The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Warriors-Rockets, Celtics, Browns, and top tier players

Episode Date: May 7, 2019

Colin explains why the Golden State Warriors should feel good after losing back to back games to the Houston Rockets, the problems with the Boston Celtics and that he was wrong, the Cleveland Browns continuing to be unrealistic, and his top tier NBA players of all-time. Guests include Doug Gottlieb, Chris Broussard, Greg Jennings, and Ric Bucher. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite

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Ah, here we go on a Tuesday. This is The Heard. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we are live in Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1 absolutely packed today. Joy Taylor is joining me on Tuesday. We're back on TV today. Joy, how are you?

I'm great. Good morning. Good morning. Last night was a big NBA night. Huge. A lot of stuff. storylines today. Going two different directions, it seems.

Let's start with the Warriors Rockers. That was the second game. That's the game more people watch. So I always feel my job is sort of to be the judge. You're the jury, fans of the jury, and the teams and the coaches are the prosecuting attorney, the defense

attorney. My job is to be the judge. Take the emotion out of it, call it as I see it. You know, I had a favorite team or two when I was a kid, but mostly if you're great. Tom Brady, LeBron, Alabama football. I talk about you a bunch. It's not my job to be interesting. Your job is to be interesting, and then I talk about you, and hopefully that's interesting. But let's talk about the Rockets and the Warriors. If you're a Houston fan today, part of that jury,

you believe Houston could have won all four games. Can't believe they didn't. If you're a Golden State fan this morning, you believe we should have won all four games. I'm not a fan of either. So I I think I can be totally objective here. Here's what I saw, and I'd worry if I was Houston. Last night, the officials did allow more physical play. They allowed the rockets to muck it up, as they say. Houston also played much crisper basketball. For Golden State, Clay Thompson was atrocious.

Steph disappeared for two quarters. Andre Iguidala was as bad as he can be. Golden State's bench, not great to begin with, was awful. And yet on the road, Golden State got two great looks to tie the game from their two best shooters. If I'm Golden State this morning, I actually feel great. It doesn't happen very often in sports. When I go on the road, lose both games, and I'm flying home thinking, we're good here. First of all, game three went to overtime.

Biggest game in the last 10 years for the Houston Rockets. Second biggest game. Last year, game seven, the biggest against Golden State. And that game went to overtime. last night the refs allowed more physical play. I'm not saying the refs won it, but they allowed the Houston style. As Steve Kerr said after the game, Houston's got middle linebackers. We got volleyball players.

The refs allowed bang on KD, be physical. And the refs allowed it. They often do allow that at home. Clay was atrocious. Steph was mostly bad. Draymond Green had two awful fourth quarter turnovers. The warrior shot 24% on threes. between Clay and Steph, they were five for 20 beyond the arc,

and Golden State got great looks to tie that game. How did that game almost go to overtime? How did that game almost go to overtime? Houston was the better team for three and a half hours. And I'm sitting there. Houston was up 10 with four minutes to go. I mean, I'm Golden State. Remember, Golden State doesn't have to win in Houston.

Game 5 and game 7, those are an Oracle. Last year, Golden State got down in this series. Down three, two. They had to win a road game. They do not have to win a road game. Golden State's good here. Now, are they being pressured? Yes.

Is Steph's dislocated finger a problem? Yeah, he's shooting 12 for 46 on threes. I'd say his dislocated finger is not doing him any favors. That's not an excuse. That's a reason. He's got a dislocated finger. I mean, James Harden does have a red eye, but it's not a dislocated finger.

It is a little concerning that Steph is 12 for 46 on threes. He's just not shooting well. And it's not just that he's missing. He's missing open threes, like lots of them. But I think Draymond Green talked after the game, and I think he speaks for a lot of guys on that flight back to the Bay Area for the Warriors. I think our vibe is just great because everybody's just looking at each other. Like, we know if we just correct the effort things, we're just fine.

And so, you know, everybody's spirits up. You know, everyone's feeling good. We know the answer to our problem. And, you know, that's pretty exciting because, you know, that's my department to lead in. And I know I'll lead in that department and bring it. And if I do, I have no doubt that everyone else will follow and will win. This is not a joyless team this morning. If you can play as bad as Golden State did, I mean, has Clay Thompson ever been that bad?

Iggy was awful. The bench was bad. Steph couldn't play for about two quarters. And the referees, this is just part of the NBA. When you're at home, physical teams tend to get a few more calls at home. And this Houston team is built to be physical. I mean, Tucker's not your typical NBA player. The middle linebacker or the jumper.

And the refs kind of let them have it. but I would feel great if I'm Golden State today. Let's shift to this. Milwaukee is putting a stranglehold on Boston. So yesterday I talked about something all day. My mantra, we were not on TV. We were on a podcast, radio, so forth. But my mantra yesterday was,

don't confuse talent with valuable. A lot of times, talent is valuable. But some people are just talented and don't necessarily play well with others. I'm going to give you three stats in the NBA. And these are not just let these soak in. Number one, when KD scores over 40,

the Warriors are 6 and 7. So the best basketball team in the planet isn't just average. They're well below their level of excellence when KD has his best nights. It doesn't work that way when Steph has his best nights. They're like 12 and 3. Let that soak in for a second.

Don't let it just fly past you. The Warriors are bad when KD's at his greatest. Here's a second one. The Raptors were 17 and 5 without Kauai Leonard. Excuse me? No, their winning percentage is significantly higher when Kauai didn't play this year. Don't make excuses no matter how much you like him. Let it soak in.

Number three, the Boston Celtics. their points per game, their field goal percentage, their winning percentage, all goes up when Kyrie Irving doesn't play. Let all three of those soak in. Folks, sometimes people are so gifted, this was often the problem with Kobe, that you reduce the other excellent pieces around you. Boston has one player, one A player, Kyrie Irving. He is an A.

And then they got a bunch of B guys. Gordon Hayward's a B, Jason Tatum's a B. Jason Tatum's a B to a B minus to a B plus, depending on the night. Al Horford's a B, B minus. They are reduced to C's on many nights with Kyrie Irving. Boston's absolutely worse with Kyrie. Their efficiency stats drop. They're 12 and 3 when he doesn't play.

They shoot worse without him on the floor. The assist numbers go down through the floor. It's hard to get your brain wrapped around this. But there are two types of superstars in the NBA. The number one group is, and we love these. kind of guys. These guys are alpha. They're very much our guys in America. We're aggressive as a country. Canada's nice. We're not so nice. We're aggressive. We like alphas. The first type of superstar in the NBA is get a bucket guy. Kevin Durant's the best in the world. Michael Jordan was the best

ever. Kobe was the best ever west of Chicago. Kyrie Irving is a top five. Kawhi Leonard may be number two in the NBA. Get a bucket guys. Alphas. and we love him. We yell at LeBron when he doesn't take the last shot. The second type of superstar is a playmaker. On his best nights, the team also flourishes. LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Steph Curry, The Joker in Denver, CP3.

But in America, we tend to like get a bucket star. But remember in school on your report card, there was always that doesn't play well with us. Others. I've said this before. Kawhi Leonard's amazing. So is Kevin Durant, but they don't always play well with others. Toronto was 17 and 5 without him. The Spurs won a bunch of games when he didn't play. Remember those numbers? You do. We talked about it for years. And Kevin Durant, by the way, there's six and seven when he goes off. Kawhi Leonard has the ball in his hands constantly. He averages three assists a game. His usage rate is among highest in the league. And he averages

three assists. I'm not even playing and I'm only three behind him. So this Celtic loss, it's on Kyrie. He's a get a bucket guy. Brad Stevens, it should be noted, is not a get a bucket coach. This roster is filled with guys who often need each other to play their best basketball and Kyrie just needs a ball and it doesn't work and I thought it would and I thought it would get better. And I'm wrong. And it didn't. And it hasn't. And Shaq and the fellas talked about this after the loss last night to Milwaukee, the better team. You can't complain about not being a man as to be the man now that you are the man. You got to step up. This is the time you got to step up. I don't want to hit no scare. I don't want to hit none of it. If you shoot 22 times,

better hit more than seven shots in the playoffs. I don't want to share the limelight with LeBron. I want my own team. Now, this is the price you pay. That's the way it works. People never say, man, Mark West didn't win the championship. They never said, Said Sabalos didn't win the championship. But I love both of those guys. They said, Charles Barkler didn't win the championship. That's the way it is. And that's what Kyrie. He says, I want to be my own man. And now you're your own man who's going on vacation Thursday morning. Yeah, I mean, again, KD's the best basketball player right now in the world. But he's a get-a-bucket guy. On his best nights, the Warriors have a losing record.

Kauai Leonard's the second best get a bucket guy in the world. He's a very good two-way player. But the Spurs and the Raptors have won a lot of games without him. How many games does Denver win without Jokic? I'm not sure they're a playoff team. In fact, I'm pretty sure they're not. And Kyrie Irving, he's a get a bucket. He's an A. He's a get a bucket guy.

But he turns all those B, B pluses, B, B minuses around him into Cs. and just stand around and observe him. This is on him. Milwaukee's better. They play better defense. Yannis is playing out of this world. They actually have a bench that can score. But you want to be the man. This is what the man looks like.

Coming up next, NBA fans, be careful what you root for. You may get stuck with something that's not as appealing as you think. Be sure to catch live edition. of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific

on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. 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 happened. That's where Sports Slice 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness.

So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levan this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know.

Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud 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. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person

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growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them? On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness,

professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WNBA standout Kate Martin and rising hockey star Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't feel on. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it.

An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeki. The ability to show gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile, that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up even when it's hard.

Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Today is Foster Care Awareness Day and Fox Sports Supports has partnered with the Ticket to Dream Foundation to help foster kids just be kids. This means creating opportunities for children that allow them to discover their strengths and passion through sports while also strengthening their future through education. To learn more about it and how you can help foster.

foster child in your community, visit ticket to dream.org. Joy Taylor joining me today. It's the herd. Doug Gottlieb's around the corner. I always feel like you have to be careful what you wish for. I've been saying this for years about March madness. Everybody is always like, I'm rooting for the upset. I don't want Kentucky to win. I want Kansas and Duke to lose. Oh, good. So you want VCU and Butler in the final four. We had that once. Nobody watched. I hear this all the time in baseball. Guys root for a no hitter. Oh, really? Just what baseball needs. Fewer base runners. Less hits. Less action. Yeah, nothing like baseball being even less fascinating. I hear this all the time about renters who want to buy a house. Be careful

what you wish for. Honey, the sink is backed up. Is no longer somebody else's problem. Movies on demand. I want things on my terms. Really? I've got 13 streaming services now. 142 passwords. I have files in a dresser drawer of passwords. Can't Hulu just by everybody and I can go to them? So you're telling me you're all rooting against the dynasty, Golden State. You sure about that? You want the Houston Rockets to be the team of record in the NBA.

Are you sure about that? A soccer team of floppers. James Harden should change his name to floppy, flopster. International soccer teams watch the rockets and say, enough already. This is a team built on ISO ball, free throws, and flopping. If the Houston rockets were a sound, this is what they would be. That's what you're looking for. That's what you want. Houston shot 50 triples last night. In the series, they've already shot 55 more than Golden State, who I thought invented that style of play.

I mean, not all dynasties and champions are fascinating. Michael Jordan's Bulls were fascinating. Showtime Lakers were fascinating. Tim Duncan Spurs, not that fascinating. I do not want the, I like Daryl Morey. I love Chris Paul. I've come to terms with what James Hardin is. But you all want the Warriors to sit and watch the finals.

Okay, remember, if the rockets were a sound, we all know what the sound would be. Good luck with that. Here's Joy with the News. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So after Monty Williams decided to be the next coach of the Sons, Tailu has emerged as the frontrunner to take the Lakers gig,

and if Lou is hired, would obviously be reunited with LeBron. And according to Frank Isola, LeBron and Lou are already thinking beyond the hire. the reports, this is according to Frank I stole it, the reports of Lou wanting to add his former colleague in Boston, Tom Tibido, to his coaching staff, are true. LeBron, through intermediaries, has let it be known that Tibado would be a huge asset to have on the bench. LeBron's close associates were gauging Thibodeau's interest

in becoming a top assistant two weeks ago. It is in the best interest of the Lakers to listen to LeBron, and it is in LeBron's best interest to make sure his voice is heard. So LeBron is reportedly still involved in some of the big. team decisions. Obviously, Tbilu is LeBron's guy, so that's the first step. Tidot is kind of an odd pairing with Tailu because Tileu's a very much a player's coach,

and Tibito has a reputation of grinding people to their... Is it possible, though, Joy, that Tibbs is a great two. He was never built to be a one. Because in Boston, he was a great two. Well, I don't think of Tibado's a bad coach. I just think that he does... His reputation is he lacks a little bit of balance between, you know, personal life and rest. in just a reasonable amount of, you know, how long you should work.

