May 21, 2024 • 42 mins
He ranks the top 10 players remaining in the playoffs before the start of the Conference Finals
Guest: Nick Wright
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio right, it's our two.
We're live in LA.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
It's The Herd wherever you may be, however you may
be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day.
Byron Scott. Last hour, Nick Wright, five minutes, J Mack.
I'm watching these playoffs Celtics tonight. Eastern Conference Finals begins
in earnest. I like Boston tonight by about ten lines,
twelve and a half. But I thought, now we're down
(00:48):
to the final four. Who are the ten best players left.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
In these games? Ten best players left?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I remember we did this during the nf NFL playoffs
for games.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I'm worried about something, so.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I have Porzingis at eleven because I don't know if
he's gonna play.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
That's fair.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I can see Boston saying if they blew him out tonight,
Boston saying, let's just keep him sidelined until we lose
the game in this series. So I'm not gonna put
Porzingis in because I don't know if he's gonna I
don't know if he's gonna play. They have no chance
to beat Denver. They Minnesota or Dallas are too big,
too big of a front line. You've got to have
Porzingis for the finals or I think they get bullied.
Minnesota would bully him. Dallas is lined since the trade deadline.
(01:32):
Pretty physical, pretty physical.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Front don't know if I can ride with you there,
but go off. All right, Here we go.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Here's our top ten players left between the Celtics, the Pacers,
the t Wolves.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
And the Mavericks. Here we go. Number ten, I would say,
Drew Holliday.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
You get IQ, you get experience, one of four players
left with championship experience.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
You get defense. He's a great.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Attack defender, can give you points, but isn't needy offensively. Again,
this is a guy that's played in big games. One
of the most respected, well like players in the league.
Drew Holiday of the Celtics at ten. Number nine, often maligned,
but outside of Jokic, Rudy Gobert gives a lot of
(02:14):
people trouble. Yokichiat him up. Yokichiat's everybody up, including Anthony Davis.
He's a highly efficient offensive player. His length creates troubles.
Hit some big shots in Game seven against Denver, four
time Defensive Player of the Year, Laugh all you want.
Rudy Gobert at nine, number eight, Pascal Siakam was good
(02:36):
in Toronto. He's good at Indiana. You're gonna get twenty
one eight from him every time. Physicality. He's important for
Indiana because they play fast and finesse basketball. He gives
them some length and physicality for a team that's gonna
need every ounce of that against the Celtics twenty one
to eight and four efficient offensive player Siakim at eight,
(02:57):
number seven, Carl Anthony town a bit inconsistent, shoots actually
a really nice three ball for a guy at that's
seven feet. He's often a physical size mismatch because they've
got two bigs. Again, I think he you can almost
tell if somebody's talented based on the market, and he's
got a market. I could see the Knicks making a
run at him. I could see several teams making a
run at him. Karl Anthony Towns one of five players
(03:21):
to record a triple double in this year's playoffs. Number seven,
Number six, Tyree's Halliburton leads the Playoffs in a sisper
game at almost eleven. Got his shooting touch in game seven,
so he had an injury, great early, pulled back excellent
in this series. Doesn't make a lot of mistakes, so
you get speed, quickness, assis points, very few turnovers, mostly
(03:48):
air free as sending young player.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Number five, Kyrie Irving.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Is playing more of a shooting guard than a point
guard role in this series, so I pull him down
a little. I also don't know exactly what's in his head.
Game to game. He can be a little hot and cold,
but he's actually playing defense. He's a remarkable defender. I
would put Kyrie at five, number four, but I think
Jalen Brown's the same guy every game. Excellent wing, versatility
(04:16):
as a defender, strong body. Jalen Brown at four fifty
five percent shooting in the Playoffs. Again, I know exactly
what I'm gonna get. Sometimes he wants the ball more
than Jason Tatum down the stretch. He's been good since
he came out of col He gets slightly better every year.
I think he's an underrated, efficient player that can defend
(04:37):
on the wing. Jalen Brown at four, number three, I'd
say Jason Tatum, best player on the number one team
all season, a true three level score, transition jumper down low.
Sometimes I wish he was more aggressive, but he's the
most offensive league gifted player that's indisputable on a dominant
team in the regular season.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Tatum at number three, number two.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Anthony Edward's best, arguable, best two way player, remaining unlimited ceiling,
still needs some refinement, can be a little hot and
cold with his shooting, but he's developing as a passer
and a facilitator, which is great self awareness, ability to
step back let others shoot. Mike Conley has been so
(05:22):
valuable for his growth and at number two, number one,
gotta give it to Luca. He can be a dominant score,
virtually impossible.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
To stop when he's in his zone.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Led the regular season in scoring, now leading the playoffs
in assists at over nine a game. There's not much
I don't like. I think at times he can be
difficult to play with in a tad selfish, but that
was an argument you can make about MJ. Kobe and
a lot of great scores Luca at number one. Nick
right now calls first things first, joins me live.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
All right?
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Any now, I went Jalen Brown, you know me and
the whole hat on forwards. I like dependability, so I
don't think Jalen Brown is as skilled as Kyrie. But
I know what I get. I know what I get, toughness, physicality,
wing defender, same guy. Anything in that top ten that bothered.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
You, no, So if I can see the whole thing again,
I think Drew Holliday is I think that's more based
on his history. You had him tenth right, I'm not
seeing it right now, but he has not been up
to that.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
Level in these playoffs.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
But his history of being a champion and being a leader,
I think earns his spot on the list. I have
no problem with your top five at all. I think
having Luca number one is smart and correct. Aunt number
two and Tatum three. I think that has to be
the one through three. People could argue that Halliburton, based
on what he was as certainly in the beginning of
(06:50):
the regular season, should be higher, and he came on
strong at the end of the second round, and so
credit to him. I do want to say something about Kyrie, though, Colin,
because I have been so impressed by.
Speaker 6 (07:05):
Kyrie Irving all year.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Kyrie seems to have matured in a way in his
early thirties that is in myself defensively, in a way
he never has, clearly trying to be the elder statesman leader.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
And this is crazy, but it's true.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
Of all the stars in the playoffs, He's the oldest
left by far, and was the oldest left after Round
one ended at the guy who's thirty one thirty two
years old. And I think Kyrie is the best version
of himself that we have seen outside of Cleveland. And
I also think he has been strategic in understanding he
(07:47):
has not been on a deep playoff run in seven years.
He has suffered some injuries since then, and I think
he's tried to kind of throttle his intensity and effort
to second half some games, trying to make sure he
has something left in the tank. He's one of the
major reasons, alongside Luke obviously, that.
Speaker 6 (08:07):
I think the MAVs can win the whole thing.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
So I grew up, as you know, I'm a bit older.
In the seventies is when I fell in love with
the NBA, and there were a lot of very good teams.
The Sixers had a Doctor Jay and a George McGuinness
and a mo chieks and Andrew Tony if I recall,
and Steve Mix. And then you had the Sonics with
Gus and DJ, and the Blazers had Walton, and the
Warriors had Rick Barry and Elvin Hayesen unseld with Washington's
(08:33):
a bunch of very good teams, no great ones, and
that's just dynasties up until about six years ago, and
after watching Denver and Minnesota, I'm like, well, I thought
Denver could be San Antonio and they're not probably gonna be.
I didn't really criticize Denver for losing. My takeaway was, well, Minnesota.
(08:53):
The same guy that built Denver helped build Minnesota. They
built him to beat Denver. And I just felt like, no,
no criticism of Denver. It's just these are all, including
the Celtics, very good teams, no great teams.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Fair So that.
Speaker 6 (09:10):
I think that's fair.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
I think that is a little bit of a criticism
in that Denver is being discussed, yeah as a potential dynasty,
as a not very good team, but a great team,
and the way in which they lost has to matter. Yeah,
they were up three to two in a series against
a team full of guys, every single guy that played
(09:33):
in Minnesota except for Mike Conley. This was the biggest
games of their lives. And Denver is the team that
blinked up three to two. Denver loses by forty five points,
and then in Game six, and then in Game seven
blows a twenty point second half lead. And I know
(09:54):
it's become very you know, in vogue to say, ah,
twenty point leads in the modern NBA, what do they
really mean?
Speaker 6 (10:02):
Well, this year in the NBA, teams.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
That were up twenty in the second half won ninety
six percent of their games. In NBA playoff history, teams
up twenty in the second half win ninety seven percent
of their games.
Speaker 6 (10:18):
That was a collapse. And while I thought.
Speaker 5 (10:21):
Jokic was absolutely brilliant in Games four and five, two
perfect offensive performances, and I thought he was good, not
necessarily great, but good in Game seven, a loss like
this does stagger you as far as when you're trying
to climb the ranks. Historically, and now he Jokic was
(10:43):
being handed player of the era. Yannis now is going
to have something to say about that. Yannis, who, by
the way, has been the same number of conference finals,
the same number of NBA finals, the same finals MVPs.
Jokic has three league MVP Jannis has two, but also
a Defensive Player of the Year award, and Yannis's titled
(11:05):
defense ended in a round two, seven game loss. However,
that one ended with Chris Middleton missing the entirety of
that round due to injury. And so I think Yannis, Luca,
Yannis jokicch and then we'll see if Luca can finish
this thing off. Those three guys are going to be
(11:25):
vying for league supremacy over the next few seasons.
