Best of The Herd

Summary

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"Best of The Herd" with Colin Cowherd (June 11, 2026) — Episode Summary

Overview

In this episode, Colin Cowherd dissects one of the wildest NBA Finals comebacks in years, with the New York Knicks overcoming a 27-point deficit at halftime to defeat the San Antonio Spurs. Cowherd zeroes in on the inexperience of the Spurs’ rookie head coach Mitch Johnson, leadership gaps for San Antonio, and the exceptional performance of the Knicks—particularly OG Anunoby. Joined by guests Jason Timf and Frank Isola, the show explores the nuances of coaching, player development, and the pivotal moments that define postseason basketball.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Spurs’ Collapse and Rookie Coaching Struggles

• Cowherd is sharply critical of Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson, citing poor minute management and tactical errors (03:00–08:50).
  • San Antonio built a huge lead by hitting threes but failed to adjust strategy when in the bonus, taking only one shot in the paint over the final 8 minutes.
  • Star rookie Victor Wembanyama (“Wemby”) was left on court for almost the whole second half, leading to exhaustion.
  • Key mistakes included letting De’Aaron Fox dominate touches despite a poor night, and not getting Dylan Harper a shot in the last 10 minutes.
• “You can’t get Dylan Harper a shot. You’re in the bonus with eight minutes left and you got the best seven foot four player in the history of the sport. That’s not just…” – Colin Cowherd (06:30)
• Cowherd contextualizes: young teams need guidance; coaching mistakes are magnified in the playoffs.

2. OG Anunoby’s Stardom and the “All-Time Run” Knicks

• Colin maintains his controversial stance that OG Anunoby—not Jalen Brunson—is the Knicks’ best player.
  • “He is just so unique, so good on both ends. Last night he was magical.” (09:30)
  • Anunoby: 33 points, 7 threes, 67% shooting.
  • Provides defense, versatility, and humility; key contributor in both regulation and clutch moments.
• Recaps OG’s game-winning tip-in and transformative fourth quarter: “What a moment… It felt like it was in slow mo in real time. And what I love about this Knicks team is… it’s not an all time team, it’s an all time run.” (10:50)
• Notable quote (OG Anunoby on his game-winner, 12:15):
  • OG Anunoby: “I mean, everyone’s pretty excited. I’m excited too. We’re all excited. We’re enjoying it right now, but we’re just focused on the next game now.”

3. Playoff Experience, High IQ, and Winning Margins

• The Knicks’ success is attributed to maturity, situational IQ, and hustle plays rather than overwhelming talent.
  • Frank Isola: “They wanted it a little bit more. And I think right now that’s the difference in this series. Those little plays that teams make.” (30:30)
• The show highlights how veteran teams make smarter plays down the stretch, contrasting with young, mistake-prone San Antonio.
  • Knicks have trailed with two minutes left in every Finals game but have repeatedly out-executed in clutch moments.

4. San Antonio’s Growing Pains and Needed Adjustments

• Spurs have led in the final two minutes of every Finals game, but have just one win—magnifying breakdowns in the clutch.
  • Notable stat: “Spurs have blown five playoff leads. Double digit leads in the playoffs. That’s tied for the most ever.” (07:00)
• Guest analysis emphasizes Mitch Johnson’s learning curve:
  • Jason Timf: “Mitch keeps overthinking… instead you have De'Aaron Fox attacking one of the best defenders in the league, OG Anunoby, over and over again. I thought Mike Brown badly outcoached Mitch Johnson down the stretch.” (44:10)
  • Tactical errors: failure to rest Wemby, mismatched personnel on critical possessions, and lack of plays for Dylan Harper.

