The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Nets, Jay Wright retirement

Episode Date: April 21, 2022

The problems the Nets are facing in the playoffs Thoughts on Jay Wright retiring Guest: Stephen JacksonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but the show. celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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

what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard.

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. Hour number two, 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, Joy Taylor, joining us. Can't wait. Stephen Jackson, three or four minutes, going to join us in studio. So it's not easy joy to create a great culture, right?

No. It takes time and energy commitment. Yeah, I mean, like the Spurs, culture in their dynasty, the Patriots for years, the Warriors now have a really good culture. The Rams culture is very good. Ravens have always had a good culture. You generally need a strong voice, Mike Tomlin, Sean McVeigh, John Harbaugh, strong voice. Strong voice. But even if you have that, it can be difficult in the NFL if you're quarterback.

Like, for instance, Big Ben made it tougher for Mike Tomlin to build a culture. Because the culture starts with accountability. Greg Popovich had a system and accountability. Sean McVeigh, accountability. Bill Belichick, accountability. It makes it much easier for those guys. They had Tim Duncan and now Matt Stafford and now Tom Brady. So the coach has limitations, not just talent, but does the star player lean into

your system and your culture building. Big Ben didn't. And I've said this before. Kyler Murray is Aaron Rogers. Aloof, trust issues, kind of do their own thing. And so Cliff Kingsbury and Matt LaFleur, as they're building cultures, their quarterbacks don't really lean into it. It's not who they are. They're harder, it's harder to build a great culture. Because in both Kyler and Aaron situation. They're so talented, they lean on their talent. So Chase Edmonds was talking about this. Former Arizona running back has now been moved. He was talking, former Cardinal, talking about the culture in Arizona. Like culture teams in the NFL like Baltimore Ravens, the New Orleans Saints,

San Francisco 49ers, those teams that no matter how talented they look, bro, you know what I'm saying, from top to bottom, they just somehow find a way to win their games, even like Mike Townland with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Some teams have that culture and some teams don't. I feel like that's kind of what it was for us. Most of those teams he talked about have a strong voice as a coach and then a quarterback Buffalo right now, Josh Allen, leans into his coach. Mahomes leans into Andy Reed.

Aaron and Kyler are different personalities. They have trust issues, well documented. I mean, I know they're agents. it's a trust issue. It is a, you know, one guy's a baseball guy. One guy's a Hollywood guy. They do their own thing. It makes it much harder on the coach.

Yesterday, Jordan Palmer, quarterback coach, was on our show. And it's kind of a long bite. But he's talking about, we talked about Russell Wilson. And he talked about, and the kind of quarterback he's going to talk about is the kind of quarterback that's much easier to build a culture around. Here's Jordan Palmer yesterday. I think the best, the true champions, people who've won at the highest levels, they get behind their behaviors more than they get behind their talents.

What do you mean to say that? So they rely more on their behaviors, their routines. I believe that Tom Brady has been outbehaving people for 20-plus years. He's never at any point out-talented anybody. He didn't out-talent Drew Henson at Michigan. He out-behaved him. He's out-behaved everybody. And Russell is one of these guys where he's got his own field,

and these dudes have been out there, and he's wearing a helmet. And other guys can go, why is he wearing a helmet? and chuckle, I don't know, he's out there every single day. His behaviors and what he did in Seattle, remember where he used to go to Hawaii all the time and do the passing camps? He's got these guys behaving like he behaves. So think about that.

And Jordan Palmer does this for a living. He says the quarterbacks that win at the highest levels, they put their behavior first, talent second. Kyler and Aaron put their talent first and their behavior second. And it completely limits them. Duncan, behavior first, talent second. Brady, behavior first. Russell Wilson, behavior first.

That is not to say Duncan's not talented. But his ability, his behavior and work out. I covered Rashid Wallace, one of the most talented guys ever. He put his talent above his behavior. Didn't want to put it to Anthony Davis. This is my knock. He puts his talent above his behavior. Can't rely on him to lead.

Can't rely on him in the lead. wait room, won't put the time in. This is a big thing. This is a guy that does this for a living. And I think Kyler is harder to build a culture around. And I think Aaron Rogers is harder to build a culture around. Their talents here, the behavior second. And that is the opposite, according to a quarterback whisper of what wins at the highest level.

It's why Russell Wilson will win immediately in Denver. Because his behavior, everybody, it's very easy to follow a guy's behavior. If I got a great coach and I watch his behavior, and I watch his behavior, and his accountability and a strong voice. And that's easy to follow. Much harder to follow talent. Well, I'm not as talented as him. I can't do what Tim Duncan can do.

