May 8, 2024 • 40 mins
Colin points out Luka Doncic's ball-dominant style is not sustainable for an extended playoff run
He questions Jayson Tatum as a true Alpha for the Celtics as they continue to win in the postseason but Tatum remains their 3rd leading scorer
Jalen Brunson's hard work is paying off
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find
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dot com, or stream us live every day on the
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Boy, do we have a lot to talk about, a
lot of things going on in LA. It's the Herd.
Wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thanks for making us part of your day. I had
a late night last night. I'm gonna try to get
through today's show. J Mac little cigar hangover whatever, nobody cares.
Nobody cares a cigar hangover. Hey, listen, the audience just
(00:48):
wants performance. They just want me to go up here
and talk.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Are you as banged up as Luca right now? This
will be my flu game, my cigar flue game. This
is myj flugame. All right, Well, I start with this.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
You know I've said before I think Lucas Great's gonna
end up one of the top five scores in league history.
But I don't see him as a face of the
league guy, and I don't see him as a guy
holding trophy after trophy after trophy. He may be like
Dirk go get one, but again, number one usage rate
player in the league, what does that mean. He's got
the ball in his hands more than any player of
the league. And once again, like a James Harden, you
(01:25):
get to the postseason when you're the number one usage
rate guy, you're hobbled and you run out of gas.
Look at his three point shooting. He's lost his legs.
Jannis number two usage rate guy, got hurt SGA number
three usage rate guy. His numbers are down from the
regular season. These usage rate guys that always have the
(01:45):
ball in their hands. It can work for short runs,
like Jalen Brunson's doing it now in the playoffs, but
eighty two games you get worn down. All those minutes,
all that dominance, all those possessions, And again Lucas three
point shooting, he's got into the tank. He's actually now
playing defense as well, so he's hobbled. He comes in
(02:07):
banged up, worn down, hobbled. Jason Kidds playing him through
all this and he's not the same player. So it's
one of the things about maybe life. In basketball, pick
your spots. You know, NFL you got one game a week.
If you're an offensive player, you got fifty five plays sam.
In hockey you're on the line, it's forty five seconds.
You play mad, crazy, intense. But in basketball you got
(02:29):
pick your spots. Lebron's thirty nine. He picks his spots.
He takes enough games off, he picks his spot. He
didn't take a ton of games off, didn't want to
play back to backs, picks his spots in games. He's
thirty nine. In still robust, James Harden usedage eight guy,
Late Night Guy thirty four and looks old. MJ was
great at picking his spots. And I think this is
(02:50):
what's going to happen to Dallas. Is that a Luca
when he always has the ball in his hands, it's
gonna be hard to play with. Now you could say, well,
Kyrie Collin, this thing's working now half the season. Yeah,
would you be surprised if it blew up tomorrow, or
blew up next week or blew up at the trade deadline.
The Kyrie moves a desperation move to get somebody that
(03:10):
could play with him after they gave Jalen Brunson away
and he became a star in New York. This is
not an anti Luca thing. It's a when you get
these players. The James Harden the Lucas are two that
jump out to me. Jannis always had ball, dominant ball,
fens asking the lot. Now they're asking Luca to play defense.
He's worn down, he has lost his legs. Now, Lucas
(03:33):
always going to be able to score. He can go
out tomorrow in the next game and score forty five points.
But this is what I always felt Luca was. He
was going to end up a top five NBA scorer,
but his career would look more like Harden, better than Harden,
but more like Harden than it would MJ And so again,
the Kyrie move works now, but nobody in the league
wanted him except the Mavericks. And never never forget this.
(03:56):
In the NFL, four of the last six teams where
the quarterback led the league in passing in a passing
league either didn't make the playoffs or didn't win a
single playoff game. Just like the NBA, it's about scoring,
it's about having a star. Yes, Lucas scores that he's
a star, but there's a way to do it. There
(04:19):
is balance, and the Mavericks feel lobsided. Luca his teams
are lobsided. You have to get defensive players before this
year to protect his defensive liabilities. Now he is playing defense,
but because of his usage rate and playing defense and
the minutes, he's a broken down player. He's still great,
but he doesn't quite look the same. So again, those
NFL teams four of the last six where the quarterbacks
(04:43):
led the league in passing, they don't make the playoffs,
or if they do, they don't want a game. So
it's the construction of the team you follow. Everybody talks,
you know, lazy media people, MVP talk, MVP tech. Nobody
cares about that, win the games. Nobody cares about MVP stuff.
I mean in the NBA, the MVP is your favorite store.
Westbrook wins it, EMBIID wins it. Yeah, it feels like
(05:04):
the right thing to do. Nobody wants Jokics to win
it three or four five times in a row because
his game's kind of ugly whatever it is. I feel like,
you know, this is semi predictable with Luca big score.
I usedag Drake when they ask him now to play
real defense, you're just asking too much of a guy.
He's broken down, legs are kind of shot again. He
(05:26):
could drop thirty in the next playoff game, but he
doesn't quite feel the same. He looks a little ghast.
And here's Luca on his poor shooting night.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
When you look at your shooting night, you know what
went into that. Who cares?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
We lost?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Man, I just got to move on to the next one.
Gotta be better. We got to be better, and just
I mean know, we know for Game one struggling, but
we got to focus. They're great team, great defensive team,
great defensive team. So he's not gonna be easy at all.
We got to play very good basketball and focus basketball
for three minutes.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Opposite star player in this league of Lucas Jason Tatum,
who I do think will end up winning titles, which
I would prefer over just a guy who scores a
bunch of points. But sometimes you wish Jason Tatum was
more aggressive, took the game over more often. So he
(06:20):
was only the third leading scorer for the Celtics last night,
and he's only the third leading scorer for the Celtics
in the playoffs, despite the fact that he's their best player.
So I would prefer prefer unselfish players. First of all,
they're easier to play with. All Jason Tatum teams tend
to be good and have good chemistry, so that's not
(06:42):
the case with Luca. He couldn't get along with Brunson.
The Kyrie thing works now but could blow up. So
I prefer the Tatum version of this NBA star. He
just plays well with everybody I wish sometimes though, the
only question is there is with Tatum, I feel like,
you know he's sleep walking through Miami. He's kind of
sleep walking through Cleveland. And when he has to go
(07:05):
toe to toe with an Ant or a Luca or
an Sga or a Jalen Brunson, that could happen very soon.
Can he give me a forty four point night if
Jalen Brunson is or if Jalen Brown is off and
Porzingis doesn't play, and I need Tatum against the Knicks.
I need him to score forty six points? Can he
give me that? Can he flip the switch? He may
be able to do that, but it's interesting to watch Luca,
(07:27):
who I think has a very predictable postseason. Again, now
when you finally ask him to play defense, and he does.
With his usage rate, it's just too much. He feels
these guys are human beings, right, You got to pick
your spots with it. Tatum, I actually prefer that kind
of star, but it leaves me feeling like, I'm I
(07:47):
want more eighteen points, third leading scorer in the playoffs.
Can you give me a little next level? And can
he flip that when he faces maybe an Ant or
when he faces a Yo Kitchen or whoever probably won't
be Jokic. Can he do that? So it's interesting because
Tatum had this relationship with Kobe Bryant, and Kobe Bryant
(08:08):
could be a very selfish player, but Kobe Bryant knew
when to be unselfish. That's why he ended up with
five rings. He knew there were time to get it
to Shack. Kobe knew there were times take the foot
off the pedal, get it to Gasol. Kobe love playing
with bigs and so with Tatum. I'm really interested to
see how this ends. They're gonna win the East. The
Knicks will probably push them five or six. I think
they're going to win the East. They should win the East,
(08:30):
and Tatum is easy to play with but it's interesting
to watch Luca with a high usage rate being broken
down and with Tatum, I get no holes in his game.
Before this year, Luca had a lot of holes, mostly defense.
With Tatum, he's a good defender, he's a good teammate,
can hit a jumper, can drive score at the rim,
can hit a three. Not a lot of holes in
his game. Again, I just feel like sometimes grab it now,
(08:54):
you say, Colin, there's not the perfect player, That's right.
I mean, Tatum is graceful, He's got a fine game.
It's very complete. But it's interesting to watch last night
the heavy ball usage rate. Guy that you got to
cover four on defense historically, who is harder to play with,
looks gassed. Tatum. You wish he was a bit more selfish,
say what you want, but it's like he's conserving energy.
(09:18):
Which one's gonna end better? My guess is the Tatum.
So am I being overly critical of Jason Tatum for
wanting him to be more and maybe he won't have
to be. But I do feel like there'll be a
moment in that Knick series because they play such great
defense that Jalen Brown will be held in check. He'll
be off Porzingis may not be healthy. And that's why
a potential Celtics Knicks series is so interesting to me,
(09:40):
because I think you're gonna need a forty six point
game from him, maybe on the road in New York,
and I'm not sure. I want to see if he
can flip that switch. Here's Tatum on the win last.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Night, not counting your defense.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
Seven of nineteen shooting and you still put up one
twenty even if you might be not your best offensively,
that you've got guys behind you that can step up
and have big games.
Speaker 6 (10:01):
Really just what I've been saying all year. We got
a really really talented team.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Shows the depth of.
Speaker 6 (10:07):
Our team and you know how we can win games
in a lot of different ways. Just presents another challenge
of you know, what else can you do to impact
the game in a positive way.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Now it is when I'm watching Jason Tatum j Max,
I really feel like this. I feel like he knows
I can conserve energy against Miami, I can conserve energy
against Cleveland. So it may be a very smart play
on his point, but having your best player as your
third leading scorer as you go into your second series
is different in the history of the league. That's just
(10:43):
not the way it usually works. And my take is
he's kind of just sitting back and waiting for the moment.
