May 22, 2024 • 40 mins
Colin dissects the Celtics pulling off a miraculous win in overtime of game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals over the Pacers
The reason Jayson Tatum is getting pass for almost losing the game for Boston
Thoughts on the recent comments made by Aaron Rodgers
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
All right, Welcome in live in Los Angeles. It's The Herd.
Wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thanks for making us part of your day. Jmac. You
know we said yesterday, we said, listen, this should be
veteran team home court advantage, been here before, Pacers kind
(00:51):
of taken seven by the wobbling, hobbling Nicks. This is
gonna be a fast one. We may have ourselves series.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Oh boy, I don't know if the audience is mentally
ready for where you're about to go today.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
I'm fired up, paw. This show's gonna be an all
time all right.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
So when Denver won a title last year, maybe I
got fooled. I thought this is interesting, this could last
a while. They had the best player in the league.
They were very consistent. They ran their offense through him,
they had a great closer who was always willing to
shoot in Jamal Murray. I liked their coach, they could defend,
(01:29):
they were a great clutch time team. You never doubted
them late. I kind of knew what I had with
the Nuggets, and so when they won last year, I said,
it reminds me a lot of the Spurs. Good scouting,
good coaching, a dominant big. Yeah. Well, maybe I got fooled.
I mean, they did lose in Game seven to a
good Minnesota team. Maybe I got fooled. Maybe they come back.
I don't know, but at least I want to thank
(01:51):
the Celtics for their transparency. If they do win a
title this year, no chance at a dynasty. They're just
too weird. This is the strange team they classify as
almost a bad team at home in the playoffs. Unheard
of Tatum. He's their best player, but Al Horford shot
(02:11):
twelve threes. I don't know if they're well coached. What
actually is their offense? Let's be honest. Pacers Blewett twenty
one turnovers, two ugly ones late and Jalen Brown. Here's
the game winner. Jalen Brown basically bails out Boston.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
No timeouts. He's got to.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Get it in throws to the car.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Jalen courses enough.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Offer set let me he did it. Tatum brat in
the corner P five six to go and the Pacers
have given away Game one to the moment. But Jason
Tatum did not have a field goal or an assist
in the last nine minutes of regulation. He was fine
(02:58):
in overtime, Tatum was come on the spur. It's the Pacers.
They're young kids. You could tell from their turnovers they
weren't quite ready for the moment. You expect them to
pull back on the road in overtime a little. But
in a star driven league, Tatum not only disappoints, he
(03:19):
just disappears. And I've been on this for four years.
What is this offense? Where does he go? What is
he thinking to not have an assist? Forget the points
you can shoot poorly, to not have an assist in
the final nine minutes of regulation. I do think Boston
with this group will eventually, I think when a title.
(03:40):
But it's a hard team to like and a hard
team to figure out. They're almost the opposite of the
team everybody loved the Knicks. They don't have a lot
of grit. They live on the three pointer. They actually
have a lot of talent, but you're not necessarily sure
it'll show up in big moments, and their star often disappears.
The opposite of Jalen Brunson. It's they're the opposite of
(04:05):
the Knicks. They're just not terribly likable unless you're a
Celtics fan. And here's the thing. I went into the
series and I'm thinking, well, young Pacers don't defend. But
after last night, I watched them and I think the
Pacers are long, they're deep, they're healthy, they're well coached.
(04:27):
We may have ourselves a series. And for the record,
the general manager of the Celtics, Brad Stevens, he addressed
two things in the offseason so he saw the issues.
One of them you went and got poorzingis Al Horford
defensive liability in big games and Pascal Siakam attacked him
last night. And the second thing he went is another
(04:50):
offensive player. They got rid of Marcus Smart. They got
a better offensive player with the same sort of grit
in Jalen and Drew Holiday. And Holiday had his best
is a Celtic last night. He was great and necessary
as Brown didn't deliver and Tatum disappeared. So Brad Stevens,
who just won Executive of the Year, clearly saw what
(05:12):
we have been talking about and seeing for a couple
of years. They need more talent with size, and they
clearly miss Porzingis. Pascal Siakam is going to be a
problem without him. Report today he may come back for
Game four. And Drew Holliday was crucial last night. Here's
Jalen Brown after escaping.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
What was the difference in overtime?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
I think we just made some momentum plays.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
Jac finally woke up, made some baskets and we.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Was able to make some place soars en.
Speaker 6 (05:42):
But we got to be better, to be honest, but
I'll take them one the night.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
So one of the things that happens during games like this,
and it's sort of old school and new school. So
if a team, by the way leeds by three and
the other team has the ball with a couple seconds left,
the old feeling, the old school guys like Rick Carlyle is, hey,
I'm gonna let a guy jack up a three. I'm
not gonna foul him. I mean, the best guys in
(06:09):
the league shoot thirty ninety on threes. Go ahead, take
your chance, And it was Jalen Brown's only three he
hit all game. I kind of tend to be old school,
go beat me, go hit a three. New school analytics
believes you always foul send them to the line instead
of the chance he hits a three. Again, it's only
(06:29):
you know, thirty seven, thirty eight at best forty percent,
somebody hit a late game three, but foul them even
if they hit free throws. You save a point, right,
and you play the math game. But here's the thing.
In the NFL, analytics also tell you you should always
go for two points after a touchdown. Always. Yeah, if
I have McVeigh and Stafford, or Mahomes and Andy Reid
(06:52):
or Kyle Shanahan or a Sean Payton. But what if
I have a shaky old line, limited weapons and Kenny
Pickett defensive culture, I'm kicking the pat So a lot
of the analytic ravens, they always think it's sort of
a one size fits all, and my take has always been, no,
(07:14):
it's all situational. I do not believe you always go
for Peyton Manning has talked about this at length, is
that you know everybody wants a two point in conversion.
But if you're playing the Ravens in their prime and
you somehow off a turnover, cobble together a seven play
drive to score a touchdown on a great throw by Peyton,
(07:34):
You're you're struggling to pick up yards. Your interior offensive
line is getting pushed back. You've got elite corners for
the Ravens in their prime. You just kick a feel,
you just kick the pat. So I think in this situation,
you know, al Horford was their big three point attempt
guy last night, Jalen Brown hadn't hit one. I tend
(07:55):
to be a little old school, like, I get it, though,
I get the math. I'm not anti analytics, but I
think it's a lot more contextual than people say. I
don't think it's one size fits all. I don't think
you should always go for two. Brandon Staley got fired
with the Chargers. One of his big misfirings early was
going for it deep in territory, his own territory, you know,
(08:19):
against the team that had a pretty good quarterback and
a good field goal kicker, and he went for it
because analytics say you should go for it. And in
the end, you know, Charger Nation buried him. These coaches,
you gotta be careful. We all overreact to everything. And
so here was Lebron James in a podcast talking about
this situation which seemingly happens every third playoff game. Do
(08:39):
you foul? Do you let him shoot the three? Here's Lebron.
Speaker 7 (08:43):
A lot of coaches are afraid to tell their team
to foul on them three because one either one they
haven't worked on it, or two it is you know,
with our rules and things, this gets tricky sometimes and
you send a guy to the free throw, you know,
because you try to file them in the case.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
But I'll follow Mind the Game podcast.
Speaker 7 (09:08):
Now.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
I was thinking about this. If I coached the Celtics
and I had Drew Holliday, Tatum Brown, Porzingis and they
were all on the floor, even in al Harford. They're old,
veteran players, I would trust them to make the right foul.
But as Lebron pointed out, the Pacers are young, They're
terrible defensively. They're on the road. You know, do they hesitate?
(09:31):
Do they foul somebody as he's shooting they hit a three?
So again, if I'm Boston's coach, I would be much
more confident late game fouling play the analytic math game Pacers.
I wouldn't feel that same level of confidence. Carlisle after
took the loss, took the blame. I get it. That's
(09:54):
what you do. You want your team to feel like, hey,
I screwed up. You played great?
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Now.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
I would I would hope that the Celtics in Game
two at home would play with a lot more urgency.
But I'm watching that last night and I don't know
Jay Mack what the line is for game two. I
would think Boston's favored by six or seven or eight.
But I was I was looking at the Pacers, and
I'm like, with Porzingis out, Siakam can eat. They're deep.
(10:22):
You know, they have a good rotation, they're well coached.
We may have a series. What is the line? I
will try to pull it up here on I would
bet you it's seven and a half Boston.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Historically, when a team blows the opportunity to win a
game one like that, they get destroyed in games.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Yes, but I mean, was this just a bad showing
by Boston or did you watch it and think with
Porzingis out, they've got a ton of length. They're gonna
keep it close.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Indiana blew the game clearly Halliburton with the turnovers late.
