May 20, 2024 • 32 mins
Colin explains why the Nuggets "dynasty" quickly came to an end before ever truly beginning following their game 7 loss to the Timberwolves. He tells you why he was right about the Celtics and wrong about the Jets. Plus, Timberwolves interim head coach Micah Nori joins the show to talk about stepping in for the injured Chris Finch and advancing to the Western Conference Finals
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
All Right, it is a Monday, and there is a
lie to talk about. It's the hurt wherever you may
be and however you may be listening, Thanks for making
us part of your day. Jamack. You know, there was
a time during the basketball season you sort of knew
who would end up in the finals, given the Shack
Kobe time. You can go back to the sixties, it
(00:50):
was Bill Russell and the Celtics every year. But that
is not this time. That was quite a series.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well, what a Sunday of best both road teams. I'm stunned,
still stunned.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
I think it's the first time that's ever happened. Minnesota, Dallas,
Indiana Pacers, Celtics of the final four. So in the
eighties and in the nineties and in the early two thousands.
In the twenty tens, we had dynasties. We had dynasties.
It could be the Pistons, or it could be the
Celtics with Larry Bird and additional pieces. It could be MJ.
(01:25):
It could be the Spurs with Tim Duncan, Kobe and Shaq. Lakers,
there was the Magic Kareem Lakers. The Heatles got close
to being a dynasty, and then of course the Warriors
dominated a decade, getting to the finals many times, and
those days now are apparently over. Welcome to twenty nineteen
and beyond. We will have the sixth NBA champion in
(01:48):
six years now. I think the NBA has more talent
than it's ever had, especially European talent. A lot of
good bigs, but it's spread out throughout the league. What
you say yesterday does not happen much. A defending champ
with the best player in the world at home of
evaporating in the second half, it just doesn't happen. You
(02:12):
got the best player, you got a good staff, you're
defending champs. Most of us think you have the best team,
and they just dried up Denver multiple times in this series.
Just got embarrassed the first two games of this series,
they were pushed around. They lost three or four at home,
and let's be honest, yesterday offense third quarter dried up.
(02:35):
The Tea Wolves deserve the credit. A lot of this
is the construct, the construction of the roster. It's really good.
Two bigs one a defender, want to score, a dynamic
emerging superstar on the wing, good bench, letticism, length, high IQ,
veteran point guard. So a guy named Tim Conneley built
(02:58):
Denver's roster to a championship level, then took a better
gig with Minnesota and very intentionally built a roster to
beat the roster he built to thwart Jokic, and in
some instances he did. The Tea Wolves are very intentionally built.
When they came in with two bigs, one all defense,
(03:21):
the other great offense. You know, you start looking from
naz Reid on, they're really built with a purpose. You
know a lot of times you watch NBA teams Phoenix
and there's just duplication everywhere. There's not here. I do
think offensively, they probably have to look at getting another
dependable a Pippin to MJ and somebody beyond him when
(03:44):
he has those rare off shooting nights. But the Nuggets
now still a very good team. The game went down
to the wire, game went to seven, but they have
to go back to the drawing board. Gordon didn't give
them anything offensively. Jamal Murray was very good early, not
as much late. Jokic needs help. They need a better bench,
(04:04):
so they'll they'll be fine, but we have to go
back to the drawing board. It tells you how well
constructed the Tea Wolves are. That Ant really played poorly
offensively yesterday and they still rolled over the champs on
the road. That's about roster construction that Ant doesn't have
to And this was always the key with Jordan's Bulls.
(04:26):
Michael on most nights was not only the best player,
but would hit the big shot. But it was when
they got a Packson or a cur or, a coup coach.
They got Rodman who had a specialty. It wasn't just
about Pippin. It was Phil Jackson understanding that you need
elements to a championship team, and Denver had those last year.
But with the emergence of Ant, who is now a
(04:49):
better player and an elite defender, Denver did not have enough.
So we will have the sixth champ in sixth seasons
the eighties and the nineties and the early two thousand er.
Over of the four left, Boston, Indiana, Dallas, and Minnesota,
I feel like, based on roster construction, Minnesota and Boston
(05:10):
play for the championship. Here are some thoughts after how
hard is it just to absorb a loss like this
after going ahead by twenty?
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Next question, Man, the season's over.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
That's what's hard being up twenty season's over.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
You don't understand that the season's over.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
It's hard.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Stupid ask questions. I think that built to beat us
in someone, And just look at the roster. They have
basically two all stars two probably the first defensive players
in here. Mike Onny, who is the most underrated player
in the NBA probably. I mean, I love the guy.
He's so good. One team that he They can do
(05:55):
a little, little literally everything. They can be big small.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
So congrats to the t Wolves, certainly earned. Denver is
not reeling, just beaten by a really smartly constructed team
with an emerging superstar. All Right. The only people more
disappointed than Nick fans that they lost in Game seven
at home to Indiana was ESPN apparently.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
But I get it.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
New York Boston is what the NBA needed. It felt big.
The late John Madden used to say, some games just
sound big, you know, Packers Bears. Even if one team
isn't great, it sounds big. Nick's Celtic sounded big. But
New York fell apart. I know, I know it's an excuse,
not really. It's sometimes there's an excuse dog ate my homework,
(06:47):
and then sometimes there's a reason, you know, the school
boss got into a wreck. I think New York's the
better team. They fell apart. Brunson, og, Julius Randall, Mitchell
Robinson for their top seven players hurt. But there's also
you know, you got Defangenzo. Now catch and shoot guy,
you can't get it rid of him. I think the
(07:07):
Knicks have a very interesting dilemma. It's a good dilemma
to have. They have a culture and they didn't forever.
And I think they have the coach who sets the
culture like he did in Chicago Tips.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
So that's the good news.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
They were just a aimless, wandering franchise, reaching on talent,
getting stars that weren't committed beyond themselves. The New York
Knicks have a culture and a lot of it is
the Villanova guys led by Jalen Brunson, but they also tough, gritty, physical.
They're not skilled enough. Milwaukee next year is better. Sixers
(07:43):
have cap space, they'll be better. Cleveland could make a
big deal and get better. The East isn't very good
and the Knicks fell apart, and that is a big
reason why they lost. They were a better team. I
thought when healthy, they just fell apart. Once Og goes
down early Brunson, it just now is that Tibbs. Is
(08:03):
that what they'll be going out? They need depth and
they do need another highly skilled star, but you better
get the right one. And that's why it's a delicate balance.
For years, the Knicks were impatient. Now they're patient. For
years they had fake stars, now they have a real one.
For years, they could have great nights, but you didn't
(08:24):
think there was a great soul or depth to it.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Check check they have both.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Can they get a Paul George kd probably fits, but
does he emotionally? And that's the challenge for the Knicks.
And I think they're up to it because I think
they finally got the front office in order. Don't screw
with the culture, don't screw with a toughness, do not
take the ball out of the hands of Jalen Brunson.