Right. You know, during a work week. So maybe it's a good, you know, balance to Tailu and, you know, good cop, bad cop. But I don't think that's, I mean, Belichick's best assistants, Josh McDaniels, who's young and brash and cocky, and, you know, Belichick's old and surly and a defensive guy, I think sometimes realizing what you're not and hiring what you're not is, it's like couples. if my wife can literally go under the hood of a car and fix anything

and I struggle making a salad like she she is the perfect compliment I think Tibbs should get someone who compliments you yeah I think Tibbs compliments Tyloo I think it's a pretty good choice yeah I mean well it seems like it's a good choice because it's what LeBron wants and you should be putting all of your effort

into putting whatever LeBron needs around him to be successful I know that Lakers fans don't want to hear that but you know what it's funny I've pushed back on that notion that give LeBron everything. But over the last three weeks, on all the stories I hear about the Lakers, I'm at the point now

where I'd rather have LeBron running the show. A, absolutely. And B, you chose to give LeBron the franchise when you signed him to a four-year deal. Like, you brought LeBron here. You know what he comes with. Why would you not want to put everything around him that makes him comfortable?

Hello, Cleveland won a championship. Cleveland. Cleveland. Well, but LeBron was in his prime, mostly in Cleveland. Okay, but it wasn't that. long ago. You still need to put pieces around LeBron to make him successful. Even if that piece that you get

has surpassed LeBron in Taloner Prime at this point. So Clint Capella played only 21 minutes last night and the Rockets have been playing significant minutes without a center. So with the Rockets going small, PJ Tucker is the tallest player of that group at 6'6. But Tucker, Hardin, Paul, and Gordon

have a similar build to them. Yes. And the Warriors have had issues moving them around. Yep. And And they've been able to have been able to take advantage of the lack of rim protection. So here's what Steve Kerr had to say about it. They got a lot of middle linebackers on that team. They're sturdy. And, you know, we look more like volleyball players long and lean.

We've done this many times before. And we've played all kinds of different teams. And everybody tries to be physical with us. And, you know, because they should. That's the best way to try to beat us. And so Houston's very physical. They're very good. But I'll go back to it again.

We know what we have to do. By the way, PJ Tucker is really, there's no question. He's a little kryptonite. He's really tough for them to match up with. Earl and I were talking about this very thing last night. It's even just watching the rockets. And it's strange because, you know, coming into the series, the whole conversation was about the reps

and you were just talking about, like, the flopping. And I think that's more on James Hardin and Chris Paul. Because the rest of the rockets are really not built like that. And this is the formula. Like Steve Kerr says, I don't know why they wouldn't come into this series, just playing bully ball. Well, I think at home you're going to get some of those calls.

I always take the Utah Jazz. One of the Jazz had that great team that never won. They got the calls at home. They were very chippy. And then they go on the road, you know, the fans are right on top of the reps and the NBA and college basketball. It's one of those things where you do tend to get the physical call at home

and not on the road. And that's why Utah was always great at home. And even as good as they were so-so in the road, I think Houston is built, the only team in this league that is really built to beat Golden State. Not saying they will, but Houston's built to beat him. Right, and they should continue with this formula, even if it is on the road, because you're not going to out finesse. You're not going to outball and ball.

No. The Golden State Warriors. And finally, there are no two franchises in the NFL that have differing success in recent years in the Browns and the Patriots. The Patriots have won six Super Bowl since 1999. The Browns have made one playoff appearance in that time. But Odell made a ball. bold prediction at the Met Gala last night about Baker Mayfield and the Brown's future. He said, I would say he's next, but I feel like he's now.

He's Brett Favre. He's going to be a Hall of Famer. I plan on being there for the next five years and trying to bring as many championships there as possible, turning the Browns into the new Patriots. Okay. The Patriots have had 18 straight winning seasons. The Browns have had 11 straight losing seasons. Can we, am I being negative? Can we scale back a little on this?

I don't think it should be negative. I think of you're being very realistic. Now, we are both excited about watching the Browns this year with Odell and Baker and Jarvis. That's fun. It's going to be very interesting. We were excited about them last year. I am no longer actively rooting against the Browns, which I feel like is a personal step in progression and growth as a human, you know, being from Pittsburgh. Yeah.

Because I could just crush them all the time with very much ease. And you don't. Right. I choose not to. Because I am genuinely interested, and I do want this style of play to work because Baker Mayfield is exciting to watch. However, yes, calm down. You have to, there's no reputation here. There's just none.

You finished the third place in your division last year. Just calm down. For the record. There's nothing wrong with aiming high, but appreciate the process. That's what I don't like with the Browns. There's no process here. I understand that teams that I like, the Patriots and the Colts, are not fascinating television.

They're almost boring in their repetition and their accuracy. I can admit the Browns may very well be the best TV product in the league right now. That I will not deny. I told you this last year. And Cleveland will be better this year than last year. They have better players. I watched a ton of Browns football last year. I watched all 16 games.

So dynamic, yes. New England, let's scale back a tad. I'm just a little bit pulled out. Just a tiny bit. I get what he's saying. You know, you want to aim high. but it's just appreciate the process of growth and establishing a culture. If I have a good hair day, I don't say, you know what?

I'm going to be George Clooney for the next 15 years. I just had a good hair day. Yes, it would be an exaggeration. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. Last night was one of those great NBA nights.

I bring on my friend, the Dugger Doug Gottlieb. Got a show on Fox Sports Radio right after our show. All sorts of stuff to talk about. I'm so disillusioned with the Celtics. But let's start. let's start with the big game of the night. The main event, not the undercard, let's start with the Warriors and Houston.

And I think we both would admit Steph Curry's somewhat revolutionized basketball. We don't have back to the basket centers. It's fascinating. He really matters in the history of the sport. There are those of people. I think you're one of those that you kind of tend to believe

that he maybe not, what separates him from the MJ and the Kobe's, maybe he's not perfect. built for the postseason? Correct. Like, look, what people will do is they'll troll me on the internet and say, well, when Steph Curry came out, you didn't think he would be better than, you know, Ricky Rubio,

so you're hating on him now. Like, no, the guy's a two-time MVP, the first ever unanimous MVP, is a first ballot Hall of Fame. Yes, yes. And what he's revolutionized is what used to be seen as bad shots, because they were such low percentage shots, he suddenly makes, at a

clip where guys used to make only when they're wide open. He shoots going right, he shoots going left, catch and shoot. I mean, he's ridiculous. Yes. Ridiculous. But it was helped, much like James Hardin and LeBron James have been helped by the change in the officiating as well as the change in the style. Yeah. The officiating

change went from regular season to postseason hurts him. It just does, just like it hurts James Hardin. Yes. And on my radio show yesterday, I compared it to Peyton Manning. Remember, Peyton Manning is statistically the most dominant regular season quarterback we have ever seen. Ever. Okay? He's one game above

500 as a postseason quarterback. Right. And why is that? Is he a choker? Like, no, I think it's because in the playoffs, the New England Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks and the Super Bowl are allowed to be a lot more physical. And that would throw off their timing routes. Same thing with Steph Curry. They make him guard more. They game plan more, gang up on him. And they're far more physical against him. And some of the N-ones that he gets in the regular season, he didn't get last night. The bumping and the banging, the hanging on him and the grappling, that wears him down. And it's One of the reasons that you can look at the last five years. And how many times?

Well, Steph still hurt. Steph, the 73 wins season when they lost in the finals, Steph's worn down. He's worn down by the 70. Then it was his ankle. We're like always trying to, like, or it's harder in the playoffs, a guy that's slightly built that they engage him defensively every time and they're super hyperphysical with him when he's on offense every possession. Yeah, I don't see this as anything drastic.

I believe this is true with a lot of athletes. that the postseason tends to be in all sports. Hockey, they swallow the whistles. So a physical hockey player that can take more of a beating Mark Messier is maybe built for the postseason.

I can't believe I have no idea if Mark Messier was physical or not. He was a badass. He was a tough guy. I know he won with the Rangers. That's about all. And then he was on Gretzky's Oilers, but I have no idea if he was a physical player. I'm going to go, okay, but I have no idea.

But there are guys that are built regular, I don't think it's a crazy thought by you. Now, I will say this. And you included Hardin in this. This morning I wake up, if I'm Golden State and I'm like, Clay was awful, Iggy was terrible.

Our bench isn't good. It was awful. Steph disappeared. We shot 24% on threes. And still had one wide open look to tie the game. And by the way, James Hardin, Mr. Fritha, that could have iced the game, nobody seems to mention. I thought PJ Tucker was amazing last night, by the way. And all the tipouts, he doesn't get credit

and the physicality defensively, setting the tone. And look, the rockets are annoying. We don't like you. No one likes you. And for good reason. This is not a, we don't like the city of Houston. We don't care enough about the city of Houston not like it. We don't like ISO ball and the over-dribling.

We don't like the flopping. They're a little bit like, this is what it's like to play against a European basketball team, where they're the ones that's actually a little bit dirty and with the cheap shots. And yet they're acting like they're always getting foul. I'm like, would be? No, no. You played over there. Right. Like Chris Paul, who I used to love, has suddenly become that guy.

You're like, oh, and they got Austin Rivers. Like, Austin Rivers is so unlikable. His own dad traded him. Who knows that? Right? So, and then, you know, they shoot so many threes. They complain about every call. On the other hand, last night, I thought they won that game because they were the tougher team. I agree. And Draymond pointed it out. And in spite of all that, as you point out, Clay, Steph's percentage was low. They had a wide open three from their best player at the top of the key. And he missed it. And then Steph got a pretty good look as well.

They could have tied it. Yeah, no, I mean, I sat there for three and a half hours, and I felt like, and this is not saying the officials, sometimes the officials, I went to a boxing match Saturday. Sometimes they'll let clutching and grabbing. Sometimes they won't, advantage, disadvantage. And Tyson liked to get in there and grab. If a ref didn't allow it, Tyson wasn't the same fighter. Last night, the refs said, we're going to let you muck it up.

You can bang on KD. The refs let a little more physical play, and it benefited Houston. Yeah. I mean, like, look, the free throws are even. There's this weird stretch in the third quarter where there's like four fouls called a row on the rockets. Like to just even it out in terms of the numbers. But generally, yes, on the offensive boards, it's no holds barred. There's no pushing in the back.

It's whoever wants it more. And PJ Tucker just wanted it more. Both teams played small ball. And as you pointed out, like the difference in one and two is Igwadala. Livingston was, you know, missed a wide open layup last night. If they don't get contributions from those guys, then all of a sudden it becomes, you better hope that Clay starts making shots. Look, I still think that Golden State controls their own destiny, has a great shot to win this series.

Yes. But you're, you know, you're one turned ankle away. You're one awful shooting day from Kevin Durant away from getting run out of the playoffs and ending this run. Don't remember this. Michael Jordan, the last team he couldn't get through, was Detroit. Detroit had Isaiah. That's who this team is. That's who Houston is Detroit.

Houston Rockets for Detroit. Yes. And they beat the Bulls. for a lot of years. They did. And they were physical, and they had one guy who could get them buckets at the end of a shot clock in Isaiah Thomas. They had another guy, like an Eric Gordon in a Joe Dumars.

And then they were just physical and tougher. And they pushed around MJ. They challenged him, knocked him on the floor every time he drove. Which is exactly, that's really kind of the game plan of how you're playing against the goal to say words. Generally, when you play a more skilled team, you need some skill, but make the game ugly. And if you can make it

ugly, Pistons did with MJ, until they just got a little too old. And Michael got a little more help, and then it changed. Okay, stick around. We've got a ton of good stuff. I want to talk about Boston. I'm depressed this morning. Not because Milwaukee won, but the Celtics. I don't know where they go, and he and I disagree on Kauai. Leonard. All good stuff. Stick around coming back. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice 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 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the present.

of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levin this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 really. 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 or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person join me Keer Gaines is we have real conversations about healing growth

fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search learn the hard way and listen now. Life throws hurdles big and small.

The question is, how do you conquer them? On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges

that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WNBA standout, Kate Martin, and rising hockey star, Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't feel on. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it.

An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladecki. The ability to show a gold medal to someone have their face light up and smile, that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to

Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Doug Gottlieb does not like ice cream. A little inside the rope stuff. Only person I've ever known. I can't eat

anymore because I'm old and I have something wrong with my stomach. It really changed my life. Not as happy today as I used to be. Used to eat ice cream all day long. What would mean? You're like lactose intolerant? Because there's other kinds of ice cream. I just, I never think to myself like, ooh, ice cream sounds amazing.