Holiday did come up an down Halliburton. I think Haliburton
was zero for six shooting with two turnovers, and that's
up with Holliday, who's a superstar. I'm a little surprised
that the Jason Tatum disrespect out of you, Colin, but.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Not a single point or assist at home against a
bad defensive team for nine minutes.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
What happened in overtime.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
No, he did a good job. He hit an open
three on a blown defensive assignment. Dominant. But again, this
is not MJ's bulls. This is the worst defensive team
in the league. They're young, they're on the road, twenty
one turnovers, they were anxious, they were tight late. I
give them that. The Pacers need to win these games comfortably.
(11:39):
If these games are close, you wouldn't take the young team.
You'd take the veteran team with the Tatum Brown combo.
But nine minutes at home against the Pacers, not an assist.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
The offense is weird. I mean, Andy was sell it
saying we won. Horford to take all the shots. Horford said,
I'll take all the shots he's like thirty seven years
old and he played forty minutes calling. I didn't think
that was a great job by the Celtics coachs, like
get the other guys in there, get the end of
the bench guys in for a few minutes.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
Horford, he was getting destroyed in the pick and roll
fourth quarter.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
I think they attacked. They well for six shooting against Horford.
They were like, bring me Horford.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Yeah, and that's exactly what they're gonna do. So Porzinga
should play in Game four, that's what they're saying. Our
take was, you don't play Porzingis until you lose. After
last night, you know, this is why these playoffs have
been great. Like I thought, okay See was going to
take advantage. Kyrie sort of disappeared. All of a sudden,
Kyrie re emerges. They play real defense, They knock out
(12:33):
okay See. We love Denver. When they were up three
to two in that series, they evaporate. We thought that
we thought the Knicks would win Game seven at home.
They fell apart. We thought last night would be a blowout.
When you don't have a great team and you have
good teams to very good teams, you get a lot
of surprises. I mean, I think that's the one thing
(12:54):
in the NFL playoffs there's not that many surprises. You
have star quarterbacks, often at home, they should be favored.
I mean, Baltimore losing to Kansas City, You're like, it's
Mahomes and Reed. Okay. But the reason I think we're
seeing a lot of these elements and these surprises, these
are just good teams to vary. I think Minnesota and
Dallas are very good. I think Boston is very good.
(13:17):
But I'll tell you that length of Indiana and that depth,
we may have a serious.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
I think Boston was up twelve late third quarters, they
pull Tatum and Indy just torches them, man, and you
got a close game. Haliburton hits the shot at the
buzzer and you're like, oh my gosh, remember Tatum was
plus twenty laston.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
When he's on the floor, Boston's rolling, there's no question.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
When he's off the floor, it's like, oh, maybe they're
not as deep as we thought.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Too many small guys, I don't know.
Speaker 7 (13:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
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Speaker 1 (13:49):
So there's so many broadcast partners now for the NFL.
You got Netflix, now, you got Amazon, now, you got
your traditionals, Fox, CBS, ESBN, now Disney involved. That the
schedules are different. The new normal in the NFL is
you're gonna plan a bunch of different games. The Kansas
City Chiefs are playing on six different days. They're playing
(14:12):
on a Wednesday. You got games on holidays, you got
more overseas games. Again, you have more broadcast partners. So
you're shuffling things around, and it means if you have
Patrick Mahomes, it's gonna be an inconvenient schedule. They can
handle it. They've proven it. I mean they've they've overcome
(14:34):
the loss of Tyreek Hill, bad offensive line play, underachieving
wide receivers, and they still win Super Bowls. Well, the
Jets have Aaron Rodgers six night games and four short
week games this year. It's inconvenient, and he acknowledged yesterday.
Yeah it's a pain in the butt.
Speaker 6 (14:53):
Well, I supposely we owe the league a little bit,
so the Thursday games are always tough. It doesn't matter
if you're for yer player or a twenty year player.
A little bit harder, probably at twenty years than first
year as far as being able to bounce back. But yeah,
I'm sure that Robert will do some creative things with
the schedule. You we're gonna have to he love the
(15:14):
Thursdays because of the weekend the mini buy. But to
start the season now like that is definitely a good
challenge for us.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
So it is a big ask to ask a team
to have multiple night games and multiple short week games
thrown an overseas game. That's a big ask. But it's
a bigger ask for the Jets because of their impulsive ownership,
a more relentless media, and a prickly quarterback. I mean,
(15:45):
let's throw out this scenario. The Jets get crushed by
San Francisco in the opener and they're like a six
point doc and the offense really sputters. I mean, remember
the old offensive lineman they brought in will not play
in the preseason. Much old offense lineman don't play in
the preseason September October. You're trying to build chemistry that
O line. So O line for the Jets gets worked.
(16:10):
Nathaniel Hackett gets criticized because the offensive line's out of
sync and then you lose one of those games early
you should win to Sean Payton and Denver or the
tall Sean McVay, Kevin o'connellan Minnesota over in London. Uh oh,
and here come the Bills and you're just figuring stuff out.
It's very interesting if you look at the Jets schedule
(16:31):
with all these short weeks. Now they're probably going to
beat Tennessee and New England handily, but Sean Peyton and Denver,
that great offensive talent for Minnesota overseas, here comes Josh Allen.
What Mike Tomlin's teams is an underdog. He's one of
the best underdog coaches the games. At Pittsburgh. Russell Wilson's
(16:51):
more than competent. So again, it's a big ask to
ask Kansas City to do it. But from ownership down,
you know they're not impulsive. They're incredibly stable. Like you
always trust Andy Reid to win the coaching battle. Do
you trust Woody Johnson Robert Sala on a short week,
(17:16):
a patched offensive line with several guys past their prime
to build chemistry short week? I always think short weeks
better for young players than old players. Ray Lewis used
to tell me he was sore on Thursday. Still he
was just getting the sore out. So I do think
Aaron Rodgers is honest about this. It is hard. You
(17:39):
gotta be creative. Kansas City's built for it. I think
it's a much bigger ass for the Jets. And here's
j Mack with a news.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
No, no, this is the herdline news.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Let's start in the NFL with the Chicago Bears.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
There are a lot of questions about how the locker
room would respond to the team moving off of Justin
Fields and drafting Caleb Williams. Well Albert Breer sat down
with Chicago coach Matt Eberflus and told him everybody's rallying
around the rookie quarterback.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Likening it to a Cowboys.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Yeah, rallied around a rookie named Deck Prescott back in
twenty sixteen.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Deck had a fine rookie year. He was thirteen and three.
They had the best running back in the league in Zeke.
They had the best offensive line going away. That was
Tyron Smith, younger player into his prime. Cowboys. Deck's first
year had the best o line in football for four
straight years, almost like Detroit now Detroit's got the best
offensive line, elite center, elite left tackle, and it matters
(18:41):
a lot for quarterbacks golf now as a veteran, so
it's not as crucial. But I would say Chicago's O
line is okay. It's workable. It's not great, it's not
very good, but it's the middle of.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
The pack, above average, slightly above average, good tackle. So, Colin,
here's my only issue with this.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
If you read the beer piece, all we are hearing
is Caleb Caleb, Caleb, Caleb, Caleb Caleb, and all the comparisons,
and now we're hearing, oh, it could be DAK twenty sixteen.
If I'm the Bears, I'm starting to steer any interview
away from Caleb Williams and stop adding pressure to this rookie.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
He turns on a TV, opens.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
His phone, listen to a podcast, listen to the radio.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
It's all about him all the time.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:27):
I don't think that's healthy for a rookie quarterback. I
think the Bears should start.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Hey, we got a great wide receiver crew, our defense
is lined up.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
You know the schedule. Really, do anything you can to
just dial back the pressure, Colin making.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
They're already saying he's gonna be the greatest quarterback in
Bears history.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
Like, that's a little bunch for a guy who's never
played an NFL snap?
Speaker 5 (19:46):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Not sure? But again, this is not college basketball where
you come into the league at nineteen. So Caleb's been
a star since high school and at Oklahoma and two
years at SC. So I think I do think there
is an advantage to be an NFL young star over
a college to pro NBA star. I think it's much harder. Also,
(20:08):
that league's international, so some guys come over and get
our American aggressive media. They're nineteen years old from France.
I think Caleb William's fine.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
Yeah, you said, you said he's been a star a lot?
Has he does? He wanted anything?
Speaker 1 (20:20):
He won eleven games at USC with a pretty average
roster first year in a total rebuild for a program.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
What was that a Holiday Bowl victory? Listen?
Speaker 3 (20:28):
My only problem is like when Trevor Lawrence was coming
out of Clubson, it was like he's the next thing,
He's the best. Sends luck and Trevor Lawrence has been good.
But I'm just telling you, this pressure thing is real.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Like Lawrence, I don't.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Want to say sputterer, but it's kind of been up
and down, and if that's the thing with Caleb, it's
gonna be always a failure.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
He's not the greatest quarterback in franchise history.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
I also hold I think he Trevor Lawrence has been
a bit disappointing, but Andrew luck wasn't. He had a
disappointing front office and coaching staff. They couldn't protect him.