But you also have to be honest and admit Dame
(08:51):
and Jannis both got hurt, and Beid got hurt, Jimmy
Butler got hurt, the Hole East got hurt, and Boston's
going nowhere at least this year. Next year they'll have
a much better roster offensively and defensively. It's a great year.
Pacers probably not quite built to beat Boston. Boston played
them five times this year and average one hundred and
(09:12):
twenty nine points. New York if healthy, I think could
have really challenged the Celtics. Maybe not beaten them, maybe,
but they would have challenged them. I don't think Indiana can.
But the key to the Knicks here get a star.
Don't screw with the culture. It's going to take patience
(09:32):
and thought and self awareness, and I think they have it.
Here's Brunson after I.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Think we were making positive strides. We just need to
make more.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
I love this group of guys that we have and
just like I said before, their mindset, our mindset as
a group was strong, and.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Some nights when we.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
May have not had what people thought was a team
capable of winning that pushes over that hump, and so
definitely proud of what we were able to do this
year and proud of how we fought night.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
In night out.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Listen, Talent, skill eventually get your titles, but Heat culture
has gotten you to finals when you probably didn't have
the skill. So the Warriors had a culture. The Heat
have had it with Spolster and pat Riley forever, one
of the stronger cultures in the league. They look and
(10:28):
play differently than everybody else. Is the Knicks tweak? It
add some skill, But I would take this season despite
that loss, over any over the last twenty and not
just because you got to within the game of the
Eastern Conference finals. What you found and created and built
had been missing since pat Riley coached depth, a soul,
(10:53):
a style like you go home. You're watching Nick fans
do the heart sign on their shirt. This team was
impossible not to love. At another piece, you may love
him even more so J mack. Our final four is interesting.
You have the two best closers, probably Luka Kyrie. The
(11:14):
best constructed roster may be Minnesota. The team we keep
waiting to hoist a trophy Boston, but we're getting impatient
and a young, fun, offensive, high tempo team in Indiana
that feels like the fourth of four can't defend at
an elite level like the other three. Dallas now an
elite defensive team. Boston is Minnesota. Indiana's all offense, and
(11:36):
I do feel like they if they were receding this,
they would be they would be the four.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
Yeah, I think we both think Boston's decide for sure.
The question is who wins Minnesota Dallas. You don't have
to give away your pick this early.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
It will be a tough series. Those trade deadline moves
by Dallas. If they don't make those, this is a blowout.
Those Now they've got size PJ. Washington. Now they have
a little depth, they have a front line. It's an
interesting series and they have Minnesota can struggle at times offensively.
Dallas has two great fourth quarter closers. So if Dallas,
(12:10):
if Dallas can keep games close, you know you like
their chances with Luke and Kyrie down the stretch.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
Let me have to put a bowl in the next season.
You just said you love the philosophy, and we talked
about it they're hard. Nos, they played great, but do
they have to tweak it a little bit? Colin because
Thibodeau grinds his dudes into dust And we've seen it before.
He was in Chicago, played Luel Dang like every minute
of every game, and like at twenty eight, Dang was.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Cooked, his career was over. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
I don't want to see that with Brunson this next team.
I think they have to tell tibodauh, hey, Paul George
ain't gonna want to come here and.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Play forty minutes ago.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
Kd's not gonna want to come here, right.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Remember, if they didn't face all the injuries, the minutes
would have been more evenly distributed. A lot of this
as two of their biggs, Randall and Mitchell Robinson. Now
then Og gets hurt, so some of this was circum stanchial.
They're big, a lot of bigs, a lot of bullies
got hurt for them. You also have draft picks. I
would love to see them make some moves on Randall, Bogdanovich.
(13:10):
They can do this right, they can move it. They
have cat flexibility or workable contracts. They have draft picks.
I think they need more depth. I don't think. I
don't think they have to swing and hit a home
run with their star. People would look at KD. Paul
George would be a really good fit, and he's a
willing defender.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
He'd get to leave the West, which is loaded beyond belief,
and come the East to Paul George.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
That makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
It does. And the other thing about Paul is, you know,
whoever you bring into the Knicks does not have to
be the soul of it. When the Warriors brought in KD,
they had leaders. Yeah, they had a culture, just come
and hit shots. The Knicks aren't the Warriors, but similarly
the coach de vincenzo Og Brunson, Josh Hart, they've got
(14:01):
the culture and the toughness and the leadership. What they're
looking for is another catch and shoot guy on the
wing that Brunson doesn't have to carry the offensive load.
Brunson has proven he's a one and can carry the load,
but small guys ask to do that. Generally, your hardens
Steph Curry. You know, people will say what about Steph Curry,
(14:22):
But Steph Curry had clay. Then they brought in k D.
So he didn't really have this year he had to
carry it and couldn't. So it's like New York has
to bring in somebody. But they're not asking somebody to
come in and be the foundation, the soul, the leader,
the talker. They don't need any of that. They need
twenty three a night from the wing and a guy
(14:44):
that's willing to defend. You can't have a finesse guy
that's not willing to defend. It will not work in
this culture. I mean, Luca defended this year. Most guys
want to win. Most guys are I mean Kad and
his prime was a willing defender. Lebron and his prime
was a great defender. Most guys.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
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Speaker 1 (15:09):
Colin Right, Colin Wrong. On Monday, here we go where
Colin was right. Well, the Celtics breezed into the Eastern
Conference final.
Speaker 6 (15:17):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
The Eastern Conference is bad and Boston may not be great,
but they're balanced. They're a top five offense, they're a
top five defense, and I mean, you know, they avoided
playing Jimmy Butler and Beid got hurt and Dame got hurt,
and so the Eastern Conference was weak. It got significantly
weaker due to injuries. But we said we thought it
(15:40):
would be gentlemen's sweeps all the way through for the Celtics,
and that's what you've seen, a well rested team.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Now.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Where Colin was raw, I thought the Denver Nuggets had
a chance to do San Antonio and be a dynasty.
And maybe they still could, but they were outplayed, outsized,
out flanked yesterday at home in the second half. Jamal Murray,
I mean, he had some rough games in this series.
He Jokic even got pushed around at times. Gordon disappeared.
(16:08):
They got to tweak the roster and find more of
a bench. They only scored thirty seven points with Jokic
at home in the second half.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
So I was wrong where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Well, the fifth straight year, sixth straight year, the NBA
champ hasn't made it past the second round. And I've
said this reminds me of the seventies. I've said this repeatedly.
I think we have a bunch of very very good teams.
I don't think we have a Bird Celtic, a Magic Laker,
a Duncan spur. I thought Denver could be it. But
we're going to have a new champion, and I think
(16:42):
it's because the league is now all these European players
are all spread out. They don't They're not nearly as
willing to join other players to go to a super team.