Speaker 6 (11:28):
In my opinion.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
All right, Boston's gonna fly through the Pacers, who are
an egregiously bad defensive team. It won't be very competitive.
I'll take Minnesota over Dallas, but it'll go six or seven.
I think New York not making the Eastern Conference Final
is a bit of a gut punch for ESPN. It
was very obvious on the broadcast who they were pulling for.
Speaker 6 (11:47):
But needless to you could tell. I thought it was subtle.
Now they really underplayed it.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
So let me throw this, I said, this yesterday is
that if you looked at the Warriors, a big part
of winning pre KD, during KD and after KD was
the culture. Spolstra Riley Heat culture is that the Knicks,
you could argue they don't even play like anybody else.
(12:15):
They have created a kind of a Villanova collegiate gritty
culture that has such redeemable value for a franchise that
couldn't get anything right for twenty years now. My takeaways
James Dolan was paying so much attention to the sphere
in Vegas, which is a masterpiece that he just sort
of backed off basketball Basketball people took over and they're
(12:36):
running the NIXT like grown ups. And so my takeaway is,
you need another star, don't screw with the culture. It's
so hard to create. Warriors have it, Heat have it.
I think you could argue the next culture is like third, fourth,
fifth in the league. So who is the perfect piece
(12:57):
to add to this team? Because I think it it's
a little bit of a dilemma.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
Yep, yeah, I mean it's.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
So hard because they even if they were healthy, they
wouldn't have won the title.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
If they were healthy, I believe they would have beaten Indiana.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
And maybe could throw a scare into the Pacers, but
they at Jalen is a superstar, but there's still a
piece away.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Yep.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
And so that I know this probably goes against what
you're thinking, but my first phone call would be to
Phoenix to try to get Kevin Durant because Jalen can
be the leader and the culture is built, and we
have seen that if you already have it built, Durant
can come in and supercharge it for you. Yeah, and
(13:43):
I think he can even do that at an advanced age.
Obviously there would be a perfect basketball fit for Lebron,
but I do not think Lebron is leaving. I do
think Lebron, even at age forty, would be enough to
be the final piece for them, certainly in the East
and maybe in the League. After those two guys, it
(14:04):
gets really hard.
Speaker 6 (14:05):
Colin Nick.
Speaker 5 (14:06):
Fans want McHale Bridges from the Nets to kind of
complete that Villanova quartet, but I don't think.
Speaker 6 (14:13):
I don't think the Knicks.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
Are a McHale Bridges away from winning the championship. They
might be a Michale Bridges away from getting to a finals,
but I don't know about winning a championship. I Obviously
there was the Donovan Mitchell you know flirtation a couple
of years ago.
Speaker 6 (14:29):
I would not go after Donovan.
Speaker 5 (14:30):
I think that's redundant with Jalen Brunson, and then your
backcourt is way way too small, Like do you call
Chicago for a Zach Levine?
Speaker 6 (14:40):
I suppose I don't. I don't.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
I don't think there is a perfect fit Colin other
than some of our aging aging superstars in Kevin Durant
and Lebron. I do think what the Knicks accomplished this
year was they made being a Nick cool again for
the first time in twenty years. They showed the world
(15:02):
that MSG is still a legitimate advantage when it's rocking,
and that's a good team. And I think they remade
reclaimed some of that Knicks brand. I do think Tibbs
needs to, you know, look at the fact that, man,
what is this ten years in a row? My team
seems a little broken down and injured at the end
of the year. I wonder why, like maybe pumped the
(15:25):
brakes on that a tiny bit.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
But I think the Knicks had.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
A wildly successful season, and I think Brunson's a superstar.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
I want to shift to the NFL. So last year
I pick a team every year that I'm much higher on.
So last year it was the Rams, I was right.
Year before it was the Vikings. Got that right, and
then I'll miss on occasional teams I buy. I listened
to jmac on the Saints, bad decision, but the team
I don't get.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
This way to lay that right on J Maxfie, I
mean that was just expert. Here are the ones I
got wrong right and the one I got wrong that
I can remember, not my fault.
Speaker 6 (15:59):
I love that move, great call.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Well, the show's called the Herd. I just shovel all the.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
Bad exactly, yeah, exactly exactly, of course, exactly right, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
So I said to myself, I don't get the Jets.
So yes, they have a defense that'll keep them in games,
and the schedule early is pretty workable. But Nathaniel Hackett's
still there, coach in the hot seat, an offensive line
old or too young. Josh Allen is still the best
(16:29):
player in the conference. Belichick's gone, but Mike McDaniel's probably
the best coach in the conference. And the last time
Aaron played for a season hit a ninety one passer
rating in a weaker conference. Yet DraftKings has them as
a favorite in fourteen of their seventeen games.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
I am I think they're an eight to nineteen.
Speaker 5 (16:51):
I didn't know that number, all right, So that listen, Yeah,
I didn't know that they were favored in fourteen of
their seventeen games. That is now understand that some of
that has to do with the fact that you know
of where the games are. But they should not be
a favorite in Pittsburgh. I'm just looking at it right now.
They should not be a favorite at home against Houston.
Speaker 6 (17:14):
Looking at that right now, I mean.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Hold on, how many times is Big Bob Salah a
road favorite? He's a favorite in Jacksonville? Give me a break. Okay,
all right, we're going I understand, you know we don't
you talk gambling with a lot of folks, and you know,
you and I kind of moonlight with it together, but
we usually have our separate kind of gambling chats, if
(17:37):
you will. But we can make some money fading.
Speaker 6 (17:40):
The Jets here. So let's go through the reasons they
are so. Many of their.
Speaker 5 (17:48):
Off season moves are operating under the assumption of, well,
if we have perfect health, which it's the NFL that
is a faulty assumption to make. With that said, I
understand stand why they took the risks they did on
the offensive lineman with an injury history because they had
to upgrade there. And Joe Douglas, who had one amazing
(18:08):
draft and aside from that, has been trying to rebuild
that offensive line for a half decade and hasn't been
able to do it, even though the first thing he
said when he got there was going to remake the
offensive line.
Speaker 6 (18:19):
So they're trying that. Okay, fine, Rogers.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
The point that you're making is one that I think
everyone has overlooked, which is, forget the achilles. The last
season we saw him play, he was good, okay, better
than average, but not great. It's not as if he
was coming off his best football and then tour his achilles.
He was coming off his worst football. And then folks,
(18:45):
whenever I bring up Rogers, they're like, oh, Nick, you
just don't like him because of the things he says.
Take my opinion of the things he says out of it.
If you were talking to a guy who did your
taxes and the guy was like, by the way, I've
got some thoughts on Tarantia and mud floods. You'd be like, oh,
(19:06):
I don't think I can trust you. If you went
to a car dealer and the guy who was trying
to sell you the EV you just leased was like, listen,
let me tell you want to argue about about doctor
Fauci some you'd be like, can I get somebody else?
I don't think this guy's focused on my gas mileage?
So no, I don't know if Aaron's going to be
fully locked in on everything he needs. And then you
(19:27):
get to the coaching part of it, which is I
don't believe in quarterback wins. I do believe in coach wins,
because that is their record, is their coaching record. Robert
Salas got one of the bottom ten records of any
coach to coach this many games in.
Speaker 6 (19:43):
Modern NFL history.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
They don't like the offensive coordinator so much they tried
to replace him in the Shadows.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
Couldn't get that done, and then.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
It leaked that they tried to replace Hackett, and now
he's still there. So do I think the Jets in
the AFC are a playoff team?
Speaker 6 (20:01):
Of course not.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
Do I think they should be favored on the road
against anyone button New England?
Speaker 6 (20:06):
No, like, so I'm with you on that.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Yeah, entire don't get it.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
But we got into this argument yesterday and I made
that I think you'd like this argument. I said, if
the I think we have a graphic on this. I said,
if these are the four things that you should consider
when paying a quarterback, which is production, team success and
some playoff success, health, are you healthy? And do you
(20:32):
have leverage? Production team success, health and leverage. Mahomes won
Allen two, but by the third pick, you're like, well,
Lamar and Burrow can't stay healthy, Trevor and Herbert don't
win enough. Jalen's had one good year. I made the
argument that I could argue Jared Goff productive Super Bowls
(20:55):
Conference champion, never gets hurt, unbelievable leverage in Detroit. You
could argue that GoF is third. Argue me off at fine,
But I said.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
With Tua, I love golf here here.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
I know it sounds crazy with GoF, but you start,
you start adding up all these injuries.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
I got you.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Okay, Now we got to Tua and my takeaway is
one year ago I was told one more concussion and
he should retire by doctors.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
What do you do with Tua concussion was the whole.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
Of you don't pay him, that you don't pay him,
you don't pay him.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
And now listen, I think you're too.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
High on golf, but that's an argument for another day.
Your point that he is his availability works in his favor.
The fact that golf, it's very clear if you have
a great offensive line, he can be quite good. The
Lions have invested in the offensive line, so they're getting
the best of him.
Speaker 6 (21:53):
So credit to them.
Speaker 5 (21:54):
The Tua thing, I think it's just he is an
underside player that does not have a very strong arm,
and some of the measurables, and also the eye test.
