The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 3 - Aaron Rodgers or Eli Manning?

Episode Date: June 4, 2024

James Jones—FS1 analyst and Super Bowl champion—joins Colin to offer a reality check on how historically physical the WNBA has been, would he prefer the career of Aaron Rodgers or Ei Manning, and moreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the ice planet, 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. James Jones is all fired up.

Nine years, eight with the Packers. I'll get to that in a second. So you have been a WNBA watcher for years. You are, so you're not somebody like me who just swoops in to suddenly talk about it. You've been watching it for years. And you were telling me during the break that the WNBA, comparatively, is a more physical. brand of basketball. It's not close.

Then the NBA. Now, we know that a bigger man... Yeah, yeah. But you're saying the WNBA, and you've watched it for years, is more physical than the NBA stylistically. Without a doubt. And that's how the women have been playing for years.

Like, the men, the game grows faster with them, right? They're able to adapt a whole lot faster. The women, they play a certain way. With closer to the ground. Yes. Not a lot of vertical, right? They're really physical. That's why for years, it's always been a big being drafted in the WNBA first overall and all that.

Now you're starting. Yeah, size, physicality. Now you're starting to get a lot of these guards in the NBA. But the WNBA does not change, and they don't care who you are. If you watch the WMBA, Asia Wilson has been getting beat up for years. She's the two-time MVP, but the game is violent. When you watch this game, people want to say, hey, man, you got to call this. out for Caitlin Clark or change this or change that.

They don't. The WNBA does not care. As a star, you have to adapt to the game. Well, and what you're saying is the men's game is a more vertical game. No question. So I can elevate above you. If we're in the NBA, I can elevate above you to score. No question.

It's more grounded in the WNBA. So physicality is how you score. Yes. It's a chippy league. When you watch these guards guard each other, not just Caitlin Clark, You watched them guard each other. It is hands on. And the NBA is hands off.

But in the WNBA, it is hands on. It is violent, right? It's kind of like Michael Jordan's air. Michael Jordan was getting beat down. You know what he said? I got to get in the wait room. And that is what Caitlin Clark is going to have to do. The game is not going to change.

It is going to be physical. You have to adapt to the physicality of the game. Now, once your team gets better, like a page comes to your team. if you keep on losing and get the first overall pick, you get Paige out of Yukon. Now you have another guard that can help you. You're not going to have a lot of attention. That will help you.

But the physicality of the basketball game in the WNBA is old school football. It is old school 90s basketball. It is really physical and really violent. And you can't change it. To be honest with you, to me, that's what makes the WNBA? Well, what's happened to the NBA,

not only the European effect in fusion, but when they took away the hand check, the NBA guards are so twitchy and quick. Nobody can stay in front of Steph and John Morant. You can't stay in front of anybody. So that makes the league less physical. In fact, the NBA concerned about that has tried to tweak it to make it, engineer it to be more physical

because nobody can stop anybody. Exactly. That's why you're scoring 130 points a game. Because now bigs in the NBA can shoot threes. Bigs have to go outside. The lane's wide open. You can't hand-checked guard. So the NBA has gotten so athletic, so twitchy, so skilled. They're trying to engineer more physicality.

You're saying the WNBA is just a physical brand of basketball. It's been physical since it started. That is the women's game. That is the college women's game. It is just a really physical game. You have to adapt to the physicality of the game. And I believe Caitlin Clark will. Now, after the whistle,

stuff, we all know. I mean, we can all agree on that. You cannot do that. Yeah, that's a flagrant. You cannot do that in any league. You can't do that in football, basketball, but you can't do that in any league. So that's out. But here's what you're saying, basically, is that people, and I'm guilty of this, have said, Caitlin is Steph. But what she really is a more grounded version is Luca. Yeah. And what Luca's been able to do is use his body. Because he's not jumping over people. So she's actually got a little more Luca than a little more Steph. Playing at his pace. You know, Steph is a little bit quicker, better ball handler and all that than Luca and Caitlin. But Caitlin plays at her own pace. Now you have to adapt to the physicality

of the game. Can I shoot this basketball if somebody is pushing on me, if somebody leaning on me? Can I create separation? You know what I'm saying? With my strength and all that, instead of just running off screens and doing that. We see Steph a lot as he's grown in his game. he doesn't necessarily have to come off the screen. Steph can have the ball at the top of the key and use his body to get his shot up because he has gotten a whole lot stronger. Caitlin Clark needs to get a whole lot stronger,

which she will, because even through these first 10 games that she has played, you see the difference. You see her adapting to the physicality of the game. But when I hear people say, man, you got to do this and change these rules and do all that? No, you don't, right? Every player in the WNBA that has come before