Europeans don't want to do that, which is cool. And
so I think we've got the seventies, a bunch of
very good teams, none that are going to be his Oley.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Great, where Colin was raw well.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
I never thought soft Indiana, mentally soft Indiana could win
a game seven in New York. And yes, a lot
of it was due to the injuries. But I will
give Rick Carlyle a ton of credit. He went after
his team. He questioned their toughness, He questioned the Pacers fortitude.
You do not see that in the NBA very much.
(17:24):
Where a coach calls out his roster, calls them soft,
calls them weak. This is a players league, in Carlyle
questioned them, and they played in nearly perfect first half
of basketball and some pretty good basketball in the second half.
So I didn't see it coming. This team until yesterday.
I thought sort of lacked a maturity in the mental toughness,
(17:46):
and they showed up yesterday with it.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Where Colin was right, Jared.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Goff got appropriately a massive extension, second highest paid quarterback
annually in the league. I've said it for years. He's
not flashy, he's not hyper athletic. He can always use
a good running game, but just sitting in the pocket
and throwing to open receivers or throwing open receivers, Jared
(18:12):
Goff is top five or six in the league. It's
remarkable how close his numbers are with McVeigh to Matt Stafford.
He's a really good quarterback. He's not as much fun
to watch as Lamar or Mahomes. He's not as much
fun to watch his is Jalen Hurts or Josh Allen.
He not, but he's an exceptional quarterback and was appropriately
(18:34):
rewarded by a smart front office.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
I thought the NFL was gonna give Aaron Rodgers a
tough schedule because of his prickly controversial manner, and the
NFL doesn't like controversy. But instead they loaded up the
Jets schedule outside of the Niners opener with a bunch
of winnable games early to give him momentum. And what
the NFL was telling you is that they think Aaron Rodgers,
(19:02):
because of his controversy, is outside of a Patrick Mahomes
and the Dallas Cowboys, maybe the third most interesting player
in the league. So they want to get him on
TV as much as they can before the Jets, which
they tend to do unravel Where Colin was right, The
NFL said it for years. They are attacking the NBA.
(19:22):
Christmas is on a Wednesday. They don't care Netflix. Here's
two games with star quarterbacks. They're attacking college football in December,
putting on a Saturday game against the college football Playoff.
The NFL is a juggernaut juggernaut. It is a business.
It does not mind hurting feelings, and they view everybody
(19:43):
not the NFL as a rival, even college football.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Not a surprise to us where Colin was raw the story.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Today, the Lakers are rumored to be eind Donovan Mitchell
over Trey Young. First of all, I was told Lebron's
camp likes Trey Young. I also think Donovan Mitchell really
needs the ball. A very high usage rate in the
regular season goes even higher in the postseason. So I
don't know how it works. Lebron needs the ball, doesn't
(20:14):
love to play off ball. And I also don't see
the Calves and Dan Gilbert doing the Lakers and Lebron
any favors in a trade. But the story this morning
is Donovan Mitchell, not Trey Young, is who the Lakers
are buying an an where Colin was wrong. Well, the
Sons apparently are running it back. Booker, Durant Beal. The
(20:40):
Sons are gonna run the whole thing back. I don't
know why they need a point guard, they need a bench,
they need more size. But instead the GM says we're
not trading Durant, Beal or Booker why they're massive cap hits.
Beal doesn't appear to be working. Kevin Durant reportedly not
(21:02):
terribly happy.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Finally, Caitlin Clark is struggling out of the gate, and
I think it's the WNBA's fault. December tenth, the WNBA
had their lottery and New Indiana would have the number
one pick. Well, guess what that gave you? Eight days
to give the fever a little easier schedule. Instead, they
(21:26):
loaded it up with the New York Liberty and the
Connecticut Sun playoff teams, excellent teams, dominating defensive teams. Now
Caitlin Clark is still scoring. I think she's going to
be excellent and there's nothing really to worry about. But
we've talked about this. The NFL is constantly doing favors
(21:47):
to networks to create storylines early in the season. Give
Jim Harbaugh a couple of soft landings to start. Caleb
Williams opens at home with Tennessee, doesn't face the Packers
until week eleven. To me, the w NBA, the fever
or winless, Caitlin Clark struggling. There's not that many teams
(22:09):
in the w NBA. Did you have to start like
it was unplanned and give him a gauntlet of New
York and Connecticut right out of the shoot.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
and Neon Eastern n A Empacific. Pauli Fusco here with
Tony Fusco. You know, as the host of the number
one rated Paully and Tony Fusco show. We get tons
and tons of fan mail every day.
Speaker 7 (22:31):
Piles of it. In fact, Tony, why don't you open
up one of those letters? Right now and read What's inside. Hey,
listen to this. Dear Paulie and Tony, your sports takes
the dumbest and most terribly not that.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Wait, why this other one? Yeah, Paulie and Tony, you
suck more than anyone. Wait, try this one. Dear Paulie
and Tony, you guys are the absolute best. There you
go coming up with the stupidest take. Forget it.
Speaker 7 (22:57):
Just listen to the Paully and Tony Fusco Show on
the Iehet radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get
your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Ye, he has been the interim head coach. It's happened
a couple of times before Luke Walton to the Lakers.
Chris Finch got hurt and that collision with Conley and
so Mike is now the head coach. Chris is behind
him and he is joining us live now after beating
Denver in a liveting series. So, by the way, if
(23:23):
Chris suggests something, have you yet to turn to Chris
and say, Chris, I got it. Really, I appreciate it,
but I got it. Has that moment happened yet for you?
Speaker 2 (23:34):
It hasn't yet.
Speaker 6 (23:35):
But I just take credit for everything that works and
anything that doesn't work. I just turn it back on
the back of pitch, like that's what you wanted, right.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Yeah, put your hands in the air. You guys have
gotten this team to buy in. And I don't know
if it's Mike Conley. It's hard because you have different personalities,
defensive players and emerging star role players. The team just
buys into all of it. When did they buy it?
Was it hard to get there? When did you feel it?
Speaker 2 (24:05):
I think this year we were just talking about the
other day.
Speaker 6 (24:07):
We go over to Abu Dhabi and ironically enough, we're
playing the Dallas Matters here to start this season, and
we played the first couple of preseason games and the
defense was very, very good. And obviously Dallas is not
who they were then, but just you could tell the
way we were flying around, the way we're in sync
and offensively, everybody had bought in. And that obviously starts
with coach Finch. And then when you have Rudy Gobert
(24:29):
and Karl Anthony Towns and Mike Conley and all these guys,
is obviously Anthony Edwards buying in. Everybody else follows.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
And then the staff.
Speaker 6 (24:36):
We have a very cohesive staff and everybody's preaching the
same message. But again that starts with coach Finch and
Anthony Edwards I think summed it up last night best.
And he's such a great coach because he holds everybody accountable.
And the reason why is he's able to explain why
and if we do these things, we're going to be successful.