So John l the media was different, was talked about
for a year and a half, two years before he
got drafted. He's the biggest star in my broadcast. And
I mean, I'm too young to really I don't know
what the year was for Lway. It was seventy something,
(21:11):
early eighty, whatever it was. You know, I wasn't in
the media then, but I mean I can remember it
was like the story. I was in the Pacific Northwest
like a year before he came out. Everybody was talking
about the Lway family in Lway. He handled it fine.
I think if you're I never really worry too much
about football players because most have gone to college for
four years, lived on a big campus, been the big
(21:33):
man on campus. I've had pressure on campus. I worry
more about NBA guys like John Morantha come in and
they're just not ready for it. They can't drink at
the hotel bars.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
So the best quarterbacks the NFL's ever had Patrick Mahomes,
Tom Brady. There were no expectations coming in. None from
a Homes. He was like, what the tenth pick? Well,
patri traded up again.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Dan Marino had a ton. Elway had a ton.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl. He's not considered
a top five. Well that Peyton Manning had a ton. Okay,
one guy Eli, By the way, he didn't win a
playoff game for like the first five years.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Remember that.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
I don't think there's an absolute I think it goes.
Some guys can handle it, some guys can I think
in this league, if you're a great quarterback talent and
you get a really, really good coach, you're gonna be fine.
The question with Caleb isn't him, it's Matt Eberflus. I
don't worry about Caleb. I worry if this is the
right coach in a division with Matt Lafleur and two
(22:26):
other offensive coaches that are highly respected. That's what I
worry about, not the kid, the coach.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Okay, moving on second story. Miami Dolphins. Everybody says they're
great at home.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
We know that, and you love to make fun of
how they shrivel up in cold weather. They have not
been great on the road since Mike McDaniel took over
the season. Colin, look at the schedule, I think this
has to change our trajectory. Miami will play four of
their final six games on the road, including brutal winter weather. McDaniels,
though he loves a chance to flip the script.
Speaker 8 (23:00):
Think, well, if you're wanting to u change the narrative,
you're gonna have an opportunity if you're if you're playing
the right competitive football, you'll always have unique challenges to
your to your schedule. If you're playing the right type
of football, you'll have primetime games. And think that the
opportunities down the stretch of the season are are one
(23:22):
ones that this team at that point in time will
be thirsty for. You know, that's that's that's something that
you know when when I saw the schedule, it was
pretty excited.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
Breaking news.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
I just crossed Miami off my playoff team list. Look
at the end of the season for their final six Okay,
brutal at Green Bay Thanksgiving Ish weekend.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
You guys are you're making it sound much.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
Hold on, first, the Jets, they're a playoff team. At Houston,
they were in the playoffs versus sanfran that's a loss.
And then they have to go to Cleveland in the
dog days in December and the Jets in early January.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
First of all, at Houston is warm.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
Weather, Yeah, but that's not a win. Houston is good.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Jets at home week fourteen is warm weather.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
That's probably a lot.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Cleveland will unravel by about week ad Oh, I don't
know Cleveland.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
You think Miami is gonna show up?
Speaker 3 (24:14):
If it's fifteen degrees, come on, they going need heated
benches out there.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Climate change. It could be seventy degrees in Cleveland and December, come.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
On, climate anyways, I don't think the Dolphins are a
playoff team. Do you have them in there?
Speaker 1 (24:28):
By the way that early I have I think Miami
and the Jets in week seventeen are that game. That
final game is a playoff game.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
No, that's no, that's what I Jet's are probably rusted
guys that game because I got the division sewn up.
But I don't even know Miami's start is easy. Jacksonville
and Buffalo back to the that's done. It's it's the
Jets have an easier schedule. But I think Miami's got
the better coach. Yeah, not debating. Now McDaniel and I have.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
More dependable electric Well, I think you know we said
this yesterday. Last time I saw Aaron play a full season,
he had a ninety one passer rating with Matt Lafleur.
Now he's got Robert Sala and Matt Hackett, like this
is being totally overshadowed. I get nothing against Sala. I've
been very supportive on this show. I think he has
(25:18):
an understanding of offense. Some defensive coaches don't. But Sala
and Matt Hackett or Matt Lafleur in an easier conference
and an easier division, you could argue. And Aaron Rodgers
had a ninety one passer rating. I'm sorry, that's what
I saw. And that was with an offensive coach, a better,
more formidable O line, and inertia and momentum in the
(25:42):
organization and no chaos, no relentless media. Aaron was really average.
And now it's two years later, off of surgery with
a defensive coach on the hot seat, an impulsive owner,
a makeshift off to an offensive line that won't play
in the preseason, and you pray that Bryce Hall stays
healthy because it gets pretty lean after that.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
I mean, yeah, Breese Hall. By the way, can we
get a highlight package of that guy? He is so
damn he might be the second best running back in.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
The league after slow Let's slow down a dress story.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do
this one with a straight face. So the Lakers still
hunting for a head coach.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
All signs point to JJ Redick, who is announcing NBA
games right now. According to The Athletic, not only has
LA interviewed Reddick, but they view him as a pat
Riley like coaching prospect. You could both help the franchise
in the short term and lead it for years.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
What's wrong with that?
Speaker 4 (26:39):
A pat Riley like?
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Do you know that pat Riley was doing Laker games
on radio? I'm aware show yeah, and then became a coach. So,
I mean, everybody's got to start from somewhere. Pat Riley's
beginning was pretty humble. Nobody believed in him except him
and his girlfriend. I go back to that book and
(27:02):
that HBO show, like nobody believed in pat Riley, and
he just determinates, like.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
A legendary basketball player back in the forties or fifties
or whatever. He was really good for that forties, but like,
you know, fifties, sixties whatever he was playing. But what
is it, white guy with the slick hair, Like, come on,
this is comic playing Riley.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
One of the great coaches in the history of the
you've basically lumped him in with George Mike and and
Bob had a.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Little after George Micah Also this, I'm sure you love this. Shams,
who's on a heater right now, reports that in an
ideal perfect world, this is a direct quote, Lebron would
have Kyrie.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
Irving on the roster and ty Lewis head coach. This
Shaans is seeing this stuff. What is happening, Colin?
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Well, why people have suggested that Kyrie to the Lakers
is not a long shot?
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Oh that was like over a year ago.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
There's no chance of that it's resurfaced. I'm just it's
out there.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Why because Kyri's having a good foot postseason, Well, I
just the Mad's are going to trade him.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
I would. There's an argument to be made you sell
Kyrie when the getting's good, because it will eventually turn
Milo sell high. He's hot. Right now. The Kyrie stock
is redemption, no more nonsense. Oh really, I think it's
gonna be like that for four years.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
That's a great point.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
I would likely I would, I would strongly consider because
Luca is the franchise. They got their PJ. Washington and
their bigs. Now go find a second score. You can
find a second score. It's hard to find guys that
play with Luca Kyrie Irving Stock right now. Everybody, Oh
this people are what they are. He'll go sideways, He'll
(28:45):
he'll get on one of his uh you know, he'll
go Aaron Rodgers or KD. They tend to go back,
you know, they they circle back to sort of their
base personality.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
This is this is probably your best take of the week.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
I did not consider that, but I can't imagine that
they would deal in that like they're rolling.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
This is the best they've been. Lucas got a wingman.
But I do, like you, you.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Do get if pat Riley played in the forties, he
didn't play in the fourth he would be now one
hundred and four years old.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
He didn't play in the forties pat Riley before the
games were on TV. Remember he was a big time
college basketball.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Well, the games were on TV. They were just not
as many games, but they were on TV in the seventies.
I watched them from my bunk bed. I remember watching
Bill Walton in the Blazers win a title from the
top bunk bed.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
Was that on tape delay or probably on TV?
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Funny Musburger was the I remember Brent Musburger at CBS,
I believe was the voice. It's early seventies, mid seventies.
I remember very very well.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
I got to check on my parents for they were
in this country.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
I'm not even sure what was there an NBA forties.
I mean Russell in the sixties is like that's when
the NBA kind of you know, is that when.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
You had your first job in the forties or no.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
No, nineteen eighties seven Jmack with a news.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
herd line news.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
No, it is talent, not that it's fools gold, but
it sucks you in. And so you know, a kad
or an Aaron Rodgers has a run, we fall in
love with the talent, but people tend to kind of
go back to their base personality, whether it's good, bad,
and different. And Kyrie has a history in Boston and
in Cleveland and in Brooklyn and in Dallas early where
(30:31):
he sometimes goes a little sideways and sometimes you have
to reel him back in, and now he's viewed as, oh,
it's all good. I'd make the argument that's the time
you move off this player and go find a younger,
more dependable too, that can play with Luca. Because you
got your front line, you have Luca, you have the coach,
you have the front office. You go find a Dejente
(30:52):
Murray or something like, you know, whatever you want, Just
go go find a guy.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noone Easter not an emphasis. Paulli Fusco here with
Tony Fusco.