And that's why I think the New York Boston series
could be great. I would prefer the Tatum star over
the lucastar, easier to play with, always going to have
better chemistry, not a lobsided team. You have to protect
him on the defensive end. But it's but I still
(11:03):
do feel with Tatum sometimes I need forty six tonight,
and I think against the name, I don't think he's
gonna need that against Cleveland. They're gonna fly through Cleveland.
But the Knicks series, potentially if they beat Indiana, I think,
you know, we kind of think maybe they will. I
don't know if you do, but that's one one that
we're to me is the best potential playoff series left,
including the finals, will be that Knicks series that will
(11:27):
force Tatum to do it.
Speaker 7 (11:28):
Bronson, Yeah, it feels like the Knicks, the way they
play defense, their style will give the Celtics some problems
and that's gonna have to be Tatum to take over.
By the way, have you noticed remember early in the
NBA season, the scoring was like laughable. Guys were scoring
one hundred and fifty two and people were like, this
is out of control.
Speaker 8 (11:44):
Sometime after the All Star breaks some numbers came out.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Then yes, yes, scoring is.
Speaker 7 (11:48):
Way down and the rest are swallowing their whistles. And
who are the physical teams that are benefiting from this.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
In the postseason?
Speaker 7 (11:54):
Minnesota, Minnesota, okasee last night with the doors or chamber,
New York Knicks. We're seeing a change. Quietly, who can
handle this physical play with the rest?
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Aer Hey, well let them play. No, this is a
great observation by you. So the NBA All Star Game
has become embarrassing. And so the NBA was watching the scoring.
And I'll give Adam Silver credit on this. Baseball can
never make a move. Adam Silver and Roger Goodell to
both of their credit, watch the games, see an issue
(12:24):
and tweak it in season, as if a commissioner can't
do that. There was pushback, Well, it seems like you've
made a change. Anybody here own a business. What do
I have to wait till the end of the calendar
year to make a change. That's idiotic. Adam Silver looked
at there's no question they did this, there's no question.
Adam Silver looked at it and said, guys, the game
now is too easy. It's esthetically not as pleasing physicality
(12:47):
and hockey we like it. Football we like it. We
like it in the NBA now. We don't want to
have the Detroit Pistons tackling people. But what is making
these games so intense is you're it's physical. And by
the way, it's just like if you ever play basketball
at the YMCA, it doesn't get snippy if everybody's just
jacking threes. It's when bodies start hitting down low. That's
(13:11):
when guys at the YMCA, well, think about the NBA
and what's at stake. So when you're watching these NBA
games the league right now, what they've done to tweak
it has been marvelous. It is physical basketball. Still a
lot of threes, but the physical basketball, to your great point,
is really benefiting then x well. The defensive teams, the Celtics,
(13:34):
the Knicks, OK Minnesota and Minnesota.
Speaker 8 (13:37):
I mean more than anyone. And the problem for Denver
is they haven't adjusted to it.
Speaker 7 (13:41):
And that's why in Game two they're losing their mind
complaining about calls. Michael Malone running on the court. Denver
has not adjusted to this physical play. Minnesota's picking them
up full court.
Speaker 8 (13:50):
I don't know if you know, they're.
Speaker 7 (13:51):
Like all in their face and like they're just Denver's
just bothered by this.
Speaker 8 (13:56):
Minnesota adjusted well. Chris Finch's coming on the show today.
Speaker 7 (13:59):
I believe this very smart coach, seeing what's coming around
the corner and hey, let's adjust our details.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
The question with Minnesota all year was the construction. When
they went with the two bigs, it was like, is
this gonna work. It wasn't that they didn't have good coaching.
I've said this over the course of the years. Why
we bring Finch on. They always look prepared, they never
get blown out, They adjust very well. But it was
always like roster construction. Conley's a little old and is
emerging two bigs. Now you look at it and you're like, oh,
(14:26):
you see their vision. They were building this puppy for Denver.
They were building this puppy for Jokic and Denver and size,
and it's like, oh, what a nightmare for everybody. By
the way, the Knicks lost Mitchell Robinson for the playoffs.
Speaker 8 (14:39):
Another guy three of their top eight guys.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
How that that eliminates any chance of beating like a
like a Minnesota and if they got to the finals,
now they got small suddenly.
Speaker 8 (14:48):
Well, let's see tonight if we want to do Wager's.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Wager West, what's Indiana getting tonight?
Speaker 8 (14:53):
I think three?
Speaker 1 (14:54):
I would it's close. Well, all nick games are close.
They win them all at home, and they're all closed.
Speaker 8 (14:59):
I want to take it. Look at the paces on
the money line tonight. I'm sorry Knox.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Fans, Hey can I can? I there's a there's a
story out about Jalen Brunson's putting up Jordan numbers and
I have a take on that. Yeah, it's called The Herd.
I do take some stuff. So I got to take
on that good points today. You're carrying me. It's my
Jordan game, It's my flu game.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
at noon Eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 9 (15:27):
So.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
I was vacationing last summer in a little place in
Rhode Island, and there's this little sandwich shop I like
to go to. And one of the reasons I like
to go to this sandwich shop is because I can
see the effort the employees and the owners put into
their work, like it's just not your typical BLT Like
I like companies where I can literally see their dedication
(15:49):
as a consumer, and I am loyal to those companies.
And there's been stories this week about Jalen Brunson has
now joined Michael Jordan in a very elite class of
NBA playoff scores, and Jalen Brunson is not Michael Jordan.
But I can watch as a consumer Jalen Brunson's game
(16:10):
and I can see the work he puts into it,
ball handling floaters, finishing at the rim. The opposite of Mello,
who was a natural score day one in the NBA,
but I never felt added to it. Never became an
elite defender, even a good one, never became an elite
three point shooter. Mello came in naturally gifted, but I
(16:33):
never felt he was even in great shape. George Carl
complained about that. There's a big difference. Jalen Brunson has talent,
but I always appreciate Lebron in year twenty one, this
year had his best year shooting three pointers. Think about that,
arguably the best player ever and Lebron is still working
(16:53):
on his craft with Mello. I just saw a long,
agile natural score with Jalen Brunson. I see the time
in the gym. Go to his college career. He averaged
nine and a half points a game at Villanova. They
want a natty. He was the fifth scoring option. Two
years later he was close to twenty a game as
(17:15):
they want a natty and he was the man that's work.
He was a completely different player in two years. Even
in these playoffs his scoring average, this is remarkable, especially
for a smaller player. It goes up every quarter. That
is elite shape, elite cardio, elite work. I've said this
(17:36):
he and Tatum. He gets cleaner looks as a smaller player.
He has so many moves in his arsenal. And I
remember years ago watching a center name Akeem Olajuan, and
you would watch his footwork and you're like that dude
puts in time. Like that footwork, Akeem had made other
(17:56):
set Go ask Shaquille O'Neal about guarding a keen. He
wrapped him in circles. Dwight Howard had just as much
or more talent. He never developed a go to offensive
move outside of a dunk. That doesn't mean Dwight Howard
didn't practice or Mellow didn't. But you go to businesses
around this country, the really good ones. You can see
(18:18):
the effort at that sandwich shop you love, at that
breakfast place you're loyal to, at that airline you're more
willing to go to. When I watched Jalen Brunson, he's
not MJ, but MJ and Kobe were craftsmen. I mean,
Kobe and MJ had three or four moves each that
they mastered. Just weren't gonna stop him. Chris Paul's got
(18:40):
some of that. Chris Paul's not Duncan, not high flying
that behind the back, back, through the legs, mid range
fall away. I mean, he's got that thing down. Patton
has for fifteen, ten, twelve, fifteen years. So that's what
I appreciate about Jalen Brunson. He's a second rounder. He's
not super vertical, he's not that game. That's craftsmanship. That's
just not going to the gym. We've all had that
(19:01):
person in our family. I work hard. I put in
forty four hours a week, and then you see the
employee that puts in sixty four like That's what I
see with Brunson, that dude has refined, polished outwork people
in the gym. Here's Jalen talking about how he views
his offense.
Speaker 9 (19:22):
I think, what can we do, how can we be aggressive?
How can we attack? And where can we get the
best advantage for our team? And has nothing to do
with me saying I need to hit this amount of points,
I need to hit this amount of shots. It's just
I'm reading how the game is being played and that's
just my mindset. That always that's how it always has.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Then, really considering Dallas is like, yeah, this isn't right.
It feels like between Dallas and New York he's added
layers to his game. I mean that's that is putting
in the time. There's forty four forty six hour a
week guy, and then there's fifty eight sixty hour a
week guy. You can see the difference. J Mack with
(20:01):
the news.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Turn on the news. This is the headline news.
Speaker 7 (20:07):
All right.
Speaker 8 (20:07):
Let's start with the Chicago Bears.
Speaker 7 (20:09):
What an offseason they've had at in Caleb Williams, Romadunza,
DeAndre Swift, Keenan Allen to the roster, who strong offensive unit,
tight end Cole Comet believe Chicago is setting up Caleb
to succeed.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
It's exciting.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
I mean, we've got a lot of young, talented players,
and I think, for the first time in a long time,
I don't even know if it's ever happened, we have
a infrastructure in place for a for a you know,
a high end talented rookie quarterback to come in. So
obviously Caleb's very highly touted. He's been that way for
for a long time now, and he gets to go
in a situation with a lot of veteran quality good
(20:46):
players and also a really good defense.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Look at that. That smells like fourteen wins, fourteen sheets.