Caitlin Clark has adapted to the physicality of the game. Is she getting more attention than a lot of these girls that came in? Sure. Absolutely. We would be crazy not to say so. You got a rookie getting picked up from half from full court. You got, when she crosses half court, her defender don't even look at nobody else. I'm not helped defenseing on nobody. Caitlin Clark will not get a shot off. That's how they are playing her totally different than they played any other rookie. But she'll adapt. But she will adapt, but the physicality of the game cannot change. You can't start bending the rules. So C.J. Stroud, like me, is a man who, who,

enjoys a good cold beer and a trophy. And he says, I'll take Eli's career, two trophies beat Tom over errands. What was your initial reaction to that? I respect CJ. I do. And CJ is a heck of a player in our league. He is going to be a special player in our league. What's the big butt?

But with all due respect to Eli Manning, because I believe Eli Manning was a good quarterback in our league, you cannot mention Aaron Rogers' name in the same sentence you mentioned Eli Manning's name. They are not even close as players. You are talking about a five-time all-pro to zero for Eli. You are talking about a Super Bowl champion in Aaron Rogers and a four-time MVP. Look at this graphic. Now, I know CJ is talking and he's on a podcast, but I'm sure if CJ's seeing this graphic, he would change his answer because this is absolutely crazy. We have a guy that is going to walk into the Hall of Fame and arguably a guy that has two Super Bowl rings that people go like this should he get in? When we talk about a career, you're talking about a

Super Bowl champion, a four-time MVP, and we can recognize and see the numbers that is on this screen. So basically what C.J. Stroud is telling me is give me Trent Dilford over Dan Marino because he got one more Super Bowl ring. And give me Joe Frum. Blacko over a Dan Marino because he has a Super Bowl. We're talking crazy. Like if we're truly watching the NFL game, and I know CJ is a student of the NFL game, that is why he is so good. Yeah.

With all due respect to my guy, Eli Manning, we cannot even say the name Aaron Rogers in that same sense. And the truth is that Super Bowls are situational. Eli had four elite defensive linemen. Come on. Come on. Because Aaron Rogers had a top 10 defense. How many times, Colin? Once.

And how many Super Bowls he got? One. Yeah. So Eli was to a large degree, and I say this as somebody who loves Eli. That defensive front was really. Oh, man. They held that team to 17 points. The Randy Moss team.

The Randy Moss team. The Randy Moss team. That was dropping 50 on NFL teams. I love Eli. This is crazy. Yeah. I want to know your take, though. What is your take on this?

I always do this with a smile on my face because I really love Eli. Me too. He made arguably the two greatest throws in Super Bowl history. I can agree on that. I mean, the Mario Manningham throw, if you go back, literally, this is what's open. A dime of a fade ball into the man. It's insane. It's literally a football sideball in it.

And David Tyree sticks to his helmet. But I do believe that we get too immersed in championships and they're situational. I mean, Dirk Nowitke wins a championship. I'm not even sure that's his best team. Miami was not fully formed. LeBron's a villain. He gets tight in game three. J.J. Berea is playing over his skis.

So championships are situational. No doubt. And it's funny because a lot of people don't know that when I got released by the Raiders, I signed with the Giants. And I played with Eli Mani. And obviously, I played eight years with Aaron. and Rogers. Well, I thought you signed with the Raiders.