Speaker 9 (31:03):
You know, as the host of the number one rated
Paul and Toni Fusco show, we get tons and tons
of fan mail every day.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Piles of it.
Speaker 9 (31:10):
In fact, Tony, why don't you open up one of
those letters right now and read what's inside.
Speaker 10 (31:13):
Hey, listen to this, Dear Pauli and Toni, your sports
takes the dumbest and most terribly not that.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Wait, why open this other one?
Speaker 10 (31:21):
Dear Pauli in TONI you suck more than anyone. Waity
this one? Dear Paulie and Tony, you guys are the
absolute best. There you go coming up with the stupidest take.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Forget it.
Speaker 9 (31:34):
Just listen to the and Tony Fusco Show on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 5 (31:40):
Ye.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
So, Celtics Pacers series started last night with a thriller
PACER's had It and blew It and Boston always weird
at home escaped in overtime. Tonight, Minnesota and Dallas open up.
I like Minnesota in the series, but Dallas is a
different team than they were at the trade deadline. They
went and got a couple of bigs. They protect the
rim at a different level. Minnesota's Chris Finch says, right now,
(32:04):
there are no dynasties.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Been a great season.
Speaker 7 (32:08):
We've accomplished a lot.
Speaker 11 (32:10):
But you know, we said from the beginning, and as
the season was unfolding, like why not us the league's
wide open were not in a dynastic period, And that's proven.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
There's gonna be a new champion this year.
Speaker 11 (32:24):
So everything's still to play for, but a.
Speaker 7 (32:26):
Long long way to go.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
So when Kevin Durant got hurt in the finals for
the Warriors, that was the twenty nineteen finals and the
Raptors won, that was the end of the dynasties to meet. Now,
the Warriors did win a couple of years later against
the Celtics, but it felt like a last gasp. They
weren't dominant, they had struggled at times. They looked like
they were getting beaten down three games into it. That
(32:50):
didn't feel like part of the dynasty. They were dripping
and sputtering to the end. So since that kd injury,
we have had the Raptors title with Kawhi again. A
lot of that is Golden State fell apart physically, go
back and look at it. Klay Thompson was hurt as well.
Then there was the Lakers bubble championship, ad and Lebron,
(33:12):
the Jannis Bucks title, pretty good team, Warriors surprise title,
and then again the Nuggets title last year. And we're
gonna have a new champion this year. Minnesota and Dallas.
If they even won the championship, they would not be
favored to win it next year. Draft Kings already has
the Nuggets as favorites to win the West next year.
(33:34):
Now Boston, if they win the championship, they'll be favorites.
But I do think there's something to be said is
none of these teams are great. I think we are
going through a spell, and I don't know how long
it will last. But it's pretty clear from the Raptors
Championship on we're in a non dynasty. European players spread
out through the league, the depth of talent around the
(33:57):
league better than it's ever been. We'll see what transpires.
I like Minnesota and Boston to get out of these,
but Dallas is more than formidable, and after last night,
maybe the Pacers are too. So Justin Fields played for
the Bears, I said about halfway through his Chicago career
fifty five forty five, I think he's gonna make it.
Not sure, not very good late in games, hurt a lot,
(34:20):
too many turnovers and consistent and then in the last year,
you know about Thanksgiving. I'm done. It doesn't work. He's
not getting better. Jordan Love's gotten better in the last
month and he got in three four years, so it's
over and so he said recently that and before he
said this as well, that Pittsburgh's actually where he wanted
to go.
Speaker 5 (34:41):
It was definitely a relief to you know, kind of
be on a team and know where I'm going to
be at shout out to you know, pose he you
know who would communicate it to him, you know, through
my agent, and you know, I told him where I
wanted to be and this was the place I wanted
to be. So you know, he's you know, honored that,
and I appreciate him that and glad he was able
(35:02):
to put me in a spot where I wanted to
be at.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
Well, the AFC North is not exactly the path of
least resistance. Most believe it's the best division in football,
and I think that in the NFC North probably are,
But it is interesting his judgment that this was the
place to go. I'd want to be the number one starter.
I would want to have an offensive coach. I already
(35:25):
had a defensive coach. I would want all the snaps
in the OTAs. That's what I would want, first team snaps.
He's not getting those, So he's once again going to
have a defensive coach and a defensive culture. A so
so offensive line in a tougher conference and arguably probably
a tougher division. Now, I would understand justin Field saying,
(35:46):
get me to the Raiders. They got weapons and they
need a guy that makes sense. Or get me a young,
smart offensive coach. I get that too, Or give me
like Jared Goff. Just give me a great offensive line.
Atlanta's got a great line. Get me to Atlanta or
the NFC South, period. But I would argue this is
(36:07):
actually not a great place. Pittsburgh has struggled offensively. Twenty
eighteen is the last time they were a top ten
offense with an old big Ben. Since then, they've been
in the toilet offensively. It's a tough division with great
pass rushers everywhere. Pittsburgh's a defensive culture, and now you're
(36:31):
a backup to Russell Wilson. So it's it's like to
me when Matt Stafford left perennially losing Detroit to Sean
mcvayh that's where you choose, and that's a relief. Kirk
Cousins saying, hey, Atlanta's got weapons, they're young, a great
old line week division. I can see that being en't
(36:52):
have to play the Packers twice a year. The Lions
are rolling. That's a little bit of a relief. I
don't know how you phrase Pittsburgh as a relief, and
that's the place you wanted to go. Pittsburgh now has
an offensive coordinator who struggled last year with a great
O line with Desmond Ritter. Don't they Isn't that their
(37:14):
coordinator now? So I don't know. I don't know. I
kind of look at this thing in Pittsburgh and I
think it's gonna be messy. Russell's the best of the quarterbacks.
He'll get primarily the snaps. Deontay Johnson is gone. There's
new offensive linemen, the division's brutal pass rushers everywhere, and
(37:37):
Mike Tomlin always has the defense figured out. He's a
great motivator. They draft well, they can't get the O
line right. The run game's not consistent. It just doesn't
feel like they click offensively. Now they're on another offensive coordinator.
I'm still waiting for the offensive line to pop, which
Andy Reid and McVeigh have proven they can reboot in
a year in an off season. Pittsburgh can't in five
(37:58):
to six years. So that's weird to me. That would
not have been the place I would have chosen. I
want to be a starter. Give me weapons, give me
an offensive line, an offensive coach. I do not want
to go to a shaky O line with great pass
rushers in the AFC North. Just my take for the record.
J Mack thinks I'm hard on Jason Tatum. I don't.
(38:19):
I think he's a really, really good player. When you
were saying top two or three in the league, I
always said, I feel he's about eighth. There's something missing,
But he's a really good player. In most of my life,
the eighth best player in a league at any time
as an automatic Hall of Famer, and Tatum will be
an automatic Hall of Famer. But my pushback is sometimes
he gets lost on the screen. Sometimes like last night,
(38:41):
he goes eight nine minutes, he just doesn't do anything offensively,
and that was a bad Indiana team, your favorite and
at home, make some shots, create some opportunities, make be
a playmaker. So it'll be very interesting top of the
hour because I'm going to go to the best players
in the league and give you actual on who would
(39:01):
you take, Like with a minute left in the fourth quarter,
and I think we're getting to a time in the
NBA we have never had more good closers. And when
I went and looked this morning at some of the numbers,
I mean, there's been a lot of tough guys in
the NBA, you know, back in j Max, the forties era,
there have been a lot of different eras with great
(39:22):
coaches and tough teams and talented players. But right now
we have great European talent and great closers in this league.
Lebron's still a great clutch time player. Tatum falls shorter
than you think.
Speaker 4 (39:36):
Of that interesting.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
So is this like the first nine minutes of the
fourth quarter. Is that one of those you kind of
skew it to make your point look amazing.
Speaker 4 (39:44):
Let's be real.
Speaker 3 (39:46):
He had thirty six and twelve, he was a plus twenty.
I think he had nine points in overtime, and you're
tearing him to shreds. Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards, your new faith
of the league, goes six for twenty four in Game seven,
but they win and he gets like a pass and well.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
Edward, it's Anthony, I love you, buddy, but this all right,
I think you're gonna be surprised, almost a revelation.
Speaker 4 (40:12):
So it's just final minute.
Speaker 7 (40:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Well, we're looking at fourth quarters of playoff games, so
I don't want to just break it because clutch time's weird.
Sometimes you're taking shots you have to because you're down three,
you shoot at three, you don't want to. We'll just
go maybe to fourth quarter stats. That's fair, right, an
entire fourth quarter, all right, but you have left in
the tank in the fourth quarter. So by the way,
(40:36):
that means, if Tatum has a very good first six minutes,
it's a blowout and the rest for the last five
I'm not gonna punish Jason Tatum for that. How about
the entire fourth quarter?
Speaker 3 (40:45):
The problem is they blew out more people than anybody
in the league this year, so not a lot of
competitive fourth quarters.
