back to the early Steph. Do you see some Steph, Caitlin Clark, comps? Oh, 1,000% in the way that they came into the league being sort of tremendous Cinderella stories from where they came. I mean, look, the reason that Kate,

we've gotten into all these reasons why Caitlin Clark should or shouldn't be as captivating as she is. She's not that good. She's just a shooter, whatever, you know, the non-basketball people want to, want to blame, or because of the color of her skin, that's her popularity. The fact is that she is not physically imposing.

She doesn't look particularly quick. She's magical in that way. I mean, she's got kind of a Hoosiers feel to her, a field of dreams, this white girl who's not very fast, who's coming out of the cornfields in Iowa and slaying these powerhouse teams and these athletic, big athletic players. But when you get to the pros,

it's a little bit different. It's another level. Like your IQ and your skills, you have to figure out how can I adjust them and take advantage again at this level. It took Steph Curry the same sort of. There was a point where they were going to trade Steph because physically they didn't think you could handle it better than Monta Ellis. And he figured it out. And I would expect that the same thing would happen with Caitlin Clark. The other element is, and we never give this enough credit, and even Steph would give it credit, you have to put the right pieces around a player like that to take advantage of their unique skills and their IQ and their understanding of the game and their ability to orchestrate it. You have to put those athletes and the guys that can do all of the dirty work around them. That's not what the Indiana fever have right now for the most part for Caitlin, and that's what they're going to need for not just for her but the entire team to be successful. So I see a perfect comp between the two,

but if anybody recalls, anybody who's been watching the NBA for more than five or six years, Steph Curry was not an earth mover when he first arrived in the league. There were questions about whether he was actually going to cut it. Yeah, we have a picture of the rookie Steph and the Steph now, and he came in at 172.

He's now closer to 190, He looks like a high school kid, his rookie year, and he looks like a pro athlete now. So that's what the nutrition table, you know, the NBA knows what they're doing. You don't have to go to class. It's all about building it up, and she'll be fine. Rick Buecker, NBA, Fox Sports. Good seeing you, my man. Same.

You bet. The story's fun, though. We've given a lot of oxygen to the WNBA stories. I think they're really, really interesting. And, you know, we May through September, we're looking for stuff. Yankees, good baseball series. WNBA has been fun. She's going to be fine.

She's going to average 20 a game, 22 a game, eventually probably, shooting the mid-40%, and be kind of a fun, clever, you know, player that wins games and makes big shots.

You got nothing around her at Iowa. She's got nothing around her right now at Indiana. She's playing a team. I believe tonight, who are winless, Washington Mystics.

So Clark could have a chance to go off. You know, if you have a Friday night open, you want to watch them. I do. There you go. You've got a date now.

There you go. That's not a bad idea. Yeah, I've got plans, but, you know. I don't. You may fire up the phone and see what's going on. Send me a text, if anything, if Caitlin Clark's getting cheap shot at again, and I'll check it out. We could go. We could just go on YouTube and scream at each other. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeard radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotes. Tessk, others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. Yep, that's me. Clever 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, personal health, personal health, personal. purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me,

or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

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in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, 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.

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Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Oh, it is a Friday. luxury SUVs now come with a luxury of choice hybrid gas plug in all good go to mbUSA.com slash special offers jac with the news no no no turn on the news this is the herd line news hey look russell wilson update we uh wilson and uh justin fields are the new quarterbacks in pitts everybody's excited after kenny picket was such a letdown last year uh russe looks like he's going to be the starter and Field

says he's got a great relationship with his counterpart. Oh, okay. It's been great. Just learning from him every day. Just how deep out he is with everything, how, you know, just he works. Just everything he does, you know, the way he acts around his teammates. I mean, he's been a great teammate to me, a great mentor to me.