I signed with the Raiders, 2014. After that season, I got released, and I signed with the Giants. And I went and I asked for my release because Jordy Nelson has Torres ACL. And I asked to go, you know, can you grab me my release? I wasn't going to be a big time part of the Giants offense. Can you send me back home? So you have practice every day? And as I'm at practice, I won't say the young players' names or the players that were

their names, but as I'm at practice, I'm. I'm like, he got to let that go. He got to throw that. He got to put that here. And they're like, he ain't 12. Like, you're trying to have him do 12 things. He's not 12. But that's from everybody else's eyes.

My own two eyes being in that huddle with Eli Manning, it's not close. That's all I'm going to say. It's not close. You can say more. It is not. It is not close. Aaron Rogers and Eli Manning, with all due respect, should not even be in the same conversation with each other as of careers.

I think that's fair. Gosh, Leish. I love you, CJ. Man. That's, uh, who. Well, these young guys, they, they're, they don't know what. They could, you put a mic in front of them. They're just not ready for the big answer, maybe. I mean, and I understand.

I mean, you hear two Super Bowl rings. You know what I'm saying? It sounds big. You hear it, it sounds good. I mean, that is, that is why we play the game as a team. You know what I'm saying to win Super Bowls. Yeah. But you're talking about four MVP's.

a Super Bowl's not like he hasn't won any a Super Bowl champion five all pros I mean I don't even I mean Eli Mani has zero all pros I don't even know if he has I mean I know he don't got an MVP but has even been in the MVP voting did he get a top five you know like the only reason why when I when I first heard this like Aaron Rogers some people as myself argue him to be one of the greatest ever

with one Super Bowl ring with what we never will talk about Eli like that. Yeah, no, no. And I don't want to dog, my dog, Eli, like I say, I love Eli. Eli's more in the Phillip Rivers category. Philip was a little better regular season, Eli better playoffs. That's fair. Win-wise.

Because that's what I'm starting to recognize now, even being on speaking, talking with my dog Shady and talking with Joy Joy, I'm starting to see that as a quarterback stat, it is all about Super Bowl. kind of forget the talent. You know, just like some people are like, if Patty wins another one, I have him in front of Brady. And a lot of people are like, what are you talking about? Like, Brady has seven of them been to 10.

But you watch it? Are you watching the talent that's in this dude? And, you know, so I think when we talk about the quarterback spot, we lose the talent they got and go straight to the rings. We talk any other position, it's how great of a talent he was, right? And Ms. Smith, a lot of people, people don't have labeled as the goat at running back. You have Barry.

Right, right. You know, or Fogg or whoever, you know what I mean, because of the talent that he has, you know. So, quarterback's all about winning, but this. See, Aaron thinks I'm anti-Aren, but you know how often I let people come on this show and say nice things about him? And I'm not anti. Sometimes he's a little prickly for my taste, but you know what? I'm a little prickly. Yeah.

Behind the scenes, I'm no day at the beach. Yeah. Aaron, a great dude, man. Great team. They're one of the best team that's up and around. But this right here. That's just too much. That's a bridge too far.

That's just like, like they text me last night and they say, James, can you come on the show with Kyle? And I said, absolutely. They sent me the topics this morning. I said, no, I'm not coming. I'm not answering this question. No.

But this is, oh, man. Good seeing you, buddy. Good seeing you, my brother. He's on to speak. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, 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, filtered 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 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 Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

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

J-Mac with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Let's start with the big news. Christian McCaffrey just signed a new two-year, $38 million extension with the Niners. The deal will give McCaffrey an additional $8 million over what he was scheduled to make in 24 and 25 adds $24 million in guarantees for the best running back in the NFL. I mean, again, I know we're not comparing receiver to running back, but Justin Jefferson at 35 or Christian McCaffrey at 19, that's a no contest.

I mean, Christian McCaffrey operates like a receiver. He's going to catch 90 to 100 passes. He also has a coach who uses him so effectively. The part of the value of McCaffrey is, I mean, he was good in Carolina. He wasn't a machine. A part of this is Kyle Shanahan's ability to make every solid back good and make McCaffrey. I mean, we weren't talking McCaffrey top three running back ever in Carolina. So much of this is the ability of Shanahan to use him so smartly.