I can't do what Michael Jordan can do. What made Michael Jordan great is Michael lifted weights every day of the NBA season. His work ethic was very easy to follow. You couldn't jump like Mike. You couldn't play like Mike. But his behaviors were great. Kobe Bryant. Behaviors great.

Shaq was talented. Shaq was harder to follow. Jack was kind of get up when I get up, work out when I work out, practice when I'm like, Alan Iverson. So it's a real thing here, a real living, breathing thing. All right, we don't get Stephen Jackson. I don't know if I've had Stephen Jackson in studio, like pre-COVID. Seriously. Let's bring him on.

He is looking fantastic. He is accepting his gray. Stephen told me before the show, I'm accepting my gray. And he looks fantastic. Look at you. You really look. Let's start with this. You look

stuff around the neck today Yeah, I started to give you one. Really nice. Thank you. I worked hard for it. Yeah, you did. Now, you don't have to give me one. I don't think it would look quite as fitting on me.

It's not about looking quite fitting. What's about? It's going to look cool regardless. I've always struggled with that. 14 years in the NBA, he's got one of the best podcasts in the country. It's called All the Smoke with Stephen and Jackson and Matt Barnes. very authentic guys, and that's why it plays so well.

Thank you. So I want to start with Boston and Brooklyn. So as I watched the series last night, you've been in many of these series, Stephen, where they back and forth. There's certain riddles you can solve in a series. Like, okay, they do that. We're going to get rid of that. We're going to mark.

But there's something Boston's doing, and I don't think Brooklyn can do anything about it. Right. If the officials allow Boston to play that intense defensively, well, Brooklyn is not a, this is not the spurs. This is not an offensive system. It's just two dudes who can ball. Right.

I think Brooklyn's going to shoot poorly. They may win a game, but they're not going to light it up in this series. I don't think you can... I think Brooklyn's cooked. I think they're in big trouble. They're in trouble with simply the fact that they're getting pumped.

And that's basically what's going on. The best defensive team in the league is playing like it. They're been fiscal. They're knocking Katie down. They're making them bring the ball up. up from half court and get into its offense, which is impossible for even KD at this point. It's the playoffs. You need to catch the ball inside the three-point line and work there. I've never seen KD get a shot blocked this many times by one player.

Tatum is really taking the challenge and locking KD up. I don't want to hear about he's having bad games. This is two games in a row. Boston is playing great defense. Steve Nash is getting out-coached. It's clear to show by his lineups. And Boston is the more physical team. That's the way they've been playing all year.

Now, when you go home, do you think they'll get the whistle? Will the Nets get a little bit of the friendly whistle? If they get the whistle, then it shows the control that the league has over the game. That's not about just the basketball. And you don't want that. I don't want that. Let the game be decided by the players. Don't give them the whistle because they're at home, and Boston's been a more physical team at home.

I think it should be fair. They know what files are, but they're the more physical team. They're playing with a sense of urgency. Boston is real nonchalant. I mean, Brooklyn is real nonchalant. They get rebounds real nonchalant. They're giving up too many straight drives, full court in the playoffs.

That shouldn't happen. Steve Nash should definitely get out coach. Yeah, no question about that. You know, there's a big difference between being a smart guy and a great coach. There's a lot of smart guys out there, but this basketball thing is multiple layers. Eric Spolstra, you watch Miami play.

Almost every player plays their best basketball ever in their career with Phil Jackson and Eric Spolstra. You know, I mean, that's just the reality. of that's good coaching. Do you think, remember years ago when the dynasty with Katie was in, with the Warriors? And we started saying that's the best team ever. And the two other teams we talked about were maybe the Showtime Lakers and Jordan's Bulls. And my takeaway was that if you allowed 1990 rules, the Bulls would control the Warriors.

And the reason I say that is this series is that it looks like to me. I'm not saying Katie's a finesse player. I don't think he is. But he is rattled by physicality. Yes. Is that what you see? I agree, too. I agree.

I think when you, when you're allowed to be physical with Katie and just by his body structure, you can tell he don't work out. You can tell he don't lift weight. So I think the best bet is to be physical with him and try to make it difficult for him. Were there guys in your career,

I mean, you were a physical player, but were there players, maybe like a Kobe, that it didn't rattle them? They kind of welcomed it. Are there some players that, like that and some that don't.