And then when you start having success, it makes it
that much easier to buy in for everybody.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
You dominate the first two games of the series next
to Denver gets loose, plays very well offensively, and home
court didn't mean much to start the series, and a
lot of us, myself included, thought okay, Denver got right.
They tweaked and then something happened. Talk about Game five
(25:17):
on first four All Minnesota early, all Denver. What happened
in the last three games of this series where you
Mike have felt like we're gonna win this thing.
Speaker 6 (25:28):
I think game five, we didn't have Mike Conley that game,
and he obviously and you've mentioned it, he's such a professionally,
such a leader for us, and he does so many things.
It doesn't really impact a stat sheet as far as
maybe points go, but all the stuff that he does
and that also cleans up our rotation. So when we
got Game five and we're there and we lose that game,
coming back game six, getting Mike back gave us that
(25:50):
push again and benchy Coach Finches said the whole time,
our best and our health is better than their best
and when they're healthy, and guys really bit into that.
It was anything gimmicky, It was just believing that when
we play well, we play and we share the ball,
that we're very, very tough to beat. We were able
to obviously take care of home court in Game six,
which was which is an anomaly as well when you
(26:12):
get up fifty points against a team like Denver and
Jamal Murray getting hurt early that obviously helped. But then
going into Game seven, the one thing that we did
know is that we were not there's no one's ever afraid,
but we had no fear of going into that building.
We had won three of the last four games to
go back to the end of the regular season in
that building, including the first two games one and two
in the series, so we were very very comfortable in
(26:33):
that building. Coach Finch does a great job of showing
us and showing the team where we can be effective
what made us effective in those first games and trying
to repeat that, and the first half we weren't able
to do it as much. We got a little bit
balled down, playing too much ISO ball. And then the
second half you saw our defense really got us going
and the ball started popping and we got back to
playing Timberwolves basketball.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Mike Conley this really bright, committed veteran and Ant. It's
almost it's so intentional. It's like, Oh, that's the perfect
point guard with Ant, that's literally the perfect Did you
guys know it instantly when you got Conley? Were you
seeking something when he landed, when he goes to the
first couple of practices, did you know instantly Conley is
(27:18):
perfect for Ant.
Speaker 6 (27:22):
Yeah, And it kind of led to to your point
about getting him with Rudy Gobert. And obviously those guys
were a great partner in Utah, and we knew that
he would help Rudy immensely, which he did. But the
Ant and Mike Conley is kind of like the old
odd couple. I know, I'm probably dating myself, but you've
got two very very different personalities. But they sit together
(27:42):
on the plane, they sit together in the film room,
and it's almost like Ant has that bravado and that
swagger that Mike, who is a very reserved and quiet guy,
probably just is that there is in all of this guy.
But at the end of the day, Mike Conley has
been a godsend for all of us and he and
Aunt really Aunts one of those guys. It loves to learn,
very very competitive, any advantage that he can get. He
(28:03):
knows that Mike has seen it all. And the other
thing about Mike is there's no hidden agenda with Mike,
very very selfless guy. So everything he's doing is coming
from the right place. And all he wants is to
help Aunt be the best player in the world that
an't think that he can be, and Ant has a
chance to be. And all he does is uplift Ant,
answers questions for Ant, and Aunt knows that he can
confide in Mike with anything he needs. So absolutely, Mike
(28:25):
Conley is a after you saw in Game five when
we didn't have him. He is the soul basically to
our whole team.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Wow, Aunt and k T. Kat had a funny exchange here.
I want to play it for you.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Usually an NBA history says you have to lose and
lose big before you win.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
What is it about this team that says we lost
last year. Yeah, that's different. You have to at a
bigger stage. Usually teams used the playoffs. We lost last year,
we lost the last two years. We got to lose.
You want to lose it for twenty years. I mean
that's just the truth. Uh.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
It looks like and this is a cliche maybe, but
it looks like a fun team to hang around.
Speaker 6 (29:12):
Is it? Absolutely? Absolutely? I mean winning obviously helps. I
mean when you win, you can put up a lot
of stuff. But we have a bunch of a great
group of personalities. I mean there's no jerks in the
locker room. You can always absorb one or two, and
sometimes it's not bad to have one or two to
get things wild up. But when you have a guy
like Aunt that has the utmost amount of confidence, who
(29:34):
the bravado and the swagger that he when he truly
believes it, all he does is bring everybody with him.
You have your professionals and guys that have seen it
all meeting Rudy, and you have Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson,
and then you got the young kids like Jaden and
Ni Kiel. It's just it's a great, great group that
every day practices are competitive. We're very very deep. I mean,
(29:55):
nas reed six Man of the Year. So they're just
a lot of different types of personalities, but they generally
are all guys that outside of basketball you would have
no problem hanging out with. I mean, we are very
very fortunate.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
Mike and Nory. Good luck for you going forward. You
got your hands full with Dallas. Made two moves at
the trade deadline. Now they're formidable in the front court,
back court as well. Great meeting. You send our best
to Krint Chris hobbling around. He'll be on soon as well,
and send our best to him.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
We'll do.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Thank you so much for having me, you bet.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Mike and norriy led the Timberwolves right now as the
assistant coach. Mike Brown did that a few years ago.
Remember he filled in for Steve Kerr about five six
years ago in the twenty seventeen playoffs. Not easy to do,
but I will say there it's it was an He
had an interesting thing there. He said, the soul of
the team is Conley. And we talked about this in
Golden State. The best players, not the soul of the
(30:49):
team now Brunson is both Defangenzo feels Josh Hart feel
a little bit like it. But the best players not
always the soul of the franchise. Mike Conley, you wouldn't
put him in his aunt or Kat or go Bear defensively,
but just when you watch that team, like, oh, these
guys like each other. And to get a young star
(31:12):
to commit to the defensive end, I don't think it's
that easy. A lot of guys like the possessions off.
It's a long season. Then you add in seven game
series after seven game series, like, I get it.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
J Mack good stuff today.
Speaker 5 (31:25):
Well, there's a reason no defending champ in the last
six years have has gotten out of the second round.
It's exhausting and I don't know. We could probably go
longer on it tomorrow. But the league wanting to kind
of stamp out super teams and push.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
More parody, get think this is the right direction call.
I think if you take Lebron James out, is that
mobility is overrated? It really take Lebron out. Oh, By
the way, that Paul George Kawhi Harden things working like
magic with the Clippers, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (31:58):
That Brooklyn thing if KD worked, No, it didn't. I mean,
look around the league. I'm not saying you can't add pieces,
add a poor zingis. I'm not saying that you add
Dallas Goes is not a super team with. What I'm
saying is if you take out one guy, I think
most I think baking is better than the microwave in
all sports.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
It is better for the is it a better for
the product?