So it's, you know, I think he's, and I've been watching since the early 70s, Peyton, Barry, Christian McCann, Kaffrey. I do think L.T. and Marshall Falker up there, but he's just different. Speed, twitchy, strength, catch, everything. I was going to push Breeshall in there, but he's not quite there yet. He's on the way. Now, if you

want to go macro on the Niners, so Ayuk's waiting to get paid, Debo may be on the chopping block, the quarterback on the rookie deal, everything seems to be in place for the Niners this year. This is their year. This is the year the Niners win the Super Bowl.

they don't, you're starting to get a lot of mileage on a lot of their veteran players. A lot of starts, a lot of reps, a lot of mileage. Trent, Debo, Christian, this is Kiddle. It's time. You got to win it now. This is the year. I'm hopeful. I think they're the best team in the league. You can go Chiefs. I know you want to. I think they're the best roster in the league. Yeah. I don't think anybody would argue that. Next up, Tyreek Hill.

Oh, boy, this guy. A lot going on in his life if you look around on the internet. He signed a four-year $120 million deal when he meant to Miami two years ago. But now that everyone else is getting paid at the position, Tyree Kills' agent, Drew Rosenhouse, said, Hey, we're talking to the Dolphins about a new deal, saying the Dolphins know how we feel. Colin? Tyree Kiel is a game changer.

He is an excellent receiver, maybe the best in the league. He was an MVP candidate. I think he's the last two years. The idea that he wants a new customer. contract because Chase is going to get paid and Jefferson got paid and Amara St. Brough? I think he's a little insane. So what Tyree Kil now wants, I want 35 mil a year? Like, what are we doing? I think the chiefs in hindsight will be smart to move off of him, still win Super Bowls without him. And I think the Dolphins, if they get in bed with him with a new contract, I don't like it.

I don't know. I mean, they paid Jalen Waddle three years 84 mil. How much you're going to spend a receiver? Running out of money for Tua. Well, they have no defense. They couldn't pay Christian Wilkins. They were like, oh, we can't afford them. We got to pay the receivers. A really, really good player.

I mean, so the Bengals are seeing this now with T. Higgins. They're like, between Borough and Chase, they're going to have like $90 million. Yeah, I would move off T. Higgins. And I like him. The idea of paying two receivers? I don't know how the Eagles are doing it. Final story, we talked about this yesterday. Killian Mbapay.

Love me some soccer. Listen, one of the best players in the world. world. Some people would say he is. He still got to go messy. But he just agreed to join Real Madrid on a five-year deal worth over $16 million a year. This has been about a year in the making. A lot of people are saying that this is similar to the Dodgers getting Otani, the Warriors getting Durant. Is this bad for soccer? Now you've got a massive super team. I mean, Real Madrid just won the Champions League. And now they're adding arguably the best player in the world. Yeah. Kind of exciting. Now, Ambape is not.

must-see TV. Obviously, the Euros are coming up. I mean, where all the streets are he going to go? He wasn't going to go to some bottom feeder. People got to get over their envy. So, you talked about loving parody in the NFL and the NBA.

No, I don't love it. I think it's overrated. I think parity is a, it's, it's, you keep seeking stuff that doesn't have, there is no parody. But I thought you didn't like super teams. I'm not against super teams. I'm not against it. I like the current NBA without one, but I was really,

really into the Warriors and really into the heels. I'm not really into the Denver Nuggets. I'm not really into the Mavericks. I like super teams because they show up. They've got stars. They've got attitude. They're on commercials. They're big. I want to see the Yankees or Dodgers win it.

I think it's great when the Yankees win. They'll have a super team. I don't buy into this parody stuff. I don't think you need it. I don't think it's creatable. When we have a hit... Where is what sports got all sorts of... By the way, there's one sport that's got parody. Hockey. Nobody's watching.

Congrats, Edmonton against Fort Lauderdale. Is that really the final? Well, I mean, they're based in Fort Lauderdale. Florida Panthers or whatever. They got good players, but there's your parody. I don't mind the teams just getting stacked and loading up.