Well, that's what separates the good players from the great players. You know, you can do whatever. And let me explain this. A defensive player, guys that make the first team all defense, they're not stopping anybody. They're not stopping guys from getting the average. These guys average 30 points. What they're doing is making it difficult for that player on the night they're playing against them.

And that's your best bet. You're not stopping any of these guys. You have to make it difficult. And that's what boss is doing. They're beating them up, they elbowing them, they're making them dribble 10 times. And that's what you do to start players. You can't stop them. I couldn't stop Kobe.

I tried to start fights with him and beat fiscal, but that didn't work because he was just that good. I tried it with a lot of guys. And some guys that worked on. But guys like Kobe and guys like Paul Pierce and those type of guys, they just go harder. Yeah. So third year of this, if they lose this series,

they're going to have two first round exits and a second round exit. It ain't working. Well, I have to say this. If it was a black coach with a team like that and then have one year, he would be out of here already. So are they going to move from Steve Nash? Because E. Mae Doca is in the same position. They're both first-time head coaches. And look what he's doing with a great team.

Steve Nash, you have KD and Karee and you're not winning. It hasn't been done. So are they going to move on or find another coach that these guys can relate to? You can't just put it all on the players now because a lot of times I like to put it on the coach. I think Steve Nash was in a great position. Not too many black coaches fall into a first job where they have KD and Kare. It never happens, right? And they don't last two or three years.

Steve Nash, you got a great position. You got Katie Cabrin. You're not playing LaMarcus Aldrich's. I don't understand why, but this is the playoff where the game slows down. Maybe he needs to try that. I want to talk Chicago, Milwaukee. So I think the sons will win their series with or without Devin Booker. I think the way they're constructed.

And I think Milwaukee's great. But Middleton's a really, really big get-a-bucket guy. Closer. Yeah, Drew Holliday, and I love him, but he's streaky. They're going to become incredibly Yonah-centric. Can Chicago win this thing if they don't get Middleton back? Yeah, I think so, because for me, Janice is the most dominant players in Shack, but his game is still limited.

You stop him from going downhill, you know, it's really nothing else there. Yeah, he's a rebounder. He's a great defender. He can block shots, but if you stop him from going downhill, every move he's going to make is passing it to other guys. and that's how they beat him last night. They stopped it from going downhill a lot and all those just dribbling from one end to the other end. If you stop that, his game is really limited after that.

He can't spot up and shoot. You know, so his game is really limited. I think Chicago did a great job of limited, limited him and making them make plays for other guys and not having PJ Tucker is going to hurt because now Janice doesn't have to be just the best offensive player. He has to be the best defensive player on that team and the offensive player. He had PJ Tucker taking a little pressure off him last year. You know, years ago, but it may have been six, seven years ago,

the three-point avalanche started. And guys who were just ballers and athletic, like DeMar DeRosen, people kind of like going, yeah, I can't shoot a three. And I honestly felt like, Stephen, DeRosen was one of those guys that got caught in sort of this analytic wave. We knew he was an athlete. We knew he was a fearless player.

Couldn't hit a three. And we were falling in love with guys who were much less talented, but they could hit a three. Right. And I feel like this year for Damar Zerazen has been timeout. When the playoffs start, analytics, it's kind of about get a bucket. That's it. Like when I watch tomorrow, I'm like, that's what a play.

That's kind of Kauai Leonard. Get a stop, get a bucket. And do you feel as a former NBA player, sometimes we go so heavy into analytics, we ignore mid-range players? Yeah, because it's not exciting. You know, it doesn't get the Instagram post. and that's what everybody, a lot of guys are playing for. But me personally, I love guys like DeMartre Rosen.

Because that mid-range shot is that's the shot that's basically the toughest shot in the game. You know, that's why Real Hamilton has so much success with Detroit, because nobody wanted to guard guys coming off screens and not too many guys can pull up and hit that mid-range shot. And it's very few guys that can do that. But when guys add that to their game, you know, especially at the end of their career, that gives them more years. And the way DeMart DeRoson is playing now,

He's going to have a long career just doing that, just been able to hit mid-range jumpers. And it's showing how important it is for the Bulls right now to have a guy that can go out and get a bucket without shooting threes. You know what I'm especially when the game slows down, like I say, in the playoffs. So when Philadelphia and Brooklyn made their trade, I had said on the air, I like what Philly's doing. Philly's just asking one talented guy to join this thing. Right. Brooklyn's getting all these moving parts and I don't know what I get with Ben Simmons and I'll have to put drumming. coming in and Curry is going to take some shots.

