The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - The Buccaneers loss to the Lions, Mariners huge mistake in game 7, NBA season starts tonight

Episode Date: October 21, 2025

Thoughts on how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Detroit Lions last night and how HC Dan Campbell has an affect on the Lions Colin explains the Seattle Mariners crucial mistake in game 7 of the ALCS With the NBA season tipping off, Colin also delivers his 5 bold NBA predictions — including a Luka MVP year and the end of the Warriors championship windowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart 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. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs' tennis podcast for no-nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris.

She can win. She's an outsider to win the French fame. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any service. 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. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on.

A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud 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 SportsRedio.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. Here we go. It is a Tuesday. We are ready to roll. Oh, I've been in better moods. Mariners have a way of doing that. Seattle sports teams have a way of doing that. Greg Olson, Nick Wright, both stop in the herd hierarchy. One hour from now. J-Mack.

Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers had been tempting fate for weeks. And let's just say that's a dangerous place to live in the NFL. So Tampa Bay come from behind wins. Despite a 5-2 record, they have the same point differential as 2-5 Arizona. And last night, Tampa from the first series by the Lions got punched in the mouth. uh detroit's offensive line and jimier gibbs um they had a they had a different level of energy and they control the game and i mean they're deep and they're talented and jimir gibbs remember when he was picked in the first round and everybody's like you can't pick a running back

then i mean tampa's fun they're feisty uh they've got experience they're exciting and baker mayfield's a perfect fit but that roulette style of football does not work long term they had 58 to total yards in the first half, and we're lucky to be in the game midway through the second quarter. And here's the thing about Detroit. Between their talent, Brad Holmes upstairs, the great GM, and Dan Campbell's Ted Lasso positivity. Let's be honest, Dan Campbell is Ted Lasso, if Ted Lasso benched about 375 pounds. And between that talent and Dan Campbell, they are a monster at home. they should organizationally request a Super Bowl there, cross their fingers they get in. Baker Mayfield was fighting uphill all night long, and here's the thing.

The secondary for the lion has been banged up, it seems like, for years. They lost both coordinators, and yet Baker Mayfield was the most uncomfortable. He had been all season long. He looked cooked. O for nine, throwing the ball down the field, and that's what Baker has lived on, and coming from behind is what Baker has lived on. and they didn't like the calls they got, and Detroit's defensive line dominated Tampa up front.

Lions are now number two in the NFL and point differential, unbelievable, 3-0 at home. And once again, Dan Campbell's culture building Ted Lassau with Biceps Energy on display on Monday Night Football, where they've won five straight standalone games. Here's Dan Campbell after. We got a special group. We got a special group of coaches and players. I just think we're competitive, they want to win, they're able to really focus on what needs to be fixed. Don't lose confidence, just fix it. And I think that's where our guys are really special, man. We just go to work, we fix it. They've always been that way. And then the lights come on, man,

and guys show up. Yep, they did. Dan Campbell. I thought he was, I'll be honest, kind of a meathead, biting kneecaps in his first press conference in the history of Colin Wright, Colin wrong, this is probably the most wrong I've ever been. He is literally, as Baker Mayfield is a perfect fit for Tampa, Dan Campbell should be the Lions head coach forever. He is a home run, and I'm telling you, you get him at home on a fast track, nobody's touching him.

Well, last night was the American League Championship Series. And when I was a little kid, the Mariners arrived in the mid to late 70s in Seattle. I was at the very first game. And I can recite, Jay Mack knows this, the entire roster, from Rupert to P. Jones to Craig Reynolds to Bruce, Bokty eventually, Danny Meyer, Bill Stein, Bob Stinson, opening pitcher, Diego Segui. this was my team, Lee Stanton, Leon Roberts. This was my team when I was a little kid, 12, 13, 14 years old, right? Fall in love with baseball. I'd fallen in love with a big red machine.