Speaker 1 (32:21):
By the way, when Brooklyn got all those stars, they
were the lowest retted TV broadcast in the league. I
don't Lakers. I don't know. I Magic still king in LA.
He's a Laker through and through.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Give me super teams or give me death.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Okay,
Thanks for listening to the Best of 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 Sportsradio dot com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
All Right, it is a Monday, and there is a
lie to talk about. It's the hurt wherever you may
be and however you may be listening, Thanks for making
us part of your day. Jamack. You know, there was
a time during the basketball season you sort of knew
who would end up in the finals, given the Shack
Kobe time. You can go back to the sixties, it
(00:50):
was Bill Russell and the Celtics every year. But that
is not this time. That was quite a series.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well, what a Sunday of best both road teams. I'm stunned,
still stunned.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
I think it's the first time that's ever happened. Minnesota, Dallas,
Indiana Pacers, Celtics of the final four. So in the
eighties and in the nineties and in the early two thousands.
In the twenty tens, we had dynasties. We had dynasties.
It could be the Pistons, or it could be the
Celtics with Larry Bird and additional pieces. It could be MJ.
(01:25):
It could be the Spurs with Tim Duncan, Kobe and Shaq. Lakers,
there was the Magic Kareem Lakers. The Heatles got close
to being a dynasty, and then of course the Warriors
dominated a decade, getting to the finals many times, and
those days now are apparently over. Welcome to twenty nineteen
and beyond. We will have the sixth NBA champion in
(01:48):
six years now. I think the NBA has more talent
than it's ever had, especially European talent. A lot of
good bigs, but it's spread out throughout the league. What
you say yesterday does not happen much. A defending champ
with the best player in the world at home of
evaporating in the second half, it just doesn't happen. You
(02:12):
got the best player, you got a good staff, you're
defending champs. Most of us think you have the best team,
and they just dried up Denver multiple times in this series.
Just got embarrassed the first two games of this series,
they were pushed around. They lost three or four at home,
and let's be honest, yesterday offense third quarter dried up.
(02:35):
The Tea Wolves deserve the credit. A lot of this
is the construct, the construction of the roster. It's really good.
Two bigs one a defender, want to score, a dynamic
emerging superstar on the wing, good bench, letticism, length, high IQ,
veteran point guard. So a guy named Tim Conneley built
(02:58):
Denver's roster to a championship level, then took a better
gig with Minnesota and very intentionally built a roster to
beat the roster he built to thwart Jokic, and in
some instances he did. The Tea Wolves are very intentionally built.
When they came in with two bigs, one all defense,
(03:21):
the other great offense. You know, you start looking from
naz Reid on, they're really built with a purpose. You
know a lot of times you watch NBA teams Phoenix
and there's just duplication everywhere. There's not here. I do
think offensively, they probably have to look at getting another
dependable a Pippin to MJ and somebody beyond him when
(03:44):
he has those rare off shooting nights. But the Nuggets
now still a very good team. The game went down
to the wire, game went to seven, but they have
to go back to the drawing board. Gordon didn't give
them anything offensively. Jamal Murray was very good early, not
as much late. Jokic needs help. They need a better bench,
(04:04):
so they'll they'll be fine, but we have to go
back to the drawing board. It tells you how well
constructed the Tea Wolves are. That Ant really played poorly
offensively yesterday and they still rolled over the champs on
the road. That's about roster construction that Ant doesn't have
to And this was always the key with Jordan's Bulls.
(04:26):
Michael on most nights was not only the best player,
but would hit the big shot. But it was when
they got a Packson or a cur or, a coup coach.
They got Rodman who had a specialty. It wasn't just
about Pippin. It was Phil Jackson understanding that you need
elements to a championship team, and Denver had those last year.
But with the emergence of Ant, who is now a
(04:49):
better player and an elite defender, Denver did not have enough.
So we will have the sixth champ in sixth seasons
the eighties and the nineties and the early two thousand er.
Over of the four left, Boston, Indiana, Dallas, and Minnesota,
I feel like, based on roster construction, Minnesota and Boston
(05:10):
play for the championship. Here are some thoughts after how
hard is it just to absorb a loss like this
after going ahead by twenty?
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Next question, Man, the season's over.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
That's what's hard being up twenty season's over.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
You don't understand that the season's over.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
It's hard.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Stupid ask questions. I think that built to beat us
in someone, And just look at the roster. They have
basically two all stars two probably the first defensive players
in here. Mike Onny, who is the most underrated player
in the NBA probably. I mean, I love the guy.
He's so good. One team that he They can do
(05:55):
a little, little literally everything. They can be big small.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
So congrats to the t Wolves, certainly earned. Denver is
not reeling, just beaten by a really smartly constructed team
with an emerging superstar. All Right. The only people more
disappointed than Nick fans that they lost in Game seven
at home to Indiana was ESPN apparently.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
But I get it.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
New York Boston is what the NBA needed. It felt big.
The late John Madden used to say, some games just
sound big, you know, Packers Bears. Even if one team
isn't great, it sounds big. Nick's Celtic sounded big. But
New York fell apart. I know, I know it's an excuse,
not really. It's sometimes there's an excuse dog ate my homework,
(06:47):
and then sometimes there's a reason, you know, the school
boss got into a wreck. I think New York's the
better team. They fell apart. Brunson, og, Julius Randall, Mitchell
Robinson for their top seven players hurt. But there's also
you know, you got Defangenzo. Now catch and shoot guy,
you can't get it rid of him. I think the
(07:07):
Knicks have a very interesting dilemma. It's a good dilemma
to have. They have a culture and they didn't forever.
And I think they have the coach who sets the
culture like he did in Chicago Tips.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
So that's the good news.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
They were just a aimless, wandering franchise, reaching on talent,
getting stars that weren't committed beyond themselves. The New York
Knicks have a culture and a lot of it is
the Villanova guys led by Jalen Brunson, but they also tough, gritty, physical.
They're not skilled enough. Milwaukee next year is better. Sixers
(07:43):
have cap space, they'll be better. Cleveland could make a
big deal and get better. The East isn't very good
and the Knicks fell apart, and that is a big
reason why they lost. They were a better team. I
thought when healthy, they just fell apart. Once Og goes
down early Brunson, it just now is that Tibbs. Is
(08:03):
that what they'll be going out? They need depth and
they do need another highly skilled star, but you better
get the right one. And that's why it's a delicate balance.
For years, the Knicks were impatient. Now they're patient. For
years they had fake stars, now they have a real one.
For years, they could have great nights, but you didn't
(08:24):
think there was a great soul or depth to it.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Check check they have both.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Can they get a Paul George kd probably fits, but
does he emotionally? And that's the challenge for the Knicks.
And I think they're up to it because I think
they finally got the front office in order. Don't screw
with the culture, don't screw with a toughness, do not
take the ball out of the hands of Jalen Brunson.