Speaker 8 (20:55):
I mean, I know you're bullish on that division.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
That's play. That's I mean you look at that we
have on the screen. Sorry radio audience, but we give
you the Bears projected offense. There are a lot of
that's a lot of production right there. That's a lot
of good players. Well, remember this rama Dunze will not
be your typical rookie wide receiver. So I've got it
pretty well sourced from about four different people. They're like,
(21:18):
whether or not he has a huge ceiling, we'll see,
But as an adult willing to come in and make
sixty five catches like he's a grown up. He will
look like he's been in the league four years.
Speaker 7 (21:28):
So more in Rome outside Keenan Allen Beck into the
slot where he just totally dominates.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
When's the last time the Chicago Bears you talk? Oh,
they have way more talent on offense than defense, Like
never in my life. Maybe the best receiver ever is
al Seon Jeffrey.
Speaker 9 (21:43):
Why.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
I mean, he's a good player, but.
Speaker 8 (21:44):
That Willie golt was way better.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Right, you talk about my seventy reference.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
Wait a minute, no continuity coach on the hot seat?
Speaker 8 (21:57):
Tough divisions?
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Well, I don't have him win in their division, And
yeah there's questions there, But for the Bears, aren't you
really looking if you're the Bears. So I was talking
to a friend that's a Bear fan about a week ago.
I said, expectations equal happiness. Don't be a Jets fan
think you're gonna win twelve when you're gonna win nine. Tops,
I said, if this year you only won eight games,
(22:19):
you won seven last year. The division's clearly better. But
like you lost to in overtime, you were highly productive
offensively you'd have to come out of this year and go,
what an amazing rookie.
Speaker 8 (22:29):
Year from seven wins to eight and that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
But what does it look like with the Bears? Last year?
You won seven, You got blown out several times. You
were a terrible fourth quarter team. You couldn't play from behind.
If you're a team that can play from behind, you
lose several close games to the Lions and the Packers,
but you are clearly a consistent, elite top eight offense.
It can't all be about the wins total. I mean,
(22:55):
for instance, go look at the AFC. North Cleveland could
win eight nine games and finish fourth. If Russell Wilson
hits and the offense is productive, they may still miss
the playoffs because Cincinnati with Burrow and Baltimore with Lamar
are so elite. So with the Bears, don't talk about
(23:16):
winning their division. Detroit's got a better rofter and more momentum.
You may not. I don't think you're as good right now.
You may be as good as Green Bay, but I
tend to think Jordan Love is a little I mean,
he looks like he's next level. But if you win
eight games, it may look different. Than seven last year.
Speaker 8 (23:32):
It is eber Flu's keeping his job.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
If you win eight games depends on what it looks like.
Speaker 7 (23:36):
So if it let's say you start out three and one,
I excited, and then the crater at the end, he's
gonna get canned.
Speaker 8 (23:40):
Well, if they start out flow, he may not make
it to thanksgetting no.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
That's a good point. When he wins matters, So eber
Flus needs to win in September and December. He could
struggle in the middle. It could get choppy. If he
starts three and one and ends the season four and oh,
it'll be hard to get rid of him and just
wins a couple of games in the middle they go
nine to eight. But they started strong and the ended strong.
It's much easier to keep your job than if you
(24:04):
start one in three the Wolves are out. You'll get
no second chances. If you end ozero and four, you're done.
It's like justin Field's last game against Green Bay, You're like,
anybody on the fence is like, yeah, he didn't look
close to Jordan Love. So it does matter how you
start and finish in this league.
Speaker 8 (24:19):
I saw a report that the schedules coming out next.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Week may fifte so that's exactly a week away.
Speaker 7 (24:24):
That would make things very interesting for Bears fans.
Speaker 8 (24:27):
You get the schedule, hopefully you got some cupcakes early.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Any of you executives that want to leak stuff to us, Yeah,
that'll help me with maybe rewards coming here.
Speaker 7 (24:36):
With next up, the New England Patriots, the worst team
in the AFC East. They did find their quarterback of
the future in Drake May. A lot of rumors that
they were going to trade the pick. Well, de facto
GM Elliott Wolf spoke to Adam Schefter said the Patriots
never came close to trading the pick and the talent
and the person led them to selecting May third. Overall,
(24:58):
Wolf added, we think there's a lot to develop there with.
Speaker 8 (25:01):
Him, whenever that time may be.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Yeah, I like that.
Speaker 8 (25:05):
Whenever that time makes right.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Let's let Brissette take the lumps early and maybe Thanksgiving
you transition into Drake Mate. Nobody thinks he's a polished
product yet.
Speaker 8 (25:17):
Don't love that. I want my guy right in the fire.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Toss him in there, right in the fire.
Speaker 8 (25:21):
Oh yeah, it's not like the other than the Jets.
The defenses in the division, by the way, they.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Do realize Lamar didn't go right into the fire and
Mahomes didn't go right second. But I mean he started
week eleven that Josh Allen started week one right now,
pretty choppy. First year Joe Burrow started early, got beat
up physically. It's okay to work people in life. Can't
ask a twenty three year old person to do a
(25:46):
thirty three year old employees job sink or swim?
Speaker 5 (25:48):
Baby?
Speaker 8 (25:49):
Can you handle it? Toss him in there. Well, first
of all, go ahead and get a real wide receiver.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
But that's harsh.
Speaker 8 (25:55):
Final story, this is a weird one.
Speaker 7 (25:58):
So Austin Rivers remember the former Duke guard Sure who
was in the NBA for a minute, and his dad
obviously's Doc Rivers. He had a controversial take yesterday on
a on a show called The Pat McAfee Show.
Speaker 8 (26:10):
Rivers made the argument that the NBA has the best
athletes in the world.
Speaker 7 (26:13):
I think that many people maybe yeah, sure, But he added,
I can take thirty players right now in the NBA and.
Speaker 8 (26:19):
Throw them in the NFL.
Speaker 7 (26:20):
You cannot take thirty NFL players and put them in
the NBA.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Let me tell you some No NFL player could play
in the NBA, and no NBA player could play in
the NFL. You may be able to get like, could
you turn Luca into a tight end? Maybe? But let
me tell you something about basketball players. Adam Silver acknowledged
(26:45):
they were getting their feelings hurt because of social media.
It is not a pampering league. The NFL, the coach barks,
you get your head knocked off, you get hurt, You
have to play hurt. The NBA is a player's league.
Guy gets a sniffles, somebody says something mean on Twitter.
The commissioner is there to comfort you. The NFL, they
(27:08):
coach hard, They demand you play hurt. It's a totally
different culture. Now do I think basketball is more skill
based outside of like kicker and quarterback, Basketball is more
skill based. I mean, if you're a basketball player and
you don't pick up a ball for a month, even
Steph Curry would be like my shots off in the NFL.
If Tony Gonzalez took a month off, he can still
(27:29):
catch a football. I do think basketball, golf, tennis, there
are sports that like baseball, got to get in the
cage every day. Football you don't even have to play
high school football. You don't have to play college football.
Antonio Gates and you can be a Hall of Fame.
So I do think there's more skill in a lot
of sports. But what football demands of you practice is hard, play,
(27:51):
hurt playing, crappy weather. We don't care if you can't
handle your Twitter feedback. It is a hard league that
creates men varier. That's why NFL players tend to have
families earlier. It demands you grow up really quick. NFL
demands you get over yourself really quick. Tom Brady the
goat getting barked at. You couldn't do a Tom Brady
(28:12):
roast with Harden or with Lebron James or with KD.
You could never do a roast like that. So the
NBA may have better athletes, but the NFL demands a
different level of accountability, toughness, mental toughness, physical toughness. Nobody
cares that you played last night or yesterday. There is
(28:32):
no load management. Well, we got more games. NFL's now
going to eighteen games, three more playoff games, and you
get tackled. So I'd take eighty two basketball games over
eighteen twenty. I get tackled games.
Speaker 7 (28:45):
First of all, I'd love to see Lebron after he
retires like Brady go and get roasted.
Speaker 8 (28:50):
That would be amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
That's me incredible.
Speaker 8 (28:51):
I don't think it will happen.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
No, it's not good.
Speaker 7 (28:53):
Like I'm of course, there's a million players out there.
People are like, oh, look at the high school stats.
Mike Evans had the receiver for the Bucks, right, he's
six five. Mike Evans walks into the NBA, He's a
smurf at six five. In the NFL, he's like a
jump ball receiver NBA, he's like Josh Hartzize.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
I think you could probably take a Luca or a
Lebron in their prime and say, fellas, we're gonna ask
you to play tight end. But by the way, you
would not be the sports best tight end. You would
not like it. Charles Barkley is one of the biggest
toughest guys in league history. He tried out for football.
He got tackled twice and said, I'm not doing this.
Speaker 8 (29:27):
Who wants to get tackled when you could be CJ. McCollum.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
All you have to do is make fifty million, go
to an NFL game sometime if you can as a fan,
if you could ever get a sideline pass, Oh, come on.
You cannot believe how hard the hits are, the speed.
You cannot believe. Guys get up like Christian McCaffrey is
your size, and if you're by the field for a
(29:50):
Niners game, you just cannot believe he gets up. So
like NBA guys, And again, I think they're great athletes.
I'm not denying that. But if this comment is absurd,
nobody for either sport is going into the other sport.
You cannot find thirty guys in basketball to play in
the NFL. I do think you'll get in. It would
be easier easier basketball to football, football to basketball because
(30:13):
the skill level. But that's what thirty guys.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
I mean.