It's kind of wasted calories. Yes. I'm appetizers over desserts. It's the worst take out of both of you by cause. I mean, I don't need ice cream every night, but like, who doesn't enjoy ice cream? Well, Joy, and not all my takes are solid. That's just one of my bad take. That's not really a take, though.

I didn't say ice cream is bad. He just said I didn't enjoy it. Like, a take is like, ice cream is bad. Here's why. Bam, bam, bam. Exactly. Nick Wright with stats coming out. Let me tell you, Gottlie, if you're so wrong about ice cream,

look at this statistical analysis of why ice cream is more amazing now than it ever was. And when LeBron eats ice cream, it's unbelievable. Right. You just don't like ice cream. But Kauai eating ice cream, nobody gets better. So let's talk about Kairi. Okay, let's talk about Kairi. Okay, there's a lot of stats, and I don't want to be analytics guy,

but there's a lot of efficiency numbers, winning percentage, assist ratio. They just drop when Kairi's on the floor with Boston. and we know that basketball is a team sport, and there are some superstars that are unbelievable isolation players. Kobe could be one of the best of all time. Kevin Durant's the ultimate get a bucket guy, but the Warriors have a losing record on his best nights. What do you make of Kyrie?

Where do you go from here if you're Boston? I think you have to... I heard today on our former network, Jalen Rose, say, hey, this used to be a Pace and Space team. When, Jalen, when? It was never a Pace and Space team. That just didn't happen. Isaiah Thomas used to do the exact same thing that Kyrie is doing,

which is end of the shot clock, go off a ball screen, get a mismatch, and go. And you know what they're struggling with? There's just not mismatches against Milwaukee. Right. Hey, news flash, Milwaukee was the best defensive team in the NBA in the regular season, and they're the best defensive team in the NBA in the postseason. I want to throw this at you. I told the guys this morning, I said, if the Celtics were playing the Sixers now,

good matchup. If they're playing the Raptors, better matchup, are we over dramatizing last night simply because Milwaukee's a terrible matchup for Boston? Not just that, but the East is completely different than last year. People want to say, well, it's the Sixers. The Sixers out of Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, and however flawed Ben Simmons game is and however sick, Joel Embed is, they're a year older, they're a year better. True. Right? The Milwaukee Bucks have put a better roster around Janus, and he's gotten better as well. They're a far better team, far more refined team, and a better coach team as Bud has had more time to integrate his system.

Milwaukee's a better team, okay? Toronto Raptors are a better team they were last year. And oh yeah, by the way, the Celtics didn't have to play Toronto last year. They only had to play Boston who didn't have Kyrie Irving and limped their way into Boston. And the game went seven games. Look, you can tell me that these Celtics are great. They're not.

The Celtics won the trade for Markle Fultz. Yeah. But Jason Tatum is not a superstar that everybody wants him to beat. Not yet. And maybe not ever. He's a really, really good player. He's in his second year in the NBA. He's in his third year out of high school.

He's just a good player who has flaws. Do I think Kyrie's playing great? No. I think he does have a tendency to be selfish. He does have a tendency to pout. He doesn't get back defensively at times when he doesn't get what he wants on the offensive end. But he's far away your best player. And I think the surrounding talent with the Celtics is overrated.

I think Brad, as much of a genius and a friend of mine is he is, I think he's had a tough time relating to this team. and the social kind of interworking with them. And I think the Milwaukee bucks are really freaking good that the regular season showed us what they could be and they've played that exact same way here in the postseason. Yeah, I mean, it's funny because I knew this morning coming in, I thought, don't ignore the reality is Milwaukee makes Boston earn every bucket.

It's hard. They're deep. They have a great bench. Yonis is a rim protector. They've got other bigs. Listen, Milwaukee, I thought this morning, if Boston just ends up a three, not a four seed, and you look at them and they don't have to face Milwaukee,

we think this whole Kyrie thing is fine. Then if they lose to Milwaukee in the east, we're like, well, Milwaukee's great. Maybe we should acknowledge sooner. Milwaukee's great. Now, I want to go to something yesterday, I said, that, and people freak out about stuff, but I've been pretty good. I bailed on Westbrook before everybody else.

I bailed on Mello, Derek Rose, Blake Griffin. I know Kauai is great. I think he's the second best guy in the league at Go Get a Bucket. KD's the best. Just go get a bucket. Kobe Bryant was the best ever. James Hardens in that conversation. Yeah, okay.

But then both of them and Janus play the other end of the floor where Hardin is not. Yeah, no, Kauai is a great defensive player. I'm not denying that Kauai is great. You can make an argument. He's the second best player in the world. A little bit. But Toronto was 17 and 5 without him. He does not pass.

His usage rate, Greg Popovich acknowledged. My advice to him is when I call a play for you, I'm calling it for the team. He doesn't communicate. He's not tied in a string. And there's times with Kauai, I'm like, yes, he's great, but does he make people better? Yes. Does he three assists? Look, again, if we're going to go by stats, if you're going to do the Nick Wright thing where you fall on stats,

then Russell Westbrook is the greatest NBA player we've ever seen. I don't want to hear that. No, I'm just saying no player since Oscar Robertson has ever averaged a triple double in the entire season. He's done it three consecutive years. Nobody's ever done that. So if we're going to go by stats, then he's. he's the greatest ever. And if we go and do stats even in the playoffs now, we're like, wow, all these guys are putting

up historic statistical numbers. Why? Because of the usage and there's no big guys, there's no power forwards. It's a different sport. No hand check. Look, he plays both ends. He's embarrassed Ben Simmons in the series by guarding him and guarding him smartly, not letting him get to the cup.

He can match up with any of five positions defensively, and he has improved as a three-point sure like nothing we've seen. He can score in the post. Yeah. Is he a shot creator? No. He's not a playmaker. No, but that's not what he's supposed to be.

He's supposed to go win his games. And he went winning games. He's awesome. They're better because they said, DeMard de Rosen, you're really, really good. But you can't make threes. And there's a limit to who you can guard defensively. Let's go get a better player.

That's why they were willing to get rid of Demard de Rosen, who's an all-star, to get a superstar. Kauai Leonard is a superstar. Is he verbal enough? Not with you and me. He's not entertaining enough. But you know what? He's verbal enough to win the NBA Finals MVP.

Hell, let's just be honest, they should have beaten the Miami Heat twice if they make a free throw. If Ray Allen doesn't make the corner three, we're talking two Spurs championships, and he's at least the finals MVP for one of them, maybe two of them. You know, we always take players and we compare them to somebody. I'm going to give you two players that Kauai is like. The first one I think you'll agree with, Alex English. They didn't sweat.

I don't think Alex English sweat in 20 years. He played, he was quiet. He's the best free throw angle shooter I've ever seen. You look up and you're like, Alex English had 36 tonight and had some playoff success without the title The second one is

The hand size The cut, the physicality There is a little I was going to say He's a better peer shooter than Scotty He's got a little Michael in him A little bit He's got a little Michael Jordan

Where Michael was a Michael was the best mid-range player I've ever seen Kauai's becoming the best mid-range player He and Durant I've ever seen Yeah I mean they're They're amazing. They have long arms and big hands.

I wouldn't. I've seen other people like people forget that Michael Jordan was a guard. Kauai was in center when he's in high school. And every year he's developed his perimeter game more. Yes, Michael developed his perimeter jump shot and also developed a post game. You know, look, I don't know. I don't think he's like Jordan. Do I think some of the things that these guys do is Jordanesque and taking over games late?

Where you know what's coming and there's nothing you can do to stop it. They're basically playing without a point guard. Right? None of their point guards have been any good at all. And recently, if you have a guy who can't make shots and can't get stops to the point guard position, you're screwed in the NBA, and the Raptors are still up, what, two games to one in this series. No, it's two-two headed to Toronto. Two-two, but it feels like Toronto's got a real edge here. Well, look, it feels like Kauai's the best player, Joel Embed's the most talented player.

Ben Simmons is being completely taken out of the game. And the Raptors are, they lift, that's not a very good team without Kauai Leonard. Okay, so I got a minute and a half, and I want you to answer to this. Four good players for the Sixers. If they lose this series, they're not all resigning big contracts. If I told you, pick two going forward. Who are your two? I mean, it just depends on the health on Joel Embed.

Joel and B is the most, maybe the most talented big guy to ever play the game. But the health thing, you and I discussed it last week, it's hard to buy into. But then Jimmy Butler, like, does anybody actually want to play with him? All their guys have an issue. Yeah, I mean, Tobias Harris is great, but is he great as an alpha or is your fourth best player? He's a third, fourth best guy. Right. And then you got Ben Simmons, who work ethic is always in question. Will he, can he, does he have any desire to actually shoot the basketball?

So his work ethic is in question? Some, yeah. Like, you haven't developed. You've been in a league. He hasn't been in a league for a long time, but you've been in a league a little bit like, can you develop? And then the Kardashian thing makes people think, kind of like James Hardin, that was, you remember when James Hardin was dating a Kardashian. He came in a little bit out of shape. And now he's in the best shape of his life and he's the best offense player, maybe in the league.

No, I remember when he came out and he said, I'm bailing on this. My basketball game's deteriorating. You're like, okay, okay, he made, he chose the right exit off the freeway. No, it's funny on this because I keep saying, short term and beats your answer. But man, when I hear bad knees, bad diet, calling in a coach at 6 a.m., and I'm like, man, that's a lot of maintenance. That's a lot of maintenance, though. Yeah, yeah, but if you saw him when he played in game three, you were like,

no, he's worth the maintenance, right? No, I mean, listen, there is a Shaq thing here. It's not just Shaq. Like, listen, if Shaq could shoot, if Shaq could handle, if Shaq could guard in the perimeter. And look, his work ethics calling the question. He needs to lose 20 pounds. He needs to have a dietitian with him. He needs to have a body guy with him. He needs to treat it like, look, if I'm a superstar, I can't, he needs, what Dirknovitz. Dirknovitsky took two hours to get him ready to play every game this year. Yeah. He needs to handle his body just like that,

even though he's in his early 20s. If he does, he could be the greatest big guy we've ever seen, and there've been a lot of great big guys. He's that talented a player. Good stuff. Doug Gottlie, the Dugger Fox Sports Radio, after our show on the radio network, hour two, Chris Bruce Sard, Rick Buecker, Greg Jennings. It's The Herd. 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. 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 happened. That's where Sports Slice 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. SportsSlice 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 Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking. criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant this went to a billion dollar fraud.

But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast.

or wherever you get your podcast. 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 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.

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, or 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 hard way. Open your free. iHeartRadio app search learn the hard way and listen now. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them? On hurdle with

Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WNBA standout, Kate Martin and rising hockey star Lela Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't makes sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't feel like you don't feel on. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs, Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeki. The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile, that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals.

At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Ah, here we go, hour two. Loaded in L.A., this is The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're live on IHartRadio, on Fox Sports Radio, and FS1, also Sirius XM Channel 83. Joy Taylor, joining me for hour two the rest of the way joy how are you i'm great how are you

i am good um i'm not a you know i're seen during the NBA season everybody has their power rankings right i'm not really a power ranking guy although i do hurt hierarchy during the NFL season the NBA season is very long it doesn't last forever so but i'm going to do my uh what's the date today what's the date today may 7 i'm going to do my NBA power ratings there's eight teams left in the NBA these are my NBA power ratings today these are my NBA power ratings today day and I think you have three clear groups. Golden State one, Houston two, and Milwaukee three. Okay, so Golden State is the best team in the NBA. And they're the champions. And then you have Houston is the best challenger. And then Milwaukee appears to be just as good as it gets in the

Eastern Conference, defense, offense, star coaching. And then there's, so you got Golden State one, you got Houston two, and you got Milwaukee as a number three. That they feel those are excellent basketball teams capable of winning the title, although I like Houston. in Golden State, probably more than Milwaukee to win the title. Then I think you have the next four. They are very, very good teams, but they all have a flaw. I would put them Sixers, Toronto, Denver, and Portland, they're inches not feet away. Sixers, Ben Simmons can't shoot.

I'm not sure Simmons and Ambide worked together and Ambide sick. Toronto is sort of a one-man team, so is Denver. Portland, I like a lot. They got a lot of guys that can get you buckets, but there are some limitations of Lillard isn't scorching hot. And then number eight is the Yuck Boston Celtics. And I was wrong. I thought they'd turn it around.

And they have been a four-seed, disjointed, drama-filled, underachieving mess. They're a mess. I can make an argument that all seven teams above them feel good this morning. Golden State saying, listen, we almost sent two. games into overtime and the refs let them mug us. Houston feels like, hey, you know what, we got the chance where we want them. Milwaukee's like, listen, we got a 3-1 lead series over. We're going to the Eastern Conference finals. Sixers are like, hey, if Embed's not six, if Embed isn't sick, we got a 3-1 lead in the series heading to Toronto.