But you also have to be honest and admit Dame
(08:51):
and Jannis both got hurt, and Beid got hurt, Jimmy
Butler got hurt, the Hole East got hurt, and Boston's
going nowhere at least this year. Next year they'll have
a much better roster offensively and defensively. It's a great year.
Pacers probably not quite built to beat Boston. Boston played
them five times this year and average one hundred and
(09:12):
twenty nine points. New York if healthy, I think could
have really challenged the Celtics. Maybe not beaten them, maybe,
but they would have challenged them. I don't think Indiana can.
But the key to the Knicks here get a star.
Don't screw with the culture. It's going to take patience
(09:32):
and thought and self awareness, and I think they have it.
Here's Brunson after I.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Think we were making positive strides. We just need to
make more.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
I love this group of guys that we have and
just like I said before, their mindset, our mindset as
a group was strong, and.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Some nights when we.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
May have not had what people thought was a team
capable of winning that pushes over that hump, and so
definitely proud of what we were able to do this
year and proud of how we fought night.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
In night out.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Listen, Talent, skill eventually get your titles, but Heat culture
has gotten you to finals when you probably didn't have
the skill. So the Warriors had a culture. The Heat
have had it with Spolster and pat Riley forever, one
of the stronger cultures in the league. They look and
(10:28):
play differently than everybody else. Is the Knicks tweak? It
add some skill, But I would take this season despite
that loss, over any over the last twenty and not
just because you got to within the game of the
Eastern Conference finals. What you found and created and built
had been missing since pat Riley coached depth, a soul,
(10:53):
a style like you go home. You're watching Nick fans
do the heart sign on their shirt. This team was
impossible not to love. At another piece, you may love
him even more so J mack. Our final four is interesting.
You have the two best closers, probably Luka Kyrie. The
(11:14):
best constructed roster may be Minnesota. The team we keep
waiting to hoist a trophy Boston, but we're getting impatient
and a young, fun, offensive, high tempo team in Indiana
that feels like the fourth of four can't defend at
an elite level like the other three. Dallas now an
elite defensive team. Boston is Minnesota. Indiana's all offense, and
(11:36):
I do feel like they if they were receding this,
they would be they would be the four.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
Yeah, I think we both think Boston's decide for sure.
The question is who wins Minnesota Dallas. You don't have
to give away your pick this early.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
It will be a tough series. Those trade deadline moves
by Dallas. If they don't make those, this is a blowout.
Those Now they've got size PJ. Washington. Now they have
a little depth, they have a front line. It's an
interesting series and they have Minnesota can struggle at times offensively.
Dallas has two great fourth quarter closers. So if Dallas,
(12:10):
if Dallas can keep games close, you know you like
their chances with Luke and Kyrie down the stretch.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
Let me have to put a bowl in the next season.
You just said you love the philosophy, and we talked
about it they're hard. Nos, they played great, but do
they have to tweak it a little bit? Colin because
Thibodeau grinds his dudes into dust And we've seen it before.
He was in Chicago, played Luel Dang like every minute
of every game, and like at twenty eight, Dang was.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Cooked, his career was over. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
I don't want to see that with Brunson this next team.
I think they have to tell tibodauh, hey, Paul George
ain't gonna want to come here and.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Play forty minutes ago.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
Kd's not gonna want to come here, right.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Remember, if they didn't face all the injuries, the minutes
would have been more evenly distributed. A lot of this
as two of their biggs, Randall and Mitchell Robinson. Now
then Og gets hurt, so some of this was circum stanchial.
They're big, a lot of bigs, a lot of bullies
got hurt for them. You also have draft picks. I
would love to see them make some moves on Randall, Bogdanovich.
(13:10):
They can do this right, they can move it. They
have cat flexibility or workable contracts. They have draft picks.
I think they need more depth. I don't think. I
don't think they have to swing and hit a home
run with their star. People would look at KD. Paul
George would be a really good fit, and he's a
willing defender.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
He'd get to leave the West, which is loaded beyond belief,
and come the East to Paul George.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
That makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
It does. And the other thing about Paul is, you know,
whoever you bring into the Knicks does not have to
be the soul of it. When the Warriors brought in KD,
they had leaders. Yeah, they had a culture, just come
and hit shots. The Knicks aren't the Warriors, but similarly
the coach de vincenzo Og Brunson, Josh Hart, they've got
(14:01):
the culture and the toughness and the leadership. What they're
looking for is another catch and shoot guy on the
wing that Brunson doesn't have to carry the offensive load.
Brunson has proven he's a one and can carry the load,
but small guys ask to do that. Generally, your hardens
Steph Curry. You know, people will say what about Steph Curry,
(14:22):
But Steph Curry had clay. Then they brought in k D.
So he didn't really have this year he had to
carry it and couldn't. So it's like New York has
to bring in somebody. But they're not asking somebody to
come in and be the foundation, the soul, the leader,
the talker. They don't need any of that. They need
twenty three a night from the wing and a guy
(14:44):
that's willing to defend. You can't have a finesse guy
that's not willing to defend. It will not work in
this culture. I mean, Luca defended this year. Most guys
want to win. Most guys are I mean Kad and
his prime was a willing defender. Lebron and his prime
was a great defender. Most guys.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
in noon eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
Colin Right, Colin Wrong. On Monday, here we go where
Colin was right. Well, the Celtics breezed into the Eastern
Conference final.
Speaker 6 (15:17):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
The Eastern Conference is bad and Boston may not be great,
but they're balanced. They're a top five offense, they're a
top five defense, and I mean, you know, they avoided
playing Jimmy Butler and Beid got hurt and Dame got hurt,
and so the Eastern Conference was weak. It got significantly
weaker due to injuries. But we said we thought it
(15:40):
would be gentlemen's sweeps all the way through for the Celtics,
and that's what you've seen, a well rested team.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Now.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Where Colin was raw, I thought the Denver Nuggets had
a chance to do San Antonio and be a dynasty.
And maybe they still could, but they were outplayed, outsized,
out flanked yesterday at home in the second half. Jamal Murray,
I mean, he had some rough games in this series.
He Jokic even got pushed around at times. Gordon disappeared.
(16:08):
They got to tweak the roster and find more of
a bench. They only scored thirty seven points with Jokic
at home in the second half.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
So I was wrong where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Well, the fifth straight year, sixth straight year, the NBA
champ hasn't made it past the second round. And I've
said this reminds me of the seventies. I've said this repeatedly.
I think we have a bunch of very very good teams.
I don't think we have a Bird Celtic, a Magic Laker,
a Duncan spur. I thought Denver could be it. But
we're going to have a new champion, and I think
(16:42):
it's because the league is now all these European players
are all spread out. They don't They're not nearly as
willing to join other players to go to a super team.