Speaker 4 (40:50):
But I'm curious to see the data. Data data went
Speaker 1 (40:53):
Was an excuse our two on a Wednesday
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three Eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find
your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every day on the
iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
All right, Welcome in live in Los Angeles. It's The Herd.
Wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thanks for making us part of your day. Jmac. You
know we said yesterday, we said, listen, this should be
veteran team home court advantage, been here before, Pacers kind
(00:51):
of taken seven by the wobbling, hobbling Nicks. This is
gonna be a fast one. We may have ourselves series.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Oh boy, I don't know if the audience is mentally
ready for where you're about to go today.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
I'm fired up, paw. This show's gonna be an all
time all right.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
So when Denver won a title last year, maybe I
got fooled. I thought this is interesting, this could last
a while. They had the best player in the league.
They were very consistent. They ran their offense through him,
they had a great closer who was always willing to
shoot in Jamal Murray. I liked their coach, they could defend,
(01:29):
they were a great clutch time team. You never doubted
them late. I kind of knew what I had with
the Nuggets, and so when they won last year, I said,
it reminds me a lot of the Spurs. Good scouting,
good coaching, a dominant big. Yeah. Well, maybe I got fooled.
I mean, they did lose in Game seven to a
good Minnesota team. Maybe I got fooled. Maybe they come back.
I don't know, but at least I want to thank
(01:51):
the Celtics for their transparency. If they do win a
title this year, no chance at a dynasty. They're just
too weird. This is the strange team they classify as
almost a bad team at home in the playoffs. Unheard
of Tatum. He's their best player, but Al Horford shot
(02:11):
twelve threes. I don't know if they're well coached. What
actually is their offense? Let's be honest. Pacers Blewett twenty
one turnovers, two ugly ones late and Jalen Brown. Here's
the game winner. Jalen Brown basically bails out Boston.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
No timeouts. He's got to.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Get it in throws to the car.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Jalen courses enough.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Offer set let me he did it. Tatum brat in
the corner P five six to go and the Pacers
have given away Game one to the moment. But Jason
Tatum did not have a field goal or an assist
in the last nine minutes of regulation. He was fine
(02:58):
in overtime, Tatum was come on the spur. It's the Pacers.
They're young kids. You could tell from their turnovers they
weren't quite ready for the moment. You expect them to
pull back on the road in overtime a little. But
in a star driven league, Tatum not only disappoints, he
(03:19):
just disappears. And I've been on this for four years.
What is this offense? Where does he go? What is
he thinking to not have an assist? Forget the points
you can shoot poorly, to not have an assist in
the final nine minutes of regulation. I do think Boston
with this group will eventually, I think when a title.
(03:40):
But it's a hard team to like and a hard
team to figure out. They're almost the opposite of the
team everybody loved the Knicks. They don't have a lot
of grit. They live on the three pointer. They actually
have a lot of talent, but you're not necessarily sure
it'll show up in big moments, and their star often disappears.
The opposite of Jalen Brunson. It's they're the opposite of
(04:05):
the Knicks. They're just not terribly likable unless you're a
Celtics fan. And here's the thing. I went into the
series and I'm thinking, well, young Pacers don't defend. But
after last night, I watched them and I think the
Pacers are long, they're deep, they're healthy, they're well coached.
(04:27):
We may have ourselves a series. And for the record,
the general manager of the Celtics, Brad Stevens, he addressed
two things in the offseason so he saw the issues.
One of them you went and got poorzingis Al Horford
defensive liability in big games and Pascal Siakam attacked him
last night. And the second thing he went is another
(04:50):
offensive player. They got rid of Marcus Smart. They got
a better offensive player with the same sort of grit
in Jalen and Drew Holiday. And Holiday had his best
is a Celtic last night. He was great and necessary
as Brown didn't deliver and Tatum disappeared. So Brad Stevens,
who just won Executive of the Year, clearly saw what
(05:12):
we have been talking about and seeing for a couple
of years. They need more talent with size, and they
clearly miss Porzingis. Pascal Siakam is going to be a
problem without him. Report today he may come back for
Game four. And Drew Holliday was crucial last night. Here's
Jalen Brown after escaping.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
What was the difference in overtime?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
I think we just made some momentum plays.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
Jac finally woke up, made some baskets and we.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Was able to make some place soars en.
Speaker 6 (05:42):
But we got to be better, to be honest, but
I'll take them one the night.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
So one of the things that happens during games like this,
and it's sort of old school and new school. So
if a team, by the way leeds by three and
the other team has the ball with a couple seconds left,
the old feeling, the old school guys like Rick Carlyle is, hey,
I'm gonna let a guy jack up a three. I'm
not gonna foul him. I mean, the best guys in
(06:09):
the league shoot thirty ninety on threes. Go ahead, take
your chance, And it was Jalen Brown's only three he
hit all game. I kind of tend to be old school,
go beat me, go hit a three. New school analytics
believes you always foul send them to the line instead
of the chance he hits a three. Again, it's only
(06:29):
you know, thirty seven, thirty eight at best forty percent,
somebody hit a late game three, but foul them even
if they hit free throws. You save a point, right,
and you play the math game. But here's the thing.
In the NFL, analytics also tell you you should always
go for two points after a touchdown. Always. Yeah, if
I have McVeigh and Stafford, or Mahomes and Andy Reid
(06:52):
or Kyle Shanahan or a Sean Payton. But what if
I have a shaky old line, limited weapons and Kenny
Pickett defensive culture, I'm kicking the pat So a lot
of the analytic ravens, they always think it's sort of
a one size fits all, and my take has always been, no,
(07:14):
it's all situational. I do not believe you always go
for Peyton Manning has talked about this at length, is
that you know everybody wants a two point in conversion.
But if you're playing the Ravens in their prime and
you somehow off a turnover, cobble together a seven play
drive to score a touchdown on a great throw by Peyton,
(07:34):
You're you're struggling to pick up yards. Your interior offensive
line is getting pushed back. You've got elite corners for
the Ravens in their prime. You just kick a feel,
you just kick the pat. So I think in this situation,
you know, al Horford was their big three point attempt
guy last night, Jalen Brown hadn't hit one. I tend
(07:55):
to be a little old school, like, I get it, though,
I get the math. I'm not anti analytics, but I
think it's a lot more contextual than people say. I
don't think it's one size fits all. I don't think
you should always go for two. Brandon Staley got fired
with the Chargers. One of his big misfirings early was
going for it deep in territory, his own territory, you know,
(08:19):
against the team that had a pretty good quarterback and
a good field goal kicker, and he went for it
because analytics say you should go for it. And in
the end, you know, Charger Nation buried him. These coaches,
you gotta be careful. We all overreact to everything. And
so here was Lebron James in a podcast talking about
this situation which seemingly happens every third playoff game. Do
(08:39):
you foul? Do you let him shoot the three? Here's Lebron.
Speaker 7 (08:43):
A lot of coaches are afraid to tell their team
to foul on them three because one either one they
haven't worked on it, or two it is you know,
with our rules and things, this gets tricky sometimes and
you send a guy to the free throw, you know,
because you try to file them in the case.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
But I'll follow Mind the Game podcast.
Speaker 7 (09:08):
Now.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
I was thinking about this. If I coached the Celtics
and I had Drew Holliday, Tatum Brown, Porzingis and they
were all on the floor, even in al Harford. They're old,
veteran players, I would trust them to make the right foul.
But as Lebron pointed out, the Pacers are young, They're
terrible defensively. They're on the road. You know, do they hesitate?
(09:31):
Do they foul somebody as he's shooting they hit a three?
So again, if I'm Boston's coach, I would be much
more confident late game fouling play the analytic math game Pacers.
I wouldn't feel that same level of confidence. Carlisle after
took the loss, took the blame. I get it. That's
(09:54):
what you do. You want your team to feel like, hey,
I screwed up. You played great?
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Now.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
I would I would hope that the Celtics in Game
two at home would play with a lot more urgency.
But I'm watching that last night and I don't know
Jay Mack what the line is for game two. I
would think Boston's favored by six or seven or eight.
But I was I was looking at the Pacers, and
I'm like, with Porzingis out, Siakam can eat. They're deep.
(10:22):
You know, they have a good rotation, they're well coached.
We may have a series. What is the line? I
will try to pull it up here on I would
bet you it's seven and a half Boston.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Historically, when a team blows the opportunity to win a
game one like that, they get destroyed in games.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Yes, but I mean, was this just a bad showing
by Boston or did you watch it and think with
Porzingis out, they've got a ton of length. They're gonna
keep it close.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Indiana blew the game clearly Halliburton with the turnovers late.
Holiday did come up an down Halliburton. I think Haliburton
was zero for six shooting with two turnovers, and that's
up with Holliday, who's a superstar. I'm a little surprised
that the Jason Tatum disrespect out of you, Colin, but.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Not a single point or assist at home against a
bad defensive team for nine minutes.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
What happened in overtime.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
No, he did a good job. He hit an open
three on a blown defensive assignment. Dominant. But again, this
is not MJ's bulls. This is the worst defensive team
in the league. They're young, they're on the road, twenty
one turnovers, they were anxious, they were tight late. I
give them that. The Pacers need to win these games comfortably.