When you watch the games, you know he is not
scary the way other elite quarter the way the actual
(22:18):
elite quarterbacks are. He is in the best situation imaginable
from a weapons perspective. He seems to truly struggle against
the better teams and if there is a light breeze,
much less it being downright cold. And so here is
what I will say about that, Colin. I have graded
(22:40):
I grade Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel on a bit
of a curve in that I think that they get
bonus points for what they have achieved without ideal quarterback situations, right, Kyle,
from Jimmy to Brock Birdy and for McDaniel with Tua.
If the Miami Jimmy Dolphins give Tua a contract extension,
(23:04):
I then remove that curve because you are then signing
up for it.
Speaker 6 (23:08):
You are then saying this is the guy that I want.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
Like Shanahan after a couple of years with Jimmy, Garoppolo
traded away three first round picks because he knew he
had to get better at quarterback. Obviously they missed on that,
and we'll see what party turns into.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
But if they.
Speaker 5 (23:23):
Decide to pay to a like he's excellent, then you
don't get graded on that curve anymore.
Speaker 6 (23:29):
You have decided that's your guy. I wouldn't pay him.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
I flatly would not pay him because I don't think
the Dolphins are good enough with the stack team, because
of the limitations defensively and of Tua. If all of
a sudden, you have to lose Tyreek or Waddle one
of the two because you paid to a down the road,
then I certainly don't think they'll be good enough.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
Nick. Right, First things first, good seniors always, Buddy, good.
Speaker 6 (23:55):
Scene, you too, Sea Letter.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Yeah, he picked up a nice chunk of change at
that poker tournament.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
You play poker all I do.
Speaker 6 (24:01):
Wait what happened at the poker tournament.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
He went this weekend?
Speaker 1 (24:04):
He didn't do as well as he wanted to, but
he always comes home with a big bag of cash.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
I probably need to refocus from hoops. You know, I'm
in two men's leagues. Yeah, and I need to refocus
to poker. I could do that gambling, poker sports.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Gambling's great. I'm very proud. I largely agree. Yeah, I
love it.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
I think I just during that segment, I play some
uh that's on some props tonight some.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Three give me one of them over three pointers.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
For like half the Celtics team.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
I'm dead serious.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Without that's what the Celtics do. They shoot a lot
of threes and hit a lot of times.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
And the Pacers defense, as we saw last round, bad.
Like now, the Pacers could start hot tonight. They just played.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
They're coming off like a got high.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
I mean, they've got good players and a great coach.
There's no I mean there's they got to the Eastern
Conference finals. The Pacers aren't bad. It's just to beat Boston,
you have to make Boston uncomfortable. The Pacers do not
make anybody uncomfortable. That's the way to beat Boston. Minnesota, Denver,
Dallas now much more formidable bigs. They'll make Boston uncomfortable.
(25:07):
If you let Boston play their game offensively, they're gonna
take you other And that's why the Eastern Conference does.
And that's why Boston against Miami's oh was a little
scary for a Celtic fan, because Miami's good at making
you uncomfortable and being physical and intense and pushing you
around and tweaking the game plan.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Half that.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
We'll see what happens with the Miles Turner Siakam front line,
like one of those who's going to be chasing guys
at the three point line. I think there's gonna be
a lot of open shots for Boston's.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
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Speaker 2 (25:50):
Heard the Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven
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listen live or on demand.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Whenever you like water that never runs out, go to
tanklessmade Symple dot Com. Get a Navvy in fifteen year warranty.
More efficient bills go down. Jmack with a.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
News no, no, this is the Herdline news.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
So with Pacers Celtics tonight, I know you're very geekd
for that. I'm a thought to be able to get
an early workout and then bail at halftime on the
Celtic crup fifteenth.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
I'm going to the gym right after that. I'm showing
a friend where I live. They like the area that
I'm doing. Nick Wright in a podcast than I am.
It literally ends the second the Celtics start. I'll for
a cocktail, sit down and for two hours and watch
the game.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Very I got my game day plane planned out tonight
for the Celtics.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
I'd love to hear it listen.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Draymond Green is your buddy, and let's just say he
took some jabs at the Eastern Conference and the Pacers
breaking down this series.
Speaker 7 (26:51):
All run Yeah, I take your hat off to the
to the Indiana Pacers I still personally think they're an
eighty two game team like season, like an eighty two
game team for sure. I still think that right, But
I didn't think the Knicks was real. So like, somebody
had to get there. I got Boston, no problem. Should
(27:13):
be a gentleman. Sweet They got to the conference finals.
Somebody have to get there. To the East, we get it,
got it, somebody gotta go. And you know, but congrats
to them, that's dope. But they I think this is
going to be the end of the road for them.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
I don't think that's a shot. I think he's saying
what the numbers tell you is the East is really bad.
There is absolutely no way. And I think the Knicks
culture's wonderful. Do you think that hobbled mess at the
end could get to a Game seven with Minnesota, Denver, Dallas?
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Okay, see, no way.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Giannis didn't even play in the first round. Damian Liller
got injured in the first round.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Jimmy Butler is a mess. It's been bad since Jordan left.
Lebron's basically saved it from embarrassment. And listen, you got
to give them credit, like they they got through guys.
Rangel enjoy it do a victory lap. But this is yeah,
Dymond's right, this is where it comes to an end
and we're not take it.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
It's not a shot.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Just because you live in the East doesn't make the
teams good.
Speaker 6 (28:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
By the way, Western Conference Final four, Minnesota, Denver, oh KC, Dallas.
Those are exceptional teams. Boston is an exceptional team. Outside
of that, it's a bunch of stuff.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
Okay, give me the best three players in this series,
Pacers Boston.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
You know I tend to be Tatum Brown and Halliburton Siaka.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
So it's interesting because I heard you and Nick are
like kind of not out on Drew Holliday, but you
are like, oh, I haven't seen it. He's in his
first year in Boston. This is an all defensive player,
This is an Olympian.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
This guy is.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
Perfect, perfect for Boston. I think he's the third best
player in the series. I think is the three best player.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Drew Haliday.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Well, no, here's because you're poor Zingis was healthy. Here
was my twelve Tatum at three, Jalen Brown at four.
If Porzingis was healthy, he would be ten, Holiday would
be eleven, and Derek White would be twelve.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
So the top twelve players. I would have all five.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Of the starters for the Celtics in the top twelve.
I would have Haliburton, Siakam there, but I put Holiday
ten and Pop who I just said no, no, the
Celtics Vegas Porzingis, I put him at eleven just because
of injury. I would put him at ten, Drew Holiday
at eleven, Derek White at twelve if it wasn't for health.
(29:40):
So the Boston's entire starting five as top twelve players left.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
To me, they just say, you know, Haliburton torts last round,
McBride coming off New York's bench, and Dante DiVincenzo, who
is a bench player for like half the league. Now
he goes up against an elite defensive guard and Drew
Holiday like this is a totally different animal. Holiday is
a beast. Would not shock me If it was a sweep,
I think probably for two.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Let's give the Pacers to sweep anybody. Yeah, and Paper's
undefeated at home in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
I mean Miles Turner, Halliburton, pas Kel, Siakam, TJ.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
McConney got a nine rotation.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Absolutely, they have depth, they play with speed, they play
up temple, they can get into their spurts.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Yeah, next up, forty nine Ers. We're not going to
revisit that Super Bowl lost to the Chiefs. They were
the better team, they just lost it.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Over time.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Niers quarterback Sharvarius Ward has been on both the winning
and losing sides of the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Remember he's a former chief.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
He believes there's a silver lining to last season's San
Francisco lost.
Speaker 8 (30:38):
We make you a little longer because obviously you got
to change something because you didn't win the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
You can't go into that.
Speaker 8 (30:44):
Feed by the exact same team, you do the exact
same so instead to win the super Bowl the next year.
So I think the losses they make you stronger, they
make you go harder.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
They chase you to be better at something.
Speaker 8 (30:56):
Maybe we don't know what we got to be better
at yet, but also you got going to work to
figure it out. So you know, to the throw in
the champions.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
They'll be fine, they'll be good, You'll be fine.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Goode favorite seventeen games, I know, Well that's you know,
they're the best team in the league.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
They're the best roster in the league.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
No, Kansas City proved again to the best team you
gotta win the final game of the season.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
It does matter.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Well, I mean, listen, Niners had two starters, two superstars. Well,
green Law's not a superstar, he's very very good and Hufunga,
who's in elite sicke both out.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Well, you think they're gonna be healthy? This is an
old team. They're not gonna be healthy my next year twenties, No,
there's a lot I question. Do you see that Brandon I?
You deal not close. They're gonna move on.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
They want to watch, they'll ho in the season. Yeah,
well they'll have him to the trade deadline.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
No, no, what do you think they're gonna blow up?
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Like an eleven and three the trade hebe Lamb gets
banged up.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
You don't think Dallas Jerry Jones eighties is not calling
the Niners on Brandon I. They already did a Trey
Lance deal friendly front offices. That's the problem, though. You
can't do a deal if you're the Niners. If you
lose a Yuk, you're removing a stud, a pro.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
An all Pro player. What if Rickyman not replacing with anything?
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Well, what if Ricky pearsall ends up being a really
good first round receiver.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
I'm sure he's gonna be fine.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
You cannot remove it all pro mid season and replace him.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
But nothing that's crash, that's insane. Come on, the Niners
are a super Bowl team.