5. Victor Wembanyama’s Performance and Long-Term Trajectory

• Wemby’s defensive impact is undeniable, but exhaustion and offensive limitations showed.
  • “Wemby played almost the entire second half. He was completely gassed… You have to find these end of the quarter moments.” (15:45)
  • In the fourth quarter’s final 9.5 minutes: no rebounds or assists, minus-21.
• Critical feedback:
  • Needs better conditioning and adaptation to the playoff grind.
  • Spurs’ late-game decisions and lack of a coherent plan make development tougher.
• Wemby’s own reflection after the game: “I think he’s going to go one of two ways… the bad one would be giving up, the good one would be getting stronger through this… and I know this is what we’re going to do.” (24:04)

6. Game Management, Hustle Plays, and High Basketball Intelligence

• The analysis repeatedly turns to how small decisions — rotations, defensive matchups, offensive sets — decide outcomes in tight playoff games.
  • Example: Knicks’ hustle and offensive rebounding, notably the last-second tip-in.
  • The Spurs’ tendency to settle for threes rather than attack the basket, even when in the bonus.
  • Comparison with historical teams: “The Detroit Pistons, bad boy teams, how many of those guys were GMs?.. Like this idea that it’s all talent in this league… The Knicks are making such clever coaching and player decisions in crisis.” (40:00)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I witnessed the Hand of God—and it was not Diego Maradona in 1986. Wow. Wow.” – Colin Cowherd (03:00)
• “You have a 27 point lead at half. You got a coach differently. You can’t be taking jacking up 12 threes.” – Colin Cowherd (07:00)
• “What Darren Fox did with 12 seconds left is inexplicable and inexcusable. He’s a veteran player, he knows better.” – Colin Cowherd (06:00)
• “They wanted it a little bit more. And right now that’s the difference in this series.” – Frank Isola (30:30)
• “The Spurs have the most young talent in the world. You can’t give me 30 points in the second half. It’s just not good enough.” – Colin Cowherd (07:30)
• “It’s Picasso’s first doodling—it wasn’t his best work. Wemby’s first final, there’s gaps here.” – Colin Cowherd (48:39)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:19–08:50: Cowherd’s breakdown of Spurs’ collapse, poor coaching, and Wemby’s exhaustion
• 08:50–09:18: Victor Wembanyama’s postgame: team accountability and resolve
• 09:18–13:00: Knicks’ comeback, OG Anunoby’s stardom, and clutch plays
• 15:15–17:05: Detailed critique of Spurs’ minute management (Jason Timf joins)
• 24:04–24:20: Wemby describes team mindset after the loss
• 30:30–34:22: Frank Isola on high-IQ basketball and winning plays
• 44:10–46:11: Jason Timf highlights fatal Spurs errors and Knicks’ key tactical adjustments
• 49:05–49:51: Grading Wemby’s Finals: positives, offensive limitations, and need for conditioning
• 53:30–54:36: Knicks’ wisdom, coaching, and the value of veteran playoff experience

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Conclusion

The episode encapsulates a dramatic NBA Finals turning point, highlighting the gulf between youthful athleticism and seasoned playoff execution. Cowherd and his guests shine a spotlight on how coaching, minute management, savvy decision-making, and “little things” in the margins—hustle plays, lineups, and focused leadership—dictate postseason survival or heartbreak. With the Knicks one win from glory, OG Anunoby emerges as an unlikely but deserving hero, and San Antonio’s generational talent finds himself in a crucible that promises to shape his career.