(11:39):
If these games are close, you wouldn't take the young team.
You'd take the veteran team with the Tatum Brown combo.
But nine minutes at home against the Pacers, not an assist.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
The offense is weird. I mean, Andy was sell it
saying we won. Horford to take all the shots. Horford said,
I'll take all the shots he's like thirty seven years
old and he played forty minutes calling. I didn't think
that was a great job by the Celtics coachs, like
get the other guys in there, get the end of
the bench guys in for a few minutes.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
Horford, he was getting destroyed in the pick and roll
fourth quarter.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
I think they attacked. They well for six shooting against Horford.
They were like, bring me Horford.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Yeah, and that's exactly what they're gonna do. So Porzinga
should play in Game four, that's what they're saying. Our
take was, you don't play Porzingis until you lose. After
last night, you know, this is why these playoffs have
been great. Like I thought, okay See was going to
take advantage. Kyrie sort of disappeared. All of a sudden,
Kyrie re emerges. They play real defense, They knock out
(12:33):
okay See. We love Denver. When they were up three
to two in that series, they evaporate. We thought that
we thought the Knicks would win Game seven at home.
They fell apart. We thought last night would be a blowout.
When you don't have a great team and you have
good teams to very good teams, you get a lot
of surprises. I mean, I think that's the one thing
(12:54):
in the NFL playoffs there's not that many surprises. You
have star quarterbacks, often at home, they should be favored.
I mean, Baltimore losing to Kansas City, You're like, it's
Mahomes and Reed. Okay. But the reason I think we're
seeing a lot of these elements and these surprises, these
are just good teams to vary. I think Minnesota and
Dallas are very good. I think Boston is very good.
(13:17):
But I'll tell you that length of Indiana and that depth,
we may have a serious.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
I think Boston was up twelve late third quarters, they
pull Tatum and Indy just torches them, man, and you
got a close game. Haliburton hits the shot at the
buzzer and you're like, oh my gosh, remember Tatum was
plus twenty laston.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
When he's on the floor, Boston's rolling, there's no question.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
When he's off the floor, it's like, oh, maybe they're
not as deep as we thought.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Too many small guys, I don't know.
Speaker 7 (13:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and neon eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and The iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
So there's so many broadcast partners now for the NFL.
You got Netflix, now, you got Amazon, now, you got
your traditionals, Fox, CBS, ESBN, now Disney involved. That the
schedules are different. The new normal in the NFL is
you're gonna plan a bunch of different games. The Kansas
City Chiefs are playing on six different days. They're playing
(14:12):
on a Wednesday. You got games on holidays, you got
more overseas games. Again, you have more broadcast partners. So
you're shuffling things around, and it means if you have
Patrick Mahomes, it's gonna be an inconvenient schedule. They can
handle it. They've proven it. I mean they've they've overcome
(14:34):
the loss of Tyreek Hill, bad offensive line play, underachieving
wide receivers, and they still win Super Bowls. Well, the
Jets have Aaron Rodgers six night games and four short
week games this year. It's inconvenient, and he acknowledged yesterday.
Yeah it's a pain in the butt.
Speaker 6 (14:53):
Well, I supposely we owe the league a little bit,
so the Thursday games are always tough. It doesn't matter
if you're for yer player or a twenty year player.
A little bit harder, probably at twenty years than first
year as far as being able to bounce back. But yeah,
I'm sure that Robert will do some creative things with
the schedule. You we're gonna have to he love the
(15:14):
Thursdays because of the weekend the mini buy. But to
start the season now like that is definitely a good
challenge for us.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
So it is a big ask to ask a team
to have multiple night games and multiple short week games
thrown an overseas game. That's a big ask. But it's
a bigger ask for the Jets because of their impulsive ownership,
a more relentless media, and a prickly quarterback. I mean,
(15:45):
let's throw out this scenario. The Jets get crushed by
San Francisco in the opener and they're like a six
point doc and the offense really sputters. I mean, remember
the old offensive lineman they brought in will not play
in the preseason. Much old offense lineman don't play in
the preseason September October. You're trying to build chemistry that
O line. So O line for the Jets gets worked.
(16:10):
Nathaniel Hackett gets criticized because the offensive line's out of
sync and then you lose one of those games early
you should win to Sean Payton and Denver or the
tall Sean McVay, Kevin o'connellan Minnesota over in London. Uh oh,
and here come the Bills and you're just figuring stuff out.
It's very interesting if you look at the Jets schedule
(16:31):
with all these short weeks. Now they're probably going to
beat Tennessee and New England handily, but Sean Peyton and Denver,
that great offensive talent for Minnesota overseas, here comes Josh Allen.
What Mike Tomlin's teams is an underdog. He's one of
the best underdog coaches the games. At Pittsburgh. Russell Wilson's
(16:51):
more than competent. So again, it's a big ask to
ask Kansas City to do it. But from ownership down,
you know they're not impulsive. They're incredibly stable. Like you
always trust Andy Reid to win the coaching battle. Do
you trust Woody Johnson Robert Sala on a short week,
(17:16):
a patched offensive line with several guys past their prime
to build chemistry short week? I always think short weeks
better for young players than old players. Ray Lewis used
to tell me he was sore on Thursday. Still he
was just getting the sore out. So I do think
Aaron Rodgers is honest about this. It is hard. You
(17:39):
gotta be creative. Kansas City's built for it. I think
it's a much bigger ass for the Jets. And here's
j Mack with a news.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
No, no, this is the herdline news.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Let's start in the NFL with the Chicago Bears.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
There are a lot of questions about how the locker
room would respond to the team moving off of Justin
Fields and drafting Caleb Williams. Well Albert Breer sat down
with Chicago coach Matt Eberflus and told him everybody's rallying
around the rookie quarterback.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Likening it to a Cowboys.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Yeah, rallied around a rookie named Deck Prescott back in
twenty sixteen.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Deck had a fine rookie year. He was thirteen and three.
They had the best running back in the league in Zeke.
They had the best offensive line going away. That was
Tyron Smith, younger player into his prime. Cowboys. Deck's first
year had the best o line in football for four
straight years, almost like Detroit now Detroit's got the best
offensive line, elite center, elite left tackle, and it matters
(18:41):
a lot for quarterbacks golf now as a veteran, so
it's not as crucial. But I would say Chicago's O
line is okay. It's workable. It's not great, it's not
very good, but it's the middle of.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
The pack, above average, slightly above average, good tackle. So, Colin,
here's my only issue with this.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
If you read the beer piece, all we are hearing
is Caleb Caleb, Caleb, Caleb, Caleb Caleb, and all the comparisons,
and now we're hearing, oh, it could be DAK twenty sixteen.
If I'm the Bears, I'm starting to steer any interview
away from Caleb Williams and stop adding pressure to this rookie.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
He turns on a TV, opens.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
His phone, listen to a podcast, listen to the radio.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
It's all about him all the time.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:27):
I don't think that's healthy for a rookie quarterback. I
think the Bears should start.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Hey, we got a great wide receiver crew, our defense
is lined up.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
You know the schedule. Really, do anything you can to
just dial back the pressure, Colin making.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
They're already saying he's gonna be the greatest quarterback in
Bears history.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
Like, that's a little bunch for a guy who's never
played an NFL snap?
Speaker 5 (19:46):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Not sure? But again, this is not college basketball where
you come into the league at nineteen. So Caleb's been
a star since high school and at Oklahoma and two
years at SC. So I think I do think there
is an advantage to be an NFL young star over
a college to pro NBA star. I think it's much harder. Also,
(20:08):
that league's international, so some guys come over and get
our American aggressive media. They're nineteen years old from France.
I think Caleb William's fine.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
Yeah, you said, you said he's been a star a lot?
Has he does? He wanted anything?
Speaker 1 (20:20):
He won eleven games at USC with a pretty average
roster first year in a total rebuild for a program.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
What was that a Holiday Bowl victory? Listen?
Speaker 3 (20:28):
My only problem is like when Trevor Lawrence was coming
out of Clubson, it was like he's the next thing,
He's the best. Sends luck and Trevor Lawrence has been good.
But I'm just telling you, this pressure thing is real.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Like Lawrence, I don't.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Want to say sputterer, but it's kind of been up
and down, and if that's the thing with Caleb, it's
gonna be always a failure.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
He's not the greatest quarterback in franchise history.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
I also hold I think he Trevor Lawrence has been
a bit disappointing, but Andrew luck wasn't. He had a
disappointing front office and coaching staff. They couldn't protect him.