Speaker 6 (32:26):
I'm just.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
They're in my bubble. Absolutely, they are in the bubble.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Yeah, I got my sixth Super Bowl bubble teams that
they're in the bubble.
Speaker 6 (32:36):
The Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Would you characterize their tackles as like mediocre or below
average or just poor?
Speaker 2 (32:40):
They're just mediocre. They're just mediocre.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
You're just so Nick's got your mind on what their
interior on linemen are spectacular.
Speaker 6 (32:48):
They're pretty good.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
But what happened to their tackles when they got smoked
in the Super Bowls?
Speaker 2 (32:52):
For backups? These are starters, we shall see final story.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Jim Harbaugh got a lot of great first impression after
taking over as the chargers new head coach with La
kicking off. OTA's linebacker Denzel Perryman compared his head coach
to a famous comedian.
Speaker 4 (33:11):
I hope I'll get in trouble for this, but like
he reminds me of a real pharaoh. Like I don't
notice the way that he talks, like you know, his
his analogies and everything, but like they really remind me
of a real pharaoh. And I don't know, it's just
funny to me, Like it's funny, but I know like
he means well, like everything's come, you know, from the heart.
But I feel like you gotta have a sense of
human to understand, you know, like some of his lines
(33:32):
and gimmicks. And I'm pretty sure it hit us and
talk to me about it tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
I'm fired up for their season.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
I really am. Today I got you know, it's funny.
I was sitting there driving to work and I was like,
you know, we're mid late May and after the football season.
I like a break because I mean all we do
is talk about football and free agency and I need
a little bit of a break. Like today driving in
and I was like, all right, I'm about ready for
(34:03):
more football stuff OTAs. I'm ready for Bears. I want
to watch the Bears. I want to see the Chargers.
I'm ready again, ready.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
For six primetime Jets games.
Speaker 6 (34:11):
Game.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
You know, season ends early February March April May, three
months without games.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
I'm kind of ready for.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
I'm ready for camps again, and mean little break, They'll
be fine. A couple of weeks off in July.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Then I'll be biting.
Speaker 6 (34:23):
Wait where are you going in July?
Speaker 2 (34:24):
I'm not going to get into it. A resort near you.
J Mack with the News. Well that's the news, and
thanks for stopping by. The Herd Line News. Tom Brady
Talks will let you hear it. Next it's the Hurt.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
in noon eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
(34:46):
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 9 (34:48):
Bali Fosco here with Tony Fusco, you know, as the
host of the number one rated Polly and Tony Fusco Show.
We get tons and tons of fan mail every day.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Piles of it.
Speaker 9 (34:57):
In fact, Tony, why don't you open up one of
those letters right now and read what's inside?
Speaker 10 (35:00):
Hey, listen to this. Dear Paulie and Tony, your sports
takes the dumbest and most terribly that wait, why one
deea Pauli in TONI you suck more than anyone, waite
de Paulie and Tony, you guys are the absolute best.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
There you go coming up with the stupidest take. Forget it.
Speaker 9 (35:22):
Just Tony Fusco Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Ye Sunday, the United Football League is back in action.
Kick things off at two thirty Eastern as the DC
Defenders take on the Memphis.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Show Boats or Michigan Battles Houston.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Checked for the game in your area only on Fox.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
So we were talking about this earlier.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Tom Brady sat at Michael Rubin's place in Los Angeles,
the CEO, the founder of Fanatics, with Jay Z and
they were talking all these young quarterbacks and they were
giving him messages and Brady talked about avoid being a star,
be a champion.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
So all play the bite from Tom Brady now, employee.
Speaker 8 (36:01):
When you're fifty three guys on the team, you think
it's about you and am about you.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
It's about us.
Speaker 8 (36:05):
And the biggest problem I see with a lot of
the young players today, you guys are making it too
much about buying me or because of social media, because
of branding and all that.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
It's fine, you're not going to win. There was a
difference between being a star and being a champion, and
that's interesting. There's a distinction. There is a distinction.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Almost every quarterback that has moderate success in the NFL
as a star, and many of them now are coming
into the NFL because of nil big TV deals. College
kids are now star arch Manning is he going to start?
Speaker 6 (36:36):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
He feels like a star. Quinn yours Texas has two
stars at quarterback. But the champions thing is funny because
we tend to think we give the quarterback so much
of the credit in this sport, and justifiably, but there
is something that needs to be addressed. Tom Brady's six
Super Bowls in New England, he won by an average
(36:59):
of four and a half points. I'm gonna say Belichick's
defense played a big part. Two of mahomes super bowls
have come by a field goal, and Mahomes hasn't played
particularly well. I'm gonna give Andy Reid those We have
only had six what you would call dynasties in the
NFL in my life, Okay, one Green Bay Vince Lombardi,
(37:23):
the next the Steelers Chuck Noll.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Then there was.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Kansas City Mahomes, Belichick, not in order, Belichick, New England, Dallas,
Jimmy Johnson, San Francisco Bill Walsh. So the six dynasties
have had good quarterbacks. Two all had legendary coaches. Most
of them a West Coast offense, Andy Reid's play design,
(37:49):
Belichick's defense, Lombardy his systematic way of winning. All of
them were kind of ahead of the curb. Jimmy Johnson
basically invented how to make a trade. Six legendary coaches
are part of the six dynasties. The other that are
close to being dynasties, you can call them that if
you want, Probably not but close. Mike Shanahan with Elway
(38:12):
and Denver, and Joe gibbson Washington, and they didn't have
great quarterbacks good quarterbacks, so there's more of a thread
between legendary coaches to be a champion than there is
legendary quarterbacks because Washington didn't have legendary quarterbacks. Gibbs is
one of the smartest coaches of all time. There are
no exceptions. The six absolute dynasties and the two you
(38:36):
can argue over Seahawks weren't give me a break. They
got the two Super Bowls, lost one. The eight all
had a legendary coach, and those coaches were almost always
ahead of the curve offensively, defensively. Jimmy Johnson with personnel, Shanahan,
the run game, the zone blocking run game. Almost all
of them were ahead of the curve, like CEOs in
(38:58):
Silicon Valley that create something and everybody else's playing catch up.
I mean, they're still using Shanahan's offense as half the
league now. The West Coast offense permeated the NFL for
twenty five to thirty five years. So this idea about
champions I get Tom's making a good point on be
careful about being a star before you win.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
That I agree with.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
But even for Brady and Mahomes, who have dominated football
for twenty five years, I'm gonna give Bellichick and Brady.
Tom's not one of those early Super Bowls without Bill.
And let's be honest about Mahomes. We've come out of
those Super Bowls, those three point wins where we thought
he got out played and we were crediting Andy Reid
(39:40):
with crazy play calling in the red zone.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
I mean, go back to those two Super Bowls.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
In both of them, Mahomes is outplayed for long stretches
against Jalen Hurts and Jimmy Garoppolo long stretches. But in
both Super Bowls, you get to the fourth quarter, you
get into the red zone and Andy Reid dials up
Mouth and you're like, how can Sky Moore be wide
open in the red zone? Is that possible? That's an
Andy Reid, That's not a Patrick Mahomes. So the championship
part of football, the quarterback will get the money in
(40:07):
the credit. There are no exceptions. The sixth dynasties all
legendary coaches, all ahead of their time, and the two
arguable diddo Joe gibbson Mike Shanahan. So the championship stuff,
a lot of this is just you got to contextualize it.
A lot of the championship stuff in football's who's your
first coach or at worst Elway your second coach. So
(40:32):
Mahomes gets Reid and Joe Montana. You know he can
get a Bill Wall. You know some of these guys
like Elway had to force Dan Reeves out to get Shanahan.
So that is so like I like CJ. Stroud a lot,
but Demiko Ryans and that front office did hidden some
real solids.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
Also.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
It was a wonky division. I like Jared Goff a lot,
but he was a disaster with Jeff Fisher. They got
Andrew Whitworth, and McVeigh then he looked like a number
of pick So I am not disputing that quarterback is
more valuable than coach, but just because Belichick and Brady's
divorce looks so pro Tom and anti Bill, don't kid yourself.
(41:14):
Tom did not have to win by shootouts. One super
Bowl Tom got into one that was a shootout Philadelphia.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
He lost. That was it. McVeigh couldn't get into the
end zone.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
I mean Tom Brady didn't have touchdowns. Have the six
Super Bowls in New England? Did he ever score a
first quarter touchdown? Did he ever have a first quarter touchdown?
I'm not sure if he did. They didn't score against
the Rams until late. So this is not a knock
on Mahomes and Brady. It's just the championship part of
these legendary quarterbacks.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
The coach is.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
A huge, huge fact. No dynasties with average coaches.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
None.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Even with good coaches, there's no dynasties. They're all legends.
Joe Gibbs is probably in my lifetime, the most undervalued coach.
He came back in one games. He and he was
winning super Bowls and creating a dynasty without a plus
quarterback play that's that he's.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
The exception to the rule.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
I mean Don Shula had Marino and couldn't win a
Super Bowl and Dan Marino's there's an argument the best
pure thrower of the football until Mahomes. That's a legitimate
argument Marino and then Mahomes best pure thrower of the football.
