The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 3 - Ric Bucher

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

NBA insider Ric Bucher joins the show to preview a massive showdown between LeBron James and the Lakers hosting Steph Curry and the Warriors Tomorrow's headlines todaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 ice.

Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Turn someday into right now with Body by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your hardest hit, it's when things seem worse that you must not quit. Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and Dream it for free. Have a great day.

I heart radio. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to deep cover the family man on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts,

wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

All right, tonight's the biggest regular season game, arguably of the NBA season. Lakers are playing the Warriors. It's an excellent matchup, both playing really, really well. Like, Braun's not quite what he was pre-injury with a honeymoon period with Luca. Rick Buehker's joining us live covering the league since 1993, Fox Sports NBA analyst. So, you know, it's a law. I'll just ask you this.

Who does the game feel bigger than you do get about a dozen regular season games a year, where you can kind of sense there's like your playoff feel to them. This is going to be one of those games. Like if I had to say, who wins tonight and why? Who do you like? I like the Lakers. I like the Lakers as a matchup. I like the Lakers overall in terms of their chances in the Western Conference.

You can point to a lot of different things, but it really comes down to the star player for each team, the go-to player for each team. And with the Lakers, it's Luca Donchich at 25, 26 years old. And simply because of his size and the way that he plays, it's easier for him to get what he needs to get. I can't ignore Steph's age and size. And the way the Warriors work, it's just the degree of difficulty is much higher.

And when I look at the Western Conference as a whole, There are a number of teams there with legitimate size that they're going to have to go through at one or both of these teams. And the Lakers are better equipped for that when I look at their front lines, even though they both sort of play small at critical times. LeBron James and Rui Hatzamurro, we're talking about two guys that are 6-8 and 6-9 versus Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler at 6-6-7. and then offensively the versatility of Rui and LeBron is just greater than what Draymond and Jimmy is. So it's not by a whole lot, and the synchronicity of these two teams and the chemistry can certainly change the dynamic, but overall, sizing up these two teams on paper, I just believe the Lakers are better equipped to make a run at at least the Western Conference finals. Golden State's interesting because they can still be kind of step-dependent offensive.

but Butler and Drayn, they've now got another veteran, Butler and Draymond, to get him be a catalyst and get him better looks. Whereas I feel like Luca could have a bad night and LeBron and Austin Reeves would be fine caring you. My take is they still feel Steph dependent offensively. Do you believe that? Oh, 100%. 100%. What they got out of Jimmy Butler is another guy who helps them facilitate Steph getting what he needs. needs to get. But overall, I mean, let's just look at this team. When you go, Steph Curry,

who's the next most dynamic scorer on the team? The easy answer used to be Clay Thompson. And then let's go down the line. Like, who is it? Who do you count on as being that counterscorer to to Steph? And I think most people would probably say Jimmy Butler has come in and done that he's upgraded that number two spot but he healed probably was that previously maybe jonathan commingo on good days but it was a debatable thing but is jimmy really that kind of score he has been in the postseason but he's been that when he's been the primary in the postseason so this is the x-factor here colin which is that chemistry and the basketball IQ and the warriors ability to play their system and be greater than the sum of their parts is what has made them special in the past.

Can they still capture some of that? Sure, they can. And would if they did and the Lakers are still struggling with trying to find a balance between LeBron and Luca and Austin in terms of who's really going to run this at critical times, then that would tilt things in the Warriors favor. But all things equal, I'm still going to favor the Lakers. So when we look at the Western Conference, You know, there's, there's, um, Oklahoma City and Houston are the classic talented young teams without a trophy, so they play their butt off in the regular season.

I don't buy Houston as much. I think the Lakers the other night kind of showed if you, if you really ratchet it up, it's a young team that can miss a lot of shots. I think the thunder are too good and too deep, not to win a couple of playoffs series. But the real interesting team to me is, is the nuggets. So whereas we both kind of acknowledge the Lakers and the Warriors should pretty, do pretty well unless they have to face each other in the first round. Denver as the best player on the planet doesn't play with another all-star.