And then they got a little old, and here came the Mariners. And last night, Game 7 ALCS. And it was going so great for the Mariners. Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh. They were at the top of the order. Julio Rodriguez. How about that? A double in a home running is.

first two at bats. He's been in Seattle for years, three or four years, an All-Star. Always delivers. The big dumper, Cal Raleigh, was in the MVP race, also homered in the fifth, Seattle-ed-ed-3-1. They're great with a lead, always great with a lead, because they have so many arms and so much flexibility in the bullpen. And when Cal Raleigh homers, the Mariners are 41 and 13 this year, they were leading three to one heading into the seventh. George Kirby, Brian Wu, had done a solid job to keep that Blue Jays batting order in check. Felt so good. This was going to be a special night for Seattle sports.

Hoist that Trident. And then at the bottom of the seventh, the Jays got a couple of guys on. There's a base open, and George Springer was stepping up. Now, George Springer, his entire career, has been he hits bombs in the playoffs, a World Series MVP for Houston. Now he's in Toronto, and he just hits bombs all the time. And Dan Wilson, the former mariner catcher, very good defensive catcher and a good skipper, right? And he decides, and nobody in Seattle agreed with this, because I was watching, and if you're from the Northwest, you were watching,

and you were saying, you don't pitch to George Springer. Don't do that. Put him on, take your chances. and Dan Wilson decided to pitch to Major League Baseball veteran George Springer. And here's what happened next. The one-oh pitch. Left field, a roserina. What does it go? That was super awesome. Congrats to the Blue Jays, super cool.

Another Seattle sports moment on the doorstep of history. and it's locked. Why pitch to George Springer? Why are you waiting to put in Munoz, your elite closer? What in the name of whiffs are we talking about? This had a refuse to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch at the doorstep Super Bowl field to it. Did it not? This had a let's throw from the two field to it.

afterwards here's Mariner Skipper Dan Wilson you make your decisions and and you know sometimes you know

you have to live and die with it and you know I think again the way Zardo has thrown the ball all season long we were comfortable with what we were and you know it just again

didn't go our way listen I'm super happy for Toronto super happy. But if you're from the Pacific Northwest, this had an extra sting to it. If you're from Portland, it felt a little bit like that Laker Blazer series,

Game 7, Kobe Shack, the Aleoup, even though the Blazers had controlled long stretches in the series, it felt like that interception by Russell Wilson at the two-yard line at the end zone eventually. Butler with a play. Why pitched a George Springer? But hey, there's always next year. The Trident thing was fun.

Dodgers, Blue Jays World Series. The Dodgers will be seeking a dynasty. The Big Red Machine in the mid-70s won two championships. I had not a third that didn't win until like 1990. It was considered a dynasty. Baseball has that kind of unique feel to it. Hard to win three straight with arm injury. and pitching staffs and ligaments and elbows.

So the Dodgers are seeking a dynasty, and the Blue Jays are seeking relevance, respect, what-evs. So here we are, Jay Mack, Nick Wright one hour, heard hierarchy one hour. It was, I sat there and watched it, and I thought, when you grow up the Pacific Northwest, now the Huskies won a national championship, Seahawks did win a Super Bowl blowing out Denver

in that Super Bowl, remember that. The Seattle Supersonics won it. The Blazers won it back in the 70s. Oh, 70s, okay. The Bill Walton teams and the Gus Williams, DJ, Jack Sigma teams. There have been times, there have been moments, few and far between. But listen, I did think whoever was going to go against the Dodgers, I thought the Mariners pitching could make it an interesting series against the Dodgers, although LA is going to be a massive favorite. So if somebody's got to be in, congrats to our friends, our neighbors, our friendly neighbors to the north, Canada. Well, you and I like Canada.

I don't know if Canada feels the same way about America right now. But that being said, Colin, I was going to text you last night with Springer went yard. But I decided it probably would have been too much, you know, like thoughts and prayers, one of those deals. Yeah, yeah. That's a tough one for you, man. Listen, I wouldn't know that how it feels as a Jets fan. We haven't been close to anything in, you know, since like 15 years. but that's a tough one, but I'll go Dodgers in five.