Speaker 7 (30:17):
Some of the twitchiest guys in the NBA could slide
into skill position spots like a take Jalen Green to
the Rockets, amazing athlete, ridiculous dunker, but play wide receiver.
Just go run go routes, like like the guy that
the Chiefs just drafted, no super fast, he could run
go routes and I'll jump everyone.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Be careful about because at the end of the day,
even the fast guys have to have a route tree
or the league goes yeah, just move a safety over
and he doesn't have routes, no doubt. Receivers in this
league are the guys like Jerry Rice who can run
past you and have a exquisite route tree, like even Randy. Now,
Randy Mosh, you say, well Randy, Well again, Randy was
(30:57):
a great football player from day one, and that's the
he played some basketball. But I think we think sometimes
a guy is fast, he's gonna be a great NFL player.
And Rinaldo Nea maya go look that one up was
a world class sprinter that went to the NFL forty
nine ers. Yeah, Darius Hayward bay speed has totally.
Speaker 7 (31:16):
I don't think he's talking about like having a awesome career.
I think he's just saying you could PLoP guys in there.
Michael Parsons, by the way, six three two five, do you.
Speaker 8 (31:25):
Know what that is?
Speaker 1 (31:26):
In the NBA.
Speaker 7 (31:26):
He's like a too small to be a shooting guard,
Michael Parsons, who's a tank. So I mean I kind
of ride with Rivers a little more than JJ Watt
jumped on his case and was coming after him.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
JJ Watt was realistic. He said, Austin, you're not employed
in either.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Yeah, slow down, what do you need to make a
personal fuck.
Speaker 8 (31:44):
JJ Watt little angry.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
I'm not bad for my flu game today. I'm bringing
a heat.
Speaker 8 (31:48):
We're thirty minutes in, man, come fuck.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
They don't have much left, but I was in the first.
Speaker 8 (31:52):
Quarter of an NBA game.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
J Mack with a news.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping by The
Herd Line News. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern non am Pacific.
Speaker 10 (32:09):
Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb. The podcast is called All Ball.
We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's
more about the stories about what made these people love
their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way.
We talked to coaches, we talked to players, We tell
you stories. You download it, you listen to it.
Speaker 5 (32:28):
I think you like it.
Speaker 10 (32:30):
Listen to All Ball with Doug Gottlieb on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 7 (32:37):
Saturday on Fox, it's the game of the year in
the UFL as the five and one Saint Louis BattleHawks
take on the undefeated Birmingham Stallions.
Speaker 8 (32:47):
That all kicks off Saturday at four eastern on pock.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
So the NBA does this thing, They take the last
two minutes of a basketball game for transparency, and they
go back and they look at the So, you know,
it's so predictable. NBA fans are fixated on officiating. So
the NBA went back. They had four miss calls in
the last Knicks Pacer games and the last game, and
(33:13):
two were miss calls that benefited the Knicks. Two were
miss calls that didn't benefit the Knicks. Sorry, it's not rigged.
So with one nineteen left, Miles Turner should have been
called for a three second violation benefit Indiana. Fifty three
seconds left, just prior to the incorrect kickball violation, Dante
di Vintenzo should have been called for an offensive foul,
(33:35):
benefit Nicks. Fifty two seconds left, Nestsmith should have been
called for a kickball violation. Oh that's a little bit
of benefit of New York right there, a little bit.
And then with ten seconds left, Miles Turner should have
been called for another offensive foul. So so you go
back and forth on this stuff, and it's like, oh,
that benefited Indiana. Oh that was the Knicks. That benefited Indiana.
(33:57):
That was the Knicks. Two miss calls so but again
the refs cost us the game. Is now the equivalent
of I didn't make the team because the coach didn't
like me. That's what it's become. You're embarrassing, right, you
get that only your fanboy friends by into that. By
the way, the Pacers, you want a perfectly officiated game.
You had seven turnovers, you were out rebounded significantly, and
(34:20):
you shot very poorly from three point line and the
Knicks did not. And usually in the NBA playoffs, if
you shoot poorly from three and they shoot well, you
lose the game. And you did, and you didn't have
a terrific fourth quarter. So you'll know, I mean just
on this play alone, after that screen call that everybody
got worked up over, which, by the way, the league
(34:40):
reviewed it was the right call. After that screen call
that everybody in you know was outraged in Indianapolis, Indiana,
foul Jalen Brunson before the ball was inbounded. We can't
do that. That's a heavy punitive against the team. So
you get a free throw and a possession. So the
lead went from one to fourth. That's the game. But no,
(35:01):
it was the coach didn't like me. If you think
the league is rigged for the Knicks. Remember Tyrese Maxi
for the Sixers. Remember when he hit two bombs to
beat the Knicks late. They were up by six with
twenty eight seconds left. Tyree Maxi traveled in one of
the shots and they didn't call it, so that benefited
(35:21):
the Sixers. Shouldn't have counted Nick Shon to wrap the
series up. So I know it's just easier to say
it's the officials, but what the refs are doing in
the NBA is they're not blowing the whistle as much
and so the games are a little choppier and there's
more fouls, and again, it's really hard think about officiating.
(35:41):
In the NFL. The hardest call is pass interference because
it's almost, ohways something you could call every play. You
can call pass interference every play, but you don't want
to stop the game. You don't want to muddy it up.
You know, you want games. That's why baseball, by the way,
they want the games to go two hours and thirty
five minutes, not three hours and ten minutes. College football,
you want games to move. There's a fluidity and aesthetics
(36:04):
and optics to a game. You don't want to call
every foul. So the NBA has decided that you all,
you know, at the trade deadline All Star Game, we're
gonna let more go. The game's getting too loose, too
easy offensively, it's not as pleasing, and it's been the
right move. But now you could call a foul every play.
You could call pass interference every play. The NFL is
always understood and the NBA usually understands this too. Baseball doesn't.
(36:26):
You're a television show, and so you don't want constant stoppages.
You want some fluidity to the broadcast in the game,
and that means some fouls. It's gonna happen, But y'all
want perfect officiating. But the Pacers got out rebounded, often
having more length on the court, out rebounded and out shot,
(36:49):
and you missed a couple free throws and you had
seven turnovers. Those aren't huge numbers. But I've said this,
Minnesota's defense, the way they're playing it right now, you
could call a foul on the Tea Wolves on every possession.
You could call a foul. I mean, I'm watching that
Denver game. Jamal Murray's throwing stuff on the floor and
everybody's getting worked up because the officials are letting stuff go. So,
(37:09):
as Jamack very alertly pointed out earlier, who is winning
in the playoffs. As the NBA has said, we're gonna
let aggressive win. Nicks are aggressive, Celtics play real defense,
Minnesota's hyper aggressive OKAC plays real defense. Those teams are benefiting.
It's just like cultural changes in the NFL. Oh, the
(37:31):
defensive coaches like Belichick and Pete Carroll, they can't get
it right. Andy reives flourishing, Sean mcvay's flourishing, Kyle shanahan's
flourishing offensive coaches all end up in the final four
teams because there's been a cultural shift over ten years
in the NFL. Well, the NBA shift happened at the
(37:52):
trade deadline. They're like, stop blowing whistles. The teams that
practice hard, defend hard, that are healthy, Okay, Minnesota, New
York Knicks, Boston Celtics, they're benefiting. I talk about this
all the time in life. Life changes, adapt or Diekay
ride the wave when it's working in your favor, Bill Belichick.
(38:13):
But when the wave stops and you can't defend the
same way, Bill, you don't put a defensive coordinator as
offensive coordinator. You have to adapt. He didn't. He's out
of work right as a coach. So I think j
mcredy pointed to that is is you want. They went
back the NBA and they went to four different plays.
Nicks benefited twice, Pacers benefited twice. And the one you
(38:36):
crowed most about, the one that outraged everybody, that was
the right call. The screen which it was he was moving,
he didn't give it, he didn't give the player he
was Defendgenzo didn't give them any space. That was the
right call to make.
Speaker 7 (38:47):
But the problem was the kicked ball, which wasn't even kicked.
It was off his hand. The refs called it a kick.
The Pacers were like, no, it's off his hand, let's
review it. And then that was like not reviewable.
Speaker 8 (38:56):
I mean it's it wasn't. In the games in the
NBA playoffs have been kind of crappy. Let's be real.
Speaker 7 (39:01):
No, that's been they're real, even exciting. But all these reviews,
in the missed reviews.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
They don't.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
I don't love all the reviews either, but I would
always rather get it as close to right as again,
but close to right isn't perfect. Remember there's a reason
sometimes in the NFL, the review will take three minutes.
They're going to microfilm here. They're trying to get it right.
And then the NFL often just says, we we just
(39:28):
don't have enough evidence. After thirty eight looks at it
to overturn it, they may still not get it right.
So the fans think review equals perfect. No, the review
they I mean, I've seen this in college football all
the time. They just don't have enough cameras. You know,
in the NFL you got fifty cameras, college could have eighteen,
and so in college sometimes you're like, I think he
did it, but you don't have enough to overturn it.
(39:51):
By the way, in court cases in America with a jury,
with the prosecutors, the das and judges, some people are
wrongly in isn't some people are wronged in our court system.
I mean it just sometimes I've got a better attorney
than you do. I have a better argument that you do.
Sometimes in college football you just don't have the camera.
Angle in the NFL there's so many cameras now you
(40:14):
almost always I mean sometimes you'll watch an NFL game
and go, what the hell's a camera? I mean, they
got cameras on the flags in the corners. But in
college football sometimes you'll be like, I think they butchered it.
They just don't have a They just don't have cameras
to see it. So even with reviews, it's not perfection.