Europeans don't want to do that, which is cool. And
so I think we've got the seventies, a bunch of
very good teams, none that are going to be his Oley.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Great, where Colin was raw well.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
I never thought soft Indiana, mentally soft Indiana could win
a game seven in New York. And yes, a lot
of it was due to the injuries. But I will
give Rick Carlyle a ton of credit. He went after
his team. He questioned their toughness, He questioned the Pacers fortitude.
You do not see that in the NBA very much.
(17:24):
Where a coach calls out his roster, calls them soft,
calls them weak. This is a players league, in Carlyle
questioned them, and they played in nearly perfect first half
of basketball and some pretty good basketball in the second half.
So I didn't see it coming. This team until yesterday.
I thought sort of lacked a maturity in the mental toughness,
(17:46):
and they showed up yesterday with it.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Where Colin was right, Jared.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Goff got appropriately a massive extension, second highest paid quarterback
annually in the league. I've said it for years. He's
not flashy, he's not hyper athletic. He can always use
a good running game, but just sitting in the pocket
and throwing to open receivers or throwing open receivers, Jared
(18:12):
Goff is top five or six in the league. It's
remarkable how close his numbers are with McVeigh to Matt Stafford.
He's a really good quarterback. He's not as much fun
to watch as Lamar or Mahomes. He's not as much
fun to watch his is Jalen Hurts or Josh Allen.
He not, but he's an exceptional quarterback and was appropriately
(18:34):
rewarded by a smart front office.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
I thought the NFL was gonna give Aaron Rodgers a
tough schedule because of his prickly controversial manner, and the
NFL doesn't like controversy. But instead they loaded up the
Jets schedule outside of the Niners opener with a bunch
of winnable games early to give him momentum. And what
the NFL was telling you is that they think Aaron Rodgers,
(19:02):
because of his controversy, is outside of a Patrick Mahomes
and the Dallas Cowboys, maybe the third most interesting player
in the league. So they want to get him on
TV as much as they can before the Jets, which
they tend to do unravel Where Colin was right, The
NFL said it for years. They are attacking the NBA.
(19:22):
Christmas is on a Wednesday. They don't care Netflix. Here's
two games with star quarterbacks. They're attacking college football in December,
putting on a Saturday game against the college football Playoff.
The NFL is a juggernaut juggernaut. It is a business.
It does not mind hurting feelings, and they view everybody
(19:43):
not the NFL as a rival, even college football.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Not a surprise to us where Colin was raw the story.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Today, the Lakers are rumored to be eind Donovan Mitchell
over Trey Young. First of all, I was told Lebron's
camp likes Trey Young. I also think Donovan Mitchell really
needs the ball. A very high usage rate in the
regular season goes even higher in the postseason. So I
don't know how it works. Lebron needs the ball, doesn't
(20:14):
love to play off ball. And I also don't see
the Calves and Dan Gilbert doing the Lakers and Lebron
any favors in a trade. But the story this morning
is Donovan Mitchell, not Trey Young, is who the Lakers
are buying an an where Colin was wrong. Well, the
Sons apparently are running it back. Booker, Durant Beal. The
(20:40):
Sons are gonna run the whole thing back. I don't
know why they need a point guard, they need a bench,
they need more size. But instead the GM says we're
not trading Durant, Beal or Booker why they're massive cap hits.
Beal doesn't appear to be working. Kevin Durant reportedly not
(21:02):
terribly happy.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Finally, Caitlin Clark is struggling out of the gate, and
I think it's the WNBA's fault. December tenth, the WNBA
had their lottery and New Indiana would have the number
one pick. Well, guess what that gave you? Eight days
to give the fever a little easier schedule. Instead, they
(21:26):
loaded it up with the New York Liberty and the
Connecticut Sun playoff teams, excellent teams, dominating defensive teams. Now
Caitlin Clark is still scoring. I think she's going to
be excellent and there's nothing really to worry about. But
we've talked about this. The NFL is constantly doing favors
(21:47):
to networks to create storylines early in the season. Give
Jim Harbaugh a couple of soft landings to start. Caleb
Williams opens at home with Tennessee, doesn't face the Packers
until week eleven. To me, the w NBA, the fever
or winless, Caitlin Clark struggling. There's not that many teams
(22:09):
in the w NBA. Did you have to start like
it was unplanned and give him a gauntlet of New
York and Connecticut right out of the shoot.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
and Neon Eastern n A Empacific. Pauli Fusco here with
Tony Fusco. You know, as the host of the number
one rated Paully and Tony Fusco show. We get tons
and tons of fan mail every day.
Speaker 7 (22:31):
Piles of it. In fact, Tony, why don't you open
up one of those letters? Right now and read What's inside. Hey,
listen to this. Dear Paulie and Tony, your sports takes
the dumbest and most terribly not that.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Wait, why this other one? Yeah, Paulie and Tony, you
suck more than anyone. Wait, try this one. Dear Paulie
and Tony, you guys are the absolute best. There you
go coming up with the stupidest take. Forget it.
Speaker 7 (22:57):
Just listen to the Paully and Tony Fusco Show on
the Iehet radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get
your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Ye, he has been the interim head coach. It's happened
a couple of times before Luke Walton to the Lakers.
Chris Finch got hurt and that collision with Conley and
so Mike is now the head coach. Chris is behind
him and he is joining us live now after beating
Denver in a liveting series. So, by the way, if
(23:23):
Chris suggests something, have you yet to turn to Chris
and say, Chris, I got it. Really, I appreciate it,
but I got it. Has that moment happened yet for you?
Speaker 2 (23:34):
It hasn't yet.
Speaker 6 (23:35):
But I just take credit for everything that works and
anything that doesn't work. I just turn it back on
the back of pitch, like that's what you wanted, right.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Yeah, put your hands in the air. You guys have
gotten this team to buy in. And I don't know
if it's Mike Conley. It's hard because you have different personalities,
defensive players and emerging star role players. The team just
buys into all of it. When did they buy it?
Was it hard to get there? When did you feel it?
Speaker 2 (24:05):
I think this year we were just talking about the
other day.
Speaker 6 (24:07):
We go over to Abu Dhabi and ironically enough, we're
playing the Dallas Matters here to start this season, and
we played the first couple of preseason games and the
defense was very, very good. And obviously Dallas is not
who they were then, but just you could tell the
way we were flying around, the way we're in sync
and offensively, everybody had bought in. And that obviously starts
with coach Finch. And then when you have Rudy Gobert
(24:29):
and Karl Anthony Towns and Mike Conley and all these guys,
is obviously Anthony Edwards buying in. Everybody else follows.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
And then the staff.
Speaker 6 (24:36):
We have a very cohesive staff and everybody's preaching the
same message. But again that starts with coach Finch and
Anthony Edwards I think summed it up last night best.
And he's such a great coach because he holds everybody accountable.
And the reason why is he's able to explain why
and if we do these things, we're going to be successful.
And then when you start having success, it makes it
that much easier to buy in for everybody.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
You dominate the first two games of the series next
to Denver gets loose, plays very well offensively, and home
court didn't mean much to start the series, and a
lot of us, myself included, thought okay, Denver got right.