They're not as deep as they were. They rested people last night. Where are you? Maybe they feel disrespected by SGA if he wins the MVP. Where are you now in a team that I thought after they won? I thought, are we looking at the Spurs? Are we looking at a big man dynasty? And they just don't feel, they just feel like they're bad defensively.

where are you on Denver? It's only because of Nicola Yokic in the way that he's playing right now that I even give them a puncher's chance at still being a contender. Can their depth of experience in the postseason, their collective depth of experience, can that win out? Potentially. I mean, we kind of say the same thing about the Lakers, that that experience, or maybe even the Warriors,

their postseason experience is what gives them an edge and why people believe that they, can knock off the Houston Rockets or even possibly the Oklahoma City Thunder. I'm off on that, by the way. I'm not putting those two teams in the same camp. Oklahoma City did win a series last year adept-wise, experience-wise. We don't talk about it a lot, but they actually have more playoff game experience than the Memphis Grizzlies. And we never talk about their lack of postseason experience when we talk about their weaknesses. So the nuggets for me, you're right. And part of this is, if you look at Stan Crunky, the owner, this is what he does. He did it with the Rams,

he did it with the avalanche, he's done it with the nuggets. He will do everything. He'll push all his chips to the middle of the table in order to win a championship. But then he gets a little bit frugal or stingy, and they've quietly let a lot of key pieces go and haven't replaced them. So it's only because of Yokic and how he is playing and the match. And the matchup nightmare that he presents that I still believe they have a chance if Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. play their absolute best. But the difference from when they won that championship is now Christian Brown's not a luxury. He's an essential. Peyton Watson has to give you quality minutes. They're relying on a lot of guys as a result of losing Contavius

Caldwell Pope and Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, you know, proven veteran guys. now they're relying on luxury items to be key pieces in the puzzle, and they just haven't demonstrated that they're quite ready to do that. 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, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news.

We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys?

I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast,

where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 headwriter, 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. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the René. a Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay.

Jenchian won. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface, because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Usually, if you look at the history of the NBA, we rank dynasties higher if they have star power. We love the MJ Dynasty, Showtime Lakers, Shaq and Kobe. And the Duncan ones like, yeah, there was a team down in Texas, they were pretty good. it didn't have a lot of sizzle and i think we are i think boston's going to win this thing i think between brad stevens and danny aanes they have a couple of basketball savants this is a roster full of guys that can all pass dribble shoot and mostly defend mostly it is loaded yeah i mean they got the best six man the best comboed and i think because they're like the spurs they don't have big personalities we just we're a little punitive on that we NBA's an aesthetic league we like our

stars to be fun. You know, the 76ers with Dr. J. That's what we like. And I think they're, I think they're going to run through these playoffs. I think their ability to win on the road decisively is like MJ stuff, is like Kobe Shaq stuff. That's, that's the difference between good and great. I think they're going to run through the playoffs. Do you? They could. They easily could. I mean, part of it is they've been on cruise control through this season and everybody's questioning, because they know how much effort it's going to take to repeat in May and June. And so they realize, hey, we're probably going to win so have to win some games on the road. It's not all that important that we have the best record.

Then they're still going to have home court advantage in the first round. So there is some of that. The other part is, to your point, like, who's their most dynamic player? Jalen Brown? Like, that doesn't really doesn't ring the bell if you're comparing him to a Kobe or a Michael or any of the other dynamic players. The question that I have, Colin, is, are they going to be what you're suggesting?

Are they going to be the San Antonio Spurs, where they win multiple titles over a long stretch? Or are they going to be the Detroit Pistons, who were also formidable for a year? I think they went to the conference finals, like six years in a row, but only won one title. So are they going to be really good, but not necessarily dominant and go to that next level?