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Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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Oh, day one, World cup hours away and what in the world did we watch last night? I witnessed the Hand of God and it was not Diego Maradona in 1986. Wow. Wow. Listen, too often in my business, our business, people blame coaches. I don't like it. A lot of factors. This one though, that loss last night, that's on Mitch Johnson. Spurs head coach. San Antonio was brilliant throwing up threes in the first half. It felt like they hit all of them. They raced out to a massive 27 point lead in the Garden. And then you have to coach differently and get into the bonus and take higher percentage shots. Feed Wemby down low, get him closer to the basket. No, instead 13 threes in the third quarter. Good God. They were in the bonus with eight minutes left in the fourth and they took one shot from that point on San Antonio in the paint. You've got Wemby, by the way. Wemby played almost the entire second half. He was completely gassed. You have a double figures lead one day's rest on the road. Find him three and a half minutes into the third quarter. I mean the guy was gassed. He gives you such an effort on the defensive end. De' Aaron Fox. That appears to be a problem. Why is de' Aaron Fox have more touches than any other player on your team? Why is Dylan Harper attempting no shots in the last 10 minutes? Play Fox lesson Dylan Harper more. What is happening? Get Dylan Harper on the ball. It's called coaching. I don't want to pick on de' Aaron Fox. He had a terrible night. He can't have the most touches. You can't have Dylan Harper, a sensational young player, not having a shot in the last 10 minutes. And what Darren Fox did with 12 seconds left is inexplicable and inexcusable. He's a Veteran player, he knows better. I mean, just milk the clock, go to the free throw line and end the game. But I mean, so much of last night would drive you crazy. Like Wimby is such a defensive maven. You gotta find him two or three minutes of rest. He played almost the entire second half. It'd be one thing if it was a tight game. You led by double figures. You led by 27 at half. So age and experience matters a lot. And we discussed. You discussed the spurs youth being a problem. Not only was it a problem, but we have to remember Mitch Johnson's also a rookie. Oh, he coached a little last year, but this is his team. He's a rookie head coach. First time in the finals and this has been ugly. I get blowing leads. It's the three ball era. I get blowing leads. But we got to contextualize how you're blowing him. You can't get Wemby a three to four minute stretch off. You can't get Dylan Harper a shot. You're in the bonus with eight minutes left. Eight minutes left. You take one shot in the paint and you got the best seven foot four player in the history of the sport. That's not just. And listen, I'm not taking anything away from the Knicks, but this finals, and I don't think San Antonio can come back, this finals is going to be about as much about the spurs blowing leads as the Knicks winning games. And that's just. I mean the spurs have blown five playoff leads. Double digit leads in the playoffs. That's tied for the most ever. Again, they're young, I get it. The coach was young. I mean they've led in the final two minutes in every game against the Knicks and they got one win and it was a close win. So there were just. And again, we too often blame. We do this with football coaches every week. We blame the refs or we blame the coach. It's mostly on the players. But with a young team, with a super historically young team, they need guidance. Bonus 8 minutes left. When we get to the brick, when we get to the block, I'm calling a timeout. I got to get Dylan Harper a couple looks. De' Aaron Fox can't have the most touches. He's having a rough night. I mean, 30 points in the second half and I got, I mean I got talent. I've got the best collection of young talent in basketball on one team. Spurs have the most young talent in the world. You can't give me 30 points in the second half. Just not good enough. It's not taking anything away from the Knicks, but you have a 27 point lead at half. You got a coach differently. You can't be taking jacking up 12 threes. Here was Wemby after the loss, holding

[Victor Wembanyama]

each other accountable, communicating, not pointing fingers. And after that, we either got it or we don't. But, you know, we've proven that we can surpass these difficulties. And even though we haven't been there before, I'm convinced we're built this way and we're gonna use the better of this and it's gonna tighten us up.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, let's talk next. So I have said and gotten some pushback. When people ask me the best Knicks player, and I have been saying this since the start of the playoffs, it's not Brunson. He's the best finisher. OG is their best player. I've talked to scouts and GMs about OG I think he's the most underrated player in the league. Has been perhaps in Toronto as well. They kind of stole him from Toronto. He is classy, big. They just don't build humans that look like that. He'll D you up. He'll d. He'll d your 3 up. He'll do your 5 up. He can score. He is. I mean, he is just so unique, so good on both ends. Last night he was magical. 33 points. 7 3. 67% if you did not see it live. And they start these games way too late for all of us. But I just want to give you the setup. 27 down at half first, he's got the big three to cut it to four. Then he's got the big block. And then there is this Anunoby, far sideline, inbound from midcourt. Shammon Bridges, Brunson Towns. All it takes is a two to make history in New York City. 5.7 left, no timeouts remaining. Anunoby is handed the ball, finds Brunson at mid court, launches a straight on three. Missed it. Short tipped by Anunoby. He put it in an put it in. The Knicks take the lead with 1.2 to go. Sports gives you these moments that if you scripted them, it would feel too contrived. Down 27 young spurs crumbling. Josh Hart misses a dunk and one guy OG from a three to a block to the hand of OG a remarkable kid. What a moment. I mean, it's like Q. The Chariots of Fire music. It felt like it was in slow mo in real time. And what I love about this Knicks team is just like the Nuggets that won a title or the Celtics or the older warriors or OKC last year. It's not an all time team, it's an all time run. They've trailed with two minutes left in every game, but it is a collection of players none wants to take the credit from previously flaky cat to massively undervalued Josh Harden, OG to the scrappy and great Jalen Brunson. Even after that tip, the biggest basketball shot in New York in 30 years. Listen how humble this kid is.