Toronto feels like it's 2-2, we're headed back home. Denver's like, hey, 2-2 headed back home and they don't have an answer for Joe Kitch, and Jamal Murray's playing the best basketball of his career, and Portland still feels like, hey, we won in Denver the first time, we'll win in Denver again. If you're Boston this morning, where's the good news?

You are down on the Celtics today. No, I mean, I admit it. I'm wrong on this. I kept saying, don't get caught up in the seating. They got to the Eastern Conference finals. They'll get their drama figured out, and they just can't. And the coach doesn't work with a star,

and the star doesn't work with others. Gordon Hayward, what is Gordon Hayward now? Like, what do you get in a nightly basis with Gordon Hayward? Sometimes you can have too much, too much. Maybe they just have too much. They have a lot of guys that need the ball in their hands and make plays. Shack and Barclay... They're not too much of one thing.

I mean, I think it falls on Kyrie. You want to be the man. Shack and Barclay called out Kyrie last night. I don't feel good about the Celtics. Here it is. You can't complain about not being a man as to be the man now that you are the man. You got to step up. This is the time you got to step up.

I don't want to hit no skewer. I don't want to hit no skin. If you shoot 22 times, better hit more than seven shots than the playoffs. I don't want to share the limelight with LeBron. I want my own team. Now, this is the price you pay. That's the way it works.

People never say, man, Mark West didn't win the championship. He never said Sabalos didn't win the championship. I love both of those guys. They said, Charles Barkler didn't win the championship. That's the way it is. And that's what Kyrie. He says, I want to be my own man. and now you're your own man who's going on vacation Thursday morning.

Yeah, I bought into this Celtic team. You gave me a smart coach, a smart star, a good team, a good GM. I figured they just kind of figure it out, and they didn't, and they're dead, and Milwaukee's better, and Milwaukee makes every basket tough, and Milwaukee has the better bench, and it's over. I mean, there's no question watching this series after game one. Milwaukee's deeper, better, more fluid. They play together.

The guys work together, and their bench was great last night. Let me shift to this. There is a story this morning that Golden State is now prioritizing signing Clay Thompson. Stephen Clay is the future. That they've come to terms with what Kevin Durant is. A brilliant basketball nomad, a bagabond. You know, there's always been that saying, guys say this, you date some, you marry others. Some you date, some you marry.

By the way, both can be great. But there are relationships that feel like it would last a long time. And then relationships, it's fun. And let's say Kevin Durant bolts, exits, leaves. If you were the Warriors and you never won another title, but you had Stefan Clay, which are the Jerry West, Gail Goodrich of this generation, the best back court, best offensive back court in basketball. They're going to be for 10 years or more.

You'd still be in the record books. You'd still have the titles. You'd have your arguably your two or three most beloved players. They both play the style of basketball going forward that works, which is a bunch of threes. They seem to like each other. Clay doesn't talk much. Steph does, but is likable.

I think the Bay Area is fine with it. I think sometimes you just have to realize that not everybody is built long term. I've worked with employees. I've worked with people. And you're not going to build around them. They're just not build around personalities. They're just talented. They're just gifted.

But you wouldn't build your franchise around him. Like Tim Duncan, Larry Bird, Steph Curry. I think Kobe, you plan a flag with those guys. Kobe's a businessman. The Lakers were his business real estate and he didn't want to give it up. and he got the bigness of the brand, the Laker brand was still strong, and you build around Kobe. Kevin Durant's difference, different time, more of a vagabond, more of a nomad, more of a wander, that's personality.

By the way, even if KD leaves, the Warriors' KD Facebook page is awesome. It's got pictures of trophies, it's got pictures of parades. It's an awesome Facebook page. But this summer, his status on the Facebook page, it will suddenly go to single. And that's okay. That happens too. But I go back to what Marcus Thompson said about a month ago in our show. His personality, he is for sale. He can be swayed over a martini.

Pre-dinner, post-dinner, he's a different guy. Here was Marcus Thompson. I'm not buying it at the last moment he's sitting at a meeting with somebody and he can't be swayed. Either way, just there or go. Because that's his personality. Yeah. he could think it's done right now, whether that's staying or going. I still think later on, like, he can be swayed.

Like, he's a guy. He feels everything. He sits in the room. He's present. He's got away this stuff. We still have three or four more series if they win a championship of data to insert into this equation, right? Like, I don't know.

I don't know if even if he thinks he knows the answer. I don't think he knows the answer. I'm not buying it. And I think because of that. personality type, don't deny it, embrace it, that he's probably, do you want to go through this every year? LeBron's a little bit like this. LeBron's a little bit like this. LeBron kind of, you can change his mind, he gets bored, he's kind of restless, and that's okay. I mean, LeBron and KD are the best two basketball players in the world. They got a bunch of options.

And we also have to realize the culture has changed. AAU basketball, it used to be everybody played high school basketball. You were loyal to a team. And then all these players that are in the NBA now, almost all of them now that Garnett's gone and Kobe's gone, now all these guys played AAU basketball where you were up for sale. You just went, joined your buddies and played, and then you went to college for one year and you weren't really loyal to college. And then you go to the NBA and LeBron's like, why don't we have more power? The basketball culture that exists in America today is different. I'm not blaming the players. But it used to be you went to high school and you were loyal to one high school and you played on Friday night high school game with a band. Now you play

A.U. on Saturday. Your services are for sale. Who wants me? The team in Atlanta, the team in San Diego, the team in Detroit, the team in Indianapolis. Who wants my service? That's okay. There's nothing wrong with that.

And then you go to college and it's like, okay, Max Cheshefsky, I've got the power. You just kept me for one year. I'm not loyal. One year, Mr. Calapari. And then go to the NBA and it's like, after my first contract, I'm in a Bolton. It's okay. Steph and Clay, maybe even Draymond. Those are your guys.

The Facebook page with Kevin Duran if he leaves, it's still parades and trophies and smiles and laughs. It's all good. It's just going to move to single this summer. It's okay. It happens all the time. Coming up next, Chris Bruce Sard. We'll be joining us.

Greg Jennings later this hour. Some interesting NFL news. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I Heart Radio app. Saturday on FS1, Francisco Lindor leads the Indians as the tribe picks on Chris Davis and the Oakland A's.

Coverage begins at 3 Eastern on FS1 or on the Fox Sports app. A lot of people think Lindor is a top one or two baseball player in the world right now. Great arm, great range, hit with power. Unbelievable. Okay, Chris Broussard,

odd couple Fox Sports Radio. You're fired up. Former New York Times sports writer, grew up in Ohio. All right. Okay, there's a lot of rumors about Katie and Kyrie to the Knicks. If you're a Knicks fan

and you're watching the Celtics last night, don't you kind of feel like we got our guy? No question. No, Kyrie doesn't fit into what they do. Right? They want to play egalitarian type basketball. He's an ISO

superstar and it's just not the greatest fit. And now you didn't go and look, the East is so much better than it was last year. So I understand Milwaukee was not half as good as they are now. That's who you struggled with to beat last year in the first round. Philadelphia wasn't half as good as it is now.

You beat them in the second round. So that Boston team was overrated because they went to the Eastern Conference finals. However, the young kids who were there, Tatum, Brown, Rozier, they still feel like, they're going to feel like we got further without Kyrie. Right? We got first. So that resentment's hovering around. that locker room. No question. And so that's how they're going to feel. So it's a perfect time.

I said last time I was on the show, Toronto's making it easy for Kauai to leave. It's the perfect situation for Kairi to leave. Now remember, Boston wasn't on his list when he told Cleveland he wanted out to begin with. New York was, and I think you disagree, but Kyrie and Durant would be a great tandem in New York. Let me just throw this at you. There's an old saying, Joy, you've heard this as well, don't go to the supermarket when you're starving because you end up getting home to have dinner and you have Reese's cups and Doritos ranch chips. You'll make bad decisions.

Starving equals desperation and you make bad choices. So the Knicks were desperate and then gave Amari Stodemeyer a five-year deal with those bad knees. Nobody else would. And then they were desperate and traded away everybody to get Carmelo, nobody else would. And Nick fans lectured us on how smart they were

and the Amari Mello deals were not good deals. they're a starving franchise here. The Knicks are, don't go to the supermarket when you're hungry because you end up with Reese's cups and nothing to make for dinner. Kyrie Irving. Okay, you're not saying that about Durant.

No, no. Grant is filet mignon. Right. Duran's great. Kyrie Irving, heard it Duke, heard a lot, hard to coach, ISO player. By the way,

Durant played with a ball-centric guard in Oklahoma City and got tired of it. Where I will give you little something is the injury history of Kyrie. However, it's not like Amari Stadamar. He's fine this year. He's playing his whole year. He looks good. And there are

other, like Stoutemeyer, nobody else was going to give him a long-term max deal like the Knicks did. There are other teams that would sign Kyrie in a second. The Clippers, the Celtics, like everybody, he's not as damaged goods, if you will, as Amari Stadamar

was. So it's a little something in the back of your mind, but it's certainly wouldn't stop me. And he's not Russell Westbrook in terms of ball domin. He's also a better shooter. He's a better shooter. He plays smarter. You know, he's more of a point guard, even though he's not like a true point guard, he's certainly more of a point guard than Westbrook. And if Durant could succeed, and they did succeed, I know they didn't win a championship, but he and Westbrook has success. If he can have success playing alongside Westbrook, he can fit with Kyrie. On the other end, Kyrie is a number two.

We see it clearly. We've seen it all year. We're seeing it in the playoffs. He's a stone cold killer. He may be your closer, but he's a number two. And most guys historically who've been his size are number twos. They don't want to admit it. They can name that Isaiah Thomas the legend and Steph Curry.

Other than that, who was the number one that size that was going to lead me to a championship? No, I think it's a very fair. Six four and under guys, Steph's an outlier. Isaiah's an outlier. Let's go to the Rocket Series. Listen, I know Houston feels good about themselves. They got the champs tied up. But if I'm Golden State and I look at how we played and we shot 24% on threes.

And Clay Thompson and Iggy were bad. Our bench gave us nothing. And we came within an open jumper of tying it to overtime. I feel great if I'm the Warriors today. I don't feel great. I get where you're coming from. They can look at Clay. Clay's due.

Steph was due, right? Steph and Claire both do. I told people last. But, and Steph played well last night. I know he had his moments where he disappeared, but he, you know, 30 points, 12 for 25 shooting. So he was good. Steph or Clay is dudes.

I get what you're saying. However, I don't think either of these teams has an advantage at this point. I don't want to hear about the Golden State's home court. Okay, yeah, whatever. They lost twice to the Clippers at home. Okay, they can be beaten in Oracle. So I'm looking at this like, I think it's a pick-em. Whoa.

This series is, now I pick the Warriors, and I'm sticking with my pick of the Warriors, but I won't be the least bit surprised if Houston gets there. By the way, a lot of fans out here, they're tired of the Warriors. So you want the next great champion to be the floppy McFlopsters. Let me say, well, I'm glad you brought that up. I want the Warriors because I picked them. You know how we are. We want our picks to be right.

Right. I am different from most NBA fans. I love watching James Harden play. I know everybody, he over-dribles. Yeah, but he doesn't over-dribble like most. When LeBron over-dribles, he's on the wing, pounded it for 10 seconds just to pound it, not going anywhere.

When DeWain Wade would over-dribble, he'd be dribbling all over the court. Where am I going to make my move at? Hardin is dribbling with a purpose. Between the legs, behind the back, faint, slights, You know, to get you, and how am I going to get by you? Am I going to step back? His over-dribling is fun to watch.

I was watching that last night. Seven times this dude had me falling out of my chair. Kevin Looney, Kevin Durant, Clay Thompson, all good defenders, all athletic, all long. And this slow dude gets off a shot and hits a three over a seven-footer without stretched arms. I mean, he's unbelievable, man. He is an unbelievable talent. I love watching him. Okay.

He can wear me out. I convinced you. I see it. No, I listen, I don't hate Houston. I, they really, listen, what they're doing is analytic, get to the free throw line. I don't think, I don't think all dynasties are fascinating. I've said this about college football. USC dynasty and the Miami Hurricanes dynasty were great for college football.

Bama and Clemson, especially Bama, can be a little boring. Right. They shut everybody down. It's not that like Spurs Duncan Dynasty. Houston, there's a sense of manipulation in this process that I think wears out a lot of people. I don't want this to be the future of basketball. That's what I'm saying. They've already shot 55 more threes than the Warriors.

Than the Warriors. Think about the Warriors, who are the best shooting team in history. Yeah. I mean, Clint Capella is a good player. They can't get them on the floor in the series. And I like the layers of basketball. Let me shift to this. People think I don't like Kauai Leonard.