And I feel like Maxie is like feels freed up. And Hardin's like, I don't have to score 30. In a weird way, Hardin is a one, but doesn't every night when he shows up want to be a one? And I watch Philadelphia and I'm like, all they basically did is move the furniture out, brought one nice table in, and the house is cleaner. And I like what I see. I feel like Maxi has really benefited from it. nobody's taking shot.

Since the trade, he averages three and a half more points. He's shooting 6% better. You know Doc coached you. Yes. Some like him, some don't. Your takeaway, Doc, all the new pieces in Philadelphia. Well, I like Doc, but for the simple fact that he's not going to bite his tongue. He's going to be straightforward with you, and he's going to let each player know what he expects from him.

I think with James, I think the best thing he did was said in the media about, James is like, everybody didn't get a chance to shoot early in the season when James wasn't playing where and Doc came out and kind of threw him under the bus. I think that was the best thing for him because now you understand James that coming here, you're part of a team. We don't need you to get 30. We got some young studs over here. And we have the best player in the game right now in the MVP.

So I think now he's starting to trust in the things that Doc and Sam Cassell is telling him and he's starting to trust his teammates. And he understands now. I can go out here and get triple doubles like I've been. doing. I don't have to go get 30 just because I'm on a new team. And that's why they're having success. You've got to play through the big fella. You know, a fascinating guy is on my podcast network, Draymond Green. Yeah. And it's really interesting as somebody who now, he's part of my little company to watch him work. So he's fascinating. Like you and Matt Barnes,

he plays, he practices as hard on podcasting as playing. Right. And I think he was a second round pick and it's in him. He always sees himself. He always sees himself. even though he's rich now as an underdog. He like, nobody works harder than Draymond Green in the podcasting space. And it's funny, when you watch him play, I'll sit there and I'll go online as I watch him. And I'm like, he's got six points. And it feels like he's the most important person player on the floor. You are one of those guys, not a glue guy, but a guy like when you're on the floor,

you make an impact, but it's not always scoring. And it's not always positive. It's not always positive. Sometimes you make an impact of taking a hard file and standing up for your teammate. And that gets the arena going. That gets everybody else going. You know, it's not always a bucket or a block shot. You know, sometimes just standing up for your teammate or going out there and diving for a ball, the little things.

And that's what Draymond does. He does the little things. And he is the best undersized defender that I've ever seen in the NBA. And the fact that he takes passion every night, the fact that he knows that he's not a great. great offensive player, but he still goes out there and be a star in his role every night. And the way he competes, I'll take that before I take somebody with talent any day. By the way, it's harder to play defense as you age. Shooters can shoot until they're 50.

Tom Brady can throw a spiral until he's 60. Right. But your legs go and the league gets younger. So why does he maintain his defensive talent as he's aged? Because you're supposed to get, Kobe can shoot to the end. He quit playing defense his last four years. Right. Why is Draymond still great?

defensively. I think he's using his mind as his body gets older. You got you got guys that were great defenders towards the end of their career, but it wasn't because they were fast or stronger because their basketball IQ was high. They know where the guy's going. They know what he's thinking before he's thinking, especially coming to the league for the young guys, you go against these older guys that's been in the league 10, 12 years. A lot of your moves that you're doing, they already know what you're doing ahead of time, just off experience. Experience is the best teacher. And that's what a lot of guys go through, you have a long career. Once you get to the end of the career, you slow down. People saying you can't do this, that's when you still have to use the basketball IQ to give

you more years in the league. And that's basically what Draymond doing. As a former player for 14 years in the league, who are you rooting for in the playoffs? Who will make you happiest if they win? For me, it's two teams. I think it will be awesome to see Memphis do something great, being underdogs, a small team. Memphis or Minnesota for me. either one of those two teams because nobody expected them to be here. Minnesota had a great, I mean, excuse me, Memphis had a great season, Jai had a great year, but they're both two young teams

that play hard and that are on the rise. I want to see them do well. I definitely want to see Kyrie win. You know, a lot of people had a lot to say about him. You know, we're both going through Ramadan right now, so we have a lot of fast and we have a lot of things in common, but I'm always rooting for him because I'm always rooting for guys that do things their way.

Obviously a lot of people didn't like the way he stood, but at the end of the day, with a man doing something his way, which I love to do things my way. I always stand behind them. By the way, did the crowd ever get on you? Because you were an antagonizing guy. Did they?