So it's awesome to have a guy like wrestling in the room and I get to learn from him. Positive Colin must like the positive Justin Fields. I think he's a nice kid I like him I think he says the right He always says the right stuff He always says the right stuff

In the microphone He's gonna get a chance Yeah somebody will give him a look I heard from I would say Four people on the Is Russell Wilson a Hall of Famer And they all were like no way He's not

You kept trying to generate I was trying to generate a discussion You liked engineering that But it just I would argue He's in that Philip Rivers class Where there's a lot of production

but, you know, obviously Philip doesn't have the Super Bowl. I mean, if Russell didn't have the Super Bowl, we wouldn't even discuss it. You get to two Super Bowls, it kind of elevate you. Now, he's a better regular season quarterback than Eli Manning, but Eli Manning beat Brady twice and made the throws in the game twice. Well, game-winning drives in the fourth quarter. It's not like the offense was great in those games. They won because of defense.

It's all about hitting the game-winning shot. Yeah. Gotta hit the game winner. All right, let's move on to the Miami Dolphins. They made the playoffs in each of Mike McDaniel's first two seasons in Miami, which is nice with Mike McDaniels. However, Miami has yet to win a playoff game since 2000. That's a 23-year NFL playoff drought. McDaniels is going to great lengths to emphasize avoiding extending that streak to 24 years.

Well, why not find ways to emphasize finishing in everything you do? Obsess about it. You're trying to have staff meetings. at different times during the day, and I had every staff meeting put, like, at 724, or 324, or 524, like, the number 24.

Okay? To you guys, it means nothing. That's how many years it's been since the organizations won a playoff game. We are going to hear about that come playoff time. You think? I like this guy. So we are.

I just don't like the dolphins. Well, let me tell you something. It's a... It's weird because most teams that haven't won, and I'm guessing here, I'm just memory. We have a list of the top teams. Okay. So the teams that go two decades without winning a playoff game are usually awful in many of those years, commanders, raiders, jets, bears.

The dolphins are a little like the cowboys in that they've rarely been atrocious. They've had good coaches. they've made the playoffs. They've been electric and fun to watch. Miami's like Dallas. There's a big brand. Remember, with the Don Shulie years, Miami was great for 25 years.

They were noteworthy. So Miami's got a huge, kind of a national brand. And in the Marino years, they were very viable. So Miami's a little like Dallas, where I don't remember them being bad for eight straight years, or embarrassing. Like the Bears or the Day's. Stan Snyder commanders or post-al late Al Davis Raiders or Detroit.

Miami's always sort of got players I like or a coach I like. Then you start to wonder, hmm, warm weather Miami, winter playoff games in January. And you go look at all the places they play play playoff games and you're like, warm weather Miami going to Pittsburgh or that's why that's the fool's gold with Tua. is that what Miami needs, you know, they need a Jim Kelly. They need a big Ben. Oh, they need a whole of the same quarterback. They need a big, strong quarterback that can win at home,

but doesn't feel overwhelmed on the road. Because if you look at the AFC's best quarterbacks, they're all cold weather. Lamar, Alan, Mahalms. So you're going to be going north, and you live in my daughter's in Miami, taking pictures that I'm sending. It's aqua water.

It's beautiful. It's beautiful. Like, I think you get a little soft down in Miami. Little soft? A little easy living. No easy living in Baltimore. Buffalo. Cincinnati.

I'd rather live in Miami. Yeah, so would I. You take Miami over Cincinnati? Yeah, I think I would. Sorry to Cincinnati. I hear the chili there is great. I don't know much about it. Chili.

And Ryan's not here, Mr. Cincinnati. Is he from there? You're not from there. You're a Bengals fan, though. Final story is to the UFL, the Memphis Showboats. They got a receiver named Daywood Davis. He will reportedly sign with the Carolina Panthers, according to NFL media. Davis earned all UFL honors this season.