I do. Basketball has a history. There's two types of stars. There's the playmakers. Magic, LeBron, Steph. On their best nights, the team flourishes. Then there's isolation guys. KD., MJ, Kobe Bryant.

Kauai's got a feeling like that. Kauai doesn't pass. MJ, you don't want that? It seemed to flourish when he was in his best. No, but what I'm saying is... You shouldn't put MJ in there. Well, if MJ had 50, they were often better when he had 30. Like, certain guys are get-a-bucket guys.

They're not playmakers. Kauai's a get-it-bucket guy. Do you know the Warriors have a losing record when Durant scores over 40? And I'm not saying Kauai's not great. But he does feel sometimes like he's just getting points for Kauai. Here's where I'm going to disagree with you. All those guys you mentioned, Kauai, Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, they could fit into a system.

Kauai makes other players better because, number one, he's going to give you 30 or some odd points. he's going to play great defense, and he's going to do it within the system, which means he doesn't take away, and he's going to do it efficiently, shooting 62% in this series, you know, he's over 50%. He's going to do it efficiently, which means I don't have to take a ton of shots to get my points, and I do it within the system, so I'm not taken away from your stardom. LeBron is obviously, you know, a better player historically than Kauai,

but LeBron becomes the system. LeBron makes average players who can't really do much on their own much better. Kyle Corver, Shane Badiere, and O'Rey Allen, you know, guys like that. Did he make Chris Bosch better? Did he make Dwayne Way better? Did he make Kyrie Irving better?

He's so good that you'll be in position to it, do what you do, and shine at the tight on the finals. But he doesn't make those guys better. he becomes the system and dominates the ball, and he's a willing pastor and a great passer, so you'll get your opportunities if you're the second guy. But that third guy, Kevin Love, Boss, you kind of back up. So I think those guys, Durant, the one thing,

LeBron's better than Durant, not now necessarily. Holistically, yeah. But the thing Durant has over LeBron, or one of the things, is he can fit into a system. He fit seamlessly into Golden State. That's fair. Every once in a while he gets in his ISO, but for the most part, he fits. When Kawhi goes to the Clippers, are you concerned at all about how it's going to fit?

No, he'll. Right. He fit with the Raptors right away. If LeBron goes somewhere, everything changes. You got to adjust to LeBron. Now, he's a willing pass. He's going to, you know, do his thing and you're going to be good, but you got to adjust. So I think those guys do.

And Michael Joy, in every championship in a system. Think about that, the triangle. listen to this. Got a minute left. Clay Thompson's dad played for the Lakers. Dad works for the Lakers. LeBrona said he'd love to play with Clay. Yesterday,

story comes out from Wouge that he would prefer the Clippers over the Lakers. So let's add this up. Paul George, born and Cali Laker fan, chose O'KC. Monty Williams chose the chaotic Phoenix Suns. Clay Thompson now would rather play for the Clippers. And DeMarre de Roeson went to USC,

love the Lakers, state in Toronto. We got ourselves a problem here, right? Like, who's ending up out here? You do not have the pieces to trade for Anthony Davis. Is LeBron going to wake up on July 5th and have Kyle Kuzma as his best player? Whatever. Look, Anthony Davis is, because if Kyrie leaves, is Danny Ains giving up Jason Tatum for what could be a one-year-old?

If I have to go through Yonis to win the East, I'm going and getting Anthony Davis. Okay, okay. I mean, I'm looking at Yonis. So I'm just saying I agree they're not in the driver's seat to get Anthony Davis. Okay, so if not, they don't have a shot. Now they're in the Hail Mary for Jimmy Butler. Right. Jimmy Butler or Kimba, but here's what, if I'm, if LeBron, this is what you want from LeBron next year.

LeBron has got to, and I know he understands, you need a superstar. Everybody's had superstars when they win for the most part in NBA history. But he's got to backtrack and get rid of that mentality and say, we have. Go back to your first years in Cleveland. Whatever we have, I'm riding or dying with. If my nucleus is Kuzma, Ingram, Josh Hart, whoever, we can win. Heck, the Portland Trailblazers or Denver Nuggets are about to get to the Western Conference Finals. They don't have great, you know, superstars. I mean, they got a couple stars, but they, you know what I mean? Like, Lillard's the only all-star, as good as C.J. McCollum is. Yokich is the only all-star. Jamal Moore.

is blossoming, but I'm just saying, LeBron has to take the mentality. Be more optimistic. Those Lakers could have been, they beat Portland in the regular season. You don't think these Lakers with LeBron could have been as good as Denver or Portland? Well, I'd like one more player. I get that. They don't shoot threes, Chris. I need a guy.

I got Denver. I got Jamal Murray. I got Portland. I got C.J. McCollum. They don't have any shooters. You've got to give me a shooter. Ingrams can give me 20-something. Oh, God.

20-something. Oh, I'm tired of that. I'm just saying, I'm not saying they're a championship team, but like I said, preseason, the Lakers could have got to the Western Conference. Without all the drama, without all the acts, without all everything that went on, LeBron's injury,

they could have been as good as Portland or Denver. Portland's got, in Denver have three-point shooters. You've got to give me a shooter. I'll give you that, but they would have had LeBron. The Lakers would have LeBron. That is a big one. You got to give me one. Jamal Murray's been huge.

Well, they can go out and get some non-descript shooters. Give me some shooters. Put around, LeBron and Butler and whoever you get. Good stuff today. Enjoyed it. By the way, Discover alerts you if they find your social security number on one of those risky websites. Free for card members, sign up online. Discover.com slash free alerts.

Limitations apply. Joy with the news. No. No. No. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So, Kyrie is continuing. to struggle from the field and this team needs him most, as we've been discussing all morning.

But apparently that is not going to stop him from seeking his shot in game five. Who cares? I'm a basketball player. You know, prepare the right way. You know, the expectations on me are going to be sky high. And I try to utilize their aggression against them and still put my teammates in great positions while still being aggressive. I'm trying to do it all. So, you know, For me, the 22 shots, I should have shot 30. You know, it really was not great of a shooters. I don't disagree with that. I just think the whole thing doesn't quite work.

But I've never, I just, Tatum played well last night, but stunked the first three games. Gordon Hayward last night doesn't give me anything. I just don't think it works. My eyes tell me, maybe it's a match-up thing with Milwaukee. My eyes tell me this group of dudes doesn't work. I don't necessarily think it's a match-up thing with Milwaukee. I think I agree with you. I think there's too much of the same thing.

And there's too many guys that need the ball in their hands in order to get into a rhythm. There's a complete lack of roles, which is what Kyrie was talking about during the season, that, you know, he's trying to explain to the younger core group of guys. Like, it's not everyone's turn. You have to share. That's what I learned from LeBron. And he's right. In order for you to win a championship, everyone has to not only know their role, but fully embrace their role. Yeah, that's a...

And know that no matter what, even though this may not be what... will elevate me in the long term. This is what we need to do to win. And there's a lot of guys on this team who haven't gotten their contracts yet. So you're balancing between I want to win and I also need to perform so I can get my money. So this is the problem with having this many young guys on the team together. And also, Milwaukee's really big. And so you don't get cheap crap inside on them.

Like if you miss your shot, Milwaukee generally, you don't get a second look. Man, I'm telling you, Milwaukee defensively, there's no freebies. There's no freebies on Milwaukee. So when Kyrie struggles, okay, that's your shot. That's your shot. A fall away 27 footer. Milwaukee is good around the glass. A lot of this is going to fall on Kyrie because this is what Kyrie asked for.

You wanted his own team and wanted to do the guy. But there's enough blame to go around there with Brad Stevens too. You have a top talent in Kyrie Irving. You have Gordon Hayward. You have Jason Tatum. You have a great young core who was great last year without Kyrie and Gordon Hayward there. So you have to find a way to make us all work.

It's not all just on Kyrie. It is interesting, though, if you really believe inside the organization that Milwaukee this point forward is who you have to get through. Because you're sitting there if you're Boston this morning, Joy, and you think Kauai is going to leave. Right. And we feel good. We think Philadelphia

is kind of dysfunctional. If you're Boston this morning, you're probably thinking, for the next five years, we've got to get through Milwaukee. For now, I would have Katie and Kyrie end up in New York. Well, that's what I'm saying. If KD, if Kyrie leaves, that makes me believe they go and get Anthony Davis. Because that's the neutralizer.

Yeah, you have to. Yeah. I mean, I think Boston this morning is thinking to themselves going. They've tend to have been a long play team. If you're Boston and you're getting dominated by Milwaukee, Philly doesn't dominate you. Boston doesn't dominate you or Toronto. I think you go, it makes me think this morning, okay, Kyrie's out of here. We got to go get Anthony Davis to neutralize Janus because we're not getting anything down low on this team.

You still have to find a way. to make that talent all work together, though. So that's, you know, you need a star, but you still have to work with them. So sticking with struggling stars, Steph Curry and the Warriors squandered another opportunity. Ciel game in H-town. They came up short with their late-game comeback,

allowing the Rockets to even the series, to a piece. And Steph had this to say after when he was asked about his recent struggles. Last 48 hours has been pretty funny and hearing all the noise and chatter about, you know, I've been playing in this series. and, you know, I take it all in stride and understand what I'm capable of

and doing it within the context of, you know, of how we play as a team. I know I can play even better. That's the good thing about being a champ. He kind of – they've been – They've been here before. A lot of – they've been having 30 big games in the last three years. They don't seem worried at all. Just the tone from Jemond Green after the game, Steph Curry,

Steve Curry. Almost smirky. Right. Like, we'll be okay. It's kind of smirky. And you know what, though? I don't necessarily have a problem with it because they have been here before. And they do know that if you start to give in to the doubt what happens and you can spiral, you just have to take it game by game.

We knew this was going to be a long series. Let us overreact. Right. We overreact game to game. Like one team wins and now their season is over. It's a disaster. You know, they can't ride that wave like that. They have to know this is a long series going into it.

This is going to be a long series. So let's play our game and not let them throw us off. And to use this credit yesterday, and you were right, they're going to get the calls. I prefer when they call it this way, whether it's in Golden State or in Houston. Yeah, physical. Yeah, I'm a let them play person. I think playoffs, all sports. Should be let them play.

Let stars play. And Houston has the ability to be physical with them. So they should be concerned in that regard. But I don't think that this slump with Steph Curry. And it's really a slump by Steph Curry standards will continue. Finally, John Moran is not shy when it comes to the confidence in his abilities. He's the consensus top two draft pick in the nation. He led the nation and assists with 10 per game.

He sat down with our own Chris Haynes and had this to say. I'm a point guard. You're a point guard, huh? God. What makes you appoint God, Joe? The ability to not only make plays for me, but also my teammates. It's everything I bring to the table, honestly. Try to play all the round game and do whatever I can help my team.

I just start by studying my teammates. Just knowing what their strengths are, know where they like to score the ball from. I guess just knowing that, it gives you an edge because it makes the job easier. Point God. He's pretty good talent. I mean, he's a pretty, that's what a can't miss player looks like. He's a can't miss player. I'm not saying he's going to be a superstar, but there's every draft, there's one or two, you're like, yeah, that's going to work.

And now, Andrew Wiggins, I thought, was one of those guys. He still averages 20s, just not as good as I thought. But this kid's, there's two guys in this draft, maybe three. I feel like with Zion and Jah, where they go, and the development program at that organization will be crucial for both of their careers. I think in general, we look at guys coming into the draft as it's just a plug-and-play situation. It's just LeBron. And even LeBron, like, you have to develop your game.

You shouldn't look at a prospect coming into the draft. And it's the same with the NFL. Like, this is what they're going to be. They're not finished. their kids and they have a lot more to put into their game. Not to mention a way longer season. They don't have their man bodies yet. There's so much more that they can bring to the NBA over time.

They're 19. Right, right. And despite his numbers, as I said, he led the nation and assists at 10 per games. He was 8th in the nation and scoring. That's 10 per game with guys who aren't NBA players. So that means he's passing the ball and they're not finishing. That tells me he's a 12 assist guy. NBA. He obviously has huge potential and he's exciting to watch.

That's also going to be a great shirt. Thank God. I like that. Joy with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Live news. Some NFL stuff. Greg Jennings is going to join us live next. Some NFL stuff to talk about, including the Cleveland Browns making another promise my head hurts.

Back in a second, The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed the game. morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice 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

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Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back.

Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levin this plant to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? the largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life.

Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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, 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. 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,

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we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness. professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WNBA standout Kate Martin and rising hockey star Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't belong. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeke.

The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light off. and smile. That means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Great to have you in Mother's Day. Next Sunday, 1-800 Flowers.com, 24 multicolored roses, 1-800 flowers, 2999.