Something was done to me that was never done by any NBA player ever. Playoffs in Utah. They had a life-size cardboard cutout of me in the jail suit. Because remember, I got in the strip club shootout the year before. So the guy was under the basket and with the TNT camera right there with a life-size cutout of me and the jail. jail suit. And nobody moved it. Nobody from an arena or the NBA said, take it down. They showed it a million times. But that's just something we had to deal with. And I was fine with it because I wasn't signed it

after the game. I laughed with the guy. It was funny, you know, but that's not the place for that. Yeah. And there are areas I'm not comfortable with it all at fans. Yeah, that's not the place. Utah and Boston have pretty dicey. But I will say, who did we bring on the other day? Oh, I was talking to Chandler Parsons and he said, he goes, I kind of sometimes. That's my guy. He's really. That's my guy. He liked conversations with the crowd. We just brought him on at Showtime. Oh, you did? Yes, we just brought them on.

So did you ever have conversations with the crowd that were fun? Like you got into guys on the court side and it was fun? I wasn't, no. During the game, yeah, it's bad because the best thing about it is their understanding I'm on the court. If they ever got close, it would get bad because some of the things, you hit the same, some of the things, Kyree said, it didn't got worse.

It was way worse with us back in the day because it wasn't no cameras. It wasn't everybody just filming. So we got away with a lot. of harsh things and so did the fans. You know, the fans, I've heard, I heard fans telling people that they want their kids to die and family to die and stuff like that. But some guys laughed it off. Some guys like, well, I wish I could go in that stands.

You know what I'm saying? But you just couldn't do that. But it's shady on both sides because the players respond and say things to cut low as well. It's funny about, I had Brevin Knight on yesterday, and we were talking about Memphis and Ant in Minnesota. They're so young. Those teams average 24 years old. Yes.

Those are kids. And that's why I don't think they'll, you know, there's limitations on that. Yeah. Go, how old were you? You went junior, college, college. How old were you in your first playoffs in the NBA? 21. Oh, my God.

Because the intensity is, it doesn't even feel like the regular season. I want a championship at 21. 21, 22, I want a championship. So I got a chance to experience the first year in San Antonio I was on the injil list. So I got a chance to watch, watch David Robinson, watched the whole Spurs organization, see how they work. And my second year there, which was I was 21-22, I was able to play on a championship team,

playing the playoffs and experienced at a young age. But let me say this. I wouldn't have had success, and I wouldn't have been prepared if I was on any other team. Pop prepared me, being around all those veterans, Steve Kerr, Danny Ferry, Steve Smith, Kevin Willis, David Robinson. I had a foundation. So I wasn't going into a young team where nobody knew nothing.

was on a team full of vets. So that was the best thing for me to be able to learn how to be a professional coming in a league from the jump and win the championship around those guys. Yeah, people don't, because Tim Duncan never, he never glamorized himself. Still don't. But you were probably the best high school or junior college player. You were the best player for the first 12 years you played basketball. You were the first, you were the best player everywhere.

And then you played with Tim Duncan. And do you remember your initial feeling after five or six practices like, Like, what is that? I mean, it's funny. I got a story after, like, our first and second practice, I had a great practice, but he kept feeding me, and he wanted me on his team. He called me to come work out with him.

And I remember getting home and tell him, I called my mom. Like, my, I can't believe I'm getting accepted by Tim Duncan because we were totally different. You know, since we left practice, Tim Duncan was probably going to work out or something. I was going to smoke weed, right? So we was totally different, right? We were totally different.

But the fact that he embraced me, it made me feel a certain way because he knew that on that court, I'm going to do anything and everything to be the best player and the best teammates you need. You know what I mean? And he understood my passion for the game because I know how the game saved my life. Well, cannabis is legal everywhere. You were 20 years ahead of the times. I needed it. I wasn't smoking for sport. That's why I never got caught, never got pulled over, never got publicly embarrassed by it because I did it for the right reasons. I wasn't doing it for people to know that I was smoking. I was doing it to relax, to recover, and be able to play basketball. Great senior man.

Great seeing you as well. Then he looked great. Always. He told me before the commercial, he said, I'm going to let my gray go. And I said, you're talking to Uncle Colin here. Yeah, yeah. I'm just a handful of gray. I think it looks great. You look great as well.

Don't die. So on Pepper is sophisticated. Yeah, I tell Ann, I like, Anne got a gray hair the year day. She lost it. Oh, no, I'm not ready yet. She literally. I'm not leading. This is for you guys.