Or are they going to be the San Antonio Spurs where it's their, if they're not winning back to backs, they're consistently going back there. And honestly, I don't know at this point because of the way the league is changing and the difficulty in terms of keeping a team together for a long period of time. At some point, guys want to get paid or they want bigger roles, and it becomes difficult to hold together the same team for a long time. Rick Buecker, Fox Sports, Warriors, Lakers, a really big regular season game. It's going to be fun.

It's fun. I mean, you don't get a ton of these. This is a big deal. There's six or seven guys that are getting Hall of Fame votes or inclusion. Like, this is a good one tonight. It'll feel like a playoff game. Teams at this point of the year are not playing starters. or playing everybody a lot of minutes. There's not a lot in between here.

Teams are tanking, resting, or they're all in for a big seating game, and that's what the latter is what this is tonight. Rick Buecker, good seeing you, Rick. You got it. Yeah, watch this one tonight. Jay Mack with the news. Is the Herd Line News.

Let's start with Joelle M. Bid, Colin. Remember that guy? I haven't really talked about him all season. He's been out for the season since February due to knee issues. Apparently, he's going to have arthroscopic surgery on that knee today to try to get him ready for next season. And the 76ers who are very clearly tanking to keep their pick, they just announced that Tyrese Maxie is out for the rest of the season with a finger injury.

I saw he only played 52 games. Poor Paul George. What a disaster it's been since he went to Philly. And Bean and George have only played 60 combined games this year. I mean, this is just as bad as it gets. most cursed, beleaguered, good sports franchise in North America. Maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs, they always talk about them being cursed. Sixers just can't get the health right, the chemistry right.

They just, I mean, they've had so much talent the last four years. They've had a lot of bites at the Apple, too. They've had a lot of swings at top guys in the draft. And for whatever reason, was it Michael Carter Williams? Maybe it was the bounce. If that Kauai thing doesn't go in, maybe it changes the trajectory. That's a good point. That was the Jimmy Butler team, which was their best team.

Yeah. And maybe that bounce. If it goes the other way, it changes everything. Damn, that's a, you got some decent takes today, Cowher. Firing on all cylinders. Before I go on vacation, I bring the heat. I told you, I'm keeping it real this point forward. Keeping a real.

Okay. When keeping it real goes wrong, remember that from the living color? All right, let's go to the next story. The Celtics, they had been on a heater, one nine in a row, and then last night, lose to the heat. You kind of got thumped. Now, they were without Drew Holiday, Porzingis, and Horford. Yeah.

But Joe Missoula said no excuses. I mean, we're all pissed. I mean, we all hate losing, and that was my message. It was a good reminder that losing still sucks. So I love the fact that, no, the staff's miserable. Guys are pissed. No, I'm not happy about it, but we've got to come back and do it again the next day. Yeah, not a great effort, but I don't, you know, they're going to be.

They're locked into their play. Well, you know, you've got three guys that play a lot, don't play. It changes all the minutes. Yeah, you know, happens. And by the, they're a weird franchise. Boston's great. They have a half a dozen clunkers a year at home. They're weird.

They're an unbelievable road team, which even a lot of the championship teams in those league weren't great road teams, but they have clunkers at home. Well, some of that is the three-point variance. You know, when you're shooting 53s, you got a cold night. That's what it is, by the way. That's what it is. They have these nights even at home. They just are brutal.

By the way, I'm wondering, remember when your buddy Simmons would bash Missoula, apparently he was calling him second row Joe. Because he's not like a front row coach. That's what he was saying on social media, I think. I don't follow him, but that's what I saw. And I wonder what he's saying now. Like, Joe Missoula has been excellent as a head coach

with the Celtics. Has he not? Yeah. Won the title? He had a bumpy first year. I mean, the first year, we kind of felt like he was getting worked in the playoffs. I think it was Spolstra worked him a little bit. I mean, listen, I had a rough first year on the show.