So John l the media was different, was talked about
for a year and a half, two years before he
got drafted. He's the biggest star in my broadcast. And
I mean, I'm too young to really I don't know
what the year was for Lway. It was seventy something,
(21:11):
early eighty, whatever it was. You know, I wasn't in
the media then, but I mean I can remember it
was like the story. I was in the Pacific Northwest
like a year before he came out. Everybody was talking
about the Lway family in Lway. He handled it fine.
I think if you're I never really worry too much
about football players because most have gone to college for
four years, lived on a big campus, been the big
(21:33):
man on campus. I've had pressure on campus. I worry
more about NBA guys like John Morantha come in and
they're just not ready for it. They can't drink at
the hotel bars.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
So the best quarterbacks the NFL's ever had Patrick Mahomes,
Tom Brady. There were no expectations coming in. None from
a Homes. He was like, what the tenth pick? Well,
patri traded up again.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Dan Marino had a ton. Elway had a ton.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl. He's not considered
a top five. Well that Peyton Manning had a ton. Okay,
one guy Eli, By the way, he didn't win a
playoff game for like the first five years.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Remember that.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
I don't think there's an absolute I think it goes.
Some guys can handle it, some guys can I think
in this league, if you're a great quarterback talent and
you get a really, really good coach, you're gonna be fine.
The question with Caleb isn't him, it's Matt Eberflus. I
don't worry about Caleb. I worry if this is the
right coach in a division with Matt Lafleur and two
(22:26):
other offensive coaches that are highly respected. That's what I
worry about, not the kid, the coach.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Okay, moving on second story. Miami Dolphins. Everybody says they're
great at home.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
We know that, and you love to make fun of
how they shrivel up in cold weather. They have not
been great on the road since Mike McDaniel took over
the season. Colin, look at the schedule, I think this
has to change our trajectory. Miami will play four of
their final six games on the road, including brutal winter weather. McDaniels,
though he loves a chance to flip the script.
Speaker 8 (23:00):
Think, well, if you're wanting to u change the narrative,
you're gonna have an opportunity if you're if you're playing
the right competitive football, you'll always have unique challenges to
your to your schedule. If you're playing the right type
of football, you'll have primetime games. And think that the
opportunities down the stretch of the season are are one
(23:22):
ones that this team at that point in time will
be thirsty for. You know, that's that's that's something that
you know when when I saw the schedule, it was
pretty excited.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
Breaking news.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
I just crossed Miami off my playoff team list. Look
at the end of the season for their final six Okay,
brutal at Green Bay Thanksgiving Ish weekend.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
You guys are you're making it sound much.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
Hold on, first, the Jets, they're a playoff team. At Houston,
they were in the playoffs versus sanfran that's a loss.
And then they have to go to Cleveland in the
dog days in December and the Jets in early January.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
First of all, at Houston is warm.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
Weather, Yeah, but that's not a win. Houston is good.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Jets at home week fourteen is warm weather.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
That's probably a lot.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Cleveland will unravel by about week ad Oh, I don't
know Cleveland.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
You think Miami is gonna show up?
Speaker 3 (24:14):
If it's fifteen degrees, come on, they going need heated
benches out there.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Climate change. It could be seventy degrees in Cleveland and December, come.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
On, climate anyways, I don't think the Dolphins are a
playoff team. Do you have them in there?
Speaker 1 (24:28):
By the way that early I have I think Miami
and the Jets in week seventeen are that game. That
final game is a playoff game.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
No, that's no, that's what I Jet's are probably rusted
guys that game because I got the division sewn up.
But I don't even know Miami's start is easy. Jacksonville
and Buffalo back to the that's done. It's it's the
Jets have an easier schedule. But I think Miami's got
the better coach. Yeah, not debating. Now McDaniel and I have.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
More dependable electric Well, I think you know we said
this yesterday. Last time I saw Aaron play a full season,
he had a ninety one passer rating with Matt Lafleur.
Now he's got Robert Sala and Matt Hackett, like this
is being totally overshadowed. I get nothing against Sala. I've
been very supportive on this show. I think he has
(25:18):
an understanding of offense. Some defensive coaches don't. But Sala
and Matt Hackett or Matt Lafleur in an easier conference
and an easier division, you could argue. And Aaron Rodgers
had a ninety one passer rating. I'm sorry, that's what
I saw. And that was with an offensive coach, a better,
more formidable O line, and inertia and momentum in the
(25:42):
organization and no chaos, no relentless media. Aaron was really average.
And now it's two years later, off of surgery with
a defensive coach on the hot seat, an impulsive owner,
a makeshift off to an offensive line that won't play
in the preseason, and you pray that Bryce Hall stays
healthy because it gets pretty lean after that.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
I mean, yeah, Breese Hall. By the way, can we
get a highlight package of that guy? He is so
damn he might be the second best running back in.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
The league after slow Let's slow down a dress story.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do
this one with a straight face. So the Lakers still
hunting for a head coach.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
All signs point to JJ Redick, who is announcing NBA
games right now. According to The Athletic, not only has
LA interviewed Reddick, but they view him as a pat
Riley like coaching prospect. You could both help the franchise
in the short term and lead it for years.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
What's wrong with that?
Speaker 4 (26:39):
A pat Riley like?
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Do you know that pat Riley was doing Laker games
on radio? I'm aware show yeah, and then became a coach. So,
I mean, everybody's got to start from somewhere. Pat Riley's
beginning was pretty humble. Nobody believed in him except him
and his girlfriend. I go back to that book and
(27:02):
that HBO show, like nobody believed in pat Riley, and
he just determinates, like.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
A legendary basketball player back in the forties or fifties
or whatever. He was really good for that forties, but like,
you know, fifties, sixties whatever he was playing. But what
is it, white guy with the slick hair, Like, come on,
this is comic playing Riley.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
One of the great coaches in the history of the
you've basically lumped him in with George Mike and and
Bob had a.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Little after George Micah Also this, I'm sure you love this. Shams,
who's on a heater right now, reports that in an
ideal perfect world, this is a direct quote, Lebron would
have Kyrie.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
Irving on the roster and ty Lewis head coach. This
Shaans is seeing this stuff. What is happening, Colin?
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Well, why people have suggested that Kyrie to the Lakers
is not a long shot?
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Oh that was like over a year ago.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
There's no chance of that it's resurfaced. I'm just it's
out there.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Why because Kyri's having a good foot postseason, Well, I
just the Mad's are going to trade him.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
I would. There's an argument to be made you sell
Kyrie when the getting's good, because it will eventually turn
Milo sell high. He's hot. Right now. The Kyrie stock
is redemption, no more nonsense. Oh really, I think it's
gonna be like that for four years.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
That's a great point.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
I would likely I would, I would strongly consider because
Luca is the franchise. They got their PJ. Washington and
their bigs. Now go find a second score. You can
find a second score. It's hard to find guys that
play with Luca Kyrie Irving Stock right now. Everybody, Oh
this people are what they are. He'll go sideways, He'll
(28:45):
he'll get on one of his uh you know, he'll
go Aaron Rodgers or KD. They tend to go back,
you know, they they circle back to sort of their
base personality.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
This is this is probably your best take of the week.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
I did not consider that, but I can't imagine that
they would deal in that like they're rolling.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
This is the best they've been. Lucas got a wingman.
But I do, like you, you.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Do get if pat Riley played in the forties, he
didn't play in the fourth he would be now one
hundred and four years old.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
He didn't play in the forties pat Riley before the
games were on TV. Remember he was a big time
college basketball.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Well, the games were on TV. They were just not
as many games, but they were on TV in the seventies.
I watched them from my bunk bed. I remember watching
Bill Walton in the Blazers win a title from the
top bunk bed.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
Was that on tape delay or probably on TV?
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Funny Musburger was the I remember Brent Musburger at CBS,
I believe was the voice. It's early seventies, mid seventies.
I remember very very well.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
I got to check on my parents for they were
in this country.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
I'm not even sure what was there an NBA forties.
I mean Russell in the sixties is like that's when
the NBA kind of you know, is that when.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
You had your first job in the forties or no.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
No, nineteen eighties seven Jmack with a news.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
herd line news.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
No, it is talent, not that it's fools gold, but
it sucks you in. And so you know, a kad
or an Aaron Rodgers has a run, we fall in
love with the talent, but people tend to kind of
go back to their base personality, whether it's good, bad,
and different. And Kyrie has a history in Boston and
in Cleveland and in Brooklyn and in Dallas early where
(30:31):
he sometimes goes a little sideways and sometimes you have
to reel him back in, and now he's viewed as, oh,
it's all good. I'd make the argument that's the time
you move off this player and go find a younger,
more dependable too, that can play with Luca. Because you
got your front line, you have Luca, you have the coach,
you have the front office. You go find a Dejente
(30:52):
Murray or something like, you know, whatever you want, Just
go go find a guy.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noone Easter not an emphasis. Paulli Fusco here with
Tony Fusco.
Speaker 9 (31:03):
You know, as the host of the number one rated
Paul and Toni Fusco show, we get tons and tons
of fan mail every day.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Piles of it.