She did not accept it like I did. I am not leading into great hair yet. Great stuff. our friend Stephen Jackson. All the smoke. Stephen and Matt Barnes, terrific work. Want 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 grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes, for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 Boil Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 a little kill. 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 a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Then you're finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. USFL action continues Friday at 8 Eastern as the Michigan Panthers take on the New Jersey Generals on USA. then Saturday at noon. Pittsburgh battles Philadelphia on Fox. And the Birmingham stallions take on the Houston gamblers at 7 on FS1. And on Sunday, New Orleans squares off against Tampa Bay on NBC.

NBA is literally two seasons. Regular seasons, kind of low energy, a lot of threes. You know, you can miss a game. Playoffs don't even look like. Like college football, every Saturday is intense. NFL, every Sunday is intense. But you get into these. You get in these playoff games and like, it's so palpable how intense it is.

Because there's urgency. It's when you have these super long seasons, baseball's the same way. Baseball, baseball is incredible. Yeah. The intensity rises because there's urgency. All right, Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Well, Joeline Bede had himself a night. Yeah. for MVP this season, in my opinion, the MVP. And he showed why last night hitting the game-winning three-pointer in overtime to give the Sixers a 3-0 lead over the Raptors. Here's the call from NBC Sports Philadelphia. Point nine on the shot.

And B turns, fires for the win. And the crowd is silent. Everybody, mouth shut. I had to watch it again just because I had to see. the crowd, they were stone. I have never seen a crowd so quiet. And I'm not, you know, I'm not clowning on Raptors fans or anything, but it was just, it was mouth shut. Like, no one could believe that he hit this shot. We also said, we said about this series, a lot of people like Toronto, and we said the two best players, and I would argue Maxie now, maybe the third best player,

these games are going to be close. Toronto doesn't have the ability to pull away from So these games are going to be close. And who do you want late? Harden Maxi M.B. Nothing against Pascal C. Akimer Van Fleet. I'm not knocking them. But certain, like, Boston is good enough offensively. They can pull away from you.

Chicago can pull away from you. They've got, but Toronto's kind of like they got a bunch of B guys. And so the games are all close and they don't have any of the best closures on the floor. So it's just, this is a bad matchup for them. It was tremendous. And I was happy for Joel and B because, of course, they showed the core. Leonard shots. Right.

And, man, I cannot watch grown men cry. Like, as soon as I see it, I, like, I'm like, I immediately start crying. And Joe, you remember that, what Joelle was just distraught. Devastated. Yes. I mean, he immediately started crying when Kauai hit that shot. And so I was, like, it was a great moment for Philadelphia. I can't imagine that it happened in Philadelphia because that crowd was, I don't think

there was a Philadelphia fan in the building. Like, it was so quiet. It's the first time in his career. He's made a last second shot to tire win the game in fourth quarter overtime. And he finished the game with 33 points, 12 of 20 shooting, also had 13 rebounds and two assists. James Harden fouled out at the end of the fourth quarter. So the Sixers have a chance to close out the series on Saturday night in Toronto, and they are currently favored by three, according to Fox Bet.

But fun moment. So the Celtics rallied from 17 points down to beat the Nets 114, 107, and take a 2-0. lead in the series. Teams that are down 02 have a 7% chance of winning the series. So it's going to be quite the uphill battle for the Nets moving forward. Jalen Brown had 22 points 10 in the fourth quarter. Jason Tatum at 19, 6 and 10. Katie did finish with 27 points, but he struggled from the field for the second straight game, shooting 4 of 17. And Kyrie had just 10 points of 4 of 13 shooting. Now, according to reports, Ben Simmons could be ready to make his debut in game four, but that might be a little too late to make a comeback.

I don't really feel like it's fair to put this on Ben Simmons coming back. They're already down to a very little chance of taking this series. Ben Simmons hasn't played basketball in almost a year. He's never played with this team. He's coming off of an injury. I don't even know what you would expect him to contribute to the situation. I just know. It shouldn't be on Ben Simmons coming back for them to win this series.

People tell you who they are. He just finds a lot of reasons not to play. I mean, that's what I always feel, Ben Simmons. Do you think Michael Jordan would find a way to get on the floor? Well, I don't think Ben Simmons is in the same breath as Michael Jordan. I think he's a nice player. But I mean, I just mean upstairs, the will. You either find a way to get to work or you find a way to make an excuse not get to work.