Well, my first couple. Listen, settle down down. Celtics should bounce back. Fine. Final story, Colin, is, oh boy, Falcons owner Arthur Blank added fuel to the Kirk Cousins trade rumors this week telling the media. I think Michael, meaning Pennix, does have a clean slate. He's the starting QB. And everybody in the room understands that. That's pretty direct to Kirk. I think he'll do what his heart and his spirit allows him to do. I've never seen him as being a divisive individual. I don't think it's in him to be that way with certain personalities you might worry. I'm not really worried about that.

sounds basically like they know Cousins is gone. And he's going to be shipped to likely Cleveland. And it's going to be Michael Bennett. If I'm Kirk Cousins, just wait until after the draft. Just what's the hurry? Well, the Falcons botched it. They kept him past the deadline. So they had to give him $10 million.

What if a really good team in camp loses somebody? What is the hurry to sign up your Kirk Cousins? What's the value on signing with a tire fire? Well, don't you want to get in a building? then get you know the coaches. The offensive coordinator. He's been around. He knows how to complete out routes.

He's fine. Didn't show that last season with the Falcons. I would wait for the draft. Kirk Cousins, talk to your agent. Wait for the draft. Then you'll look at them and go to a team. Oh, maybe a team was looking to get Kyle McCor or Leonard or, I mean, you know, you just don't know what's going to happen.

All of a sudden you get in camp, Garoppolo goes down. Rams are like, you know what? Stafford. is banging his hand on the helmet away from we need a quarterback in L.A. No. That's not going to happen, but I'm just... Definitely won't happen. But that's not a bad idea.

Wait for a good offensive mind. Although Stifansky's really good. Yeah, the answer, no, is powerful. Powerful, yeah. Everybody's just, oh, I see that. Sometimes you'll get an NBA job opening, and, you know, coaches should probably take... Sit down and they'll get a job within two or three.

Like in the NFL, there's eight new coaches a year. NBA, there's seven new coaches a year. Say no once in a while. Wait for a better gig. You're not going to forget out of coach basketball. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Heard Lie News. So, you know, still can't get over Otani, man. And by the way, JMAX's here all next week. He'll be crushing it. So hopefully JMAK keeps it real, too. You know, that's the day. If I keep it real and he doesn't, The show is like Max Muncie at the plate.

You're a little off. Do you keep it real with the wife? How do I look in this dress? That kind of real or no? I keep it appropriate. Oh, okay. Keeping it real at home is not always the best answer. Yeah, by the way, when keeping it real goes wrong was a Dave Chappelle show, not in Living Color.

I mixed up my iconic comedy shows from, I know you watch both of those, right? I like Dave Chappelle. That show was legendary at its height. Oh my gosh. Now wait a minute. I forgot to follow up. White Lotus. Did you watch episode seven? Yeah, no, no. I'm watching episode six flying out today. I'm watching that episode. Okay, so no spoilers, obviously, but it sounds like you were not all in on the show. I like true crime. I like documentaries, true crime. And then I like Christopher Nolan, Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Stephen Soderberg. I like certain directors. all this, now I do think the acting, that Walter,

he's really, really good. He's weird. He's like a younger Christopher Walken. Oh, that's not bad. He's good in everything, odd, in absolutely everything. But he's good. Yeah. Well, sometimes you need to be uncomfortable, right?

You need to come out of your comfort zone of true crime and Christopher Nolan. Walter Gaggins, thank you, staff. What is this? I mean, this show's crazy this season. Well, to me it goes, they're trying a little too hard. Everybody's dysfunctional at the resort. Isn't there just a normal guy that wants to golf, sleep in and have an occasional cocktail at five?

Like, everybody has to be the strangest person on the earth. That's a good point. It's a little much for me. All right, we wrap it up. Tomorrow's headlines today, we got the final four. We got Lakers Warriors. We got the Aaron Rogers. There's a lot out there that is unsolved.

It's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd. weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Kavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the IHeart Radio app.

Why should you listen to Kavino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world? We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too.

Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on Planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino & Rich live on Fox Sports Radio on the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich, wherever you get your podcast and, of course, on social media. That's Coveino and Rich.