I mean, you're on the freeway, a guy flies by, nobody,
(40:34):
nobody pulls him over. A guy's going slower. Ten minutes later,
cops see him pull him over. There's no perfect. We
got to get out of perfect.
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find
your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every day on the
iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Boy, do we have a lot to talk about, a
lot of things going on in LA. It's the Herd.
Wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thanks for making us part of your day. I had
a late night last night. I'm gonna try to get
through today's show. J Mac little cigar hangover whatever, nobody cares.
Nobody cares a cigar hangover. Hey, listen, the audience just
(00:48):
wants performance. They just want me to go up here
and talk.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Are you as banged up as Luca right now? This
will be my flu game, my cigar flue game. This
is myj flugame. All right, Well, I start with this.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
You know I've said before I think Lucas Great's gonna
end up one of the top five scores in league history.
But I don't see him as a face of the
league guy, and I don't see him as a guy
holding trophy after trophy after trophy. He may be like
Dirk go get one, but again, number one usage rate
player in the league, what does that mean. He's got
the ball in his hands more than any player of
the league. And once again, like a James Harden, you
(01:25):
get to the postseason when you're the number one usage
rate guy, you're hobbled and you run out of gas.
Look at his three point shooting. He's lost his legs.
Jannis number two usage rate guy, got hurt SGA number
three usage rate guy. His numbers are down from the
regular season. These usage rate guys that always have the
(01:45):
ball in their hands. It can work for short runs,
like Jalen Brunson's doing it now in the playoffs, but
eighty two games you get worn down. All those minutes,
all that dominance, all those possessions, And again Lucas three
point shooting, he's got into the tank. He's actually now
playing defense as well, so he's hobbled. He comes in
(02:07):
banged up, worn down, hobbled. Jason Kidds playing him through
all this and he's not the same player. So it's
one of the things about maybe life. In basketball, pick
your spots. You know, NFL you got one game a week.
If you're an offensive player, you got fifty five plays sam.
In hockey you're on the line, it's forty five seconds.
You play mad, crazy, intense. But in basketball you got
(02:29):
pick your spots. Lebron's thirty nine. He picks his spots.
He takes enough games off, he picks his spot. He
didn't take a ton of games off, didn't want to
play back to backs, picks his spots in games. He's
thirty nine. In still robust, James Harden usedage eight guy,
Late Night Guy thirty four and looks old. MJ was
great at picking his spots. And I think this is
(02:50):
what's going to happen to Dallas. Is that a Luca
when he always has the ball in his hands, it's
gonna be hard to play with. Now you could say, well,
Kyrie Collin, this thing's working now half the season. Yeah,
would you be surprised if it blew up tomorrow, or
blew up next week or blew up at the trade deadline.
The Kyrie moves a desperation move to get somebody that
(03:10):
could play with him after they gave Jalen Brunson away
and he became a star in New York. This is
not an anti Luca thing. It's a when you get
these players. The James Harden the Lucas are two that
jump out to me. Jannis always had ball, dominant ball,
fens asking the lot. Now they're asking Luca to play defense.
He's worn down, he has lost his legs. Now, Lucas
(03:33):
always going to be able to score. He can go
out tomorrow in the next game and score forty five points.
But this is what I always felt Luca was. He
was going to end up a top five NBA scorer,
but his career would look more like Harden, better than Harden,
but more like Harden than it would MJ And so again,
the Kyrie move works now, but nobody in the league
wanted him except the Mavericks. And never never forget this.
(03:56):
In the NFL, four of the last six teams where
the quarterback led the league in passing in a passing
league either didn't make the playoffs or didn't win a
single playoff game. Just like the NBA, it's about scoring,
it's about having a star. Yes, Lucas scores that he's
a star, but there's a way to do it. There
(04:19):
is balance, and the Mavericks feel lobsided. Luca his teams
are lobsided. You have to get defensive players before this
year to protect his defensive liabilities. Now he is playing defense,
but because of his usage rate and playing defense and
the minutes, he's a broken down player. He's still great,
but he doesn't quite look the same. So again, those
NFL teams four of the last six where the quarterbacks
(04:43):
led the league in passing, they don't make the playoffs,
or if they do, they don't want a game. So
it's the construction of the team you follow. Everybody talks,
you know, lazy media people, MVP talk, MVP tech. Nobody
cares about that, win the games. Nobody cares about MVP stuff.
I mean in the NBA, the MVP is your favorite store.
Westbrook wins it, EMBIID wins it. Yeah, it feels like
(05:04):
the right thing to do. Nobody wants Jokics to win
it three or four five times in a row because
his game's kind of ugly whatever it is. I feel like,
you know, this is semi predictable with Luca big score.
I usedag Drake when they ask him now to play
real defense, you're just asking too much of a guy.
He's broken down, legs are kind of shot again. He
(05:26):
could drop thirty in the next playoff game, but he
doesn't quite feel the same. He looks a little ghast.
And here's Luca on his poor shooting night.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
When you look at your shooting night, you know what
went into that. Who cares?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
We lost?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Man, I just got to move on to the next one.
Gotta be better. We got to be better, and just
I mean know, we know for Game one struggling, but
we got to focus. They're great team, great defensive team,
great defensive team. So he's not gonna be easy at all.
We got to play very good basketball and focus basketball
for three minutes.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Opposite star player in this league of Lucas Jason Tatum,
who I do think will end up winning titles, which
I would prefer over just a guy who scores a
bunch of points. But sometimes you wish Jason Tatum was
more aggressive, took the game over more often. So he
(06:20):
was only the third leading scorer for the Celtics last night,
and he's only the third leading scorer for the Celtics
in the playoffs, despite the fact that he's their best player.
So I would prefer prefer unselfish players. First of all,
they're easier to play with. All Jason Tatum teams tend
to be good and have good chemistry, so that's not
(06:42):
the case with Luca. He couldn't get along with Brunson.
The Kyrie thing works now but could blow up. So
I prefer the Tatum version of this NBA star. He
just plays well with everybody I wish sometimes though, the
only question is there is with Tatum, I feel like,
you know he's sleep walking through Miami. He's kind of
sleep walking through Cleveland. And when he has to go
(07:05):
toe to toe with an Ant or a Luca or
an Sga or a Jalen Brunson, that could happen very soon.
Can he give me a forty four point night if
Jalen Brunson is or if Jalen Brown is off and
Porzingis doesn't play, and I need Tatum against the Knicks.
I need him to score forty six points? Can he
give me that? Can he flip the switch? He may
be able to do that, but it's interesting to watch Luca,
(07:27):
who I think has a very predictable postseason. Again, now
when you finally ask him to play defense, and he does.
With his usage rate, it's just too much. He feels
these guys are human beings, right, You got to pick
your spots with it. Tatum, I actually prefer that kind
of star, but it leaves me feeling like, I'm I
(07:47):
want more eighteen points, third leading scorer in the playoffs.
Can you give me a little next level? And can
he flip that when he faces maybe an Ant or
when he faces a Yo Kitchen or whoever probably won't
be Jokic. Can he do that? So it's interesting because
Tatum had this relationship with Kobe Bryant, and Kobe Bryant
(08:08):
could be a very selfish player, but Kobe Bryant knew
when to be unselfish. That's why he ended up with
five rings. He knew there were time to get it
to Shack. Kobe knew there were times take the foot
off the pedal, get it to Gasol. Kobe love playing
with bigs and so with Tatum. I'm really interested to
see how this ends. They're gonna win the East. The
Knicks will probably push them five or six. I think
they're going to win the East. They should win the East,
(08:30):
and Tatum is easy to play with but it's interesting
to watch Luca with a high usage rate being broken
down and with Tatum, I get no holes in his game.
Before this year, Luca had a lot of holes, mostly defense.
With Tatum, he's a good defender, he's a good teammate,
can hit a jumper, can drive score at the rim,
can hit a three. Not a lot of holes in
his game. Again, I just feel like sometimes grab it now,
(08:54):
you say, Colin, there's not the perfect player, That's right.
I mean, Tatum is graceful, He's got a fine game.
It's very complete. But it's interesting to watch last night
the heavy ball usage rate. Guy that you got to
cover four on defense historically, who is harder to play with,
looks gassed. Tatum. You wish he was a bit more selfish,
say what you want, but it's like he's conserving energy.
(09:18):
Which one's gonna end better? My guess is the Tatum.
So am I being overly critical of Jason Tatum for
wanting him to be more and maybe he won't have
to be. But I do feel like there'll be a
moment in that Knick series because they play such great
defense that Jalen Brown will be held in check. He'll
be off Porzingis may not be healthy. And that's why
a potential Celtics Knicks series is so interesting to me,
(09:40):
because I think you're gonna need a forty six point
game from him, maybe on the road in New York,
and I'm not sure. I want to see if he
can flip that switch. Here's Tatum on the win last.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Night, not counting your defense.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
Seven of nineteen shooting and you still put up one
twenty even if you might be not your best offensively,
that you've got guys behind you that can step up
and have big games.
Speaker 6 (10:01):
Really just what I've been saying all year. We got
a really really talented team.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Shows the depth of.
Speaker 6 (10:07):
Our team and you know how we can win games
in a lot of different ways. Just presents another challenge
of you know, what else can you do to impact
the game in a positive way.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Now it is when I'm watching Jason Tatum j Max,
I really feel like this. I feel like he knows
I can conserve energy against Miami, I can conserve energy
against Cleveland. So it may be a very smart play
on his point, but having your best player as your
third leading scorer as you go into your second series
is different in the history of the league. That's just
(10:43):
not the way it usually works. And my take is
he's kind of just sitting back and waiting for the moment.
