The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd-HOUR-1-A Winner, Not a Champion, Kansas City Chiefs, Sam Amick

Episode Date: September 1, 2020

Doug Gottlieb fills in for Colin today, and he opens the show with how not being a Champion doesn't necessarily mean you aren't a Winner. He then discusses Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs building a dynasty and what that means for the future. Also Sam Amick joins the show to talk NBA playoffs and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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 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 Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

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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. What up? Welcome in.

This is The Herd, wherever you may be. And however you may be making this part of your day. Thanks so much. I'm Doug Gottlieb, sitting in for Colin Cowherd. What a show we have for you today. Sam Amick, NBA Insider, from The Athletic. We'll join us 30 minutes away. Recap last night's two upsets.

Two upsets last night. Get you ready for tonight. There is a game seven tonight. And a huge game in the second round that's played before game seven of the first round. Confusing? Ro-ro? That's my raggy.

That's my Scooby-Doo. R-Hoo? Yes. Toronto, Boston. Remember Boston beat Toronto. You don't want to go in down two games and none into Boston Guard. Well, you know what I mean?

Anyway, same amical joining us in 30 minutes. Apparently, the president has reached out to the Big Ten, which is diabolical and brilliant all at once. We'll get to that in the show. And I will tell you, there's a new book out, and I spoke with Uncle Colin last night where Colin was right. Russell Westbrook. Victory lap. That's actually why Colin's off this week. he's taking a Russell Westbrook victory lap because of what happened last night.

He had that much foresight. He's going to be exhausted coming back on Labor Day because of the victory lap. Anyway, I spoke with Uncle Colin last night. He's like, have you read this new book on the Patriot Dynasty? I was like, no, man. Like, I got it like that, but I ain't got it like that. He's like, I'm reading it. It's fascinating.

And we started talking about it a little bit. And in one hour, I will explain why Belichick and Trump are actually one and the same. And no, I'm not talking about them being orange or the hair or any of that. I actually think you'll appreciate both of them for this one word, consistency. Consistency. All right. That's in one hour. Doug Ghaly, Benford, this is the herd.

What happened last night in the bubble? Like, there are some amazing things that can happen when there's trades in the NBA. When you trade Chris Paul, a first ballot Hall of Fame point guard who has been at the center of numerous stories. Like, Chris Paul has actually lived several different interesting lives, right? Like for the college basketball fan, he played for the late great skip. Prosser, rest in peace to skip. Lost in an unbelievable game in the second round to West Virginia. Remember that? Kevin Pitznoggle.

We got pittsnoggled in the tournament. Then Chris Paul was playing for the New Orleans Hornets, and they had Hurricane Katrina, and so then they moved to Oklahoma City for two years. Do you remember this? Then he was supposed to be traded to the L.A. Lakers, only that's because at the time, the league was operating and owning the then-the-Norlands Hornets. And David Stern's like, no, that ain't a fair trade. We ain't doing that.

He was this close to playing with Kobe Bryant. How many titles? How would we look at Chris Paul had he played with the Lakers back in his actual prime? Then he went to the Clippers and they had that kind of dysfunctional mess of a Lobb City, DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin. Remember they had J.J. Reddick. Donald Sterling. Like, all of this stuff was going on.

You had Donald Sterling getting exposed for who he really was or is. You also had the injuries in the playoffs, the dysfunction in the playoffs. Never made it past the second round. It was seen as the Clipper Curse. The Clipper Curse actually wasn't. about that. It was about first round picks getting hurt or just being a bust. Anyway,

then there was the DeAndre Jordan. Remember DeAndre Jordan left to go sign with the Mavericks and then they went and got him to change his mind. They like sat down, right? Do you remember all this stuff? This is all one guy. Then he gets traded to Houston and they basically trade like everything in the kitchen sink except James Hardin

for Chris Paul and it comes close to working only one year Chris Paul gets hurt. One year they miss 27 consecutive three-pointers. Then he gets traded to Oklahoma City back to where he had played for Russell Westbrook, who had won an MVP, and is the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double, did it three consecutive years. Remember he had that massive deal with Houston.