The code has heard, H-E-R-D. A new segment on the show, John, let's roll the tape. It's time for a show full of chuckles, belly laughs, and just plain cuteness. What's the name of our show, kids? Kids say the darnedest things. Kids say the darnedest things. Odell Beckham yesterday. This is adorable.

I love the unbridled optimism of young athletes. said, I plan on being here for the next five years. First of all, he said, Baker Mayfield, quote, is Brett Farb? He's going to be a Hall of Famer. He then went on to say, I plan on being here for the next five years. I'm going to turn the Browns into the new Patriots. Kids say the darnest things.

I love this new segment. Kids say the darnest things. Let's go to Greg Jennings via the Coward Global Satellite Network. Oh, oh, where is Greg? Where is he? Where is Greg? I thought you were in Minnesota. Oh, get over here.

Greg Jennings. So when you hear all that Cleveland stuff, isn't that adorable? The unbridled optimism of 11 straight losing seasons. Do you think that's cute? Do you buy into any of it? I don't buy into it. I don't mind it because when you're excited, when you see potential, it's hard not to talk about what you know the potential could be.

The problem with potential, it can be your biggest adversary, meaning because you see so much potential, how many guys are going to be able to work to accomplish that or exceed it? Because the expectations that you have, you're going to create those expectations for everyone around you. And so your opponents, they're going to come at you a little differently. You're going to be favored in nine games next year.

Exactly. Maybe 10. Exactly. So I think the best thing when you have opportunities or you have developed and created a roster the way that the Cleveland Browns have with a lot of talent and a lot of passionate guys about football, but also a lot of guys who have never won is to just go about your business, period. Just work. Just work because everything that you do is going to be literally throwing.

back in your face the moment anything negative happens they drop two games they drop one against a bad team and it's like up what happened to that new england patriots comment what happened to baker mayfield being a hall of famer so you only bring more on yourselves when you say things like this i don't mind it because i believe they have the skill set to back it up but you didn't do it No, absolutely not. I didn't do it because I knew we were better keeping our miles closed, and we knew how good we could be. Well, you were a target anyway with Farv and Aaron. That makes you a target. Houston's never been a target, so it's new territory.

Exactly. Okay, so Lavian Bell of the Jets. Okay, we know his history in Pittsburgh. He's a great player, but just sat out a year. He didn't go to minicamp. Now, explain to the audience. Did you go to minicamps? I did.

did everybody go to mini-camps? They did. Okay, so it's... But it's, again, it's... It's not mandatory. It's not mandatory. Not all of them are mandatory. But here's the thing.

The problem that I have with Levyon Bell not going... By the way, O'Dell missed one, Lavian Bell. I'd prefer to they go, but explain it to me. You prefer that they go anytime you have a new system, new team, new personnel around you. you, it's like, we need you here. If for only the presence alone for the guys in the locker room to see you here, that gives them the kind of that, that level of, okay, this is going to be one of our new leaders. What Levyon bill, the precedent that he's setting, having been off

a year, not being with this organization, it's just not a good look. Again, he has every right. He's not doing anything wrong. There's a lot of things I have a right to do, but doesn't mean I do them. Exactly. And that's where I feel like he's dropping the ball, because even though you may not want to be there, you have to understand the importance of your being there. What is going to carry more weight? You missing or you being there? In my life, I've had the opportunity to flex or have power in my life. I've regretted it virtually every time I've done it. Leveon's got power. He's flexing. I don't think it's a good. look. I don't like O'Dell not being there either. You know, I don't, I don't even think he's

flexing. I just think he's, he's just doing a little too much. I don't think it's flexing. I think his flex was him sitting out all last year. And with that, okay, you made your statement, you got your contract. Now let's go to work. Because what's important for these young guys on this Jets team, specifically the offensive side of the ball, is show me your work. Like, you've been a proven player. We know your resume. We know what you can bring to the table. But what are you like behind the scenes? On Sundays, if you give me 20, 25 plus carries, I can perform. That's what every player the national football believes. If you give them 15 targets a game or you give a quarterback 40 chances to throw, they feel like they will thrive eventually. But how do you work? That shows me who you

really are. And him not being there, those guys not seeing how he works, how he's going to approach work, that's problematic. And what him choosing not to show up is giving the guys opportunity to see how he potentially will approach being here. I have this theory that pro athletes are in a very exclusive club, right? You can be a country star or a hip-hop star. You're a music star. You watch people in your genre, even outside of your genre.

Music's music, entertainment's entertainment. Kanye's watching no matter what genre, he's watching what gender men, women make. right? NFL players watch NBA players. First of all, they see these baseball players get these absurd contracts. Then they watch NBA guys who have leverage. And I think Odell and Levian Bell are the new NFL player, not all but many, which is our sport's way more popular. We don't make as much. We don't get as long a contract. I'm not going to, I'm not going to these many camps because I think pro football players watch the absurd baseball contracts for $430 million and think, none of my friends watch baseball. Everybody watches football.

I think there's a little bit of that going on. Well, I wouldn't say that that's what's going on. When you look at minicamps, again, I was always one of this mentality. If I knew that I was going to have something new being implemented, then I was going to be there. Now, mind you, I was there all the time. That's what I'm saying. You were a smart player who knew the playbook, seven years in Green Bay. You always showed up.

But the reason why I always showed up is because I knew. the importance of my role. It wasn't so much that I needed to be there because I was going to learn something new. Yeah, but you felt I knew my role of leadership. Plus, I also had a quarterback that I knew was

going to be counting on me to be there because he was going to be there, both of them, both Brett Farr as well as Aaron Rogers, they were both going to be there. Whether they took every snap or not, that's beyond the point. But them being there, they understood the importance of

their presence. And that's what Lavian Bill has. I could argue O'Dell and Lavion more than any players in the league should be at their camps. Because it's going to be something new. They're both going to be dealing with new environments, new quarterbacks, new offense of coordinators, of course.

All right. I'm sorry, I didn't. I thought, I didn't know you were here. It's good to have you. You know, I, you know, I just jumped through the screen really quick. You know that, you know how TNT. Kenny Smith does. Just a little... Yeah, I got it. Hour three coming up. Rick Buker around the corner.

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Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Ah, this is the herd, wherever you may be and wherever you may be listening. This is Hour 3. This is live. Los Angeles. Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, right here on FS1. By the way, big announcement yesterday, we weren't on television, the XFL, partnership with this network in ESPN, Fox FS1, XFL is going to work. It's got a billionaire founder. The previous league in the spring, let's just say they did not have a billionaire founder. They ran out of money at $28 million. One of their investors, primary investors may spend some time in the gray bar. our motel. This is the two biggest sports networks, a billionaire founder. Very exciting yesterday. We had Oliver Luck on, the CEO and the commissioner of the XFL. So I said this years ago, I would have invested in the UFC. I would have invested in MLS. And if I could, I'd invest in the XFL. Spring football, I believe, is going to work. Joy Taylor is joining me for our three.

Show is flying by today. It is. Sounds like you're in the wrong business. It should be a investment thing. My son said that once to me. He goes, I want to be an investor. And I said, you have to have money. So why don't you figure out something to make money, then you can invest? I am very interested in the kickoff stuff. They have new kickoff stuff on that. They were talking about yesterday, yeah. Yeah, Sirius XM Channel 83 as well. Rick Buecker stops by one of my favorite guys, now a part of FS1, by the way. Snagged another great person. Rick Buecker on in 15 minutes. Best for last. A fascinating, I have a major disagreement with Shaquille O'Neal. He delivered a pyramid of the best basketball players ever, and I'm going to make a few adjustments to it. But let's

start here. The Rockets and Warriors are now tied. Great series. A lot of fun. Second year in a row at two games apiece. And in these series, I've always felt my job is to be the judge and the fan's job is to be the jury. If you're a Houston fan today, part of that jury, you believe

Houston could have won all four games. Can't believe they didn't. If you're a Golden State fan this morning, you believe we should have won all four games. I'm not a fan of either. So I think I can be totally objective here.

Here's what I saw, and I'd worry if I was Houston. Last night, the officials did allow more physical play. They allowed the rockets to muck it up, as they say. Houston also played much crisper basketball. For Golden State,

Clay Thompson was atrocious. Steph disappeared for two quarters. Andre Iguidala was as bad as he can be. Golden State's bench, not great to begin with, was awful. And yet on the road, Golden State got two great looks to tie the game from their two best shooters. If I'm Golden State this morning, I actually feel great.

It doesn't happen very often in sports. When I go on the road, lose both games, and I'm flying home thinking, we're good here. First of all, game three went to overtime. Biggest game in the last 10 years for the Houston Rockets. Second biggest game. Last year, game 7, the biggest against Golden State. And that game went to overtime. last night, the refs allowed more physical play.

I'm not saying the refs won it, but they allowed the Houston style. As Steve Kerr said after the game, Houston's got middle linebackers. We got volleyball players. The refs allowed bang on KD, be physical. And the refs allowed it. They often do allow that at home. Clay was atrocious. Steph was mostly bad.

Draymond Green had two awful fourth quarter turnovers. The warrior shot 24% on threes. between Clay and Steph, they were five for 20 beyond the arc, and Golden State got great looks to tie that game. How did that game almost go to overtime? How did that game almost go to overtime? Houston was the better team for three and a half hours. Houston was up 10 with four minutes to go.

Remember, Golden State doesn't have to win in Houston. Game five and game seven, those were an Oracle. Last year, Golden State got down in this series, Down three, two. They had to win a road game. They do not have to win a road game. Golden State's good here. Now, are they being pressured?

Yes. Is Steph's dislocated finger a problem? Yeah, he's shooting 12 for 46 on threes. I'd say his dislocated finger is not doing him any favors. That's not an excuse. That's a reason. He's got a dislocated finger. I mean, James Harden does have a red eye, but it's not a dislocated finger.

it is a little concerning that Steph is 12 for 46 on threes. He's just not shooting well. And it's not just that he's missing. He's missing open threes, like lots of them. But I think Draymond Green talked after the game, and I think he speaks for a lot of guys on that flight back to the Bay Area for the Warriors. I think our vibe is just great because everybody's just looking at each other.

Like we know if we just correct the effort things, we're just fine. And so, you know, everybody's spirits up. you know, everyone's feeling good. We know the answer to our problem. And, you know, that's pretty exciting because, you know, that's my department to lead in. And I know I'll lead in that department and bring it. And if I do, I have no doubt that everyone else will follow and will win. This is not a joyless team this morning.

If you can play as bad as Golden State did, I mean, is Clay Thompson ever been that bad? Iggy was awful. The bench was bad. Steph couldn't play for about two quarters. And the referees, this is just part of the NBA. When you're at home, physical teams tend to get a few more calls at home. And this Houston team is built to be physical.

I mean, Tucker's not your typical NBA player. It's a middle linebacker with a jumper. And the refs kind of let them have it. But I would feel great if I'm Golden State today. Let's shift to this. Milwaukee is putting a stranglehold on Boston. But my mantra yesterday was, don't confuse talent with valuable. A lot of times, talent is valuable.

But some people are just talented and don't necessarily play well with others. I'm going to give you three stats in the NBA. And these are not just let these soak in. Number one, when KD scores over 40, the warriors are six and seven. So the best basketball team in the planet isn't just average. They're well below their level of excellence when KD has his best nights. It doesn't work that way when Steph has his best nights.

They're like 12 and 3. Let that soak in for a second. Don't let it just fly past you. The Warriors are bad when KD's at his greatest. Here's a second one. The Raptors were. 17 and 5 without Kauai Leonard. Excuse me?

No, their winning percentage is significantly higher when Kauai didn't play this year. Don't make excuses no matter how much you like him. Let it soak in. Number three, the Boston Celtics, their points per game, their field goal percentage, their winning percentage, all goes up when Kairi Irving doesn't play. Let all three of those soak in. Folks, sometimes people are so gifted, this was often the problem with Kobe,

that you reduce the other excellent pieces around you. Boston has one player, one A player, Kyrie Irving. He is an A. And then they got a bunch of B guys. Gordon Hayward's a B. Jason Tatum's a B to a B minus to a B plus, depending on the night. Al Horford's a B, B minus.

They are reduced to Cs on many nights with Kyrie Irving. Boston's absolutely worse with Kyrie. Their efficiency stats drop. They're 12 and 3 when he doesn't play. They shoot worse without him on the floor. The assist numbers go down through the floor. It's hard to get your brain wrapped around this. But there are two types of superstars in the NBA.

The first type of superstar in the NBA is get a bucket guy. Kevin Durant's the best in the world. Michael Jordan was the best ever. Kobe was the best ever west of Chicago. Kyrie Irving's a top five. Kauai Leonard may be number two in the NBA. Get a bucket guys. Alpha's.