And that's why I think the New York Boston series
could be great. I would prefer the Tatum star over
the lucastar, easier to play with, always going to have
better chemistry, not a lobsided team. You have to protect
him on the defensive end. But it's but I still
(11:03):
do feel with Tatum sometimes I need forty six tonight,
and I think against the name, I don't think he's
gonna need that against Cleveland. They're gonna fly through Cleveland.
But the Knicks series, potentially if they beat Indiana, I think,
you know, we kind of think maybe they will. I
don't know if you do, but that's one one that
we're to me is the best potential playoff series left,
including the finals, will be that Knicks series that will
(11:27):
force Tatum to do it.
Speaker 7 (11:28):
Bronson, Yeah, it feels like the Knicks, the way they
play defense, their style will give the Celtics some problems
and that's gonna have to be Tatum to take over.
By the way, have you noticed remember early in the
NBA season, the scoring was like laughable. Guys were scoring
one hundred and fifty two and people were like, this
is out of control.
Speaker 8 (11:44):
Sometime after the All Star breaks some numbers came out.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Then yes, yes, scoring is.
Speaker 7 (11:48):
Way down and the rest are swallowing their whistles. And
who are the physical teams that are benefiting from this.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
In the postseason?
Speaker 7 (11:54):
Minnesota, Minnesota, okasee last night with the doors or chamber,
New York Knicks. We're seeing a change. Quietly, who can
handle this physical play with the rest?
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Aer Hey, well let them play. No, this is a
great observation by you. So the NBA All Star Game
has become embarrassing. And so the NBA was watching the scoring.
And I'll give Adam Silver credit on this. Baseball can
never make a move. Adam Silver and Roger Goodell to
both of their credit, watch the games, see an issue
(12:24):
and tweak it in season, as if a commissioner can't
do that. There was pushback, Well, it seems like you've
made a change. Anybody here own a business. What do
I have to wait till the end of the calendar
year to make a change. That's idiotic. Adam Silver looked
at there's no question they did this, there's no question.
Adam Silver looked at it and said, guys, the game
now is too easy. It's esthetically not as pleasing physicality
(12:47):
and hockey we like it. Football we like it. We
like it in the NBA now. We don't want to
have the Detroit Pistons tackling people. But what is making
these games so intense is you're it's physical. And by
the way, it's just like if you ever play basketball
at the YMCA, it doesn't get snippy if everybody's just
jacking threes. It's when bodies start hitting down low. That's
(13:11):
when guys at the YMCA, well, think about the NBA
and what's at stake. So when you're watching these NBA
games the league right now, what they've done to tweak
it has been marvelous. It is physical basketball. Still a
lot of threes, but the physical basketball, to your great point,
is really benefiting then x well. The defensive teams, the Celtics,
(13:34):
the Knicks, OK Minnesota and Minnesota.
Speaker 8 (13:37):
I mean more than anyone. And the problem for Denver
is they haven't adjusted to it.
Speaker 7 (13:41):
And that's why in Game two they're losing their mind
complaining about calls. Michael Malone running on the court. Denver
has not adjusted to this physical play. Minnesota's picking them
up full court.
Speaker 8 (13:50):
I don't know if you know, they're.
Speaker 7 (13:51):
Like all in their face and like they're just Denver's
just bothered by this.
Speaker 8 (13:56):
Minnesota adjusted well. Chris Finch's coming on the show today.
Speaker 7 (13:59):
I believe this very smart coach, seeing what's coming around
the corner and hey, let's adjust our details.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
The question with Minnesota all year was the construction. When
they went with the two bigs, it was like, is
this gonna work. It wasn't that they didn't have good coaching.
I've said this over the course of the years. Why
we bring Finch on. They always look prepared, they never
get blown out, They adjust very well. But it was
always like roster construction. Conley's a little old and is
emerging two bigs. Now you look at it and you're like, oh,
(14:26):
you see their vision. They were building this puppy for Denver.
They were building this puppy for Jokic and Denver and size,
and it's like, oh, what a nightmare for everybody. By
the way, the Knicks lost Mitchell Robinson for the playoffs.
Speaker 8 (14:39):
Another guy three of their top eight guys.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
How that that eliminates any chance of beating like a
like a Minnesota and if they got to the finals,
now they got small suddenly.
Speaker 8 (14:48):
Well, let's see tonight if we want to do Wager's.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Wager West, what's Indiana getting tonight?
Speaker 8 (14:53):
I think three?
Speaker 1 (14:54):
I would it's close. Well, all nick games are close.
They win them all at home, and they're all closed.
Speaker 8 (14:59):
I want to take it. Look at the paces on
the money line tonight. I'm sorry Knox.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Fans, Hey can I can? I there's a there's a
story out about Jalen Brunson's putting up Jordan numbers and
I have a take on that. Yeah, it's called The Herd.
I do take some stuff. So I got to take
on that good points today. You're carrying me. It's my
Jordan game, It's my flu game.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
at noon Eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 9 (15:27):
So.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
I was vacationing last summer in a little place in
Rhode Island, and there's this little sandwich shop I like
to go to. And one of the reasons I like
to go to this sandwich shop is because I can
see the effort the employees and the owners put into
their work, like it's just not your typical BLT Like
I like companies where I can literally see their dedication
(15:49):
as a consumer, and I am loyal to those companies.
And there's been stories this week about Jalen Brunson has
now joined Michael Jordan in a very elite class of
NBA playoff scores, and Jalen Brunson is not Michael Jordan.
But I can watch as a consumer Jalen Brunson's game
(16:10):
and I can see the work he puts into it,
ball handling floaters, finishing at the rim. The opposite of Mello,
who was a natural score day one in the NBA,
but I never felt added to it. Never became an
elite defender, even a good one, never became an elite
three point shooter. Mello came in naturally gifted, but I
(16:33):
never felt he was even in great shape. George Carl
complained about that. There's a big difference. Jalen Brunson has talent,
but I always appreciate Lebron in year twenty one, this
year had his best year shooting three pointers. Think about that,
arguably the best player ever and Lebron is still working
(16:53):
on his craft with Mello. I just saw a long,
agile natural score with Jalen Brunson. I see the time
in the gym. Go to his college career. He averaged
nine and a half points a game at Villanova. They
want a natty. He was the fifth scoring option. Two
years later he was close to twenty a game as
(17:15):
they want a natty and he was the man that's work.
He was a completely different player in two years. Even
in these playoffs his scoring average, this is remarkable, especially
for a smaller player. It goes up every quarter. That
is elite shape, elite cardio, elite work. I've said this
(17:36):
he and Tatum. He gets cleaner looks as a smaller player.
He has so many moves in his arsenal. And I
remember years ago watching a center name Akeem Olajuan, and
you would watch his footwork and you're like that dude
puts in time. Like that footwork, Akeem had made other
(17:56):
set Go ask Shaquille O'Neal about guarding a keen. He
wrapped him in circles. Dwight Howard had just as much
or more talent. He never developed a go to offensive
move outside of a dunk. That doesn't mean Dwight Howard
didn't practice or Mellow didn't. But you go to businesses
around this country, the really good ones. You can see
(18:18):
the effort at that sandwich shop you love, at that
breakfast place you're loyal to, at that airline you're more
willing to go to. When I watched Jalen Brunson, he's
not MJ, but MJ and Kobe were craftsmen. I mean,
Kobe and MJ had three or four moves each that
they mastered. Just weren't gonna stop him. Chris Paul's got
(18:40):
some of that. Chris Paul's not Duncan, not high flying
that behind the back, back, through the legs, mid range
fall away. I mean, he's got that thing down. Patton
has for fifteen, ten, twelve, fifteen years. So that's what
I appreciate about Jalen Brunson. He's a second rounder. He's
not super vertical, he's not that game. That's craftsmanship. That's
just not going to the gym. We've all had that
(19:01):
person in our family. I work hard. I put in
forty four hours a week, and then you see the
employee that puts in sixty four like That's what I
see with Brunson, that dude has refined, polished outwork people
in the gym. Here's Jalen talking about how he views
his offense.
Speaker 9 (19:22):
I think, what can we do, how can we be aggressive?
How can we attack? And where can we get the
best advantage for our team? And has nothing to do
with me saying I need to hit this amount of points,
I need to hit this amount of shots. It's just
I'm reading how the game is being played and that's
just my mindset. That always that's how it always has.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Then, really considering Dallas is like, yeah, this isn't right.
It feels like between Dallas and New York he's added
layers to his game. I mean that's that is putting
in the time. There's forty four forty six hour a
week guy, and then there's fifty eight sixty hour a
week guy. You can see the difference. J Mack with
(20:01):
the news.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Turn on the news. This is the headline news.
Speaker 7 (20:07):
All right.
Speaker 8 (20:07):
Let's start with the Chicago Bears.
Speaker 7 (20:09):
What an offseason they've had at in Caleb Williams, Romadunza,
DeAndre Swift, Keenan Allen to the roster, who strong offensive unit,
tight end Cole Comet believe Chicago is setting up Caleb
to succeed.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
It's exciting.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
I mean, we've got a lot of young, talented players,
and I think, for the first time in a long time,
I don't even know if it's ever happened, we have
a infrastructure in place for a for a you know,
a high end talented rookie quarterback to come in. So
obviously Caleb's very highly touted. He's been that way for
for a long time now, and he gets to go
in a situation with a lot of veteran quality good
(20:46):
players and also a really good defense.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Look at that. That smells like fourteen wins, fourteen sheets.