41 catches, 446 yards, five touchdowns. He is the first UFL player to make the jump to the NFL. This should surprise nobody who's been listening to our show. We said there would be players. Yeah, we said wide receiver, corners. There's NFL players. I think a couple of quarterbacks, their tires will get kicked come August. If you can do one spring league, you're going to have guys,

I think the NFL has to figure out something so they can keep a third quarterback. You should be able to have a third quarterback that doesn't count against your roster or your salary cap. You pay it. The U.F.L pays a smaller percentage of it, so that makes them more. sustainable because I think the UFL, this is just my take, the NFL is going to figure out very quickly we get a C-guise

we don't have to go on college tape we can take lesser guys and watch them not Canadian football here so can the NFL figure out a way it doesn't count against your salary cap but you can pay a percentage of a UFO everybody's get every

NFL team gets one UFO player right that they they pay the freight doesn't count against against your salary cap. They don't pay them much. But it does help the UFL sustain itself because the TV ratings are good for them. So they'll make money that way. But the attendance may never be great for the UFL. It works in St. Louis. Because I honestly think the NFL as quarterback,

we're getting 50 and 60 playing a year. Wouldn't it be great if I've got like nine games on tape from the UFL and I, you know, you own the rights to that, like the MLS has their academies, You own the right to the player in your academy. Would it be cool if the NFL, and I don't know how it would work out, would own the rights. All the quarterbacks, NFL teams would own the rights to one quarterback in the U.S. Makes sense. NBA has two-way contracts. You figure out a version of a two-way contract that applies to the U.S.

There's ways around it. They'll figure it out. It didn't count against an NFL salary cap, but you drop $50,000 a year and, you know, whatever these guys make. Yeah, and Davis is going to have a shot in Carolina. We know they need receiver help badly. This league can help the NFL. Give you a late season two-game quarterback. There you go.

J-MAC. Are you done? Yes. With the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. Celtics.

You know, it's funny. Sports fans are always like, I told you so. So if Boston wins this series, it's going to be I told you so. But let's be honest. Everybody picked Boston to get to the finals. We picked Boston and Denver to get to the finals.

finals. Minnesota screwed it up. But, you know, Boston has got a little good players. Now, the East is a lot of unwatchable. We'll get better, but right now it's a lot of unwatchable. But last night was impressive. It was a flex. What can I say? Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard radio app. Hey, gang, this is Jay Glazer, host of Unbreakable, a mental wealth podcast. and every week we will have on leaders from sports, entertainment, like Sean McVeigh, Lindsay Vaughn, Michael Phelps, David Spade, Guy Frierey, and also those who can help us in between the ears,

anyone from a therapist to someone like Ed Milet or John Gordon. We've all been through some sort of adversity. To get to the top, we've all used different tools. Listen to Unbreakable with Jay Glazer and Mental Wealth Podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators,

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

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

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. 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, 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, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, 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, as we have real conversations about healing,

growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Well, I said this earlier. The Mavericks before Luca was pulled, game one against the Celtics shot outside of Luca.

The rest of the team shot 9% from threes. So this is potentially, I said it could be a bad matchup for the Mavericks. I think they'll play really well in the second game. But let's be honest about this. You picked the Celtics to get to the finals. I picked the Celtics to get to the finals. You mostly picked Denver to get to the finals. I picked Denver to get to the finals.

Minnesota scooted it up. So Denver's former general manager goes to Minnesota and specifically builds a team to beat Denver, the team he built. And they did in game seven. And Denver led by 20 and gagged it away. So we would, and Denver matches up very well with Dallas. I don't think Dallas last six games.

against Denver. But against Minnesota, they were built to beat him. So basically, the Minnesota T-Wolves and their GM, who built a team to beat Denver, did Dallas a huge favor. Now, Luca is great after losing an opening game. He's like one of these all-time after a loss. Luca puts up huge numbers, 35 a game, he'll be great. But I mean, essentially what happened, you see this sometimes in college football where matchups sort of dictate outcomes. And I just look at this and we all

thought it was going to be Boston and Denver and I think it would have been if Denver doesn't squander a 20-point lead in game seven to a Minnesota team that just matched up well with them. Because I don't think Dallas matched up well, particularly well, with Denver. So some of the stuff

is just matchups and that's why I say watching that game last night, my takeaway was Denver or Boston probably won't shoot that well out of the gate. Denver or Dallas is not going to fall behind like that, but I don't know if Dallas necessarily matches up well with the Celtics. I don't know if they do. Between Horford and the corner, Porzingis,

they can defend one-on-one. It's hard to manipulate the Celtics defense because they can just, they got all NBA defensive wings. Let's go out and guard you. Tatum can guard a wing, can guard a big. He doesn't need to switch off. Their bigs can stay home. Don't have to cheat.