I mean, I want to see the best players on the best team, and I want to see them roll people. You know, we thought he was going to do that at PSG with Namar and company. Do you want to star with a bunch of scrubs? That's Kobe Bryant in between Shaq and Powell Gusson. You want to watch Kobe Bryant play with a bunch of guys that aren't at his level? It's the reason I like Olympic basketball.

It's stars playing with stars. It's more fun. You want to take stars, and when they make a great pass, somebody can finish it. Not some average guys. So the great players with great players, it's like watching a great band or great performers meshing and creating a song. It's like great plus great equals more great. So from the villain discussion with Angel Reese earlier, I don't know if Mbapap will be considered a villain by going to Real Madrid, stack team.

But there will be a segment of the population who views him as, gosh, what a ring-chasing jerk. I'm not going to root for him, you know, because he's on a stack team. The way Durant caught a lot of heat, Otani didn't catch it as much, right, for going to the Dodgers? Well, the Angels have always been sort of, you know, they kind of feel like second, third tier organization. You know, it just they can't. People want to see the Dodgers in the playoff with Otani. Otani being done in August and September. That's not fun.

Bad for the sport. I mean, Otani now has better people hitting in front of them. Better people hitting behind it. Doesn't even have to play defense and they can win more games. Isn't that better for Otani's career? I would guess Major League Baseball will see a postseason ratings bump with Otani in the postseason. No, and the Yankees. No question.

But by the way, Aaron Judge is going to be better if he's got a good hitter in the hitting in front of him. He's going to get more fastballs. You can't be as selective. Say, I want great baseball players to have people that are good hitting in front of them. So you can't walk them, so you can't. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Jay Mack and I'll argue next. Top 10 players left in this finals. Top 10 players next. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, gang, this is Jay Glazer. of Unbreakable, a mental wealth podcast.

And every week we will have on leaders from sports, entertainment, like Sean McVeigh, Lindsey Vaughn, Michael Phelps, David Spade, Guy Fieri, 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 Podcast.

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. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

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

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Cliverts 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 Clivert 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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day,

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

for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people. in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We do this before the big, big championship games, NFC championship, Super Bowl, college football playoff.

How about we list the 10 best players 10 through 1 in this Maverick Celtics NBA final? You ready, J-Mack? All right. I think I'm going to go. Number 10. I think I'd go Al Horford. You know only LeBron as an active player's got more playoff experience.

highest net rating by any Celtic and historically great corner three-ball shooter 38% three-ball shooter in the playoffs in his career number nine PJ Washington versatile can guard the five can guard the three maybe guard the two also has more threes in the playoffs than Jason Tatum number eight Christops Porzinger isn't playing but he had his best defensive year He's versatile. He's hard to defend. He's got great length. Third leading score on the Celtics this year, over 20 a game. You see him working out there. I think Porzingis, I would put him at eight.

Again, I'm crossing my fingers on the health, but he will make key plays in this final. That I can guarantee you. Number seven. How about the rookie, Derek lively? Dude shooting 67% from the field. Second highest plus minus for the Mavericks. Not only is he a rim defender, he's good on the lobs from Luca. To get a number 12 pick in the current state of college basketball who can come into these high leverage games and be this much of a contributor is really something.

Number six. Drew Holiday, lockdown perimeter defender, smart, gets the ball of the right people, we'll guard the other player's best offensive guard, second highest plus minus. He's just, when he's on the floor, your team is better. I would have Drew Holiday at 6. Number 5.

An inch ahead of him, Derek White, who only two Celtics made all-N-B-A defense. He was one of them. He leads him in blocks. He's like an underrated player. Like, he would be a number two for a lot of teams. He's a 4-0-5 on this team. He's been their best three-point shooter in the postseason, 41%, because Tatum hasn't shot the ball well.

So Derek White at 5. Number four. He can be a bit temperamental, but Kyrie Irving's having a good year. Here's the thing about Kyrie. He leads the playoffs, the entire playoffs, and second half scoring. He's the ultimate finisher. And he's shooting 51% from threes. He's committed to the defensive end.

Not had great success against the Celtics. Oh for 10, last 10 games he's played him. But he's a great second half closer, and NBA finals historically are won by the better closing team in the fourth quarter. Number three. Jalen Brown, who I think is more consistent than Tatum, he's giving you 25 a game on 54% shooting, second leading score for them in the postseason.