Part of it is he's the president of the NBA PA. Like there's a lot, there's a lot of other stuff with Chris Paul. But because Chris Paul has never even been to an NBA finals or won an NBA championship, he right now is on the list and likely to remain on the list of guys who were great players, but not champions, right? And what it takes to be a champion is you got to be a winner. Ah, look, you had that squad in, he had that, he had that great squad with the Clippers. let's so often forget that one year he got hurt,

one year Blake Griffin got hurt. That the truth is, as much as I hold JJ Redick in high regards and considering he's still playing, he's still getting buckets, he's still a viable NBA player, really hard for him to be your starting two guard and win an NBA championship. Right? Like that's just the reality of it.

The reality is, normally the best player on the other team plays the position that he plays and he's not a particularly good or effective defensive player at all and he can be marginalized offensively at times just being a shooter. But I could make these explanations for why Chris Paul hasn't won a championship. I would also point out if you go back to his days with the Hornets early on, Pages Steyakovich on his team as well as a couple others, He was great in the playoffs then. He had great moments in the playoffs for the Clippers.

He had some big moments in the playoffs for the Rockets. And last night, he absolutely took over the game. The juxtaposition of Russell Westbrook, who only had seven turnovers, but I mean, some of the turnovers, no one's even near the guy that he's passing to and he throws it out of bounds, shoots an air ball on a tie game, doesn't get the ball to James Hardin

when they're down to and a chance to come down and win it. whereas Chris Ball seemingly in on every defensive play, every important rebound, making every big shot. Houston was up 98-92. They're up three games and two in the series to an Oklahoma City team, which everyone thought was tanking at the start of the year. You got Lou Dort, who's Canadian. He won and done from Arizona State, can't shoot, but competes. Chris Paul was brought in on that team for two reasons. One, to train Shea Gilgis Alexander to be in a star point guard.

And two, to ultimately become trade bait and move on at some point in the middle of the season. Chris Paul hit two threes, grabbed two steals, hit two free throws, had two big rebounds. Oklahoma City ends game six on a 12-2 run. They forced game seven. And Russell Westbrook is, when I say the goal, goat, it's not the greatest of all time. It's the actual meaning usually of goat in sports, which is

he's the one who screwed it up. It's amazing. And look, part of this is I was a point guard in college. I played professional basketball. I never made the NBA. But if I could play like one guy,

if I envisioned how I would dream of playing ultimately in the NBA, not like I grew up idolizing Stockton, I love Nash. But if I could play like one guy, Chris Paul's the guy. Chris Paul's the guy. And look, I know some of you don't like, like, his persona,

and we'll get to that later on in the show. I will tell you that when you're a six-foot point guard, you're a six-foot point guard, who's been told, you know, either you're not big enough or not good enough or you're not a winner, in order to make it, you almost have to be a mean SOB.

You just do. But we do this thing in sports where we act like there's more pressure when you get to an NBA championship. Like if you can overcome the challenges in the first and the second round, somehow you can't overcome those same challenges. Like you're a choker when you get to a hot,

that's not how it works. It's not how it works. There's so many different things that go into winning. So my, can we put to bed the idea that you have to win a championship in order to be a winner? You're going to miss shots in big instances. You're not always going to play perfect. But I would commit to you that Chris Paul with the ball in his hands and the game in the line, I have a supreme amount of confidence that he's going to take and make the big shot or take and make the big play.

I believe that last night he solidified himself, which he not just because he's done it once. He's done it multiple times and multiple stops for different teams and different coaches. He's a winner. He just may not win a championship in Oklahoma City. They don't have a team do it. You can be a winner and not always win. You can be a losing player and sometimes win. Confusing, sure.

But sometimes that's our job, I believe, is not just to make bombastic statements and point out things that you may have missed, but also to give you context. And the context is they were dead to rights beaten with a young team, no real other options, and he just decided, F it, I'm going to win this by myself. And you know what? He did. He did.

What a game, what a night. If you love hoop, you were sitting there going, this is amazing. This is amazing. And it also points out like, look, I respect stat guy. going to disrespect guys to follow the stats, but the idea that like Russell Westbrook, who averaged as many or more assists than Chris Paul is in the stratosphere of Chris Paul as a passer. Is a joke? Is a joke? But that takes actually watching the games, understanding the nuance of the sport. And sometimes there's just too many things on. And we go and look at the box score and

make an assessment as to who can do what and who can't do what. And we do the same thing about winners and losers. Well, you know, his team, Clippers never got out of the second round, so Chris Paul's not a winner. Like, you know, that's not really close to being accurate. Coming up next, I believe the chiefs are a dynasty. Some have pointed out how hard a dynasty is to have. And I think one of the reasons that the chiefs are a dynasty, that they're going to be around and give themselves several opportunities to win a Super Bowl is because they're coached by a coach

who has led a dynasty before. You just don't think of it as a dynasty. I'll get to that. I'll come in next, but first... One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart 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.