[Geico Tagline Voice]

You just hit the game winning shot in an NBA finals game in front

[Colin Cowherd]

of your home crowd.

[Geico Tagline Voice]

How does that feel?

[Colin Cowherd]

It feels cool.

[Frank Isola]

I mean, everyone's pretty excited. I'm excited too. I'm excited too. We're all excited. We're enjoying it right now, but we're just focused on the next game now.

[Colin Cowherd]

He has the highest true shooting percentage of any player, any player in the finals since 2012. 14 years. And that's his reaction. And that tip in was not easy. Okay, that should be a poster in every townhome and apartment in New York City for the next decade. Just an unbelievable moment. And it's, it's. You know what? One of the reasons this thing works, it's not just because this Knicks team is not a draft and develop team. It's a trade and acquire team. And one of the reasons it really works is that their best player. If you went to every GM in the league and said, you get one, Nick, I'm telling you, OG is the one the GMs talk about in a league of three and D guys, big, strong, physical, humble. The reason this thing works in New York, I know y' all think it's Jalen Brunson and he's terrific. It's OG he's going to win the mvp. Six, eight, seven three wingspan, can defend virtually everybody outside of the point, rebound, tip, hit, threes, blocks. I mean, there are just certain times with young athletes you root for him. And I remember when he got traded and reading a couple of stories when he got traded from the Raptors and the Raptors were well run and people are like, did they steal him? Yeah, last night. Validating. They kind of stole him. So it was. You know what's interesting about that? J. Mac, when they were even when the knicks were down 27 at half, it wasn't one of those where I was like, okay, I'm going to give this five minutes. I just kept thinking, okay, they've been down double figures in these games because of the youth. I mean, Everybody, including the head coach, is young for San Antonio. Yeah. So there you get real spikes with San Antonio. They're brilliant. I mean, the first in the first half, if they threw the ball up from three, it was going in. They just played a remarkable first half. But as a coach, you have to realize, even if you had Katie, Stephen, Clay in their prime, you don't have four quarters of brilliant three point shooting. You know, we got a lead, guys. We're going to still be aggressive, but let's get into the bonus. Let's take higher percentage shots. We'll trade threes for twos. We're going to win this game. I thought they almost out thought the room and thought, well, we're going to be aggressive. Just keep shooting threes. It's like, guys, that's as well as you're going to ever shoot on the road against a good team. Three pointers. You had a magical, magical half of basketball. You're not going to duplicate it in New York.

[Jason Timpe]

It was unbelievable that he, Mitch Johnson kept Wemby in the game. He played 44 minutes. Colin. They were leading by 20 for felt like a third of the game. Wemby played 23 of 24 minutes in the second half. And we talked about his tiredness.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[Jason Timpe]

Only one day in between games, 3 of 14 shooting in the second half. Yeah, he didn't have it. And, and listen, we don't like to use the word choked. Those two free throws, you could see it in his face, he was nervous. They only missed three free throws as a team, 17 or 20. Wemby missed all three, Colin.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, well, again, there are times I, I, I can remember watching when Shaq was a Laker and Shaq was so big. Yeah. And I remember covering like a Blazer Laker series. There are these moments where like end of a quarter, minute left in a quarter. You sit Shaq down with a minute and a half left in the third. So he gets the minute and a half. He gets the, the half break. You, you keep him out for about a minute and a half to two minutes of the fourth quarter. And you give him a real like an eight minute break on his body. And then you're like, shaq, I need you for like nine and a half minutes of greatness, that kind of thing. When you get a Duncan, when you get a dominant big, you have to find these end of the quarter moments. Two and a half left and a quarter. Get Wemby to the bench, give him like 8 minutes. Commercials. End of the half, give him 8 minutes of just hydrate. You can't plan that many minutes with that big of a lead. That's just, that's on the staff. All right. And we're going to talk a little bit more about wemby. People are freaking out. It's the World Cup. What are realistic expectations with the World Cup? We'll address that next. It's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio.