And again, here's a guy who's always willing to guard their best player. I feel like I know exactly what I get every game from him. He's just gotten a little better every year. Very consistent, hard worker, kind of quiet. Doesn't make a lot of news. Jalen Brown at three. Number two. not a bad postseason shooting threes, but he does leave the Celtics and points,

rebounds, assists, all that stuff. He gives you 26 and 9. He just can't shoot threes. He is 29% in the postseason on threes. 29%. I don't want him shooting big threes. I want Derek White and Jalen Brown to be shooting him. I'll take Horford from the corner.

I don't want Tatum shooting those threes. Number one. That's Luca. He leads the playoffs and everything. Steals, steals, assists, rebounds, points, field goal percentage, three-pointers, free throws.

He doesn't get off the ground, but he's something else. So you're going with six Celtics, which I guess is understanding. Yeah, they have the deeper team. So are you picking them? Yeah, I am picking them. Home court advantage.

Game seven would be played in Boston. They have the deeper team. They've been here before. I think you're not going to get a lot of bad Luca games, but the Celtics could overcome a bad Tatum or Brown game. They just overcome it. I don't think you could overcome a really bad Kyrie or Luca game. And Luca will have a game that he struggles, one.

Kyrie will have one that he struggles. And I don't think they have the ability to win on those nights. So, yeah, I mean, I think if when you look, it's really amazing to me. I keep saying this that Derek lively out of Duke, a kid has been this good. These are high leverage games. He's Astegaard, really good players. So let me ask, who does he guard in Boston? With Porzingis in and Horford on the bench, who's he matching up with?

A seven-footer. Like, where do you put him? That's the big question. Because Boston's just going to have five guys around the three-point line. That's what they do. And I don't, like, like, I guess you could maybe hide lively on holiday or white and hope that they don't go crazy from three? Yeah.

It's a tough spot for lively. I'm a little worried about Dallas, but I'm surprised you're not higher on holiday. This is a guy who in the finals with the Bucks led the entire finals and I think assists and steals. But he hasn't, first of all, the players above him are really good. They are. Yeah. And he's, you know, Drew's been around a while, like Horford. He's a little older.

Yeah, I think he's 33. And he's been asked to play hard minutes. He's asked to defend. So Drew, you know, these Marcus Smarts and these Drew holidays, remember Tony Allen? When you ask guys to play that kind of defense, Chris Paul played real defense. It wears out.

Yeah. So if you remember the last like, not 50 to 1, but fringe guy role player to win the MVP of the finals, that was Andre Igu Doudala with the Warriors and he was credited with the defense on LeBron James. I don't think we think that Iguada should have won that finals MVP, but he did, averaging like 16, 8, and 5 or whatever. Holiday, if he guards Luca or Kyrie and does a really, really good job and pumps in 17 and 7. I think you have, when you face the Celtics, you sort of have to pick your poison. You're not going to be able to cover everybody. When they stick a porzengis in one corner and Horford and the other and they're just,

you're going to have to make choices. And so I think over the course of the series, Boston will get more good, clean looks. Dallas will get some good clean looks, but I think they'll throw a lot of bodies at Luca. Now, his degree of difficulty, he's so good at that. But over the course of six or seven games, the Celtics are going to get more good looks in the half-court offense than Dallas will. They have more depth, the ability to overcome a Tatum Brown having an off night. So I think Dallas has to play more precise and more perfect to win. They could do it.

But that's a big ask when game one in Boston, game seven in Boston. Yeah. Boston hasn't played a lot of close games in the playoffs. That's right. Mavericks have played a ton and won almost all of them. I think that matters. I do wonder, let's say Mavs win in six, it's close. Is the biggest NBA storyline this offseason, do you break up Brown and Tatum? No, you're not going to break it up.

Just make it sure. You're not doing it. You'd move somebody else. They're not breaking that up. They've been too, you know, they're dominating at least the east. That's something. Getting to the finals, that's something. Yeah.

See you tomorrow. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not.

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