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'm saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

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

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

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

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host. and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

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Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Doug Gottlieven for Colin. This is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be making this part of your day. I was reading this column by Ross Tucker, and for the record, Ross is a friend. I think he's a talented dude.

He has his own show. He has a very good podcast. He former offensive line. He writes for the athletic. But he wrote in the athletic, a dynasty? And I don't know if he didn't write the headline yet. A dynasty?

question mark. The Chiefs won't even repeat as Super Bowl champions. Now, that's a bold statement made by a guy who played in the league and understands the league. And his point is, it's only happened three times in the last 30 years. Cowboys, 92, 93. Broncos, 9798, Patriots, 03 and 04. That also means that it hasn't happened in 16 years. Becoming a dynasty is tougher than ever. He's right. He's right. And, and, and, And for the Chiefs, because of COVID, their top guard opted out. Damien Williams, really their best player in the Super Bowl until maybe the fourth quarter.

Like Pat Mahomes did not have a good game. Damian Williams, I thought, should have been the MVP, at least for the Chiefs. Nick Bosa was the best player in the game. They just didn't win, so we don't give them the MVP. But there's this thing that we do. okay there's this this thing we do where we say well look it hasn't happened in 16 years there is no dynasty now there's a difference between being a dynasty and winning back to back and i understand that you're like well got leave in order to have a dynasty you got to win back to back championships if that's

what you feel like a dynasty is if that's your definition of what a dynasty is okay it will be it will be difficult. It will be difficult. But if you look at the literal meaning of it, okay, in the Miriam Webster dictionary, it's a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable amount of time or a succession of rulers in the same line of dissent, right? Sports dynasties, okay, sports dynasties, You know, Dynasty, and again, this is from Miriam Webster. It's been used in the lexicon for over 600 years. It started with a ruling family, and in 1905, they started talking about baseball's dynasty.

But the point is this. I don't think you have to win back-to-back titles in the NFL to have a dynasty, because I do believe that if we looked at the Patriots and they hadn't won back-to-back Super Bowls, you would say that 20 years of dominance is in fact a dynasty. It's a lot like the Spurs. They never went back to back. It's a little bit different in the NBA. But okay, man like, look, they were set to return 20 out of 22 before two dudes opted out because of COVID.

And with no preseason games with limited practice time, it stands to reason that the teams who return the most talent from the previous year and aren't changing teams, aren't changing coordinators, aren't changing coaches, those are the teams that'll be the most successful. The teams are good last year, probably going to be good this year, especially if they kept their group together. More to the point, I would tell you that I believe Andy Reid has been the author of a dynasty previously. You may find it hard to believe.

You may. But I look back and if you remember, if you remember, they lost three consecutive years in the NFC championship game before ultimately getting to a Super Bowl. In that run from 2000 to 2004, that's five straight seasons, they won 11, 11, 12, 12, and 13 games. Four consecutive years, they won the NFC East, which at the time was pretty good. Here's maybe the kicker. They did it with Don McNabb. Now, I don't know what your impression of McNabb is and, you know, hasn't been great on Twitter.

Ultimately, they traded him to the Redskins, which is kind of the ultimate signal that you're done. If we trade you in division, we're not scared of you one iota. And in truth, you know, if you, they had the one six in ten year and Andy Reid had a His own personal issues with the family with the boys off the football field. He had issues with, you know, I mean, Tara Owens torpedo that team after the Super Bowl. That's all part of it. He had double-digit win seasons, right? Double-digit win season, which is the sign of a really, really good team.

Eight out of 11 years. They went to the NFC championship game four times. They won the NFC championship game in a fifth time that they did. played in it and went all the way to the suit pole and, you know, McNabb, McNabb was terrible in the Super Bowl. But the point is to be that consistently good in the NFL, in many ways the Eagles were, in fact, a dynasty. Because he did it with McNabb.