And we love them. We yell at LeBron when he doesn't take the last shot. The second type of superstar is a playmaker. On his best nights, the team also flourishes. LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Steph Curry, the Joker in Denver, CP3. But in America, we tend to like get a bucket. But remember in school on your report card? There was always that doesn't play well with others.

I've said this before. Kauai Leonard's amazing. So is Kevin Durant, but they don't always play well with others. Toronto was 17 and 5 without him. The Spurs won a bunch of games when he didn't play. Remember those numbers? You do, we talked about it for years. And Kevin Durant, by the way, there's six and seven when he goes off.

Kawhi Leonard has the ball in his hands constantly. He averages three assists a game. His usage rate is among highest in the league. And he averages three assists. I'm not even playing and I'm only three behind him. So this Celtic loss, it's on Kyrie. He's a get a bucket guy. Brad Stevens, it should be noted, is not a get a bucket coach.

This roster is filled with guys who often need each other to play their best basketball. and Kyrie just needs a ball and it doesn't work and I thought it would and I thought it would get better and I'm wrong and it didn't and it hasn't and Shaq and the fellas talked about this after the loss last night to Milwaukee, the better team. You can't complain about not being a man

as to be the man now that you are the man you got to step up. This is the time you got to step up. I don't want to hit no skewer, I don't want to hit none of it. If you shoot 22 times, you better hit more than seven shots in the playoffs. I don't want to share the limelight with LeBron. I want my own team. Now, this is the price you pay. That's the way it works.

People never say, man, Mark West didn't win the championship. They never said Sabalos didn't win the championship. But I love both of those guys. They said, Charles Barkler didn't win the championship. That's the way it is. And that's what Kyrie. He says, I want to be my own man. And now you're your own man who's going on vacation Thursday morning.

Yeah, I mean, again, KD's the best basketball player right now in the world, but he's a get-a-bucket guy. On his best nights, the Warriors have a losing record. Kauai Leonard's the second-best get-a-bucket guy in the world. He's a very good two-way player. But the Spurs and the Raptors have won a lot of games without him. How many games does Denver win without Jokic?

I'm not sure they're a playoff team. In fact, I'm pretty sure they're not. And Kyrie Irving, he's an A. He's a get-a-bucket guy. But he turns all those B-B-B-plus. B, B minuses around him into seas. They just stand around and observe him. This is on him.

Milwaukee's better. They play better defense. Yannis is playing out of this world. They actually have a bench that can score. But you want to be the man. This is what the man looks like. Rick Buecker coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd.

Weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Don't skip meals. Drink soilent. Complete meal in a bottle. Plant protein. go to Soylent.com, put in the code, heard 20, 20% off your first case. Rick Buecker is joining us. Senior Writer Bleacher Report now at FS1, covered the NBA since 1992.

Let's start with the Celtics. If you look at some efficiency ratings, I believe in analytics as much as analytics, but there are data and numbers and usage rates I look at. Can you make the argument? Boston and Kyrie are a bad fit. Brad Stevens and Kyrie a bad fit, and they're better without him. I could say Kyrie and Brad Stevens, as long as you're going there. Kyrie alone, no. But I don't like the way that he's played. He hasn't played at a

genius level. George Hill played more like a genius in the last game than Kyrie Irving did. But I'm going to put all of this, I'm going to put far more of this on Brad Stevens than I am Kyrie Irving. Okay, that's new. Because I've said from the beginning of the year that this is the best team. On paper, this is the best team. And I think you've agreed with you. Yeah, no, it's got four real good players and a decent bench. This is where I would. I, was wrong and therefore you were wrong. Yep. They are the best collection of talent. Right.

They are not a team. That's why I keep saying about the Cleveland Browns. There's a difference between getting a bunch of good players and being a good team. And I'm wrong on this. Like I look at their roster and their coach and I'm like, of course it'll work. Yep. It doesn't. Well, and maybe we have to revisit. Now, is Brad Stevens

a good coach? No question about it. As I watched the game, he's calling timeouts in all the right moments, but they're coming out of the timeouts and they're not fixing the problem. And there's a great distinction between being able to coach. We talk about players being set up guys or closers. Coaches are in the same way. You have guys who can build a program who can make decent players really good and overachievers. But coaching talent is a whole thing in and of itself. Yes. And he has talent. He has the requisite talent, and he's not making

the most of it. And Butler wouldn't have prepared him for that. And honestly, if you look at the last five seasons with the Celtics, would not have prepared him for this. You have to be more psychologist than X's and O's guys to make this happen. This is what Joe Tori did when he joined the Yankees. Joe Tori had a losing record. But Joe Tori, if you're around him, there's a certain tough, like he's a tough stepdad. You'd never cross him. He's real alpha. And then you got them all those big egos and Clemens and Arod and Jeter. And they never wanted to disappoint Joe.

Yeah. Wasn't about his schematics. Joe knew how to deal with high maintenance men. I'm dating myself a little bit, but because ESPN the magazine went away, I went back to look at the first feature story I did, which was Larry Bird's second year as coach, and it was the lockout. And those guys all went into, they held their own training camp out of fear of disappointment. Larry Bird, the Larry Bird. They were running gassers by themselves in the gym alone.

And I went out and I saw it. And so Rick Carlisle and Dick Harder were the X's and O's guys. But Larry Bird was the guy that drove that team to the finals because they didn't want to disappoint Larry. Brad doesn't seem to have that same presence. And I know there's probably people out there, they're saying, well, hold on, Buecker. They went to the conference finals last year. They went to the conference finals the year before. Are you telling me that Brad Stevens is not a great coach or he can't coach talent? Let's break that down a little bit. Last year, no Kyrie, no Gordon Hayward.

You had a bunch of young guys that were motivated to play. It was like a great college team. Absolutely. It was like Butler. We're the unexpected. Nobody expects anything out of us. We're going to shock you. And everybody, by the way, Al Horford's also incredibly coachable.

Everybody in that room listened. Two years ago, 2016-17, they end up going to the finals before they lose, the conference finals before they lose the Cavaliers. They nearly got knocked out in the first round by the eighth-seated bulls and would have if Rajan Rondo doesn't get hurt. They get taken to seven games by the Washington Wizards. We need to revisit the history here

and take a look at what Brad Stevens has done with the Celtics through a different prism. There are guys that can make a decent team good, very good. but when you're expected to be great, there's only a handful of guys who've done that. And I feel as if we've already put Brad in that circle, maybe we need to think that over. All right,

you're somebody that lives in the Bay has a very close relationship with the Warriors, among other teams, but I would say, you know, it's like our buddy Albert Breer lives in New England. He knows everybody, but really the Patriots, okay? You're tied into the Warriors. Should they be concerned this morning?

Yes, they should be. because Steve Kerr played the card that was meant to make this a short series. He started his Hampton 5 death lineup, whatever you want to call. Small lineup. Small lineup. They all played, they played, Steph Curry played 43 minutes. You can't turn back now. It took you, it took that lineup in order to make the game competitive, and yet you still lost.

If the Houston Rockets look at that game last night and say, you know what, we just changed the way we played the last couple of minutes. We were dominating, and it's not the offensive end. Everyone wants to talk about Steph's numbers and KD's shots. It's defensively. They were able to attack multiple guys. For the first time, I saw them attacking Draymond Green. They've been attacking Steph Curry all series long.

The only guy they didn't attack, quite honestly, was Kevin Durant, which is kudos to him and his stature rising at that end of the floor. Now, the Warriors do have home court advantage. They do have KD. And Steph's dislocated finger. Clay was atrocious. I walk out of there and I think Iggy was bad. Our bench was awful.

We almost went to overtime. Here's the problem with that thinking. That's been the thinking all year long. We're okay. We know what we can do. And yes, they do. The Rockets, to me, the last couple minutes, it looked like Champions Pride versus wannabe's nervousness. The Rockets were suddenly, oh, ho.

They were up by 10 with four minutes to go. Yes. Game should have been over. Games should have never come close. And yet, now they start, now they got tentative. They're not attacking the rim anymore. That was there for them all game long. It was still there for them at the end.

They suddenly were taking threes. They reminded me a game seven last year. It was the same deal. So there is that element. But if the Rockets look at what they did the first 46, the Warriors could not get stops when they needed them. I don't look at the last two minutes and say that the Warriors caused that. I believe the Rockets did that to themselves. By the way, there's a story this morning that Clay Thompson not offered the Max would go to the Clippers over the Lakers,

which is a problem for the Lakers because now Paul George, DeMarge Rosen, Monty Williams, everybody's choosing. They have the Lakers out there as an option and they're not interested. Yeah. But let's keep it to the bay. Kevin Durant leaves. I say, all right, you got your trophies, you got your titles. I get Clay, Steph, and Draymond going forward. I'm top two or three in the West.

Would it be terrible? I mean, a Facebook page would still have Kevin Durant smiling trophies parades. If you want to still sell the team for what you have, I mean, basically it's this. You don't have any other options. You need to keep Clay Thompson. Right. You need to keep the guys that are beloved in the Bay Area. It's as much of marketing as it is anything else.

But if you think that no Kevin Durant and the Warriors are going to return to the same championship form that they had before KD showed up, you are sadly mistaken. This is not the same team. There is no Andre Iguidala coming in still in form. Yeah, KD and Iggy are kind of done because Iggy is getting real close to the end. When this started before KD, you had a second five coming off the bench. that people said was a starting five for some teams. You don't have anything close to that.

Now you're in the mode of, we have to start Andre Aguadala, otherwise we're in trouble. Who are we going to? As soon as they put Kavanaugh-Lunay and Jordan Bell on the floor, the rockets were scoring in three seconds at the end of the first half. And they have not added a notable young player in the last four years. What this is not, KD leaves. championship, the dynasty is over.

You need to reset. You will still be a fun team. You'll still be a competitive team. Your players play the way you're supposed to going forward. All of that, it'll be an entertaining style. You're going to love Steph. You're going to love everything about them. But if your love is connected to winning championships,

and by the way, going into a new arena with those prices, with the expectations, see, I don't think the fans that I've seen, around the Bay Area. The new Warriors fans. Yeah, they're different than old Warrior fans. They are very much different in the atmosphere right there. That's why, as much as they have the home court advantage,

and I believe the Warriors will win this series. It's kind of quiet these days. When it used to be, Warrior fans were the scorpions of the NBA. You couldn't kill them. They were terrible for 30 years. They were still there. Now those guys have hedge fund meetings. They'll miss half the games.

You go into that arena for the, playoffs and I felt it this year. I felt it somewhat last year already. 30, 40 minutes, as soon as the doors open, there was an electricity in the building. You didn't need sound effects or any of that. The crowd was like, yes, let's go. Now it's like, okay, what? We're down by seven. What's going on here? And they're not, they're not booing. They're not that kind of a crowd, but it lacks the energy that made that place special. Listen, the richer a crowd gets, the worse it gets. Yankee Stadium, the new Yankee Stadium's got hedge fund guys.

It's not as loud as the old Yankee Stadium. No, 100%. I worked in Oregon. Otson Stadium was a zoo because, you know, it was just all southern Oregon. Everybody was socially lubricated. And then they charged a bunch more for seats. And now it was doctors and lawyers from Portland. Yeah.

Still loud. It's not as loud as it used to be. And I've seen it. Look, the United Center was the same way with the Bulls. Oh, what? The exact same thing. happen. There was an energy and then there was an expectation. And once there was an expectation

and now you're charging everybody through the roof, you do. You get a different crowd. You get a corporate crowd. Exactly. And they're not going to get as drunk and crazy and fun and... It makes me laugh every year. If you go to an exhibition game or you go to an open practice, the crowd

is livelier than some regular season games. Because it's people who never get to see a game. So they're geeked up. And that's what, when the Warriors started this run. Place was a, they weren't used to playoff games. We're in a playoff, we're in a second round.

We're in the finals. Like, it blew people's mind. Now it's like, yeah, I don't know. Fifth game five, second round. I think I'm going to wait until the conference finals. Because if I'm going to pay a grand, you know, to take the family, I want to get my money's worth. No, I totally get it.

Rick Buecker. Good seeing you, bud. Good to see you. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the her. line news.

So Monty Williams decided to take the head coaching job with the Phoenix Sun. Yes, he did. Ty Lou has emerged as a frontrunner to take the Lakers gig. We're basically kind of just waiting on that announcement at this point. And according to Frank Isola, LeBron and Ty Lou are already thinking beyond that hire. The reports of Lou wanting to add his former colleague in Boston, Tom Thibodeau, to his coaching staff are true, according to Frank Isola. LeBron, through his intermediaries, has let it be known that Thibodeau would be a huge

asset to have on the bench. LeBron's close associates were gauging Tibodeau's interest in becoming a top assistant two weeks ago. It is in the best interest of the Lakers to listen to LeBron and it is in LeBron's best interest to make sure his voice is heard. I think this is kind of odd pairing when you consider their personalities and their style of coaching. But it could be a little bit of good cop, bad cop. Tailu is more of the players coach. Tibodeau is known to run guys 15 hour days. So, you know, there's maybe they're searching for a little balance there. And Tailu's trying to get, like you said earlier, get a compliment to himself.