The Byron Scott, former Laker, Great Laker coach Around the Corner,
(42:34):
hour three
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 (00:22):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio right, it's our two.
We're live in LA.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
It's The Herd wherever you may be, however you may
be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day.
Byron Scott. Last hour, Nick Wright, five minutes, J Mack.
I'm watching these playoffs Celtics tonight. Eastern Conference Finals begins
in earnest. I like Boston tonight by about ten lines,
twelve and a half. But I thought, now we're down
(00:48):
to the final four. Who are the ten best players left.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
In these games? Ten best players left?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I remember we did this during the nf NFL playoffs
for games.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I'm worried about something, so.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I have Porzingis at eleven because I don't know if
he's gonna play.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
That's fair.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I can see Boston saying if they blew him out tonight,
Boston saying, let's just keep him sidelined until we lose
the game in this series. So I'm not gonna put
Porzingis in because I don't know if he's gonna I
don't know if he's gonna play. They have no chance
to beat Denver. They Minnesota or Dallas are too big,
too big of a front line. You've got to have
Porzingis for the finals or I think they get bullied.
Minnesota would bully him. Dallas is lined since the trade deadline.
(01:32):
Pretty physical, pretty physical.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Front don't know if I can ride with you there,
but go off. All right, Here we go.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Here's our top ten players left between the Celtics, the Pacers,
the t Wolves.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
And the Mavericks. Here we go. Number ten, I would say,
Drew Holliday.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
You get IQ, you get experience, one of four players
left with championship experience.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
You get defense. He's a great.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Attack defender, can give you points, but isn't needy offensively. Again,
this is a guy that's played in big games. One
of the most respected, well like players in the league.
Drew Holiday of the Celtics at ten. Number nine, often maligned,
but outside of Jokic, Rudy Gobert gives a lot of
(02:14):
people trouble. Yokichiat him up. Yokichiat's everybody up, including Anthony Davis.
He's a highly efficient offensive player. His length creates troubles.
Hit some big shots in Game seven against Denver, four
time Defensive Player of the Year, Laugh all you want.
Rudy Gobert at nine, number eight, Pascal Siakam was good
(02:36):
in Toronto. He's good at Indiana. You're gonna get twenty
one eight from him every time. Physicality. He's important for
Indiana because they play fast and finesse basketball. He gives
them some length and physicality for a team that's gonna
need every ounce of that against the Celtics twenty one
to eight and four efficient offensive player Siakim at eight,
(02:57):
number seven, Carl Anthony town a bit inconsistent, shoots actually
a really nice three ball for a guy at that's
seven feet. He's often a physical size mismatch because they've
got two bigs. Again, I think he you can almost
tell if somebody's talented based on the market, and he's
got a market. I could see the Knicks making a
run at him. I could see several teams making a
run at him. Karl Anthony Towns one of five players
(03:21):
to record a triple double in this year's playoffs. Number seven,
Number six, Tyree's Halliburton leads the Playoffs in a sisper
game at almost eleven. Got his shooting touch in game seven,
so he had an injury, great early, pulled back excellent
in this series. Doesn't make a lot of mistakes, so
you get speed, quickness, assis points, very few turnovers, mostly
(03:48):
air free as sending young player.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Number five, Kyrie Irving.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Is playing more of a shooting guard than a point
guard role in this series, so I pull him down
a little. I also don't know exactly what's in his head.
Game to game. He can be a little hot and cold,
but he's actually playing defense. He's a remarkable defender. I
would put Kyrie at five, number four, but I think
Jalen Brown's the same guy every game. Excellent wing, versatility
(04:16):
as a defender, strong body. Jalen Brown at four fifty
five percent shooting in the Playoffs. Again, I know exactly
what I'm gonna get. Sometimes he wants the ball more
than Jason Tatum down the stretch. He's been good since
he came out of col He gets slightly better every year.
I think he's an underrated, efficient player that can defend
(04:37):
on the wing. Jalen Brown at four, number three, I'd
say Jason Tatum, best player on the number one team
all season, a true three level score, transition jumper down low.
Sometimes I wish he was more aggressive, but he's the
most offensive league gifted player that's indisputable on a dominant
team in the regular season.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Tatum at number three, number two.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Anthony Edward's best, arguable, best two way player, remaining unlimited ceiling,
still needs some refinement, can be a little hot and
cold with his shooting, but he's developing as a passer
and a facilitator, which is great self awareness, ability to
step back let others shoot. Mike Conley has been so
(05:22):
valuable for his growth and at number two, number one,
gotta give it to Luca. He can be a dominant score,
virtually impossible.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
To stop when he's in his zone.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Led the regular season in scoring, now leading the playoffs
in assists at over nine a game. There's not much
I don't like. I think at times he can be
difficult to play with in a tad selfish, but that
was an argument you can make about MJ. Kobe and
a lot of great scores Luca at number one. Nick
right now calls first things first, joins me live.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
All right?
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Any now, I went Jalen Brown, you know me and
the whole hat on forwards. I like dependability, so I
don't think Jalen Brown is as skilled as Kyrie. But
I know what I get. I know what I get, toughness, physicality,
wing defender, same guy. Anything in that top ten that bothered.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
You, no, So if I can see the whole thing again,
I think Drew Holliday is I think that's more based
on his history. You had him tenth right, I'm not
seeing it right now, but he has not been up
to that.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
Level in these playoffs.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
But his history of being a champion and being a leader,
I think earns his spot on the list. I have
no problem with your top five at all. I think
having Luca number one is smart and correct. Aunt number
two and Tatum three. I think that has to be
the one through three. People could argue that Halliburton, based
on what he was as certainly in the beginning of
(06:50):
the regular season, should be higher, and he came on
strong at the end of the second round, and so
credit to him. I do want to say something about Kyrie, though, Colin,
because I have been so impressed by.
Speaker 6 (07:05):
Kyrie Irving all year.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Kyrie seems to have matured in a way in his
early thirties that is in myself defensively, in a way
he never has, clearly trying to be the elder statesman leader.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
And this is crazy, but it's true.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
Of all the stars in the playoffs, He's the oldest
left by far, and was the oldest left after Round
one ended at the guy who's thirty one thirty two
years old. And I think Kyrie is the best version
of himself that we have seen outside of Cleveland. And
I also think he has been strategic in understanding he
(07:47):
has not been on a deep playoff run in seven years.
He has suffered some injuries since then, and I think
he's tried to kind of throttle his intensity and effort
to second half some games, trying to make sure he
has something left in the tank. He's one of the
major reasons, alongside Luke obviously, that.
Speaker 6 (08:07):
I think the MAVs can win the whole thing.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
So I grew up, as you know, I'm a bit older.
In the seventies is when I fell in love with
the NBA, and there were a lot of very good teams.
The Sixers had a Doctor Jay and a George McGuinness
and a mo chieks and Andrew Tony if I recall,
and Steve Mix. And then you had the Sonics with
Gus and DJ, and the Blazers had Walton, and the
Warriors had Rick Barry and Elvin Hayesen unseld with Washington's
(08:33):
a bunch of very good teams, no great ones, and
that's just dynasties up until about six years ago, and
after watching Denver and Minnesota, I'm like, well, I thought
Denver could be San Antonio and they're not probably gonna be.
I didn't really criticize Denver for losing. My takeaway was, well, Minnesota.
(08:53):
The same guy that built Denver helped build Minnesota. They
built him to beat Denver. And I just felt like, no,
no criticism of Denver. It's just these are all, including
the Celtics, very good teams, no great teams.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Fair So that.
Speaker 6 (09:10):
I think that's fair.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
I think that is a little bit of a criticism
in that Denver is being discussed, yeah as a potential dynasty,
as a not very good team, but a great team,
and the way in which they lost has to matter. Yeah,
they were up three to two in a series against
a team full of guys, every single guy that played
(09:33):
in Minnesota except for Mike Conley. This was the biggest
games of their lives. And Denver is the team that
blinked up three to two. Denver loses by forty five points,
and then in Game six, and then in Game seven
blows a twenty point second half lead. And I know
(09:54):
it's become very you know, in vogue to say, ah,
twenty point leads in the modern NBA, what do they
really mean?
Speaker 6 (10:02):
Well, this year in the NBA, teams.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
That were up twenty in the second half won ninety
six percent of their games. In NBA playoff history, teams
up twenty in the second half win ninety seven percent
of their games.
Speaker 6 (10:18):
That was a collapse. And while I thought.
Speaker 5 (10:21):
Jokic was absolutely brilliant in Games four and five, two
perfect offensive performances, and I thought he was good, not
necessarily great, but good in Game seven, a loss like
this does stagger you as far as when you're trying
to climb the ranks. Historically, and now he Jokic was
(10:43):
being handed player of the era. Yannis now is going
to have something to say about that. Yannis, who, by
the way, has been the same number of conference finals,
the same number of NBA finals, the same finals MVPs.
Jokic has three league MVP Jannis has two, but also
a Defensive Player of the Year award, and Yannis's titled
(11:05):
defense ended in a round two, seven game loss. However,
that one ended with Chris Middleton missing the entirety of
that round due to injury. And so I think Yannis, Luca,
Yannis jokicch and then we'll see if Luca can finish
this thing off. Those three guys are going to be
(11:25):
vying for league supremacy over the next few seasons.