Yeah, I mean, the Dodgers have extinguished the Reds quickly, the Phillies surprisingly quickly, swept the Brewers, which did anybody predict that? So they'll be the favorite. Say this for the Blue Jays. You get to the top of that order, man. Just remember this. Look how they extinguished so quickly the Yankees.

So it's not a surprise. They were a good team all year. Yeah. I'm really happy for them. We couldn't be more elated. You sure sound like it, Colin. Yeah, a lot of stuff going on today. We got a lot of stuff.

We got Nick Wright in one hour of the herd hierarchy. 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 me, Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast inside the Parker for 22 minutes of pipe and hot. baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the I-Test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the IHart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, it's us to 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. We're starting a trend. 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. 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, 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, SNL'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 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. Jenschen win. 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 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. 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, Tripp Fantine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. You know, the first few weeks of football are beautiful out. September, early October, the field is green.

The air is crisp and clean. Smells like late summer and early fall. And then one morning you walk out onto the driveway, you trip and fall on the ice, you dent your Yeti coffee mug. That morning happened to the Seahawks last night. It's officially late October. That was ugly. No longer September 15th.

Warm air, crisp feeling. That was awful. Sam Darnold was inconsistent. Four total giveaways, 12 penalties. they called a dumb trick play, Cooper Cup throwing the ball. The good news, their defensive line, Seattle defensive line for three and a half hours, man to man dominated Houston. I feel bad for C.J. Stroud sits in the pocket, throws a beautiful ball.

He's under total duress. They can't get the offensive line right, and Seattle's defensive front dominated. But Seattle was up 15 points at home in the fourth quarter, and what followed was a punt, a fumble, an interception, and a punt. So you know what Seattle's trying to do, they lead the NFL in rush attempts. They want to be a rush and a play action pass team. But they also lead the NFL in giveaways. Last night they had four, and they are just too mistake prone at this point to be an excellent team.

They're a good team, but they should have won last night 33 to 6. A darnald fumble, a darnald pick late in the fourth quarter. The only thing, if you look at it, this year, year. They should be 7 and 0. But Donald had the fumble against the Niners, and then Donald had a late pick in the game. Otherwise, they're 7 and 0. And I love Sam, but

reckless is what not only Donald's history is, it's what Seattle feels like now. So, I mean, Denver has back-to-back ugly wins. It's a skill. I will give Seattle credit. They played very poorly, especially in the second half, and won. And I don't

think Houston's bad. I think Houston's got good players. They're just so bad on the offensive line that they can't create, they can't keep the defense off the field, they can't create long, consistent, sustained drives because they get manhandled up front. And here was Sam Darnold off an atrocious looking win. You know, obviously, I think the first half, you know, was really solid for us as an offense. You know, and then the second half, it was just a different story, you know, and I think, you know, we just got to hold on to the football.

having a game like that offensively and you still win the ball game can't ask for more than that and you know we're just going to continue to learn from from our mistakes and get better hey last year kansas city was 11 and 0 and one score games and eight or nine of them they looked like the losing team Denver this year jets giants outplayed in stretches by both i mean that i mean at least the giants outplayed them for three quarters so there is a skill to playing poorly and winning and Seattle illustrated that last night. That was a great example.

It saved what would have otherwise been a disastrous night in the Pacific Northwest. I'll tell you, JSN, Ohio statewide receivers, and they got another couple in college right now? I mean, have you watched Ohio State beat Wisconsin this weekend? They got nothing but star, five-star receivers. JSN is a stud.

Coming into the season, we don't know if he's a number one receiver, right? like he is and he's one of the better ones. So he and Darnold looked like they've been playing together for 15 years. So I'll give Seattle credit. Donald had some experience in Minnesota. This is the second youngest offense. And like Green Bay, which has the youngest offense, it can be a little, you know, a little uneven.