I think most good coaches. It's similar to him. Yeah, I remember talking to Lane Kippen, the football coach, one time about how to build a staff. And I remember he said this. He goes, I want three guys that are antisocial. They're like, sit in a room and watch tape all day. Then I need four guys who love recruiting but get annoyed with sitting in a room. He goes, you're just constantly building a balance of social animals.

guys are like salesmen, give you juice. And then guys, I can be like, can you just watch film for 13 straight days? He goes, you don't want to duplicate the same guy 16 times on a staff. Basically, you want diversity. Yeah. And that's important for balance. Older, younger. Right.

You want people from all kinds of different places. I do think this would be a strong addition to that coaching staff. It'll be interesting to see how he assembles it because it is going to have a lot of input from LeBron James. And the pushback on, you know, having input from LeBron James at this point, I feel like it's a bit of wasted air. LeBron is going to have input on what goes on with the organization, as he should at this point, because you sign him to a four-year deal and you want that term to be successful. So you need to put people around him who help him get to that space. So Clint Capella played 21 minutes last night.

The Rockets have been playing significant minutes without a center. The Rockets are going small. So PJ Tucker is the tallest of the group at 6'5. and Tucker Hardin, Chris Paul, and Eric Gordon are kind of all the same build. And the Warriors have had some issues moving those players around the court and haven't been able to take advantage of the lack of rim protection. And here's what Steve Kerr had to say about it. They got a lot of middle linebackers on that team.

They're sturdy. And, you know, we look more like volleyball players long and lean. We've done this many times before. And we've played all kinds of different teams. And everybody tries to be physical. with us because they should. That's the best way to try to beat us. And so Houston's very physical. They're very good. But I'll go back to it again. We know what we have to do. By the way, we said this earlier with Doug Gottlieb. The rockets are the Detroit Pistons with Isaiah Thomas and James Harden,

a great star, closer, and then let's get physical to knock Michael Jordan out. Let's get physical to knock Larry Bird out. The way for a less skilled team to beat the more skilled champions has always been, let's get ugly. And it works. They're the refs last night, let them a little more physical. P.J. Tucker's a nightmare. He's really tough on them. And that's

why I thought it was strange at the beginning of this series. All we were talking about is the refs and them complaining about the refs. It's like you don't want them to call everything because you should be the ones who are being physical and making it difficult on the Warriors and not allowing them to move you around. You're not going to

out-finess them or out-shoot them, even though they are having some shooting struggles, oddly, this series. So do what has worked in the past. Be physical. And they're, don't confuse, you know, weight, muscles and all that with strength. That's a very strong team. And they're imposing their will right now. And finally, the Browns and the Patriots are not very often compared.

Rarely. For good reason. The Patriots have won six Super Bowl since 1999. The Browns have made the playoffs. once, but O'Dell Beckham Jr. made a bold prediction at the Met Gala last night about Baker Mayfield and the Brown's future. He said, I would say he's next, but I feel like he's now. He's Brett Farb. He's going to be a Hall of Famer. I plan on being there for the next five years and trying to bring as many championships there as possible, turning the Browns into the new Patriots.

Patriots, 18-winning seasons. Browns 11 straight losing seasons. Last 18 years, Patriots one coach, Brown's nine. I don't see the similarities. That's just me. But I'm a hate that. Remember, I'm anti-Cleville. Well, I don't think that O'Dell is saying that they are. He's trying to make them into it. Okay. We've been talking about the expectations of the Browns for the past couple days.

My thing is this. I think that the Browns right now are in a very unique position where they have an incredible collection of talent. Talent, yes. They have a clean slate with the coach. They have the quarterback of the future. Yeah.

And they have major expectations because of the talent. For the first time in a long time. Very long time. So take this moment, as Freddie Kitchen said yesterday, to establish a culture, don't skip the process. The reason that the Patriots are the way that they are, the reason the Spurs are the way that they are,

the reason that Golden State is the way that they are, is because they have a culture. They have a system. Not just players. Everyone buys into the culture. So what is the culture of the balance? Is it chip on the shoulder? Eventually that runs out because eventually you're so good.

You can't do the underdog thing anymore. By the way, when the Patriots were establishing their culture, did their best player skip OTAs? Because O'Dell Beckham just skipped OTAs? I don't get crazy about the OTAs. You know, I understand. It's a new system. You want to learn.

I'm not super concerned about that. They're voluntary workouts. But I do think that instead of talking about, you know, Super Bowls, multiple Super Bowls, you know, when you haven't been to the playoffs as long as they have and, you know, all these grand projections, talk about what it is you're going to do to create that culture. What is, and not you, everyone. Yeah. Because that's what the Browns don't have.

enjoy with the news well that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news one of the things i believe uh i have a certain responsibility as a host to not just talk about what happened that's about 50% of the show but i also think to be more captivating i talk about what i think is going to happen it's very easy for me to come in every day and just talk about that happened i do think uh it adds a layer of uh interesting to talk about what i think's going to happen now when i make predictions on what I think is going to happen, my accuracy, you know, you're wrong more. But I'm not a fence sitter.

I'm not a safe take guy. I have strong opinions. Don't care where they land. A year ago, I said something, and it was seen as crazy. But a year ago, a little less than a year ago, about nine, ten months ago, I said LeBron should retire for a year. And I said, after Cleveland, I said, Cleveland's not good enough to win. It's now digging his legacy.

He's played in eight straight finals. The guy needs the rest. LeBron should just say, I'm going to. retire and watch let everything filter its way out. See if Houston can beat Golden State. The KD. was leaving rumors were there. Kairie, rest your body. Give yourself time off. We never held it against Michael Jordan when he retired. We've never held that against him. He retired for two years and retired again and we still love him. I thought LeBron should have just said, I'm going to shut it down for a year and said, I'm exhausted. And there was no real

perfect place to go. The Lakers players were too young. The Sixers, he and Simmons have the same style. Chris Paul had been getting hurt with Houston. Let's see if he can stay healthy. Is Milwaukee good enough? Boston didn't really need him or have a space for him. Doesn't that this morning look like the reasonable thing to do? Because another story came out where Clay Thompson, if he left the Warriors, would be interested in going to the Clippers, not the Lakers. Add that to Paul George, Monty Williams, Demar DeRosen. Okay, Kevin Durand, according to reports, Kauai Leonard would choose the clippers over the Lakers.

I'm just going to ask you, when the Lakers, not if, but when they don't get Anthony Davis, because they don't have the pieces for them, when they don't get Katie, Clay, Kauai, Kyrie. What's LeBron left with? I think they're down. I said this two weeks ago. To a Hail Mary for Jimmy Butler.

That's what I think they are. And I don't think, ever want to be in a Hail Mary situation in a football game? I think it's a Hail Mary for Jimmy Butler. And I keep asking the question. You think it's a crazy take. A year ago, if LeBron just said, I'm going to shut it down and give my body rest. And this morning he wakes up, looks at the playoffs, and says, all right.

Elton Brand tried to trade Ben Simmons two months ago, three months ago. I could go to Philly with M.B., Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and me. Kevin Durant leaves the Warriors, I could fit in there. I mean, all I know is I heard the shop last week, this last weekend, this sounded like an angry LeBron James. You heard it. My right hand comes to me and say, Matt, magic just stepped down.

I'm like, man, get a bit out my face. You b***-ha. I go check my phone. I look at it. It happened. Personally, for me, I came here to be a part of the Lakers organization. having a conversation with magic. So it was just weird for him to just be like, I'm out of here.

And not even have no like, hey, Bron, kiss my I'm gone. It's not, it wasn't even next. It's just funny. What if they don't land Jimmy Butler, their Hail Mary? Hail Mary's about 8% work, maybe six. LeBron's going to go into next season with Lanzo can't stay healthy, C. Plus, Brandon Ingram, I'm still waiting.

New head coach. It's really, I really think this organization is in much dire straits than people think. I don't know how they get Anthony Davis in a trade. I don't know. They don't have the pieces. And by the way, Boston, if they lose to Milwaukee and Janus, you know what Boston's thinking this morning.

Okay. If we got to face Janus for the next eight years, we got to get some equalizer, and that equalizer's Anthony Davis, and Boston's got a lot more pieces. Jason Tatum, Gordon Hayward, draft picks. I mean, I'm overreacting, but when Clay Thompson now would choose the clippers, I mean, it's dad played for the Lakers, broadcast for the Lakers. Coming up and best for last, major disagreement with Shaq's all-time player pyramid.

That's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 1-800 Flowers.com, code heard to get 24 multicolored roses plus a free vase for only 2999. Mother's Day is coming up Sunday. Okay, so in our best for last today, I want to thank Doug Gottlieb, Chris Broussard, Greg Jennings, Rick Bucher all stopping by the show today. So in Best for Last Joy, a Shaq posted an NBA all-time pyramid on his Instagram last night. The pyramid came from the Balders Tribune. It had five tiers of players.

There it is. So Tier 1 was LeBron and MJ. Tier 2 was Akeem, Kobe, Shaq, Magic. Wilt. Tier 3 was Dirk, Duncan, Dr. J, Moses Malone, Bill Russell, Bird, Kareem. Tier 4 looks like Carl Malone, Kevin Garnett, Isaiah, D. Wade, David Robinson, Oscar, Steph. That's Sir Charles, Jerry West. Tier 5 was John Stockton. Is that Walt Frazier, John Havilechek, or that's Moses Malone, Alvin Hayes, Scottie Pippen, Alan Iverson, Vince Carter, and Steve Nash. I think I'm pretty much right there. All right. So I'm going to make, can I, I'm going to make some, I mostly agree with

Shaq. Okay. Okay. Mostly, who's the guy in the middle of tier three? Did I misidentify somebody? It goes, Dirk, Duncan, Dr. Jay. Oh, oh, oh, that's Kevin Durant, my bad. I can't, that's, okay. Kevin Durant, Russell, Bird, and Corrine. Okay. So I'm going to do some shifting. First thing I'm going to do, I'm putting magic in tier one. I think he's the greatest. I think he's the team basketball player I've ever seen. So my tier one is LeBron, Magic, and Michael. Because I think Magic got the nine finals, won five, could have won eight, if not for, you know, another dynasty in Boston with Larry Bird and Kevin McAil. By the way, Michael Jordan, never forget this. Couldn't get through Detroit because they were a dynasty. When he did,

he started winning and beating Western teams that weren't dynasties. So I'd go, Braun, MJ, Magic. Okay, now I'm going to move two guys into Tier 2. I'm going to take Larry Bird and Kareem and move them into Tier, move over there, Wilt. And, okay, so now my Tier 2 is Akeem, Kobe, Shaq, Wilt, Bird, and Kareem. Yeah. Now, in Tier 3, I'm really close to move in Oscar and Chene.

Charles into tier three. And we do have two openings. But let me sleep on it. I'm not, did Charles care about the defensive end? And I never saw Oscar Robertson play. And if I didn't see you play, then you didn't exist.

Okay, so let's go to tier four. Do I have the right joy to add somebody not on this pyramid? Of course. You can literally do whatever you want because this is not a court of law. We're just having fun. All right. analytically,

James Hardin is one of the best players in the backboard in history. Tier 4, I'm going to throw in James Harden. I'm actually surprised you're not moving step up to Tier 3.

Again, I have the right to sleep on it. Okay. All right, no pressure. A little fragile physically. Okay, so now I've moved Magic into 1, Burden Karim into 2. I do have rental

space in Tier 3. I'm going to sleep on. and I've added James Hardin. By the way, James Hardin is now with Steph, with Oscar, with Charles. Tier 4, I'm not saying everybody in Tier 4 is equal. Charles' career is better than Hardin. Charles would be a high-end Tier 4. High-end Tier 4.

He'd be, but Tim Duncan would be the highest Tier 3 guy. So now we go to Tier 5. And again, this is Stockton and Walt, and Havlchek and Moses and Elvin Hayes. He was underrated. Pippen, Iverson, Vince Carter, and Steve Nash. I'm going to add one more person. Okay.

He wasn't always well liked. But he was Larry Bird before Larry Bird, Rick Berry. Interesting. Okay. So that's my pyramid. And we do have rental space available in in Tier 3. I think

I may move Oscar and Charles into Tier 3. And let me sleep on it. I had a lot of fun with that. It's very discussable, yes. I think Hardin and Rick Berry should be in my pyramid. Joy and I are back tomorrow, the herd. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind,

and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. and we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear.

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