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And we were thinking I'm originally calling it. one of the early names of our band

before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say,

Hey Jonas, and then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite on Humor 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. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I

competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris, every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jen Chinchin win. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French, me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lerner Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now and I actually can win on any surface because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. 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 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. Folks, it's that time the old Crystal Ball arrives on set. Usually on Fridays, Thursdays, because we're doing best of the herd tomorrow. We have the final four.

NBA playoffs around the corner. By the way, are you perturbed by the chalky final four? No, I think it's great. Got a lot of outrage, faux outrage. You know that nonsense. Oh, there's no great games. You have to be careful about confirmation bias. There's kind of a legendary college basketball, sports better, and he just got crushed in this term.

Oh, Alan Boston. Yeah, I'm familiar with his work. He's crazy. But he was a good gambler, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. He loves mid-majors. He loves the little guy. And I think it's confirmation bias.

You're like, oh, the little guy, the little guy, never forget in America. Everybody, it wants to eat the rich. Why do people play the lottery? They want to be rich. Let's not pretend like, you know, so it's a lot of it's just envy. And the same thing is for mid-majors. Is that, you know, those coaches at mid-majors privately, they'd rather coach at Kentucky and play with better coach better players.

Bigger NIL budget, of course. So the mid-major's always been overstated. They're a little undervalued historically, but the NIL has changed that. You know, the mid-major guy gets good and I hear, you know, from Dayton or something. And then all of a sudden, you know, Syracuse or Yukon are like, you know what? You could be our third best starter or second best starter. So that's the way society works. People, talented people, have options.

I saw something the other day on TikTok where they were talking about an average-looking man has to swipe 200 times on what's that site? Tinder? Tinder to get one cup of coffee with a date. What does a woman have to do? Well, it's, I didn't, I don't know that, but they said, and of the four or the five times they get coffee, they won't get a second coffee. So, I mean, just things are easier when you have certain height, looks, talent. Well, the coaches want to coach the best players, and players want to play with the best players. And so, you know, the NIL is a long time coming.

So if you are a believer in paying college athletes, the same people that are upset about mid-majors disappearing in March are also the same people that want athletes to get paid. Here's the way it works in America. The minute you pay college athletes, you're going to have a hierarchy very quickly. And people are going to separate. You're going to find out your market value. And so you know that all the people that were fighting for the little guy to get paid, he's getting paid now. A lot by Kentucky, not Dayton. So that's just the market speaking.

It's like in Major League Baseball, a lot of these lower end teams, the owners that don't want to spend, they're essentially farm systems for the Yankees and the Dodgers and the Red. That's how it's working in baseball. That's definitely what's happening, college football and basketball. All these small market baseball teams for years were proper. up by the regional networks, which was the Fox business. When Fox sold it and other people couldn't run it like Fox, it dried up, and it's hurt Pittsburgh and Cincinnati and Kansas City and the Mariners.

So it's like the truth eventually comes out, the big gobble up the small, and that's all that's happening with NIL. The big and the bigger bankrolls are swallowing up the smaller bankroll. You see it in tech. You see it in every industry. All right. Let's do it. Tomorrow's headlines today.

What's the headline for Florida and Auburn? Two SEC hotbeds for hoops these days. Two great SEC teams. Got some good news for Auburn. I'll report that just came out. The headline will be. Join us for Croftail hour. Gator shots go down easy.

I have Florida taken down Auburn. However, it just was revealed that Auburn star Broom, the big fella who has been getting double doubles in like the first half. He practiced fully today. He will play Saturday in the Final Four. He missed practice the last two days. So there was some concern. Remember the elbow and the knee? Now, Broom is an excellent player. I think he's like 23 years old. However, Florida has the depth, I think, to handle. They got four guys that they can throw at the big fella from Auburn. And I give a slight edge to Florida in the back court, but I will say my favorite player

in this game is Peddeford, the lefty backup point guard, the freshman for Auburn. He is so smooth. I've been saying he's a lottery pick. A lot of people are like, no, no, you watch. If he plays Clayton toe to toe, Clayton's a great Florida point card. I think we'll hear Petterford as a lottery pick. I think Florida narrowly escapes. All right. Here's a game that's going to be great.