[Frank Isola]

And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10pm Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right, you can now watch the Odd Couple Live on YouTube every day.

[Frank Isola]

All you gotta do search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube again.

[Colin Cowherd]

YouTube. Just search Odd Couple FSR.

[Frank Isola]

Check us out on YouTube and subscribe.

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[Colin Cowherd]

it feels good to Geico.

[Podcast Host]

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[Colin Cowherd]

visit zepbound.lilly.com Living with a rare autoimmune condition can bring a lot of uncertainty, but can also bring people together in powerful ways. Tune in for Season six of Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a Ruby Studio production in partnership with Argenics. This season, host Martine Hackett brings you fresh stories from people living with MG and CIDP and expands the conversation of people living with other rare conditions like myositis and igan. Through their stories, you'll learn what it's like to participate in clinical trials seeking new treatments, how connection fuels hope, and how people can support one another along the way. Because living with a rare disease isn't about getting through it, it's about moving forward together. Listen to Untold Stories Life with a Severe Autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back. You're now entering the no Bull Zone, sponsored by credible great rates. None of the bull. So the NBA has always been about blunders before banners, right? Failure before the happy ending. Kobe, LeBron, MJ get beat up. NBA in life, give you some licks. How do you respond to it now? Magic, he inherited. Kareem a little different. Wemby inherited 22 wins and a legendary coach that was getting older. So it was a mess. And he has been remarkable. And last night his coach and the staff in San Antonio did a major disservice to Wemby. No breaks. Second half with massive leads. You gotta find four minutes, even if it's just four minutes of real time. But you know Picasso's best work was not his first doodle. There are gaps here with Wemby. You know it, I know it. There are some limitations. In the final nine and a half minutes of the fourth, he didn't have a rebound or an assist. He was minus 21. You know, it's the best way to put it. He's still beta testing the prototype, not quite ready for the market. I do think two days rest at home. I don't know what the line is. I would absolutely take San Antonio. I think they've got one last great effort. But I think what we saw last night is what I've watched my entire life as an NBA fan, which is this league. There's a reason this was the youngest team since the 1977 Blazers, who also fell down to nothing. There's a reason older players flourish in the postseason. They can manipulate the refs, they can manipulate end of game scenarios. There's a reason older coaches, the late Chuck Daly, Popovich, Kerr and Spoelstra, guys that have been around Pat Riley, can manipulate moments. San Antonio can't. They can just be really, really good. They just don't have that gear yet. Here's another piece of sound from Wemby after the loss.

[Podcast Host]

What's going through your mind right now?

[Victor Wembanyama]

What's going through my mind right now? I think he's going to go one of two ways. One of two ways and a bad one and a good one. And I know the bad one would be giving up, the good one would be getting stronger through this, getting more together. And I know this is what we're going to do.

[Colin Cowherd]

By the way, he gets very comfortable in crucial moments. Settling for threes. He hit a jumper, a two point jumper with 3:30 left. Spurs by seven. And the announcers marveled. That he actually took a shot inside the arc. You shouldn't marvel at that. You should question why somebody 7:4 in a close game lead collapsing is shooting threes. And again, he's young. You know, in the absence of great coaching or parenting or management, young people, we have this in college football. They make big mistakes. Coaching's never more important for a team like San Antonio or those 77 Blazers with Jack Ramsey. Like, this is when you really need great coaching. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

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[Podcast Host]