Seattle can be really uneven. But they're a Darnold fumble and a Darnold pick away from being seven and no. So you've got to iron those wrinkles out. but a win's a win. J. Mack with a news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

All right, Colin, we're on to week eight, and we're going to go to Green Bay and Pittsburgh, the most anticipated matchup of the weekend. Aaron Rogers and the Steelers, first time Rogers will face his former team, the Packers. Everyone will be talking about the matchup, but Matt LaFleur isn't stressing the significance of his return. We're playing the Pittsburgh Steelers who happen to have Aaron Rogers.

I mean, it's as simple as that. That is for you guys to talk about. Granted, I mean, we've got a lot of respect and love for Aaron. I mean, what he's done here, this game is not about that. It's about going to Pittsburgh, Sunday night football. Our guys will be jacked up. Their guys will be jacked up. It's about the Green Bay Packers versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And that's for you guys to talk about. You know, I actually... I actually think Pittsburgh, this is a good spot for Pittsburgh. Really? Yeah, I mean, first of all, they go on Thursday night football. They're a little humiliated. Tomlin has struggled on Thursday night football, so they go play the Bengals. The defense gets humiliated by Joe Flacco, so they're going to be in a bad mood.

They're at home where they're a better team. Mike Tomlin has always been a great underdog coach. That's fair. And the Packers are playing with their food a little bit. You know, they've been in close games. Packers are the better team. but they, you know, I think everybody feels the same way about the Packers, including their fans. You feel like they leave you wanting more, like they're good?

Shouldn't they be really, really, really good? I mean, they open up crushing Detroit. And I thought, that's the best team in the league. And they haven't been able to really give you that feeling since. I think Pittsburgh and Aaron keep it really close. I always love when teams that are very prideful, like lose to a bad team the following week, Watch out. Like I love Detroit last night, but they lost to Kansas City. I think Tampa being humiliated next week, watch Tampa play one of their most focused games of the year.

So when a team gets humiliated or they lose to a team they should beat like the Steelers losing to the Bengals on Thursday night, watch Pittsburgh be inspired and give Green Bay everything they can handle. Interesting. So at three and a half, you'd lean Pittsburgh. I like Pittsburgh is one of my second or third favorite bets of the week. So here's the thing about the Packers. You touched on it. So they beat the Lions in the opener. Impressive.

Then they beat Washington on Thursday. And everybody, me, you, everyone who watches football, crown them as the best team in the NFC. Right? You beat the two NFC powers from last year. Since then, they have not covered the spread in any games, Colin. They lost to Cleveland, tied Dallas, messed around with the Bengals, didn't cover.

And then last week didn't. So is it that they were kind of feeling themselves after those first two wins? And they haven't locked in? No, I mean, I think Green Bay, Seattle are the two youngest offenses. And now I think Seattle's much more turnover prone than Green Bay is. But the similarity between Green Bay and Seattle's offenses, really explosive, really good teams.

But they make a lot of mistakes. Seattle makes a ton of mistakes. And I think Green Bay is just one of those teams where they leave you wanting more. Now Green Bay's had some injuries. But they're both really good teams. I would take Green Bay over Seattle right now. I had Seattle in the herd hierarchy. I took him out this morning after that ugly performance last night.

Really? Wow. Harsh. I don't have anything on this. I kind of want to go counterintuitive and go Packers at three and a half, but that could be foolish. Well, we'll talk about it all week for sure. Let's move on to the Dallas Cowboys, Colin. They are starting to get spicy. Big blowout over Washington. Offense is looking like one of the most dangerous units in the league. Dallas ranks among the top teams in points and yards per game. And Dax says things can only get better.