Speaker 9 (31:10):
In fact, Tony, why don't you open up one of
those letters right now and read what's inside.
Speaker 10 (31:13):
Hey, listen to this, Dear Pauli and Toni, your sports
takes the dumbest and most terribly not that.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Wait, why open this other one?
Speaker 10 (31:21):
Dear Pauli in TONI you suck more than anyone. Waity
this one? Dear Paulie and Tony, you guys are the
absolute best. There you go coming up with the stupidest take.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Forget it.
Speaker 9 (31:34):
Just listen to the and Tony Fusco Show on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 5 (31:40):
Ye.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
So, Celtics Pacers series started last night with a thriller
PACER's had It and blew It and Boston always weird
at home escaped in overtime. Tonight, Minnesota and Dallas open up.
I like Minnesota in the series, but Dallas is a
different team than they were at the trade deadline. They
went and got a couple of bigs. They protect the
rim at a different level. Minnesota's Chris Finch says, right now,
(32:04):
there are no dynasties.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Been a great season.
Speaker 7 (32:08):
We've accomplished a lot.
Speaker 11 (32:10):
But you know, we said from the beginning, and as
the season was unfolding, like why not us the league's
wide open were not in a dynastic period, And that's proven.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
There's gonna be a new champion this year.
Speaker 11 (32:24):
So everything's still to play for, but a.
Speaker 7 (32:26):
Long long way to go.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
So when Kevin Durant got hurt in the finals for
the Warriors, that was the twenty nineteen finals and the
Raptors won, that was the end of the dynasties to meet. Now,
the Warriors did win a couple of years later against
the Celtics, but it felt like a last gasp. They
weren't dominant, they had struggled at times. They looked like
they were getting beaten down three games into it. That
(32:50):
didn't feel like part of the dynasty. They were dripping
and sputtering to the end. So since that kd injury,
we have had the Raptors title with Kawhi again. A
lot of that is Golden State fell apart physically, go
back and look at it. Klay Thompson was hurt as well.
Then there was the Lakers bubble championship, ad and Lebron,
(33:12):
the Jannis Bucks title, pretty good team, Warriors surprise title,
and then again the Nuggets title last year. And we're
gonna have a new champion this year. Minnesota and Dallas.
If they even won the championship, they would not be
favored to win it next year. Draft Kings already has
the Nuggets as favorites to win the West next year.
(33:34):
Now Boston, if they win the championship, they'll be favorites.
But I do think there's something to be said is
none of these teams are great. I think we are
going through a spell, and I don't know how long
it will last. But it's pretty clear from the Raptors
Championship on we're in a non dynasty. European players spread
out through the league, the depth of talent around the
(33:57):
league better than it's ever been. We'll see what transpires.
I like Minnesota and Boston to get out of these,
but Dallas is more than formidable, and after last night,
maybe the Pacers are too. So Justin Fields played for
the Bears, I said about halfway through his Chicago career
fifty five forty five, I think he's gonna make it.
Not sure, not very good late in games, hurt a lot,
(34:20):
too many turnovers and consistent and then in the last year,
you know about Thanksgiving. I'm done. It doesn't work. He's
not getting better. Jordan Love's gotten better in the last
month and he got in three four years, so it's
over and so he said recently that and before he
said this as well, that Pittsburgh's actually where he wanted
to go.
Speaker 5 (34:41):
It was definitely a relief to you know, kind of
be on a team and know where I'm going to
be at shout out to you know, pose he you
know who would communicate it to him, you know, through
my agent, and you know, I told him where I
wanted to be and this was the place I wanted
to be. So you know, he's you know, honored that,
and I appreciate him that and glad he was able
(35:02):
to put me in a spot where I wanted to
be at.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
Well, the AFC North is not exactly the path of
least resistance. Most believe it's the best division in football,
and I think that in the NFC North probably are,
But it is interesting his judgment that this was the
place to go. I'd want to be the number one starter.
I would want to have an offensive coach. I already
(35:25):
had a defensive coach. I would want all the snaps
in the OTAs. That's what I would want, first team snaps.
He's not getting those, So he's once again going to
have a defensive coach and a defensive culture. A so
so offensive line in a tougher conference and arguably probably
a tougher division. Now, I would understand justin Field saying,
(35:46):
get me to the Raiders. They got weapons and they
need a guy that makes sense. Or get me a young,
smart offensive coach. I get that too, Or give me
like Jared Goff. Just give me a great offensive line.
Atlanta's got a great line. Get me to Atlanta or
the NFC South, period. But I would argue this is
(36:07):
actually not a great place. Pittsburgh has struggled offensively. Twenty
eighteen is the last time they were a top ten
offense with an old big Ben. Since then, they've been
in the toilet offensively. It's a tough division with great
pass rushers everywhere. Pittsburgh's a defensive culture, and now you're
(36:31):
a backup to Russell Wilson. So it's it's like to
me when Matt Stafford left perennially losing Detroit to Sean
mcvayh that's where you choose, and that's a relief. Kirk
Cousins saying, hey, Atlanta's got weapons, they're young, a great
old line week division. I can see that being en't
(36:52):
have to play the Packers twice a year. The Lions
are rolling. That's a little bit of a relief. I
don't know how you phrase Pittsburgh as a relief, and
that's the place you wanted to go. Pittsburgh now has
an offensive coordinator who struggled last year with a great
O line with Desmond Ritter. Don't they Isn't that their
(37:14):
coordinator now? So I don't know. I don't know. I
kind of look at this thing in Pittsburgh and I
think it's gonna be messy. Russell's the best of the quarterbacks.
He'll get primarily the snaps. Deontay Johnson is gone. There's
new offensive linemen, the division's brutal pass rushers everywhere, and
(37:37):
Mike Tomlin always has the defense figured out. He's a
great motivator. They draft well, they can't get the O
line right. The run game's not consistent. It just doesn't
feel like they click offensively. Now they're on another offensive coordinator.
I'm still waiting for the offensive line to pop, which
Andy Reid and McVeigh have proven they can reboot in
a year in an off season. Pittsburgh can't in five
(37:58):
to six years. So that's weird to me. That would
not have been the place I would have chosen. I
want to be a starter. Give me weapons, give me
an offensive line, an offensive coach. I do not want
to go to a shaky O line with great pass
rushers in the AFC North. Just my take for the record.
J Mack thinks I'm hard on Jason Tatum. I don't.
(38:19):
I think he's a really, really good player. When you
were saying top two or three in the league, I
always said, I feel he's about eighth. There's something missing,
But he's a really good player. In most of my life,
the eighth best player in a league at any time
as an automatic Hall of Famer, and Tatum will be
an automatic Hall of Famer. But my pushback is sometimes
he gets lost on the screen. Sometimes like last night,
(38:41):
he goes eight nine minutes, he just doesn't do anything offensively,
and that was a bad Indiana team, your favorite and
at home, make some shots, create some opportunities, make be
a playmaker. So it'll be very interesting top of the
hour because I'm going to go to the best players
in the league and give you actual on who would
(39:01):
you take, Like with a minute left in the fourth quarter,
and I think we're getting to a time in the
NBA we have never had more good closers. And when
I went and looked this morning at some of the numbers,
I mean, there's been a lot of tough guys in
the NBA, you know, back in j Max, the forties era,
there have been a lot of different eras with great
(39:22):
coaches and tough teams and talented players. But right now
we have great European talent and great closers in this league.
Lebron's still a great clutch time player. Tatum falls shorter
than you think.
Speaker 4 (39:36):
Of that interesting.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
So is this like the first nine minutes of the
fourth quarter. Is that one of those you kind of
skew it to make your point look amazing.
Speaker 4 (39:44):
Let's be real.
Speaker 3 (39:46):
He had thirty six and twelve, he was a plus twenty.
I think he had nine points in overtime, and you're
tearing him to shreds. Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards, your new faith
of the league, goes six for twenty four in Game seven,
but they win and he gets like a pass and well.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
Edward, it's Anthony, I love you, buddy, but this all right,
I think you're gonna be surprised, almost a revelation.
Speaker 4 (40:12):
So it's just final minute.
Speaker 7 (40:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Well, we're looking at fourth quarters of playoff games, so
I don't want to just break it because clutch time's weird.
Sometimes you're taking shots you have to because you're down three,
you shoot at three, you don't want to. We'll just
go maybe to fourth quarter stats. That's fair, right, an
entire fourth quarter, all right, but you have left in
the tank in the fourth quarter. So by the way,
(40:36):
that means, if Tatum has a very good first six minutes,
it's a blowout and the rest for the last five
I'm not gonna punish Jason Tatum for that. How about
the entire fourth quarter?
Speaker 3 (40:45):
The problem is they blew out more people than anybody
in the league this year, so not a lot of
competitive fourth quarters.
Speaker 4 (40:50):
But I'm curious to see the data. Data data went
Speaker 1 (40:53):
Was an excuse our two on a Wednesday
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