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[Colin Cowherd]

have a few financial goals and a really smart one. You can set earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover, you can get this Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. I mean, after all, you listen to this show see [e-mail] credit card living with a rare autoimmune condition can bring a lot of uncertainty, but can also bring people together in powerful ways. Tune in for Season six of Untold Stories, Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a Ruby Studio production in partnership with Argenics. This season, host Martine Hackett brings you fresh stories from people living with MG and cidp and expands the conversation of people living with other rare conditions like myositis and igan. Through their stories, you'll learn what it's like to participate in clinical trials seeking new treatments, how connection fuels hope, and how people can support one another along the way. Because living with a rare disease isn't about getting through it, it's about moving forward together. Listen to Untold Stories Life with a Severe Autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know, I I I said this and maybe it's too harsh, but I I I said Whether it was Jokic's championship in Denver or the Celtics championship or the Andrew Wiggins staff coming back to beat the Celtics title or OKC last year, there are great parts to those teams and great moments with those teams like the the defense or the bench with okc, but they're not great teams. And I think what I know through four games of this Series is that these teams are close. Age and experience matters. Coaching's better on the Knicks side, but in that win last night, it did kind of establish the Knicks aren't a historically great team, but this is a historically great run. And there is a magic involved to this. And I thought we saw. I'll just start with that. There's a connectivity between fans, team veteran. A lot of this is IQ and situational to me. I mean, do you think this is a great roster or it's just a cohesive unit of high EQ, IQ guys, all at least B2B plus level players?

[Frank Isola]

Yeah, I think what you're saying is true, and I do think it's a terrific starting five that now we spent a second year together. You know, Carl Anthony Towns only one season at Kentucky, but he won there, made it to a Final Four. Jalen Brunson won two national championships in Dallas. I thought he did really well. They have a lot of winning players. Ojananoby a terrific player, even though he didn't play much when Toronto won the championship in 2019. And I think it's one thing to have great players, but for me, three plays stick out in this series. The Jalen Brunson offensive rebound, the tap out that he had to Mikhail Bridges. They were down one. He beats Devin Vassell to an offensive rebound, runs to the corner. Bridges finds him. Jalen hits the three, starts the 11 run to close out game one. And then last night, OJ Anunoby hustling back, getting the block on De' Aaron Fox and then crashing the glass a couple of seconds later for the tap in. So great players, but those are three hustle plays that they made. They wanted it a little bit more. And I think right now that's the difference in this series. Those little plays that teams make. I mean, if you're, if you're San Antonio, two offensive rebounds have absolutely killed you in this series. And the way that they played last night in the second half, especially the fourth quarter, especially down the stretch, especially the last couple of seconds. Awful if you're the San Antonio Spurs.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. I mean, I think sometimes it's an epidemic. Everybody, especially in talk radio, sports radio, we always pick on the coach. He's always a bum. I didn't, and I don't do that, but I did think the second half for Mitch Johnson, first of all, you can't get wemby four minutes of rest. You led by 20. I. I thought he looked totally gassed. De' Aaron Fox had the most touches. Dylan Harper didn't have a shot in the last 10 minutes. He's a remarkable young player. I know it's a big space. I thought they shot too many threes in the third quarter. Again, I don't want to nitpick, but I. There are times, Frank, when I've watched this series and I've said, I got to remember, not only are the spurs young, the coach is young. I thought he coached youthfully last night. Is that fair?

[Frank Isola]

All right, so a couple of things, you know, for all you minutes police out there, you know, Victor emanyama averages under 30 minutes a game.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right.

[Frank Isola]

Playing times. So now in the playoffs, you want them to play more. The Knicks, the last couple of years, their starters log heavy minutes. The Knicks starters are never hurt. Jalen Brunson played the entire second half. He's used to that. Go ask Michael Jordan. You know, he used the regular season to get himself ready for the playoffs when he knew he was going to play, be playing 40 plus minutes. So I think you're right, maybe getting them a little bit of rest. But that's also something that they do during the regular season. And as for an inexperienced head coach, I thought a mistake was made in game two when they had the timeout, when Wembanyama grabbed the rebound. That's a young player there, Stefan Castle. You call timeout, it's a tie game. You hold for the last shot. If you make it, you win. You miss it, you're going overtime. That was that terrible turnover by Wembanyama. And then last night, I could not help but think about a game that I attended. I covered. It was the spurs against the Lakers Western Conference finals. They decided not to guard the inbounds pass. They throw the ball to Derek Fisher. This game was in San Antonio. Derek Fisher, remember that with 0.4 seconds ago, hits that famous shot. And last night. So you're not going to guard the inbounder. The inbounder is O.J. anunoby. At that point, he had 31 points. He was the Knicks best player in the second half of a game. So he's inbounding the ball. He's wide open for Jalen Brunson to throw in the ball. Jalen doesn't. Jalen takes the shot, misses. It turns out to be the perfect miss because here comes OJ Anunoby flying down the middle of the lane, going untouched. If somebody was guarding him on the inbounds pass and at least you could have prevented him even for a split second from having an open path to the Basket. That could be the difference between winning and losing. So these losses for the spurs and have been absolutely brutal. The Knicks to me come across as the smarter team. Oh yes, those winning moments, making the plays and that's the difference.