confidence is earned you don't just wake up and say yeah I know I can do this no no no you got to go do that prove it to yourself and then you know what I'm saying you feel good about talking about it and walking the walk so this group practices the right way and they've earned the confidence and they go out there and we play with it

and it's fun it really is fun who knows what we can accomplish like the sky is the limit we're just going to stay focused each and every day at getting better oh this is a really good game this Dallas offense, which is elite, this season, against the Denver defense, which we've been hearing as elite, but their results don't match the hype. I mean, Jackson Dart went up and

down the field against him. I look at earlier this season, Daniel Jones cooked them. I mean, other than, you know, walloping Jake Browning and Justin Fields, Colin, is this Denver defense that good or is it in name only? It's my favorite game of the weekend. Affordable defense, the best offense, two quarterbacks who are newsworthy. It's my favorite game of the week. I don't have a side yet, but in terms of wanting to watch it, I think it's really, really entertaining. Who do you give the edge to, the Dallas offense, which has pickings and lamb back? Well, when I saw initially the line was three, my take was, you know, I always guessed the line in my head before I see it,

and I thought it would be Denver minus four. So when it was Denver minus three, my take was Broncos were the side, the slight side, so it's moved up to three and a half. at least I saw it at three initially. So, yeah. I feel Denver, you know, when a team is a four-point favorite, I almost always take the favorite. The favorite, yeah. Because Vegas doesn't want to make anybody a four-point favorite.

They want it to be three. And when they have to give up that extra point, so if this moves up to four, then Denver's really my side. So Dallas on the road this season, ready? Lost at the Eagles, lost at the Bears, beat the Jets, which kind of doesn't even count. Lost at the Panthers. So you go away from the fast track indoors at Jerry World, outdoors, and they have not been as good.

All I know is if Dallas wins this thing, they get Arizona at home buying the Raiders. So, I mean, you come out of this weekend, 4, 3 and 1, Cardinals by Raiders, you are in a really interesting situation. Well, Dallas and Chicago, no joke, could be fighting for that wild card spot. And Chicago actually has the tiebreaker. final story. Let's go to this. I'm stunned by this news. Lamar Jackson is still not practicing. What? I was ready to hammer the Ravens in this spot against the Bears. The market has set Baltimore is a six and a half point favorite. I'm absolutely floored that Lamar, who hasn't played in two games and had a buy week, did not practice yesterday and we don't know if he's practicing today.

That line tells you the respect for John Harbaugh off a buy. Yeah, he's 14 and 3 off a buy. I just looked that up. But Baltimore, reminder, 1 and 5. Now, Roquan Smith expected back. I don't care. I need to know if Lamar's playing or not. I mean, that's the game. I think what the odds makers are telling you is that Baltimore has to go on about a five-game

winning streak and John Harbaugh off a buy. This team is going to play with its hair on fire. This is not a good spot for the bears who have been winning ugly for four weeks. I mean, it feels like to me this is, this is a bad spot for the Bears. And the Raven

they have no breathing room. They have to win five straight games. They have to look up and have a five-game winning streak, or they're like out of the running. Because Pittsburgh is going to end up, you know, Tomlin's going to end up with a winning record because he always does. So you've got to get to a positive record to get into the playoffs. How's this scenario? Ravens win and the Steelers lose to the Green Bay Packers. And, oh, by the way, Baltimore still has two against the Steelers left. I don't think it's over. One of the smart bets, would you do this, Colin? bet the Ravens to win the division

I think it's good I think it's an interesting bet yeah this weekend is a big swing now if Lamar's not playing I'm not touching it but I do believe Lamar he's got to play a hamstring for three weeks I thought this guy was a young

extraordinary athlete he can't get can come back from a friggin hamstring come on JMAG with the news well that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news so the NBA season starts tonight, I will give you my five bold predictions after the commercial, but I want to touch on

this. So NBA writer Jaron Weitzman has a new book. It's called The Hollywood Ending, The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers. And in the book, Westbrook is very critical of LeBron James. He shouldered a lot of the blame when he joined the Lakers and they struggled. Basically, he calls out LeBron James for being a phony. and so Russell Westbrook is runs hot he's very intense

he's highly emotional he always feels how can I put this kind of slighted but he's no phony Westbrook is as real as it gets I think in fact I would argue Westbrook in his career has been real to a fault

he would have benefited greatly sometimes being a little bit more of a politician and a little bit less emotional and outburst capable, even with fans. Someone pretty close to LeBron's circle told me one time, Westbrook hates everybody. I don't know if that's true. But LeBron is a very rare athlete globally.