He did it with Mike Vic. I mean, heck, that's really the truth. And look, and this is not me trying to disparage Mike Vic, but Mike Vic was straight out of jail. Like, he was, people forget. he was super rusty. It took him a while to come around, and he maybe never lived up to how good he could have been

because of his own failings early on his career. The year they won six games, that was the year that Don McNabb got hurt. Do you remember who their starting quarterback was for seven of those games? Have you ever heard of Mike McMahan? He ever heard of him? Neither have I.

I forgot. I totally forgot who he was. So, only. injury to their starting quarterback kept them from continuing in their dominance. And their starting quarterback, McNabb was good. He wasn't great. Now you have a team that returns almost their entire roster. The best quarterback in the league, not yet even in his prime, surrounded by arguably, it's an argument. We can have a discussion about it. Arguably, the best skill position players, not just in the league, but in

a fit for what the quarterback can do. You got a great offensive head coach. You got a pretty, an improving defense, a division in which, like, dude, Drew Locke has a chance to be the starter in Denver. We'll see. But you're going against Drew Locke, Tyrod Taylor, and no Derwin James, and Derek Carr.

Like, they're going to win. They're going to lap the division. So I understand what Ross is saying. Ross Tucker is a smart dude. He knows football. This is not me impugning his use of his football knowledge or his use of stats. But everything has to do with context. And the context is this.

Does anybody argue that Andy Reid next to Bill Belichick, okay, is of the last 20 years. Those are the two best coaches in the league. Anybody have an issue with that? Like he was winning with Alex Smith, who's a good but not great quarterback. he was winning with Donna McNaft, who's a good but not great quarterback. If you can get to the playoffs consistently with those two guys, now give the guy the best quarterback in the league, and the best skill position players in the league,

and a crummy division, and returning most of your players. When, and in a pandemic, when you don't have off-season work, and so consistently bringing those guys all back puts you ahead of everybody else. I think Andy Reid's already authored a dynasty. it just didn't end in enough Super Bowls, and I think McNabb is a big reason because of it. His history, his knowledge of what it takes to be consistently good going around with those other factors,

I disagree. I think the Chiefs are beginning a dynasty. And this is from a Charger fan. The Chiefs used to be the joke of the league from this standpoint. We all know how it ends. They get a home playoff game, and they find a way to get a first half lead, and then they gag it away.

because usually quarterback play or conservative play colleague. Last year they got behind in all three playoff games because they had the best player in the league that came back and boat race to everybody. And he's in what, his third year in the league? Come on, man. Chiefs aren't going anywhere, anywhere from their perch atop the AFC West and from one of the dominant teams in the NFL. Let's get to Ryan Music with the news.

This is the herd line news. All right, Ryan, when you got? All right, Doug. I'm going to hit you with some college football news that you alluded to earlier. The president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, tweeted out about an hour ago, slightly over an hour ago, had a very productive conversation with Kevin Warren, commissioner of the Big Ten conference, about immediately starting up Big Ten football would be good. Great for everyone, players, fans, country on the one-yard line.

our colleague here at Fox Sports Radio, Clay Travis added this. He described the call between the president and Kevin Warren as lasting between 15 to 20 minutes. It was a productive conversation in no way partisan. Both men, Trump and Warren agreed that football shouldn't be partisan in any way. This call happened at the request of the White House in order to focus on necessary steps in order for Big Ten athletics, particularly football, to be on the field sooner rather than later. Warren told the president they were exhausting every measure possible to play. President Trump promised to make testing and federal resources available to enable a return of Big Ten football.

Commissioner Warren now needs the Big Ten's return to competition task force to provide him with a list of resources and thresholds necessary for a return to play that he can then return to the White House. Okay, listen, we're going to talk about Trump at the top of the hour. And I think this is an absolute brilliant move by the White House. Brilliant move. And it's very simple. Trump is playing politics with sports. Because what I believe the administration wants you to believe is that the only reason they're not playing football is because of politics. Right.

There is this kind of conspiracy theory that COVID is simply about the election, not about people's health. their concerns. It's only about the election. And remarkably, miraculously, after November 3rd, it'll all go away and it'll be business as usual. And he just happened to only call one conference. Notice he didn't call the PAC 12. Pac 12's not playing. He didn't call, try and offer assistance there, right? What are the states that you have to win if you want to win the presidency? Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin. states that he won last time around. Hey, what states are the Big Ten in?

Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin. It's brilliant. If they still don't play, Trump wins because she can say, they're not playing because of politics because they want to win the election. If they do play, he can say, see, I fixed it.

It's brilliant, diabolical, but brilliant, because I, I actually believe that the Big Ten presidents, they don't want to get sued. And they don't want to have a kid drop dead because of myocarditis coming back from COVID. Now, are there some protections in place? Am I somebody who believes you're safer playing your sport, being in your sports bubble,

which we've all been in when you play collegiate sports? Of course. But this is Trump brilliant. He is like the whole thing. I'm not a politician. I'm not running as a politician. Oh, this is a very. savvy political move.

And next hour, I'll give you an update on a potential for Earl Thomas in Dallas. Jerry Jones talking about it. We'll get to that next hour. That's it. That's all you got. That's all we got time for it. That's Ryan Music with the News. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. And again, like, what happens is when you give somebody credit for a depth, a depth, a depth, adept, adept, a debt, a debt, a debt, a debt, political. maneuver, you're like, wow, you're a MAGA guy. I am not a MAGA guy. But I love political science. I wish I knew more about it, but the things I do know, I observe and I watch and I comment on. That's what happened. He's using sports to help his reelection campaign. It's kind of brilliant. And it's a no-lose for him. Absolutely no-lose. All right, last night was

amazing in the NBA, two upsets. Lost in the Rockets collapse at the end of the game and Oklahoma City forcing a game seven is the fact that the Milwaukee Bucks once again lost the opener in a playoff series.

Jimmy Butler had 40. 40. Let's get to Sam Amick who of course covers the NBA as an insider for the athletic. He joins us in the herd. I'm Doug Gottlie going in for Colin. Let's start with the nightcap and work our way kind of reverse a little bit. Is it more about Russell Westbrook's terrible play or Chris Paul's amazing play, the summation

of that fourth quarter? Man, Doug, that's a neck and neck race. I mean, I'll give it to Chris, not only for, excuse me, that fourth quarter, but it's continued. You know, we had a headline at our side last week that said Chris Paul owns the bubble. And it's like, man, that continues to be true with the president of the players union side and everything that came with it. But the revenge factor in this series is incredible. If you would have told me last offseason that the thunder after making, you know, getting Chris in that trade would be in this kind of a spot. There's no way in hell I would believe you.

So that's my pick. But man, Russ struggling, but also James being passive was something that jumps out at you. John Hollinger pointed out, of course, I know he also writes for the athletic. He formerly used to work for the Grizzlies, and we worked together back at ESPN. He pointed out that, you know, he just looked tired. And whether he's a guy that fatigues easy or whether, and he's always been seen as a hangout guy, right? The only guy with a strip club with a Jersey hanging in a strip club. I know they can't go to strip clubs.

But fatigue makes cowards of us all. I thought fatigue played a huge factor in why James Hardin was so passive late in that game. Yeah, I just, I don't know what to attribute it to. but, and listen, for sure, James is known as a dude who has a good time, but out here, that ain't happening. I know what I mean? It's just not. I wrote a story last night, and, you know, as a sports writer, it's still surreal.

I've only been here for a few days now, and, you know, Rudy Gobert is 20 feet away, hanging out, and there's nowhere to go. These guys are chilling. And so was it fatigue? Was it, you know, him just wanted to hand the reins to Russ for that moment? I don't know, but it's a terrible look. And again, the idea that Chris, you know, I mean, like he said on the way out, he yelled. He said, we got a chance.

That's all he wanted was a chance. And now that they're letting it come to this is certainly playing with fire. I have an appreciation for Chris Ball because I played the position and I think he's awesome. But I've also seen him in his career. You go back to the New Orleans Hornets days when they made the playoffs. And I thought he was great in tough situations there with limited talent. Is it possible that Chris Paul can be. a winner and not win a championship?