Tomorrow's headlines today. Houston and Duke, defense against offense. What say you? Yeah, remember after we did the Calcutta, I came on, I said, we got Duke. I'm a dude, Blue Devils fan. I won a Cooper flag jersey. The headline. Well, hey, the Dukes of Hazard.

Cougars wave the white flag. and that is FLAG. I got Cooper flag and Duke advancing. However, Colin, some of these analytics guys have put this in front of me. You got a stat. I don't know if it's out there. The top 25 defenses Duke has faced in the last month, zero. You have to go back to the Clemson game in early February for a top 25 defense.

Duke lost that game. So they haven't played a good defense. Alabama don't play defense. Baylor does not play defense. Houston's the number one defense in the country. Oh, it's going to a close game. This will be a test. there's a big divide. The spread is five, Colin.

Take the points. However, Ken Palm, the number one analytics site, says this is a two-point game. And there's another analytic site that says it as Houston by one. So there is a divide. This will be potentially the best college basketball game, men or women of the year. Yes, I think it will be absolutely phenomenal. I think Duke wins. I don't trust Houston in, like, clutch situations.

They've played some tough games. They have an edge in the back court. But how are you not riding with Cooper Flagg? Give me Duke. Tomorrow's headlines today. So who do you like for the National Championship? Duke, Florida, in the Natty. A lot of people had this.

You probably had it. Oh, no, you didn't have it in your breath. Because you didn't go chalky the headline. Will. Hey, courtesy flush. Duke cleans the rim and cuts down the nets. Listen, John Shire's done a tremendous job. We have an awesome team.

They got three guys who could go in the top 20, the big seven-footer in the middle, Cooper Flag. And then, of course, Cinniple, who's very good. like Procter the Guard. Colin, this is just a great basketball team. The one interesting thing is they are one of the youngest teams. Yes, that's why I didn't pick them to win it. A lot of freshmen and sophomores, and it's like, oh, that's tough going up against

the grown men of Florida and the grown men of Houston. But I think Duke prevails. I just think Cooper Flag is too good. You can't hold him down that long. All right. So a big one tonight, Lakers Warriors. Let's go. What's the headline going to be for the Western Conference?

Tomorrow's headline today, the deep, loaded Western Conference. the National Basketball Association. So next couple weeks on the show, we're going to be wacky, and I figure we get our NBA prediction out of the way. In the West, OKC's one, what, 63 games? How many is Denver one? I don't know. The headline for the Western Conference will be Luca Tick Fringe.

Lakers going off the rails on a crazy trade. I'm sorry. I think they're going to the Western Conference finals, Colin. I don't think anybody's standing in their way. Remember how they had like a 22-game sample size where they were the best defense in the league. And then they kind of cratered in all of a sudden, they're not that good.

Folks, they played eight games in 12 days. They were exhausted due to the back-to-backs. LeBron was hurt. Rees was hurt. Everybody's healthy now, Colin. And I'm just telling you, this Lakers team totally complete. We're having discussions during the commercial break about who's going to defend Austin Reeves.

Like tonight, and in the playoffs. He is a tough matchup. You got Luca, obviously. You have LeBron. This is a great litmus test tonight against the Warriors. Apparently tickets, it's a tough, tough ticket to get in tonight. You probably could if you... Well, I'm an influencer.

Yeah, so I could probably get it. So Lakers to the Western Conference finals, for sure. Finally, tomorrow's headlines today. The more predictable Eastern Conference. Yeah, it was supposed to be Celtics and Nicks, but then the calves have come out of nowhere, and they're a challenger. The headline in the East, Will, me,

I'd rather be a rich Zingis than a poor Zingis. Boston Breaks Bank, Back to back. I just, I like Boston too much. Too many shooters. I think they've gone through the motions a little bit at times this season. You know, like, hey, we just won the title, and I think that's enabled Cleveland to look better than they are.