He's a billionaire. He's in that Michael, Tiger, Rinaldo, Otani space. and I think a fair criticism of LeBron, and maybe if I was LeBron, I'd be in this space too, is that he's hyper aware of his brand and is largely at this point protecting it for he and his family. So sometimes he comes across a little bit insincere, a little more aware of every tweet,

that he's seeking popularity and brand protection, and that it's kind of phony and it's kind of insincere. I've heard that criticism a hundred times about LeBron. But again, if you go back and look at this whole relationship, it should have never been fostered. It should have never happened. Russell Westbrook is literally the opposite personality of LeBron James.

It was never going to work. He's a trapeze artist. You're not quite sure with Westbrook what's coming next. And LeBron is more consultant from a distance, not going to put his toe in the water unless he knows it's safe and these two are never going to work one is pretty easy to play with in terms of almost every star that's played with lebron has been good right it felt like he kind of salvaged jr smith's career jr smith in new york was kind of out of sorts and he goes to cleveland he plays with lebron and all of a sudden everybody loves jr smith and he got to a final with matthew delavadova

and everybody was out on kairi and then he fixed the kairi thing in cleveland and eventually they didn't work, but I mean, LeBron's made everything kind of work. Plays with AD, played with Wade, played with Bosch, played with Kyrie, played with Kevin Love. He kind of plays with everybody. Westbrook struggles to play with anybody. But to Westbrook's credit, he's sincere, he's honest, he's loyal as the day is long to the people that are close to him, and I know people that love Westbrook. He just runs hot. And LeBron doesn't allow, I mean, I've always said it's very interesting. LeBron's never gotten into a fight in the NBA.

One of the biggest, strongest guys, it never got into a fight. I mean, Michael Jordan punched teammates. I mean, just different personalities. So I think LeBron's a very measured, calculated, brand-protecting global superstar. And Westbrook, what you see is what you get, and this puppy was never going to work, ever.

Some dudes are never meant to be roommates. Right? I mean, you can have buddies in college. you're like, somebody's a partier, you're a serious student, you can be friends, you're not meant to live together. And Westbrook and LeBron had the Lakers really, really thought about it, should have never happened. Deal should have never happened.

So it's hard for me to blame Westbrook or LeBron. I'll have my five bold NBA predictions of Colin Heard hierarchy, top of the hour, plus Nick Wright, Greg Olson, too. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays, and noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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. We're starting a trend.

But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And, well, 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, 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. and 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 IHeart Radio app. 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 should win.

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, 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what. what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff

nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer. to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. All eyes turn to Big Noon for a make-or-break clash.

Undefeated Indiana number two for the first time in program history takes on UCLA, who looks to shock the Big Ten. It all starts with big noon kickoff at 10 a.m. Eastern live from Bloomington. Then it's UCLA Indiana, bowling on Fox. Yeah, UCLA as shocking, shocking what they've done. So the NBA season starts tonight. The West has completely separated from the East. The top four to five teams in the West arguably are better than the best team in the East.

Now, if Jason Tatum comes back and plays this year, most doubt it. I wouldn't be shocked in game 65 or something. I mean, all these pro athletes in their prime physically get healthier, faster than we predict. If Jason Tatum came back, then I think Boston's a top four team in the league, maybe top three. Nicks aren't. But I thought, let's just put it out there. These are my five bold NBA predictions. I hitting a couple last year, missed it a couple.

Number one, OKC, despite the fact they're an overwhelming favorite in the desert, will not win. They will not repeat as champions. The West is too deep. SGA played 99 games last year. Second year in a row, he doesn't miss games. Jalen Williams coming off an injury between Minnesota and Denver, between the Lakers and Dallas. I think the West is too deep. I don't buy, of the 26 previous teams to win 64 plus games in a season, 25, one fewer games the following season.