I mean, I don't, I didn't think he was going to contribute at all this season. It doesn't appear that he will be. Even if he does come back, I don't know how that's going to swing the series or get them back in it or moving forward. I just felt like that was a trade for next year. And game three is in Brooklyn on Saturday. The Nets are favored by four, according to Fox Bed. I don't think it's going to be a sweep. The Nets are favored by four.

That's a favorite by four. Oh, boy. I don't think it's going to be a sweep. I got burned last night by the Nets. I'd had the Nets plus three and a half. Yeah. I thought that was good. I had KD over 30 points. He almost got there just at the free throw line. I mean, he's so talented. Yeah, we had 27.

I know. Almost all the free throw. I mean, KD played as badly as I've ever seen him play, and he got to 27 points. Well, yeah, because I mean, that's what KD is. He's almost impossible to guard. But the Celtics are just, what you're seeing, and we've talked about this earlier, is all of the elements to, go figure, a team game actually matter. And, you know, this player empowerment and stars having a lot of influence and all of those things, I think when you step back and look at how that all came to be, not, you know, the tradition of the NBA being a Players League, we know that. I'm talking about the LeBrons, the Karees, the Aitone's, the Anthony Davis, the Kauai Lenards, those guys. When you look at the success that they had in their movement, it's not as simple as they came in and made all the calls and then they won. When LeBron went to Miami, they had already had a championship. So they're a championship organization. They had the foundation.

They had Dwayne Wade and Pat Riley. They also brought in an egosist star in Chris Bosch. And LeBron James hadn't won a championship yet. So while he was the best player in the league, he wasn't a champion. So he couldn't just come in saying, this is why we're going to do this and bring in this player and do that. You even won a championship yet. Now, towards the end of his time in Miami, things started to get spicy with the power. that he wanted, which is part of the reason why he left.

Then he went to Cleveland. Well, Cleveland, he's the best player in the league. Yeah. And he's now a champion. So he could make those calls and the success in Cleveland then convinced the Lakers that they could turn everything over to LeBron. Yeah. We didn't have the foundation that you had

in Miami. So it's not the same situation. Kauai Leonard won a championship with Toronto. They have a great culture and a great coach. They were right on the cost of years. Kauai is great if you add him to your culture. You can't build a culture around Kawhi Leonard. KD went to a solid culture,

a team with stars, with coaching. A similar situation to LeBron going to Miami. It really is. KD. Kyrie, Kauai Leonard, Aaron Rogers. There are people that are brilliant, but I don't want to build my culture around them. Right? Like they're... Not even just

building the culture around them. Just look at how they won where they won. Like, why did that happen? The Cleveland situation was an outlier. That was an outlier. That was not the norm. Ask yourself this. The more power and money Aaron Rogers has made, the worse he's gotten in the playoffs.

When he was playing in a system, he had less money and less power. He won a Super Bowl. The more power you've given him, the least effective he has been in games that matter. And so my takeaway is there are guys, Tim Duncan, you build a franchise around. Brady, Russell Wilson. It's more than just talent. And then there are guys that are just wildly talented. I love them to join my culture.

Yes. But Green Bay now is they're trying to build a culture around Aaron, and they finally got it after the contract. When they came out and said, we don't have a three-year contract with Aaron. We have three one-year deals. They're telling you you can't build it around him. You have him and you use him.

You can't build around Aaron. He's too aloof, trust issues. He's just gifted. He doesn't put in the time that Peyton, Russell, Brady did. He doesn't. And I'm not saying that Stars shouldn't have influence power. They just can't have the most influencer power. And if you do give that much to a star, it's got to be someone like Brady. It's got to be someone like LeBron and his prime. It's got to be

someone like a Russell Wilson because they will carry the team. They are interested in the team. Like it's not, it's not, I'm going to come in and reinvent how we play basketball or reinvent how we how we build an NFL team. So there's layers to it. It's not as simple as plugging a superstar into situation. So Debo Samuel reportedly asked for a trade yesterday from the Niners, and Connor Hughes of the Athletics said that the Niners have zero intention of trading Debo Samuel. He also said if they were a trade, then the asking price would reportedly need to surpass what the Dolphins gave up for Tyree Kill. No. The Dolphins gave up five draft picks to sign Tyree Kill, including a first and second round pick. I'm not giving up five draft picks for Debo Samuel. I'm not. I like him. I'm not

giving it five picks. According to in Rap report, Debo is unhappy with the way. he was utilized in San Francisco's offense last season. He would rather be used as a traditional whiteout. Yeah. The issue with this is Debo is so we've already seen how dominant Debo can be as a dual threat. So if someone was to give up more than they gave up for Tyreek Hill, then they're going to want to use him in the way that San Francisco used him. Yeah.