Sure. Yeah. I mean, it is possible. I mean, he's had some bad games in those Warriors matchups when he had a really good opportunity and he couldn't figure it out alongside James Hardin, you know, and then the Clippers days, you know, they didn't get it over the top. I mean, you know, it's the John Stockton's, Carameloans, Charles Barkley's, all those kinds of guys. You can't sit here and tell me

they're not winning championship players, but, you know, now there's nothing but a court full of NBA. stars who have never tasted that champagne, you know, and that's where there's so much on the line in this series. Even if you go to the coaching side of thing, Mike D. Anthony is on that short list of most celebrated NBA coaches

who's never won one. And James and Russ have been fighting their own fight in that regard. But, you know, in terms of what he said post game to Jared Greenberg on TNT and how, you know, some people are made for this, you know, I mean, he's got it and that we'll see if you can do it one more time. Yeah, it would be an amazing

story, as you pointed out. Everybody thought they were tanking He was just there to help Shea Gildes-S-Alexander learn the position, then be off on his way and be traded, and that never happened. How concerned... Go ahead. Really quickly, to put a bow on that, you got to remember, I'll never forget last summer at the Players Awards event, talking to Darrell Morey, the Rockets' GM about how days before he traded Chris,

they were in a hotel room building the Rockets roster together, and Chris was damn near a member of the front office unofficially. And they've gone from that to him being on the verge. of taking them out of the playoffs. Yeah, it's fascinating. How concerned are the bucks? I think very, the noise just got so loud all of a sudden with good reason. And Janice is now front and center.

You know, you're seeing everything on social media. The criticism is taken for not guarding Jimmy Butler Lake. You know, we know the narrative around Mike Boodenholzer, fair or not about playoff adjustments. And last year was such a disaster with the way They went out against Toronto. So I think it's real and it's real largely. And firstly because of the force that Jimmy and the heat are bringing their way.

They're so aggressive defensively. And they just, that wall they kept creating for Janus, you know, he would try to get going on the runway and he had nowhere to go. So I think it's real. Yeah, I tend to agree with you. Tonight, Celtics, who have a one game to done lead, granted no home court advantage to go back to Boston Garden. But, I mean, like, look, this is a little bit of what we thought.

Like we're more surprised by Toronto and their regular season than I am, at least, than by Boston beating them in one game. Is it possible Boston's just better, at least made, in terms of being made for the playoffs, because Jason Tatum is quickly becoming, going from really, really good prospect to star in this league. Yeah, that's a huge factor. And we're still not talking enough about his defense. And, you know, they're similar to Miami when it comes to their guard play is just incredible. and the level of, you know, competitiveness they bring out every night.

It's honestly really fun to watch from close up here in this unique bubble. And I think on the Raptor side, the Pascal See Ackham struggles have just got to come to an end. But I don't know that they can when you're having to deal with people like Marcus Martin and what the Celtics bring defensively. Have you ever seen the type of shot making? Like tonight's game seven, and I know a ton of people, but Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray, like these are not easy shots. It's incredible.

But what's it actually like to watch? Because I'm just telling you, on Homa TV, it looks like a video game with how these guys are shooting. Doug, I hate to admit this. And I'm going to rectify this tonight. And I'm sure there's going to be plenty of more shot making. I've had to rewire how to watch these games in person because no fans and the way it's all set up, I honestly think that, you know, you are feeling the emotion and you are connected when you're watching on TV. It's almost challenging in real time to really understand and appreciate it.

what these dudes are doing on the floor because it feels like a summer league game. Yeah. Which, you know, is weird. But nonetheless, I mean, for Jamal and Donovan, guys like that, to be able to play like this and to not, you know, have taken down a gear because of the environment is impressive. And I mean, this is historic stuff. We have not seen this before. I, the one of the negatives, I agree with the summer kind of summer league feel like I understand the idea behind the jerseys and the sayings and. But I think it makes it feel different.

I don't think it feels. I think that takes away from it. Like, you're watching like, those aren't regular NBA jerseys. The other part is, you know, Jamal was so good two nights ago. But he, and I almost feel like he speaks for the league in that, I understand the protest and what you're playing for and feels it's bigger than basketball.

But there's a certain lack of joy, right? Like, you drop 50. You're 9 of 12 from 3. You play as well. And it's, I almost feel like there's a mental health aspect to it, not just with the protest, but also with the bubble and the lack of fans and just the strange interactions. Like, I almost get the sense that this is not nearly as much fun as it should be. I would agree with that 100% when it comes to, I mean, these guys, fans can roll their eyes if they want.