Speaker 6 (11:28):
In my opinion.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
All right, Boston's gonna fly through the Pacers, who are
an egregiously bad defensive team. It won't be very competitive.
I'll take Minnesota over Dallas, but it'll go six or seven.
I think New York not making the Eastern Conference Final
is a bit of a gut punch for ESPN. It
was very obvious on the broadcast who they were pulling for.
Speaker 6 (11:47):
But needless to you could tell. I thought it was subtle.
Now they really underplayed it.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
So let me throw this, I said, this yesterday is
that if you looked at the Warriors, a big part
of winning pre KD, during KD and after KD was
the culture. Spolstra Riley Heat culture is that the Knicks,
you could argue they don't even play like anybody else.
(12:15):
They have created a kind of a Villanova collegiate gritty
culture that has such redeemable value for a franchise that
couldn't get anything right for twenty years now. My takeaways
James Dolan was paying so much attention to the sphere
in Vegas, which is a masterpiece that he just sort
of backed off basketball Basketball people took over and they're
(12:36):
running the NIXT like grown ups. And so my takeaway is,
you need another star, don't screw with the culture. It's
so hard to create. Warriors have it, Heat have it.
I think you could argue the next culture is like third, fourth,
fifth in the league. So who is the perfect piece
(12:57):
to add to this team? Because I think it it's
a little bit of a dilemma.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
Yep, yeah, I mean it's.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
So hard because they even if they were healthy, they
wouldn't have won the title.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
If they were healthy, I believe they would have beaten Indiana.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
And maybe could throw a scare into the Pacers, but
they at Jalen is a superstar, but there's still a
piece away.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Yep.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
And so that I know this probably goes against what
you're thinking, but my first phone call would be to
Phoenix to try to get Kevin Durant because Jalen can
be the leader and the culture is built, and we
have seen that if you already have it built, Durant
can come in and supercharge it for you. Yeah, and
(13:43):
I think he can even do that at an advanced age.
Obviously there would be a perfect basketball fit for Lebron,
but I do not think Lebron is leaving. I do
think Lebron, even at age forty, would be enough to
be the final piece for them, certainly in the East
and maybe in the League. After those two guys, it
(14:04):
gets really hard.
Speaker 6 (14:05):
Colin Nick.
Speaker 5 (14:06):
Fans want McHale Bridges from the Nets to kind of
complete that Villanova quartet, but I don't think.
Speaker 6 (14:13):
I don't think the Knicks.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
Are a McHale Bridges away from winning the championship. They
might be a Michale Bridges away from getting to a finals,
but I don't know about winning a championship. I Obviously
there was the Donovan Mitchell you know flirtation a couple
of years ago.
Speaker 6 (14:29):
I would not go after Donovan.
Speaker 5 (14:30):
I think that's redundant with Jalen Brunson, and then your
backcourt is way way too small, Like do you call
Chicago for a Zach Levine?
Speaker 6 (14:40):
I suppose I don't. I don't.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
I don't think there is a perfect fit Colin other
than some of our aging aging superstars in Kevin Durant
and Lebron. I do think what the Knicks accomplished this
year was they made being a Nick cool again for
the first time in twenty years. They showed the world
(15:02):
that MSG is still a legitimate advantage when it's rocking,
and that's a good team. And I think they remade
reclaimed some of that Knicks brand. I do think Tibbs
needs to, you know, look at the fact that, man,
what is this ten years in a row? My team
seems a little broken down and injured at the end
of the year. I wonder why, like maybe pumped the
(15:25):
brakes on that a tiny bit.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
But I think the Knicks had.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
A wildly successful season, and I think Brunson's a superstar.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
I want to shift to the NFL. So last year
I pick a team every year that I'm much higher on.
So last year it was the Rams, I was right.
Year before it was the Vikings. Got that right, and
then I'll miss on occasional teams I buy. I listened
to jmac on the Saints, bad decision, but the team
I don't get.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
This way to lay that right on J Maxfie, I
mean that was just expert. Here are the ones I
got wrong right and the one I got wrong that
I can remember, not my fault.
Speaker 6 (15:59):
I love that move, great call.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Well, the show's called the Herd. I just shovel all the.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
Bad exactly, yeah, exactly exactly, of course, exactly right, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
So I said to myself, I don't get the Jets.
So yes, they have a defense that'll keep them in games,
and the schedule early is pretty workable. But Nathaniel Hackett's
still there, coach in the hot seat, an offensive line
old or too young. Josh Allen is still the best
(16:29):
player in the conference. Belichick's gone, but Mike McDaniel's probably
the best coach in the conference. And the last time
Aaron played for a season hit a ninety one passer
rating in a weaker conference. Yet DraftKings has them as
a favorite in fourteen of their seventeen games.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
I am I think they're an eight to nineteen.
Speaker 5 (16:51):
I didn't know that number, all right, So that listen, Yeah,
I didn't know that they were favored in fourteen of
their seventeen games. That is now understand that some of
that has to do with the fact that you know
of where the games are. But they should not be
a favorite in Pittsburgh. I'm just looking at it right now.
They should not be a favorite at home against Houston.
Speaker 6 (17:14):
Looking at that right now, I mean.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Hold on, how many times is Big Bob Salah a
road favorite? He's a favorite in Jacksonville? Give me a break. Okay,
all right, we're going I understand, you know we don't
you talk gambling with a lot of folks, and you know,
you and I kind of moonlight with it together, but
we usually have our separate kind of gambling chats, if
(17:37):
you will. But we can make some money fading.
Speaker 6 (17:40):
The Jets here. So let's go through the reasons they
are so. Many of their.
Speaker 5 (17:48):
Off season moves are operating under the assumption of, well,
if we have perfect health, which it's the NFL that
is a faulty assumption to make. With that said, I
understand stand why they took the risks they did on
the offensive lineman with an injury history because they had
to upgrade there. And Joe Douglas, who had one amazing
(18:08):
draft and aside from that, has been trying to rebuild
that offensive line for a half decade and hasn't been
able to do it, even though the first thing he
said when he got there was going to remake the
offensive line.
Speaker 6 (18:19):
So they're trying that. Okay, fine, Rogers.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
The point that you're making is one that I think
everyone has overlooked, which is, forget the achilles. The last
season we saw him play, he was good, okay, better
than average, but not great. It's not as if he
was coming off his best football and then tour his achilles.
He was coming off his worst football. And then folks,
(18:45):
whenever I bring up Rogers, they're like, oh, Nick, you
just don't like him because of the things he says.
Take my opinion of the things he says out of it.
If you were talking to a guy who did your
taxes and the guy was like, by the way, I've
got some thoughts on Tarantia and mud floods. You'd be like, oh,
(19:06):
I don't think I can trust you. If you went
to a car dealer and the guy who was trying
to sell you the EV you just leased was like, listen,
let me tell you want to argue about about doctor
Fauci some you'd be like, can I get somebody else?
I don't think this guy's focused on my gas mileage?
So no, I don't know if Aaron's going to be
fully locked in on everything he needs. And then you
(19:27):
get to the coaching part of it, which is I
don't believe in quarterback wins. I do believe in coach wins,
because that is their record, is their coaching record. Robert
Salas got one of the bottom ten records of any
coach to coach this many games in.
Speaker 6 (19:43):
Modern NFL history.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
They don't like the offensive coordinator so much they tried
to replace him in the Shadows.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
Couldn't get that done, and then.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
It leaked that they tried to replace Hackett, and now
he's still there. So do I think the Jets in
the AFC are a playoff team?
Speaker 6 (20:01):
Of course not.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
Do I think they should be favored on the road
against anyone button New England?
Speaker 6 (20:06):
No, like, so I'm with you on that.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Yeah, entire don't get it.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
But we got into this argument yesterday and I made
that I think you'd like this argument. I said, if
the I think we have a graphic on this. I said,
if these are the four things that you should consider
when paying a quarterback, which is production, team success and
some playoff success, health, are you healthy? And do you
(20:32):
have leverage? Production team success, health and leverage. Mahomes won
Allen two, but by the third pick, you're like, well,
Lamar and Burrow can't stay healthy, Trevor and Herbert don't
win enough. Jalen's had one good year. I made the
argument that I could argue Jared Goff productive Super Bowls
(20:55):
Conference champion, never gets hurt, unbelievable leverage in Detroit. You
could argue that GoF is third. Argue me off at fine,
But I said.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
With Tua, I love golf here here.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
I know it sounds crazy with GoF, but you start,
you start adding up all these injuries.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
I got you.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Okay, Now we got to Tua and my takeaway is
one year ago I was told one more concussion and
he should retire by doctors.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
What do you do with Tua concussion was the whole.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
Of you don't pay him, that you don't pay him,
you don't pay him.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
And now listen, I think you're too.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
High on golf, but that's an argument for another day.
Your point that he is his availability works in his favor.
The fact that golf, it's very clear if you have
a great offensive line, he can be quite good. The
Lions have invested in the offensive line, so they're getting
the best of him.
Speaker 6 (21:53):
So credit to them.
Speaker 5 (21:54):
The Tua thing, I think it's just he is an
underside player that does not have a very strong arm,
and some of the measurables, and also the eye test.