Speaker 8 (20:55):
I mean, I know you're bullish on that division.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
That's play. That's I mean you look at that we
have on the screen. Sorry radio audience, but we give
you the Bears projected offense. There are a lot of
that's a lot of production right there. That's a lot
of good players. Well, remember this rama Dunze will not
be your typical rookie wide receiver. So I've got it
pretty well sourced from about four different people. They're like,
(21:18):
whether or not he has a huge ceiling, we'll see,
But as an adult willing to come in and make
sixty five catches like he's a grown up. He will
look like he's been in the league four years.
Speaker 7 (21:28):
So more in Rome outside Keenan Allen Beck into the
slot where he just totally dominates.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
When's the last time the Chicago Bears you talk? Oh,
they have way more talent on offense than defense, Like
never in my life. Maybe the best receiver ever is
al Seon Jeffrey.
Speaker 9 (21:43):
Why.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
I mean, he's a good player, but.
Speaker 8 (21:44):
That Willie golt was way better.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Right, you talk about my seventy reference.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
Wait a minute, no continuity coach on the hot seat?
Speaker 8 (21:57):
Tough divisions?
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Well, I don't have him win in their division, And
yeah there's questions there, But for the Bears, aren't you
really looking if you're the Bears. So I was talking
to a friend that's a Bear fan about a week ago.
I said, expectations equal happiness. Don't be a Jets fan
think you're gonna win twelve when you're gonna win nine. Tops,
I said, if this year you only won eight games,
(22:19):
you won seven last year. The division's clearly better. But
like you lost to in overtime, you were highly productive
offensively you'd have to come out of this year and go,
what an amazing rookie.
Speaker 8 (22:29):
Year from seven wins to eight and that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
But what does it look like with the Bears? Last year?
You won seven, You got blown out several times. You
were a terrible fourth quarter team. You couldn't play from behind.
If you're a team that can play from behind, you
lose several close games to the Lions and the Packers,
but you are clearly a consistent, elite top eight offense.
It can't all be about the wins total. I mean,
(22:55):
for instance, go look at the AFC. North Cleveland could
win eight nine games and finish fourth. If Russell Wilson
hits and the offense is productive, they may still miss
the playoffs because Cincinnati with Burrow and Baltimore with Lamar
are so elite. So with the Bears, don't talk about
(23:16):
winning their division. Detroit's got a better rofter and more momentum.
You may not. I don't think you're as good right now.
You may be as good as Green Bay, but I
tend to think Jordan Love is a little I mean,
he looks like he's next level. But if you win
eight games, it may look different. Than seven last year.
Speaker 8 (23:32):
It is eber Flu's keeping his job.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
If you win eight games depends on what it looks like.
Speaker 7 (23:36):
So if it let's say you start out three and one,
I excited, and then the crater at the end, he's
gonna get canned.
Speaker 8 (23:40):
Well, if they start out flow, he may not make
it to thanksgetting no.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
That's a good point. When he wins matters, So eber
Flus needs to win in September and December. He could
struggle in the middle. It could get choppy. If he
starts three and one and ends the season four and oh,
it'll be hard to get rid of him and just
wins a couple of games in the middle they go
nine to eight. But they started strong and the ended strong.
It's much easier to keep your job than if you
(24:04):
start one in three the Wolves are out. You'll get
no second chances. If you end ozero and four, you're done.
It's like justin Field's last game against Green Bay, You're like,
anybody on the fence is like, yeah, he didn't look
close to Jordan Love. So it does matter how you
start and finish in this league.
Speaker 8 (24:19):
I saw a report that the schedules coming out next.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Week may fifte so that's exactly a week away.
Speaker 7 (24:24):
That would make things very interesting for Bears fans.
Speaker 8 (24:27):
You get the schedule, hopefully you got some cupcakes early.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Any of you executives that want to leak stuff to us, Yeah,
that'll help me with maybe rewards coming here.
Speaker 7 (24:36):
With next up, the New England Patriots, the worst team
in the AFC East. They did find their quarterback of
the future in Drake May. A lot of rumors that
they were going to trade the pick. Well, de facto
GM Elliott Wolf spoke to Adam Schefter said the Patriots
never came close to trading the pick and the talent
and the person led them to selecting May third. Overall,
(24:58):
Wolf added, we think there's a lot to develop there with.
Speaker 8 (25:01):
Him, whenever that time may be.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Yeah, I like that.
Speaker 8 (25:05):
Whenever that time makes right.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Let's let Brissette take the lumps early and maybe Thanksgiving
you transition into Drake Mate. Nobody thinks he's a polished
product yet.
Speaker 8 (25:17):
Don't love that. I want my guy right in the fire.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Toss him in there, right in the fire.
Speaker 8 (25:21):
Oh yeah, it's not like the other than the Jets.
The defenses in the division, by the way, they.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Do realize Lamar didn't go right into the fire and
Mahomes didn't go right second. But I mean he started
week eleven that Josh Allen started week one right now,
pretty choppy. First year Joe Burrow started early, got beat
up physically. It's okay to work people in life. Can't
ask a twenty three year old person to do a
(25:46):
thirty three year old employees job sink or swim?
Speaker 5 (25:48):
Baby?
Speaker 8 (25:49):
Can you handle it? Toss him in there. Well, first
of all, go ahead and get a real wide receiver.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
But that's harsh.
Speaker 8 (25:55):
Final story, this is a weird one.
Speaker 7 (25:58):
So Austin Rivers remember the former Duke guard Sure who
was in the NBA for a minute, and his dad
obviously's Doc Rivers. He had a controversial take yesterday on
a on a show called The Pat McAfee Show.
Speaker 8 (26:10):
Rivers made the argument that the NBA has the best
athletes in the world.
Speaker 7 (26:13):
I think that many people maybe yeah, sure, But he added,
I can take thirty players right now in the NBA and.
Speaker 8 (26:19):
Throw them in the NFL.
Speaker 7 (26:20):
You cannot take thirty NFL players and put them in
the NBA.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Let me tell you some No NFL player could play
in the NBA, and no NBA player could play in
the NFL. You may be able to get like, could
you turn Luca into a tight end? Maybe? But let
me tell you something about basketball players. Adam Silver acknowledged
(26:45):
they were getting their feelings hurt because of social media.
It is not a pampering league. The NFL, the coach barks,
you get your head knocked off, you get hurt, You
have to play hurt. The NBA is a player's league.
Guy gets a sniffles, somebody says something mean on Twitter.
The commissioner is there to comfort you. The NFL, they
(27:08):
coach hard, They demand you play hurt. It's a totally
different culture. Now do I think basketball is more skill
based outside of like kicker and quarterback, Basketball is more
skill based. I mean, if you're a basketball player and
you don't pick up a ball for a month, even
Steph Curry would be like my shots off in the NFL.
If Tony Gonzalez took a month off, he can still
(27:29):
catch a football. I do think basketball, golf, tennis, there
are sports that like baseball, got to get in the
cage every day. Football you don't even have to play
high school football. You don't have to play college football.
Antonio Gates and you can be a Hall of Fame.
So I do think there's more skill in a lot
of sports. But what football demands of you practice is hard, play,
(27:51):
hurt playing, crappy weather. We don't care if you can't
handle your Twitter feedback. It is a hard league that
creates men varier. That's why NFL players tend to have
families earlier. It demands you grow up really quick. NFL
demands you get over yourself really quick. Tom Brady the
goat getting barked at. You couldn't do a Tom Brady
(28:12):
roast with Harden or with Lebron James or with KD.
You could never do a roast like that. So the
NBA may have better athletes, but the NFL demands a
different level of accountability, toughness, mental toughness, physical toughness. Nobody
cares that you played last night or yesterday. There is
(28:32):
no load management. Well, we got more games. NFL's now
going to eighteen games, three more playoff games, and you
get tackled. So I'd take eighty two basketball games over
eighteen twenty. I get tackled games.
Speaker 7 (28:45):
First of all, I'd love to see Lebron after he
retires like Brady go and get roasted.
Speaker 8 (28:50):
That would be amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
That's me incredible.
Speaker 8 (28:51):
I don't think it will happen.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
No, it's not good.
Speaker 7 (28:53):
Like I'm of course, there's a million players out there.
People are like, oh, look at the high school stats.
Mike Evans had the receiver for the Bucks, right, he's
six five. Mike Evans walks into the NBA, He's a
smurf at six five. In the NFL, he's like a
jump ball receiver NBA, he's like Josh Hartzize.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
I think you could probably take a Luca or a
Lebron in their prime and say, fellas, we're gonna ask
you to play tight end. But by the way, you
would not be the sports best tight end. You would
not like it. Charles Barkley is one of the biggest
toughest guys in league history. He tried out for football.
He got tackled twice and said, I'm not doing this.
Speaker 8 (29:27):
Who wants to get tackled when you could be CJ. McCollum.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
All you have to do is make fifty million, go
to an NFL game sometime if you can as a fan,
if you could ever get a sideline pass, Oh, come on.
You cannot believe how hard the hits are, the speed.
You cannot believe. Guys get up like Christian McCaffrey is
your size, and if you're by the field for a
(29:50):
Niners game, you just cannot believe he gets up. So
like NBA guys, And again, I think they're great athletes.
I'm not denying that. But if this comment is absurd,
nobody for either sport is going into the other sport.
You cannot find thirty guys in basketball to play in
the NFL. I do think you'll get in. It would
be easier easier basketball to football, football to basketball because
(30:13):
the skill level. But that's what thirty guys.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
I mean.
Speaker 7 (30:17):
Some of the twitchiest guys in the NBA could slide
into skill position spots like a take Jalen Green to
the Rockets, amazing athlete, ridiculous dunker, but play wide receiver.