So I don't think they'll get home court advantage, which I think in the West matters because these teams, you're on the margins here. They're all very good. So number one, OKC does not repeat. Number two, Luca wins his first career MVP. So it's going to be a great story. And part of winning MVP is the narrative. Skinny Luca, committed Luca, Lakers all in on Luca. LeBron's starting the season in recovery.

His ball usage will go back to being number one in the league. Obviously, Austin Reeves is never going to take the ball out of his hands in big spaces. I think he's going to lead the NBA in scoring. You know, he was a dunker, played downhill early, got a little husky, only had one dunk last year. I think the best Luca returns. he's motivated. The Lakers are all in. I think J.J. Reddick is an above-average offensive coach.

He'll get the ball to him in the right spots. Luca becomes MVP. My surprise team out west. Number three, Cooper Flagg plays point guard, and Dallas makes the Western Conference final. Best front court by a mile in the NBA. Derek Lively, Daniel Gafford, AD, Washington. They got great size.

Kyrie Irving probably, probably comes back later in the year, his magic. But I think Cooper Flagg's going to walk in when rookie of the year going away. I just, I think this is one of those deals. They fell apart last year. I love their size. I don't think anybody defensively quite can stack the size and length that Dallas can. I don't know if they face the T-wolbs in the Western Conference finals. That would be my guess, or Denver. But it's not, it's not going to be the Golden State Warriors because, by number four bold prediction. The Warriors missed the playoffs.

It is the second oldest team in the NBA. Let's be honest. They have one playoff series went over the last two years. They've been hobbled. They don't want to give up pods in a trade deal. They're willing to give up Kaminga, but what are you going to get for Kaminga?

So my take is unless you go all in on multiple draft picks, pods and Kaminga, you're not getting a star that can accompany Steph Curry. And Pods is what he is. To this point in his career, he's got a little Clay Thompson. But I mean, this is an old team that brought in Al Horford. I love Al Horford. That's not the answer.

They just got older. And number five, Orlando Magic, NBA Finals. Won't be the Knicks, won't be the Bucks, won't be the Sixers, will not be the calves. Don't trust them. Last season, they had key injuries to Franz Wagner. Holo Boncaro, Jalen Suggs. They were a great number one scoring defense in the league. They could not shoot threes.

They bring in Desmond Bain from Memphis, which I thought was a super smart move. This is a, you got a bunch of dudes entering their prime. The East is weak, and I like Orlando a lot. Now, again, they've been back-to-back first-round exits, but they bring in a veteran who can hit threes. I think the East, I'm not sure the East has been without Halliburton. in Indiana and without Jason Tatum, it is wide open. You can say, what about the Knicks?

Carl Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson are not good on the floor together. Both suboptimal defensive players. They went from Tibbs to Mike Brown. Many think they won't be as good coaching. I think the Knicks last year were a wonderful story, but what have they done to elevate themselves? And again, if you have Carl Anthony Towns, your second best offensive player on the floor with Jalen Brunson,

your lead offensive player, we know how that turns out. You'll get eaten alive, teams will attack the pick and roll. The best thing for the Knicks is Jason, Tatum, and Halliburton won't play. If they did, I would think less of the Knicks. I'm on Orlando in a very, very weak Eastern Conference. J. Mack, I know you've got a thought on. You got some hot, hot takes. I love this.

I know we're happy the NBA is back. Listen, you forgot the Knicks are going to be trading for Yannis here by the trade deadline. And so the next will be fine in the east. I am curious. This OKC stuff, are you surprised that there is no juice for OKC? All anybody's talking about on the eve of the NBA season. Oh, can you hear what LeBron said in that meeting like four years ago in a book? Like nobody's talking about SGA and OKC.

I'm with you. The new Adam Silver NBA is you can't stack too many good players. Chet Holmgren so far has been a bit injury prone. Jalen Williams is recovering from an injury. SGA is like a pitcher that's pitched 300 in back-to-back years. And they brought everybody back. A few years ago, Tampa won the Super Bowl. Remember that?