So how are they going to give up more than they gave up for Tyreek for a traditional wideout? not that Debo isn't obviously a great as a solo wide receiver but when does it when does the level of like trade market stop? I can't see someone giving up more than five picks for Debo Samuel. Now he did tweet and since deleted reporters jobs is to make stories. Only people that know the truth about the situation is the Niners, his agent, Tori Dandy and Debo Samuel.

He wants to apparently be the highest paid non-quarterback in the league. I could definitely see San Francisco sitting on this and not, not trading him. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Back in a second, the Herd.

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. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar 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. Hushmanzada 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, LaVar Arrington, T.J. Hushman Zada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, 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 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 y'all saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard,

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

podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 tontons 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.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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. You want to shop, finance, purchase your next car from anywhere, go to driveway.com, auto done easy, 25,000 new and used vehicles, all inspected by experts, transparent,

no haggle prices, driveway.com. Villanova's Jay Wright has retired his coach at 60, a very clean break. He will not go to the NBA, I'm told. I've known Jay for a long time. College football and basketball is currently a chaotic mess. All the do-gooders in the media, mostly we're going to. the other network will tell you pay the players transfer whenever you want everything has rails everything has guidelines the NFL's got a free agency period in a salary cap pro leagues now have

more borders and guidelines and rules than college sports j right has dignity he doesn't want to become a car salesman and a huckster buying high school players it's what nick saban talked about Do you want a caste system? NIL. This was going to pay high school players? I don't have a problem if you pay Caleb Williams at USC or a star quarterback or a star volleyball player. I got no problem. Buying high school players, that's where we're at.

There's no rules. There's no rules on anything. Kids can transfer at any time. You could transfer away from Ohio State, go to Michigan the next week, and give him the game plan. Seriously, you could do that now, right before the big game. Yeah. Wolverines announced they have a backup tight end for Ohio State. Pay them money, give us the game plan.

You do get you could do that now. No guidelines, no rails, and guys like Jay Ryder like, I'm out. Roy Williams, Mike Shoshesk, they were older. They were getting near the end. Jay could coach easily at the highest levels for another 12 to 15 years. He's 60 looks 52. But if you're not going to have guidelines, and right now the NCAA is just not particularly,

efficiently run. It's not the evil that it is portrayed at. It doesn't do everything wrong. It creates opportunities for young men and women all over this fine country. The NCAA is trying to do right. They don't have currently strong leadership. And therefore, this is a tsunami and an avalanche, and people are getting buried. It is a free-for-all. And unless you want to be a 24-7 huckster on the phone recruiting high schoolers, you have to recruit your own players, year to year now. And most of the good guys who've got 30 million in the bank, they're done. They're going to go golf, hang out, do some coaching seminars. But Jay Wright did it the right way. College sports right now is trending in the wrong direction.

I'm not against paying players. I'm actually the opposite of the transfer portal. I don't think we should be afraid of the transfer portal. I would be afraid if kids couldn't transfer. I mean, you know how many opportunities in life I've had because I could, quote, transfer to another job? I am for transferring. I do think you shouldn't be able to do it. Labor Day to the last regular season game. Everything. There are just certain times in all jobs.

I mean, good Pepsi and Coke, you can be a high paid executive. Like there's limitations in certain states. You can't just leave. You can't just quit. You can't just go. There's proprietary secrets. But right now you could literally, in college football, an Ohio state player could be bought by Michigan, come across the street and give us the game plan night before the game.

You can do that. I'm surprised nobody's done it. I'm surprised. Here's 50,000 bucks. Give us the Buckeyes game plan. I'm surprised nobody's done it. Crazy. Crazy.

So congrats to Jay Wright. We got a lot of stuff today. Boston Celtics, I hate to say it because I was rooting for the villain, but that series feels over. Devin Booker, announcement, he will be out three weeks. He could miss two to three weeks, yeah. All right. It's two.

Grade one hamstring strain. All right. If he misses two weeks, they're okay. Three, Phoenix could be in trouble. So Phoenix in Milwaukee, Middleton, Devin Booker, out, extended period. We'll see how good they are, how deep they are. It's the herd. 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 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 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, 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 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.