Just go run go routes, like like the guy that
the Chiefs just drafted, no super fast, he could run
go routes and I'll jump everyone.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Be careful about because at the end of the day,
even the fast guys have to have a route tree
or the league goes yeah, just move a safety over
and he doesn't have routes, no doubt. Receivers in this
league are the guys like Jerry Rice who can run
past you and have a exquisite route tree, like even Randy. Now,
Randy Mosh, you say, well Randy, Well again, Randy was
(30:57):
a great football player from day one, and that's the
he played some basketball. But I think we think sometimes
a guy is fast, he's gonna be a great NFL player.
And Rinaldo Nea maya go look that one up was
a world class sprinter that went to the NFL forty
nine ers. Yeah, Darius Hayward bay speed has totally.
Speaker 7 (31:16):
I don't think he's talking about like having a awesome career.
I think he's just saying you could PLoP guys in there.
Michael Parsons, by the way, six three two five, do you.
Speaker 8 (31:25):
Know what that is?
Speaker 1 (31:26):
In the NBA.
Speaker 7 (31:26):
He's like a too small to be a shooting guard,
Michael Parsons, who's a tank. So I mean I kind
of ride with Rivers a little more than JJ Watt
jumped on his case and was coming after him.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
JJ Watt was realistic. He said, Austin, you're not employed
in either.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Yeah, slow down, what do you need to make a
personal fuck.
Speaker 8 (31:44):
JJ Watt little angry.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
I'm not bad for my flu game today. I'm bringing
a heat.
Speaker 8 (31:48):
We're thirty minutes in, man, come fuck.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
They don't have much left, but I was in the first.
Speaker 8 (31:52):
Quarter of an NBA game.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
J Mack with a news.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping by The
Herd Line News. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern non am Pacific.
Speaker 10 (32:09):
Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb. The podcast is called All Ball.
We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's
more about the stories about what made these people love
their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way.
We talked to coaches, we talked to players, We tell
you stories. You download it, you listen to it.
Speaker 5 (32:28):
I think you like it.
Speaker 10 (32:30):
Listen to All Ball with Doug Gottlieb on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 7 (32:37):
Saturday on Fox, it's the game of the year in
the UFL as the five and one Saint Louis BattleHawks
take on the undefeated Birmingham Stallions.
Speaker 8 (32:47):
That all kicks off Saturday at four eastern on pock.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
So the NBA does this thing, They take the last
two minutes of a basketball game for transparency, and they
go back and they look at the So, you know,
it's so predictable. NBA fans are fixated on officiating. So
the NBA went back. They had four miss calls in
the last Knicks Pacer games and the last game, and
(33:13):
two were miss calls that benefited the Knicks. Two were
miss calls that didn't benefit the Knicks. Sorry, it's not rigged.
So with one nineteen left, Miles Turner should have been
called for a three second violation benefit Indiana. Fifty three
seconds left, just prior to the incorrect kickball violation, Dante
di Vintenzo should have been called for an offensive foul,
(33:35):
benefit Nicks. Fifty two seconds left, Nestsmith should have been
called for a kickball violation. Oh that's a little bit
of benefit of New York right there, a little bit.
And then with ten seconds left, Miles Turner should have
been called for another offensive foul. So so you go
back and forth on this stuff, and it's like, oh,
that benefited Indiana. Oh that was the Knicks. That benefited Indiana.
(33:57):
That was the Knicks. Two miss calls so but again
the refs cost us the game. Is now the equivalent
of I didn't make the team because the coach didn't
like me. That's what it's become. You're embarrassing, right, you
get that only your fanboy friends by into that. By
the way, the Pacers, you want a perfectly officiated game.
You had seven turnovers, you were out rebounded significantly, and
(34:20):
you shot very poorly from three point line and the
Knicks did not. And usually in the NBA playoffs, if
you shoot poorly from three and they shoot well, you
lose the game. And you did, and you didn't have
a terrific fourth quarter. So you'll know, I mean just
on this play alone, after that screen call that everybody
got worked up over, which, by the way, the league
(34:40):
reviewed it was the right call. After that screen call
that everybody in you know was outraged in Indianapolis, Indiana,
foul Jalen Brunson before the ball was inbounded. We can't
do that. That's a heavy punitive against the team. So
you get a free throw and a possession. So the
lead went from one to fourth. That's the game. But no,
(35:01):
it was the coach didn't like me. If you think
the league is rigged for the Knicks. Remember Tyrese Maxi
for the Sixers. Remember when he hit two bombs to
beat the Knicks late. They were up by six with
twenty eight seconds left. Tyree Maxi traveled in one of
the shots and they didn't call it, so that benefited
(35:21):
the Sixers. Shouldn't have counted Nick Shon to wrap the
series up. So I know it's just easier to say
it's the officials, but what the refs are doing in
the NBA is they're not blowing the whistle as much
and so the games are a little choppier and there's
more fouls, and again, it's really hard think about officiating.
(35:41):
In the NFL. The hardest call is pass interference because
it's almost, ohways something you could call every play. You
can call pass interference every play, but you don't want
to stop the game. You don't want to muddy it up.
You know, you want games. That's why baseball, by the way,
they want the games to go two hours and thirty
five minutes, not three hours and ten minutes. College football,
you want games to move. There's a fluidity and aesthetics
(36:04):
and optics to a game. You don't want to call
every foul. So the NBA has decided that you all,
you know, at the trade deadline All Star Game, we're
gonna let more go. The game's getting too loose, too
easy offensively, it's not as pleasing, and it's been the
right move. But now you could call a foul every play.
You could call pass interference every play. The NFL is
always understood and the NBA usually understands this too. Baseball doesn't.
(36:26):
You're a television show, and so you don't want constant stoppages.
You want some fluidity to the broadcast in the game,
and that means some fouls. It's gonna happen, But y'all
want perfect officiating. But the Pacers got out rebounded, often
having more length on the court, out rebounded and out shot,
(36:49):
and you missed a couple free throws and you had
seven turnovers. Those aren't huge numbers. But I've said this,
Minnesota's defense, the way they're playing it right now, you
could call a foul on the Tea Wolves on every possession.
You could call a foul. I mean, I'm watching that
Denver game. Jamal Murray's throwing stuff on the floor and
everybody's getting worked up because the officials are letting stuff go. So,
(37:09):
as Jamack very alertly pointed out earlier, who is winning
in the playoffs. As the NBA has said, we're gonna
let aggressive win. Nicks are aggressive, Celtics play real defense,
Minnesota's hyper aggressive OKAC plays real defense. Those teams are benefiting.
It's just like cultural changes in the NFL. Oh, the
(37:31):
defensive coaches like Belichick and Pete Carroll, they can't get
it right. Andy reives flourishing, Sean mcvay's flourishing, Kyle shanahan's
flourishing offensive coaches all end up in the final four
teams because there's been a cultural shift over ten years
in the NFL. Well, the NBA shift happened at the
(37:52):
trade deadline. They're like, stop blowing whistles. The teams that
practice hard, defend hard, that are healthy, Okay, Minnesota, New
York Knicks, Boston Celtics, they're benefiting. I talk about this
all the time in life. Life changes, adapt or Diekay
ride the wave when it's working in your favor, Bill Belichick.
(38:13):
But when the wave stops and you can't defend the
same way, Bill, you don't put a defensive coordinator as
offensive coordinator. You have to adapt. He didn't. He's out
of work right as a coach. So I think j
mcredy pointed to that is is you want. They went
back the NBA and they went to four different plays.
Nicks benefited twice, Pacers benefited twice. And the one you
(38:36):
crowed most about, the one that outraged everybody, that was
the right call. The screen which it was he was moving,
he didn't give it, he didn't give the player he
was Defendgenzo didn't give them any space. That was the
right call to make.
Speaker 7 (38:47):
But the problem was the kicked ball, which wasn't even kicked.
It was off his hand. The refs called it a kick.
The Pacers were like, no, it's off his hand, let's
review it. And then that was like not reviewable.
Speaker 8 (38:56):
I mean it's it wasn't. In the games in the
NBA playoffs have been kind of crappy. Let's be real.
Speaker 7 (39:01):
No, that's been they're real, even exciting. But all these reviews,
in the missed reviews.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
They don't.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
I don't love all the reviews either, but I would
always rather get it as close to right as again,
but close to right isn't perfect. Remember there's a reason
sometimes in the NFL, the review will take three minutes.
They're going to microfilm here. They're trying to get it right.
And then the NFL often just says, we we just
(39:28):
don't have enough evidence. After thirty eight looks at it
to overturn it, they may still not get it right.
So the fans think review equals perfect. No, the review
they I mean, I've seen this in college football all
the time. They just don't have enough cameras. You know,
in the NFL you got fifty cameras, college could have eighteen,
and so in college sometimes you're like, I think he
did it, but you don't have enough to overturn it.
(39:51):
By the way, in court cases in America with a jury,
with the prosecutors, the das and judges, some people are
wrongly in isn't some people are wronged in our court system.
I mean it just sometimes I've got a better attorney
than you do. I have a better argument that you do.
Sometimes in college football you just don't have the camera.
Angle in the NFL there's so many cameras now you
(40:14):
almost always I mean sometimes you'll watch an NFL game
and go, what the hell's a camera? I mean, they
got cameras on the flags in the corners. But in
college football sometimes you'll be like, I think they butchered it.
They just don't have a They just don't have cameras
to see it. So even with reviews, it's not perfection.
I mean, you're on the freeway, a guy flies by, nobody,
(40:34):
nobody pulls him over. A guy's going slower. Ten minutes later,
cops see him pull him over. There's no perfect. We
got to get out of perfect.
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