When you watch the games, you know he is not
scary the way other elite quarter the way the actual
(22:18):
elite quarterbacks are. He is in the best situation imaginable
from a weapons perspective. He seems to truly struggle against
the better teams and if there is a light breeze,
much less it being downright cold. And so here is
what I will say about that, Colin. I have graded
(22:40):
I grade Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel on a bit
of a curve in that I think that they get
bonus points for what they have achieved without ideal quarterback situations, right, Kyle,
from Jimmy to Brock Birdy and for McDaniel with Tua.
If the Miami Jimmy Dolphins give Tua a contract extension,
(23:04):
I then remove that curve because you are then signing
up for it.
Speaker 6 (23:08):
You are then saying this is the guy that I want.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
Like Shanahan after a couple of years with Jimmy, Garoppolo
traded away three first round picks because he knew he
had to get better at quarterback. Obviously they missed on that,
and we'll see what party turns into.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
But if they.
Speaker 5 (23:23):
Decide to pay to a like he's excellent, then you
don't get graded on that curve anymore.
Speaker 6 (23:29):
You have decided that's your guy. I wouldn't pay him.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
I flatly would not pay him because I don't think
the Dolphins are good enough with the stack team, because
of the limitations defensively and of Tua. If all of
a sudden, you have to lose Tyreek or Waddle one
of the two because you paid to a down the road,
then I certainly don't think they'll be good enough.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
Nick. Right, First things first, good seniors always, Buddy, good.
Speaker 6 (23:55):
Scene, you too, Sea Letter.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Yeah, he picked up a nice chunk of change at
that poker tournament.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
You play poker all I do.
Speaker 6 (24:01):
Wait what happened at the poker tournament.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
He went this weekend?
Speaker 1 (24:04):
He didn't do as well as he wanted to, but
he always comes home with a big bag of cash.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
I probably need to refocus from hoops. You know, I'm
in two men's leagues. Yeah, and I need to refocus
to poker. I could do that gambling, poker sports.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Gambling's great. I'm very proud. I largely agree. Yeah, I
love it.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
I think I just during that segment, I play some
uh that's on some props tonight some.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Three give me one of them over three pointers.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
For like half the Celtics team.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
I'm dead serious.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Without that's what the Celtics do. They shoot a lot
of threes and hit a lot of times.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
And the Pacers defense, as we saw last round, bad.
Like now, the Pacers could start hot tonight. They just played.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
They're coming off like a got high.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
I mean, they've got good players and a great coach.
There's no I mean there's they got to the Eastern
Conference finals. The Pacers aren't bad. It's just to beat Boston,
you have to make Boston uncomfortable. The Pacers do not
make anybody uncomfortable. That's the way to beat Boston. Minnesota, Denver,
Dallas now much more formidable bigs. They'll make Boston uncomfortable.
(25:07):
If you let Boston play their game offensively, they're gonna
take you other And that's why the Eastern Conference does.
And that's why Boston against Miami's oh was a little
scary for a Celtic fan, because Miami's good at making
you uncomfortable and being physical and intense and pushing you
around and tweaking the game plan.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Half that.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
We'll see what happens with the Miles Turner Siakam front line,
like one of those who's going to be chasing guys
at the three point line. I think there's gonna be
a lot of open shots for Boston's.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
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Speaker 2 (25:50):
Heard the Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven
days a week. Within the iHeartRadio app, search Herd to
listen live or on demand.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
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More efficient bills go down. Jmack with a.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
News no, no, this is the Herdline news.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
So with Pacers Celtics tonight, I know you're very geekd
for that. I'm a thought to be able to get
an early workout and then bail at halftime on the
Celtic crup fifteenth.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
I'm going to the gym right after that. I'm showing
a friend where I live. They like the area that
I'm doing. Nick Wright in a podcast than I am.
It literally ends the second the Celtics start. I'll for
a cocktail, sit down and for two hours and watch
the game.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Very I got my game day plane planned out tonight
for the Celtics.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
I'd love to hear it listen.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Draymond Green is your buddy, and let's just say he
took some jabs at the Eastern Conference and the Pacers
breaking down this series.
Speaker 7 (26:51):
All run Yeah, I take your hat off to the
to the Indiana Pacers I still personally think they're an
eighty two game team like season, like an eighty two
game team for sure. I still think that right, But
I didn't think the Knicks was real. So like, somebody
had to get there. I got Boston, no problem. Should
(27:13):
be a gentleman. Sweet They got to the conference finals.
Somebody have to get there. To the East, we get it,
got it, somebody gotta go. And you know, but congrats
to them, that's dope. But they I think this is
going to be the end of the road for them.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
I don't think that's a shot. I think he's saying
what the numbers tell you is the East is really bad.
There is absolutely no way. And I think the Knicks
culture's wonderful. Do you think that hobbled mess at the
end could get to a Game seven with Minnesota, Denver, Dallas?
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Okay, see, no way.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Giannis didn't even play in the first round. Damian Liller
got injured in the first round.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Jimmy Butler is a mess. It's been bad since Jordan left.
Lebron's basically saved it from embarrassment. And listen, you got
to give them credit, like they they got through guys.
Rangel enjoy it do a victory lap. But this is yeah,
Dymond's right, this is where it comes to an end
and we're not take it.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
It's not a shot.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Just because you live in the East doesn't make the
teams good.
Speaker 6 (28:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
By the way, Western Conference Final four, Minnesota, Denver, oh KC, Dallas.
Those are exceptional teams. Boston is an exceptional team. Outside
of that, it's a bunch of stuff.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
Okay, give me the best three players in this series,
Pacers Boston.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
You know I tend to be Tatum Brown and Halliburton Siaka.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
So it's interesting because I heard you and Nick are
like kind of not out on Drew Holliday, but you
are like, oh, I haven't seen it. He's in his
first year in Boston. This is an all defensive player,
This is an Olympian.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
This guy is.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
Perfect, perfect for Boston. I think he's the third best
player in the series. I think is the three best player.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Drew Haliday.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Well, no, here's because you're poor Zingis was healthy. Here
was my twelve Tatum at three, Jalen Brown at four.
If Porzingis was healthy, he would be ten, Holiday would
be eleven, and Derek White would be twelve.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
So the top twelve players. I would have all five.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Of the starters for the Celtics in the top twelve.
I would have Haliburton, Siakam there, but I put Holiday
ten and Pop who I just said no, no, the
Celtics Vegas Porzingis, I put him at eleven just because
of injury. I would put him at ten, Drew Holiday
at eleven, Derek White at twelve if it wasn't for health.
(29:40):
So the Boston's entire starting five as top twelve players left.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
To me, they just say, you know, Haliburton torts last round,
McBride coming off New York's bench, and Dante DiVincenzo, who
is a bench player for like half the league. Now
he goes up against an elite defensive guard and Drew
Holiday like this is a totally different animal. Holiday is
a beast. Would not shock me If it was a sweep,
I think probably for two.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Let's give the Pacers to sweep anybody. Yeah, and Paper's
undefeated at home in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
I mean Miles Turner, Halliburton, pas Kel, Siakam, TJ.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
McConney got a nine rotation.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Absolutely, they have depth, they play with speed, they play
up temple, they can get into their spurts.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Yeah, next up, forty nine Ers. We're not going to
revisit that Super Bowl lost to the Chiefs. They were
the better team, they just lost it.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Over time.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Niers quarterback Sharvarius Ward has been on both the winning
and losing sides of the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Remember he's a former chief.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
He believes there's a silver lining to last season's San
Francisco lost.
Speaker 8 (30:38):
We make you a little longer because obviously you got
to change something because you didn't win the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
You can't go into that.
Speaker 8 (30:44):
Feed by the exact same team, you do the exact
same so instead to win the super Bowl the next year.
So I think the losses they make you stronger, they
make you go harder.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
They chase you to be better at something.
Speaker 8 (30:56):
Maybe we don't know what we got to be better
at yet, but also you got going to work to
figure it out. So you know, to the throw in
the champions.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
They'll be fine, they'll be good, You'll be fine.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Goode favorite seventeen games, I know, Well that's you know,
they're the best team in the league.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
They're the best roster in the league.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
No, Kansas City proved again to the best team you
gotta win the final game of the season.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
It does matter.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Well, I mean, listen, Niners had two starters, two superstars. Well,
green Law's not a superstar, he's very very good and Hufunga,
who's in elite sicke both out.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Well, you think they're gonna be healthy? This is an
old team. They're not gonna be healthy my next year twenties, No,
there's a lot I question. Do you see that Brandon I?
You deal not close. They're gonna move on.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
They want to watch, they'll ho in the season. Yeah,
well they'll have him to the trade deadline.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
No, no, what do you think they're gonna blow up?
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Like an eleven and three the trade hebe Lamb gets
banged up.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
You don't think Dallas Jerry Jones eighties is not calling
the Niners on Brandon I. They already did a Trey
Lance deal friendly front offices. That's the problem, though. You
can't do a deal if you're the Niners. If you
lose a Yuk, you're removing a stud, a pro.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
An all Pro player. What if Rickyman not replacing with anything?
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Well, what if Ricky pearsall ends up being a really
good first round receiver.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
I'm sure he's gonna be fine.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
You cannot remove it all pro mid season and replace him.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
But nothing that's crash, that's insane. Come on, the Niners
are a super Bowl team.