So it's a tough matchup. And I think Kyrie has had a couple of stinkers in every series. He's already had one here. If he has another, they'll lose. They can't win unless Luca and Kyrie are both wizards offensively. They just can't win. You can't have PJ Washington have to score 29 points. That's just not going to work.

Lively's a kid out of Duke. So there's my takeaway. The other story that's interesting is that Dan Hurley, Yukon's legendary coach. I mean, he's already a legend. He's one back-to-back. Their favor to win a third is in L.A. today interviewing. and there is this sentiment. I read multiple articles this morning.

You know, these college coaches don't work. But a lot of times it's the same in college football. If I see a college coach and he's saying, y'all, y'all kind of a southern college ball coach, that's not going to work in the NFL. Not a lot of SEC coaches that have gone to the NFL. They've used a lot more West Coast guys, right? Like, there are college football coaches.

Dabo Swinney is a college football coach. I mean, Kirby's smart. That's a college football coach. I think Sark could coach in the NFL. But I think there's some big 10 guys. Harbaugh, Ryan Day, Lincoln, Riley, I think they'd work in the NFL. But if you look at the list of college basketball coaches that failed, a lot of it was predictable. PJ Carlissimo, he was a yeller.

Calipari's a recruiter. That's what he is. He's great for college basketball. He's uniquely built for college basketball. You know, Mike Montgomery felt like a college coach. John Beeline couldn't get along with the players at all. Very old school. A lot of these guys are very, very predictable.

Billy Donovan and Brad Stevens, to me, really sharp guys, not screamers, more teachers. Not a surprise they've been successful. I think Billy Donovan's underrated. He didn't want to be part of the OKC rebuild or he'd still be there and he'd be winning games. so he was just done with the rebuild stuff. But when I look at this list, you know, like Lon Kruger felt like a college coach. Tim Floyd totally felt like a college coach.

You see it all the time in college football. Harbaugh is a pro coach who can coach at college. I think Ryan Day could coach in the NFL. Chip Kelly did coach in the NFL. I think Lincoln Riley could coach in the NFL. But a majority of college coaches, they're just college dudes. That's just what they are. They yell, they scream.

I think Lane Kiffin could actually coach in the NFL. He did. It was a messy situation. He didn't want Jamarcus Russell. The Raiders drafted him. It went downhill. But they're not a lot of college coaches, basketball or football that I think work. Billy, Dan Hurley, I think, works.

Now, he's a Barker. There'd be some issues. But Rick Buecker on the potential fit with the Lakers. If they're hiring Danny Hurley, it's with a post-Lebron team in mind, not trying to squeeze the most out of LeBron James in the next year or two. And I do believe we're at a stage now in the NBA where you need guys who are capable of developing talent.

And we got this whole Lakers Celtics race going on. I believe the Lakers in a way, as much as they might not want to admit it because of the enmity between the two franchises, they're taking a page out of their book. They are going and getting a Brad Stevens, who did take a couple years to build a team. But look at what they have now

and look at how sustainable it is. Yeah, I mean, if you really look at what Boston did, they moved off older pieces. They got Brad Stevens, college guy, draft and develop. That's what the league is moving into. The league is pivoting to a European League and a draft and develop league. The NBA does not want Kevin Durant joining the Warriors.

That's not what they want. It was viewed as unfair. The ratings took a hit. So Dan Hurley, I don't know if the Lakers are patient enough, but Dan Wojke, who covers the Lakers for the LACA. time, talked about the potential Hurley Lakers fit. They're by no means comfortable punting on the next two years, or the next few years.