My Knicks, Brunson's still not back yet. They haven't matched up great with the Celtics. So I think Boston's the team to beat in the East, and I think they cut down the Nets again this year. Yeah, I mean, they have a couple of really, really sharp GMs, Danny Aange to Brad Stevens, and they just haven't been a lot of misses. I mean, when, you know, some of this is Janus. Janice wanted a better running make with more offensive firepower,

and they moved Drew Holiday. Milwaukee loved him for Dame, and Dame's defensive liability. He's getting older, breaking down, and so they got Drew Holiday, which was an upgrade over Marcus Smart. They were good with Marcus Smart, Brown, and Tatum. Now they're better than Porzingus had a great year in Washington.

Nobody paid attention. Brad Stevens brings him over, oh, he's a character issue. He breaks down. all I know is when he's on the floor and Horford's been slinging it for years and now Peyton Pritchard Don't forget Derek White, what a heist that was.

They are just, and I'll say it again they've got a Spurs feel where we're not going to pay a ton of attention because they're not a flashy team. We love our Kobe Shack. We love our, you know, we love our Michael Jordan, Showtime Lakers, Jordan. We like our NBA champ to be flashy. In the 70s, the Sonics

were good, Washington, Golden State. They weren't flashy. Portland was great. And that's okay. It's not a criticism. In the NFL, we don't care. If you're tough and physical like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, well, you can be a Super Bowl champ. NBA, we like a little flash, or we don't give you the credit you deserve. I think Boston's stacked. The fact that they are, they can go into any NBA arena.

They could go into OKC in the final and win by 18. Of course. Not many teams in the league can do that. All right, J. Mack. Now, you have tomorrow off, and I have tomorrow off. What are you going to plan for the big weekend? You got three there. I don't. You know, I got to prepare for next week. I got to put some takes in the holster.

Get them ready, ready for action. I already cooking up some stuff. We'll see. I'll tell you what. Duke, Houston, that is one for the ages. If Duke loses, I'll be kind of sort of devastated. Then it loses Luster. Like, are you fired up about a Houston Auburn final or Houston? Well, I picked Auburn to win, so I would be. Oh, you would be. Yeah. You know, it's the thing about Florida and Auburn, Florida, as good as they are, they're one of those teams that can go to come down and give you four or five minutes of wasted possession. You know, and college teams do that a lot.

Duke doesn't. Duke doesn't give you wasted possessions where, you know, Duke, they know what they are, they lean into what they are, and they've got a sensational player. And that's really the difference of having a superstar in the NBA is, and that's what Milwaukee struggles with. Yes, Janus is their star,

but he's a liability at the free throw line. do you always go to him late? You know, Shaq without Kobe or D. Wade is really a force, but you didn't want him at the free throw line. And so, and that's why Duncan was great when he had Mano and Tony, Parker, because they could hit the free throws. And so that in college, Duke has the, okay, let's let, we need three straight great possessions. You just give the ball to Cooper flag and get out of the way. And even Auburn, I like, but they have fewer of them because they have two guys. that can get a bucket is a lot of these college teams like, even the good teams like Florida

or Houston, you can get into a little bit of, man, we've gone four straight possessions. We have not gotten a good look at all. The other concern with Duke is they haven't played a close game in a while. They haven't had like down to the wire. They had some earlier this year when Cooper Flagg was 18 and they ended up losing a couple of those. I think Kansas was one. But I don't really have concerns.

I think they shoot free throws great, one of the best free throw shooting teams in the country. Like, it should be fine. Yeah, my guess is I'm going to go. Duke Auburn. I'll go Duke, Florida. All right. Best to her tomorrow. Be safe. It's the herd. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know,

tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man.

Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your heart is hit, it's when things seem worse that you must not quit.

Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. This is an IHeartRadio.