They brought everybody back. Yeah. And then the following year, there was this idea, this sense that you shouldn't bring everybody back. You need a new energy. Every year you need a new energy. You need to tweak and tweak and tweak. And I kind of feel like the Knicks, they'll be the same team, same issues.

And people like Tibbs more than Mike Brown. I like Mike. He's fine. And I kind of feel like with OKC, you'll be good, but they're not going to have home court advantage. I think Minnesota will be better and keeps getting better. I think the Lakers are probably going to be better. I mean, JJ Redick's second year. Yes.

I think Denver had a ton of injuries last year. They'll be better. I think Dallas can't be as beat up as last year plus glue per fact. So Dallas better, Minnesota better. Lakers better. I think the West is just, I mean, I don't think Golden State is going to make the play. playoffs, but Golden State, they're old, but Buddy Heald and Steph and Draymont and Horford and Pods and Cominga.

And I don't think they'll make the playoffs. They could be a three seed in the east. But that's possible. You didn't mention once the team that I have winning the NBA title, and that's the Houston Rockets. Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Shingoon, this team is stacked. Did you see tonight they're going to be starting? They're starting lineup at 6, 7, and up.

Kevin Durant's going to play shooting guard. This is a new NBA. There's a bunch of teams. are going big now. The whole guard era is kind of in the past. I think is it, is your good takes, Colin? I like it. I'm fired up. Yeah, I mean, I think Houston's going to be fine. I don't know who's going to win the West. I just have Dallas in the Western Conference Finals because usually this is the way it works in sports. The media, myself included, we have pay attention to one thing and then something else happens. And everybody's focused on Houston. And Dallas is like,

now we like our coach we like our front line we can go big if Houston wants to go big KD has a recent history of getting banged up I don't know I look at Dallas and nobody's paying attention first of all you could argue the top six teams in the league are all west yes

I mean it is it is like the SEC five years ago before like Oregon Washington USC UCLA join the PAC 12 or join the big 10 it was like there was the SEC and whoever was second wasn't close. Now it's very even, but...

I like your Orlando call. That's kind of bold. I like that a lot. Great defensive team that added a shooter. We don't really talk about them anymore. I know you're out on this guy, Joel and Bede Sixers. When they're healthy, and assuming they will be,

they could be dangerous only because there's no Boston and no Indiana this year as factors, given the injuries. Keep an eye on the Sixers. They've got some young guys, Colin. Your guy, Tyrese, he was basically your your, uh, your, uh, Jaden Daniels. Remember you loved him and I was like, hey, pumped the brakes.

Tyrese max, he's a baller. And they got some young guys. I like the Sixers a little bit this year. You know, it's funny watching the Mariners last night. And if you watch Aaron Boone, Dave Roberts, Dan Wilson get clobbered by the baseball, the seamheads. And the truth is now, Major League managers have been muted. Even Aaron Boone, and I don't know what his salary is, but Dave Roberts, we pay college football coaches. double what we pay major league managers in major markets like Dodger, Astro, Atlanta, New York

markets. And so as I watch these managers, people always complain about the managers, and it's always the same thing, which is your two player friendly, you know, you need to pull the pitcher. It's always like, when are you pulling the pitcher? You have to be pro player as a major league manager these days. you don't have the power. You don't have the salary power. The owners are billionaires now. It's a rounding error to fire a manager. You don't have the salary power.

The analytic crew upstairs gives you the batting lineup, and all the players know it. So Dan Wilson last night, I think it's a legitimate criticism, pitching to George Springer. I think that's the rare time, I would say, that's a mistake. George Springer lives for those moments.

He's the last guy in the world you wanted to face. but it is interesting. All these managers, we don't blame the players in baseball. We don't even blame the pitchers. We blame the managers. Dan Wilson's taken all the heat in Seattle today, a beloved former Marin.

It's not the guy who gives up the bomb. It's the manager. And that's just what baseball is going forward. 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, 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. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the toughest survive.

I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no-nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garros. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lennar Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now,

and I actually can win on any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to them. Learn the hard way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe

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