And I think if they thought that their situation roster-wise was similar to the one that Danny Hurley walked into at Wagner, or Rhode Island or Yukon, you know, they might be looking in a different direction for Ed coach. To me, like the defining Danny Hurley moment, right, is him, you know, saying, you know, get us now, just wait, like, we're coming, like get us, but if you're going to beat us, do it now because we're going to get you in a year. We're going to get you in two years.

You know, that kind of runway, you're right, doesn't really exist. And it certainly doesn't exist, you know, if number 23 is on the court. Yeah. So the other thing is when KD went to the Warriors, the Brooklyn Nets had the low. OS TB ratings in the league. So you think, oh, Star Power. And they have a great broadcast team. And they didn't get any ratings.

And the Lakers with LeBron. You think the ratings would be huge. It's not. The ratings were bigger for Cleveland when LeBron left, and they had all these new young guys they drafted and developed. So you start looking at now. Warriors, Clay Thompson, Draymond Green, Steph Curry, people they drafted and developed.

And by the way, Boston's ratings, players they've drafted and developed. You start this idea that this mold, Star Power, it can bring in some casuals, but mobility take LeBron out of the equation. Mostly doesn't work. It hasn't worked with the Clippers. I mean, we've got all these guys coming to the Clippers.

It's been a mess. It hasn't worked. LeBron A.D. did in the bubble year. But again, take LeBron out. KD worked once. It didn't work in Phoenix. It didn't work in Brooklyn. So the league on a macro level,

there's a couple of things happen. with the NBA. It is getting more European. It is now between Peacock and Amazon going to streaming services, which I think can be problematic for ratings and connectivity. And the other thing, they want to be a draft and developed league. Players are going to make a lot of money. The contracts are huge, like $8 billion a year, $7 billion a year. But what they don't want is like big markets just stealing the best players. They want the NFL model where Mahomes goes to Kansas City and there's no reason to leave. There's absolutely no reason to leave. They want him to stay there. forever. So you build these little silos all over the country of these teams built on

drafted players. And then you get very loyal. The ratings indicate locally. People want to be part of a journey. And the Lakers, that's not what they do. The Lakers go get that guy. And that's not to say that Boston can't go get a trade for Drew Holiday. But the whole Tatum Brown thing, you know, they want Missoula, Tatum, and Brown. If they could ride that thing for a decade, they probably, they're signing them to Max Deals, they know they're going to have to move off Derek White eventually, probably, because they can't afford him. And that's okay. You draft

somebody else. But the league has, they know what they want. They don't want Katie and the Warriors again. And if you look at the CBA, you're not going to be able to do that again. A lot of very good points here. A lot that you want. I just got to ask, you know, we keep talking about ratings. Colin,

at what point do we have to stop talking about ratings? The revenues through the roof. They're going sign a $70 billion $70 billion TV deal where it's like they got to stop caring about the remember take a deep breath baseball took a lot of money much less relevant

they always went for the money and they push World Series games to 845 at night and kids didn't watch and they lost generations of kids you can't just be about the money NBA is going to get their money but it can be problematic when you splinter

off into streaming services and people don't watch as much. The NBA's always made money. It's a cool sport. Yeah, baseball's not as cool. It's just because the players can market. I mean, look at how we've got the most commercials. NBA players buy a mile. Yeah, but Adam Silver sees the bigger picture, which is, listen, we're going to get our money, but we do want to create these hotbeds locally. You know, it used to be in the 70s.

The best baseball towns were St. Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit. They can't compete anymore. There's never been more money in the sport. They can't compete. You don't want to become baseball where it's Yankees, Dodgers, and 24 teams nobody can watch nationally. Yeah, I'm pro-salary cap in baseball. Not a lot of people are. You got that level the playing field, right?

Hour three coming up next. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 Headwere or street or sidel, 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. 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 Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardweight with your favorite therapist and host Kier Games. This space is about black men's,

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