They tweaked and then something happened. Talk about Game five
(25:17):
on first four All Minnesota early, all Denver. What happened
in the last three games of this series where you
Mike have felt like we're gonna win this thing.
Speaker 6 (25:28):
I think game five, we didn't have Mike Conley that game,
and he obviously and you've mentioned it, he's such a professionally,
such a leader for us, and he does so many things.
It doesn't really impact a stat sheet as far as
maybe points go, but all the stuff that he does
and that also cleans up our rotation. So when we
got Game five and we're there and we lose that game,
coming back game six, getting Mike back gave us that
(25:50):
push again and benchy Coach Finches said the whole time,
our best and our health is better than their best
and when they're healthy, and guys really bit into that.
It was anything gimmicky, It was just believing that when
we play well, we play and we share the ball,
that we're very, very tough to beat. We were able
to obviously take care of home court in Game six,
which was which is an anomaly as well when you
(26:12):
get up fifty points against a team like Denver and
Jamal Murray getting hurt early that obviously helped. But then
going into Game seven, the one thing that we did
know is that we were not there's no one's ever afraid,
but we had no fear of going into that building.
We had won three of the last four games to
go back to the end of the regular season in
that building, including the first two games one and two
in the series, so we were very very comfortable in
(26:33):
that building. Coach Finch does a great job of showing
us and showing the team where we can be effective
what made us effective in those first games and trying
to repeat that, and the first half we weren't able
to do it as much. We got a little bit
balled down, playing too much ISO ball. And then the
second half you saw our defense really got us going
and the ball started popping and we got back to
playing Timberwolves basketball.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Mike Conley this really bright, committed veteran and Ant. It's
almost it's so intentional. It's like, Oh, that's the perfect
point guard with Ant, that's literally the perfect Did you
guys know it instantly when you got Conley? Were you
seeking something when he landed, when he goes to the
first couple of practices, did you know instantly Conley is
(27:18):
perfect for Ant.
Speaker 6 (27:22):
Yeah, And it kind of led to to your point
about getting him with Rudy Gobert. And obviously those guys
were a great partner in Utah, and we knew that
he would help Rudy immensely, which he did. But the
Ant and Mike Conley is kind of like the old
odd couple. I know, I'm probably dating myself, but you've
got two very very different personalities. But they sit together
(27:42):
on the plane, they sit together in the film room,
and it's almost like Ant has that bravado and that
swagger that Mike, who is a very reserved and quiet guy,
probably just is that there is in all of this guy.
But at the end of the day, Mike Conley has
been a godsend for all of us and he and
Aunt really Aunts one of those guys. It loves to learn,
very very competitive, any advantage that he can get. He
(28:03):
knows that Mike has seen it all. And the other
thing about Mike is there's no hidden agenda with Mike,
very very selfless guy. So everything he's doing is coming
from the right place. And all he wants is to
help Aunt be the best player in the world that
an't think that he can be, and Ant has a
chance to be. And all he does is uplift Ant,
answers questions for Ant, and Aunt knows that he can
confide in Mike with anything he needs. So absolutely, Mike
(28:25):
Conley is a after you saw in Game five when
we didn't have him. He is the soul basically to
our whole team.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Wow, Aunt and k T. Kat had a funny exchange here.
I want to play it for you.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Usually an NBA history says you have to lose and
lose big before you win.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
What is it about this team that says we lost
last year. Yeah, that's different. You have to at a
bigger stage. Usually teams used the playoffs. We lost last year,
we lost the last two years. We got to lose.
You want to lose it for twenty years. I mean
that's just the truth. Uh.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
It looks like and this is a cliche maybe, but
it looks like a fun team to hang around.
Speaker 6 (29:12):
Is it? Absolutely? Absolutely? I mean winning obviously helps. I
mean when you win, you can put up a lot
of stuff. But we have a bunch of a great
group of personalities. I mean there's no jerks in the
locker room. You can always absorb one or two, and
sometimes it's not bad to have one or two to
get things wild up. But when you have a guy
like Aunt that has the utmost amount of confidence, who
(29:34):
the bravado and the swagger that he when he truly
believes it, all he does is bring everybody with him.
You have your professionals and guys that have seen it
all meeting Rudy, and you have Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson,
and then you got the young kids like Jaden and
Ni Kiel. It's just it's a great, great group that
every day practices are competitive. We're very very deep. I mean,
(29:55):
nas reed six Man of the Year. So they're just
a lot of different types of personalities, but they generally
are all guys that outside of basketball you would have
no problem hanging out with. I mean, we are very
very fortunate.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
Mike and Nory. Good luck for you going forward. You
got your hands full with Dallas. Made two moves at
the trade deadline. Now they're formidable in the front court,
back court as well. Great meeting. You send our best
to Krint Chris hobbling around. He'll be on soon as well,
and send our best to him.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
We'll do.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Thank you so much for having me, you bet.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Mike and norriy led the Timberwolves right now as the
assistant coach. Mike Brown did that a few years ago.
Remember he filled in for Steve Kerr about five six
years ago in the twenty seventeen playoffs. Not easy to do,
but I will say there it's it was an He
had an interesting thing there. He said, the soul of
the team is Conley. And we talked about this in
Golden State. The best players, not the soul of the
(30:49):
team now Brunson is both Defangenzo feels Josh Hart feel
a little bit like it. But the best players not
always the soul of the franchise. Mike Conley, you wouldn't
put him in his aunt or Kat or go Bear defensively,
but just when you watch that team, like, oh, these
guys like each other. And to get a young star
(31:12):
to commit to the defensive end, I don't think it's
that easy. A lot of guys like the possessions off.
It's a long season. Then you add in seven game
series after seven game series, like, I get it.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
J Mack good stuff today.
Speaker 5 (31:25):
Well, there's a reason no defending champ in the last
six years have has gotten out of the second round.
It's exhausting and I don't know. We could probably go
longer on it tomorrow. But the league wanting to kind
of stamp out super teams and push.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
More parody, get think this is the right direction call.
I think if you take Lebron James out, is that
mobility is overrated? It really take Lebron out. Oh, By
the way, that Paul George Kawhi Harden things working like
magic with the Clippers, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (31:58):
That Brooklyn thing if KD worked, No, it didn't. I mean,
look around the league. I'm not saying you can't add pieces,
add a poor zingis. I'm not saying that you add
Dallas Goes is not a super team with. What I'm
saying is if you take out one guy, I think
most I think baking is better than the microwave in
all sports.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
It is better for the is it a better for
the product?
Speaker 1 (32:21):
By the way, when Brooklyn got all those stars, they
were the lowest retted TV broadcast in the league. I
don't Lakers. I don't know. I Magic still king in LA.
He's a Laker through and through.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Give me super teams or give me death.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Okay,
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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