Speaker 6 (32:26):
I'm just.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
They're in my bubble. Absolutely, they are in the bubble.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Yeah, I got my sixth Super Bowl bubble teams that
they're in the bubble.
Speaker 6 (32:36):
The Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Would you characterize their tackles as like mediocre or below
average or just poor?
Speaker 2 (32:40):
They're just mediocre. They're just mediocre.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
You're just so Nick's got your mind on what their
interior on linemen are spectacular.
Speaker 6 (32:48):
They're pretty good.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
But what happened to their tackles when they got smoked
in the Super Bowls?
Speaker 2 (32:52):
For backups? These are starters, we shall see final story.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Jim Harbaugh got a lot of great first impression after
taking over as the chargers new head coach with La
kicking off. OTA's linebacker Denzel Perryman compared his head coach
to a famous comedian.
Speaker 4 (33:11):
I hope I'll get in trouble for this, but like
he reminds me of a real pharaoh. Like I don't
notice the way that he talks, like you know, his
his analogies and everything, but like they really remind me
of a real pharaoh. And I don't know, it's just
funny to me, Like it's funny, but I know like
he means well, like everything's come, you know, from the heart.
But I feel like you gotta have a sense of
human to understand, you know, like some of his lines
(33:32):
and gimmicks. And I'm pretty sure it hit us and
talk to me about it tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
I'm fired up for their season.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
I really am. Today I got you know, it's funny.
I was sitting there driving to work and I was like,
you know, we're mid late May and after the football season.
I like a break because I mean all we do
is talk about football and free agency and I need
a little bit of a break. Like today driving in
and I was like, all right, I'm about ready for
(34:03):
more football stuff OTAs. I'm ready for Bears. I want
to watch the Bears. I want to see the Chargers.
I'm ready again, ready.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
For six primetime Jets games.
Speaker 6 (34:11):
Game.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
You know, season ends early February March April May, three
months without games.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
I'm kind of ready for.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
I'm ready for camps again, and mean little break, They'll
be fine. A couple of weeks off in July.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Then I'll be biting.
Speaker 6 (34:23):
Wait where are you going in July?
Speaker 2 (34:24):
I'm not going to get into it. A resort near you.
J Mack with the News. Well that's the news, and
thanks for stopping by. The Herd Line News. Tom Brady
Talks will let you hear it. Next it's the Hurt.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
in noon eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
(34:46):
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 9 (34:48):
Bali Fosco here with Tony Fusco, you know, as the
host of the number one rated Polly and Tony Fusco Show.
We get tons and tons of fan mail every day.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Piles of it.
Speaker 9 (34:57):
In fact, Tony, why don't you open up one of
those letters right now and read what's inside?
Speaker 10 (35:00):
Hey, listen to this. Dear Paulie and Tony, your sports
takes the dumbest and most terribly that wait, why one
deea Pauli in TONI you suck more than anyone, waite
de Paulie and Tony, you guys are the absolute best.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
There you go coming up with the stupidest take. Forget it.
Speaker 9 (35:22):
Just Tony Fusco Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Ye Sunday, the United Football League is back in action.
Kick things off at two thirty Eastern as the DC
Defenders take on the Memphis.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Show Boats or Michigan Battles Houston.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Checked for the game in your area only on Fox.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
So we were talking about this earlier.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Tom Brady sat at Michael Rubin's place in Los Angeles,
the CEO, the founder of Fanatics, with Jay Z and
they were talking all these young quarterbacks and they were
giving him messages and Brady talked about avoid being a star,
be a champion.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
So all play the bite from Tom Brady now, employee.
Speaker 8 (36:01):
When you're fifty three guys on the team, you think
it's about you and am about you.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
It's about us.
Speaker 8 (36:05):
And the biggest problem I see with a lot of
the young players today, you guys are making it too
much about buying me or because of social media, because
of branding and all that.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
It's fine, you're not going to win. There was a
difference between being a star and being a champion, and
that's interesting. There's a distinction. There is a distinction.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Almost every quarterback that has moderate success in the NFL
as a star, and many of them now are coming
into the NFL because of nil big TV deals. College
kids are now star arch Manning is he going to start?
Speaker 6 (36:36):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
He feels like a star. Quinn yours Texas has two
stars at quarterback. But the champions thing is funny because
we tend to think we give the quarterback so much
of the credit in this sport, and justifiably, but there
is something that needs to be addressed. Tom Brady's six
Super Bowls in New England, he won by an average
(36:59):
of four and a half points. I'm gonna say Belichick's
defense played a big part. Two of mahomes super bowls
have come by a field goal, and Mahomes hasn't played
particularly well. I'm gonna give Andy Reid those We have
only had six what you would call dynasties in the
NFL in my life, Okay, one Green Bay Vince Lombardi,
(37:23):
the next the Steelers Chuck Noll.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Then there was.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Kansas City Mahomes, Belichick, not in order, Belichick, New England, Dallas,
Jimmy Johnson, San Francisco Bill Walsh. So the six dynasties
have had good quarterbacks. Two all had legendary coaches. Most
of them a West Coast offense, Andy Reid's play design,
(37:49):
Belichick's defense, Lombardy his systematic way of winning. All of
them were kind of ahead of the curb. Jimmy Johnson
basically invented how to make a trade. Six legendary coaches
are part of the six dynasties. The other that are
close to being dynasties, you can call them that if
you want, Probably not but close. Mike Shanahan with Elway
(38:12):
and Denver, and Joe gibbson Washington, and they didn't have
great quarterbacks good quarterbacks, so there's more of a thread
between legendary coaches to be a champion than there is
legendary quarterbacks because Washington didn't have legendary quarterbacks. Gibbs is
one of the smartest coaches of all time. There are
no exceptions. The six absolute dynasties and the two you
(38:36):
can argue over Seahawks weren't give me a break. They
got the two Super Bowls, lost one. The eight all
had a legendary coach, and those coaches were almost always
ahead of the curve offensively, defensively. Jimmy Johnson with personnel, Shanahan,
the run game, the zone blocking run game. Almost all
of them were ahead of the curve, like CEOs in
(38:58):
Silicon Valley that create something and everybody else's playing catch up.
I mean, they're still using Shanahan's offense as half the
league now. The West Coast offense permeated the NFL for
twenty five to thirty five years. So this idea about
champions I get Tom's making a good point on be
careful about being a star before you win.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
That I agree with.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
But even for Brady and Mahomes, who have dominated football
for twenty five years, I'm gonna give Bellichick and Brady.
Tom's not one of those early Super Bowls without Bill.
And let's be honest about Mahomes. We've come out of
those Super Bowls, those three point wins where we thought
he got out played and we were crediting Andy Reid
(39:40):
with crazy play calling in the red zone.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
I mean, go back to those two Super Bowls.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
In both of them, Mahomes is outplayed for long stretches
against Jalen Hurts and Jimmy Garoppolo long stretches. But in
both Super Bowls, you get to the fourth quarter, you
get into the red zone and Andy Reid dials up
Mouth and you're like, how can Sky Moore be wide
open in the red zone? Is that possible? That's an
Andy Reid, That's not a Patrick Mahomes. So the championship
part of football, the quarterback will get the money in
(40:07):
the credit. There are no exceptions. The sixth dynasties all
legendary coaches, all ahead of their time, and the two
arguable diddo Joe gibbson Mike Shanahan. So the championship stuff,
a lot of this is just you got to contextualize it.
A lot of the championship stuff in football's who's your
first coach or at worst Elway your second coach. So
(40:32):
Mahomes gets Reid and Joe Montana. You know he can
get a Bill Wall. You know some of these guys
like Elway had to force Dan Reeves out to get Shanahan.
So that is so like I like CJ. Stroud a lot,
but Demiko Ryans and that front office did hidden some
real solids.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
Also.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
It was a wonky division. I like Jared Goff a lot,
but he was a disaster with Jeff Fisher. They got
Andrew Whitworth, and McVeigh then he looked like a number
of pick So I am not disputing that quarterback is
more valuable than coach, but just because Belichick and Brady's
divorce looks so pro Tom and anti Bill, don't kid yourself.
(41:14):
Tom did not have to win by shootouts. One super
Bowl Tom got into one that was a shootout Philadelphia.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
He lost. That was it. McVeigh couldn't get into the
end zone.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
I mean Tom Brady didn't have touchdowns. Have the six
Super Bowls in New England? Did he ever score a
first quarter touchdown? Did he ever have a first quarter touchdown?
I'm not sure if he did. They didn't score against
the Rams until late. So this is not a knock
on Mahomes and Brady. It's just the championship part of
these legendary quarterbacks.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
The coach is.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
A huge, huge fact. No dynasties with average coaches.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
None.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Even with good coaches, there's no dynasties. They're all legends.
Joe Gibbs is probably in my lifetime, the most undervalued coach.
He came back in one games. He and he was
winning super Bowls and creating a dynasty without a plus
quarterback play that's that he's.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
The exception to the rule.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
I mean Don Shula had Marino and couldn't win a
Super Bowl and Dan Marino's there's an argument the best
pure thrower of the football until Mahomes. That's a legitimate
argument Marino and then Mahomes best pure thrower of the football.
The Byron Scott, former Laker, Great Laker coach Around the Corner,
(42:34):
hour three
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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