These guys are struggling inside here. You go watch some of those videos of how they reacted when they saw their children for the first time in seven weeks yesterday. Because a couple of these guys finally got family in here. Even myself, Doug, being real with you, and I wrote about this the other day, I did not enjoy quarantine. I had a bit of an issue at the end of quarantine that added a day and was not happy about that. And then you get in here and all of your comforts are gone. And the rules are incredibly restrictive. It puts you in a weird headspace.

and then you add in everything these guys are fighting for off the court. It's real. Maybe it does take some of the joy out of it, but I give them a ton of credit not only for fighting things that are bigger than them, but for competing and for playing really good basketball. That is fun to watch. Last thing, felt like the biggest winner last night was LeBron James and the Lakers. Not that they don't match up well with the Rockets anyway or the Thunder anyway, but it's just the idea of when you have a superstar in his mid-30s

that at times has looked fatigued. And granted, you don't want to stay in the... bubble any longer than you have to, but they're not going anywhere to get a couple more days off after getting a couple days off because the protest, I feel like the Lakers won last night. Yeah, no doubt. I mean, I went to Lakers practice yesterday. It was actually my first practice since I've been here to just kind of go see how it works differently in this environment. LeBron's chilling on a chair, FaceTiming with his family talking about, you know, it sounds like they might have added a beach house to the LeBron estate. But having a lot of fun.

and in good spirits and having a huge smile on his face. And there was no tension in the room. Those guys actually seemed really loose, really happy, enjoying themselves. And meanwhile, you know, everybody around them is fighting for their playoff lives. I mean, there's no way that hurts. Sam, Amy McGrath, Reid is working in the athletic. He does a great job. Sam, thanks so much for taking time.

I would say I can't wait to get out of the bubble, but you're down there for another month and a half, so do the best and enjoy. Thanks, brother. Appreciate it. All right. Pleasure is all mine. An unfortunate trend for the Bucks and the defending MVP, Janice Tentenacupo.

Share that with you next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper 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

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Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine,

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a bit of a compliment, even if it's a kind of backhanded one, top of the hour. Charles Robinson, Yahoo Sports NFL Insider, will join us next hour. We'll get his thoughts on my tag. It kind of circles around the new book, which talks about the Patriots Dynasty, which many think have ended with the departure of Tom Brady to Tampa. Tonight, the Milwaukee Bucks will take on the Boston Celtics, game two of the Eastern Conference second round of the playoffs.

And it's fascinating that if you look at, honestly, look at Janus's numbers, he's shooting the ball. If you look at the raw stats, he's shooting the ball better from three in these playoffs than he ever has, 38%, 58% from the field. But if you look back to last year and you look to kind of game one, and you start to understand the struggles,

there's a bit of a disturbing trend around Janus. And I think there's a little LeBron to Janus as well, which is when in the regular season, you can just get going downhill and play through contact and get to the rim and when help double, triple team comes, kick off and shoot threes, and that's fine. When you get to the postseason, look there are times in which

NBA finals usually first couple games of each of his NBA finals he struggled early on and then later on the series he seems to have gotten it going. Why? Because the game is so much more physical. If you don't think that the officiating has changed the NBA,

I can't help you. It can't help you. It's the same thing in the NFL. Why are wide receivers more valuable than running backs. Well, because they've changed all the rules for wide receivers. They've changed none of the rules for, you know, inside the tackles, how it's blocked or running backs or whatever.

They can't protect the running backs. They protect the wide receivers and the quarterbacks. Well, the same thing with the bucks, really, in that here we are again, and Janus, and you can build a wall. Why can you build a wall? Because you can be so much more physical with him. Same thing happens to James Hardin, right? Regular season, he gets all the calls.

He plays downhill. He drives in there. He flails his arms up in the air. Postseason's like, man, why am I not getting those calls? Different sport. Happens in the Super Bowl. They don't throw flags. Happens in the NBA playoffs.

They don't call as many fouls. And it's hurting yonest. It's a disturbing trend. We'll see if it continues. Bill Belichick and Donald Trump, same guy. I'll explain why next. I'm Doug Gottlie. This is the hurt.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me.

I'm Sam. 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. It 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 what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Cliford 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 Cliford 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 Cliford Show on the IHeard 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.