[Colin Cowherd]

Colin. Jalen Brunson, first of all, Stefan Castle is should have made all defense. He's a tremendous young player. He's got a 10 year run where he's going to be a multiple time all. He may make 10 all star teams. How. And so he's limited. SGA struggled and I mean he, he takes on the number one assignment. He is a bully, he's aggressive. He was at Yukon. How would you judge so far? Jalen Brunson series overall, how does it land for?

[Frank Isola]

It would go the way that I thought it would go. There'd be a lot of focus on him. So he hasn't been shooting the ball great. There have been some turnovers. But again what he did in game one, phenomenal. What he did in game two, made that tough shot and then what he did last night, made some huge plays down the stretch. And remember because it's Jalen Brunson, Victor Wembanyama is guarding him. That means Victor Wembanyama isn't anywhere near the basket on that final play for the Knicks. And Darren Fox who let's face it, had one of the worst fourth quarters you're ever going to see. Second half really brutal. He comes over to help which leaves OG open. What are all the, you know, what's the fancy words now? They talk about gravity for all these players. So he's pulling the defense toward him. So even though he missed, it reminded me a little bit of the Marcus smart miss against Miami a few years back when he missed it and Derrick White went in there unmolested and tapped the ball in at the buzzer to win. OG Anunoby's play was outstanding. His hustle play at the other end

[Colin Cowherd]

to get the block.

[Frank Isola]

The hustle play here. But I think overall Jalen Brunson just makes winning play. So we say having an all time final. Is his team up three one.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes. Frank Isola for our radio audience. Eight minutes to go. They're in the bonus and they shoot one shot in the paint. Is that on Mitch Johnson or Wemby? Like when you have a 74 player, you're in the bonus. Guys pound the paint. San Antonio did not. Is that a coach or a Wemby issue?

[Frank Isola]

I think it's both and I think it's today's NBA. You know, the Knicks have done this in the last two years in the playoffs. If you go back to last year, second round against Boston, games one and two in Boston, they're down 20 plus points in both games and Boston keeps launching threes instead of attacking. And here come the Knicks. And last night, like you said that that drove you crazy. If you, if, if you're a Spurs fan watching them just. And I get it, Colin, that's how they got that, that's how they took that huge lead. But that's how you end up losing a lead. That's how the other team could get back in. These 20 point leads aren't like they were 10 years ago.

[Colin Cowherd]

They are certainly not like what they

[Frank Isola]

were 20 and 30 years ago. Everyone is shooting three pointers and it, I was, I thought of Larry Brown last night on the play by De' Aaron Fox up one under 15 seconds ago, Larry Brown always used to say score, clock time. And I'm thinking how many times did the spurs take long threes early in the shot clock when you're in the penalty, I don't know, post, throw the ball into Stefan Castle. Whoever Jose Alvarado is defending, get him the ball down close, let, let him try to draw some contact. And by the way, Alvarado and OG Anunoby last night, both 3 for 3 in the fourth quarter, both made both their three point shots. They combined for 16 points. Exactly how many points as the spurs had in that fourth quarter?

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it was, we were talking about. We'll let him go here in a second. How the Knicks respond to this. I mean it was like it's. I think you can. In the history of the NBA. I go to great shots in the NBA Finals. LeBron's block is obviously against the Warriors. OG has got to be in a short list. I mean you're almost a historian encyclopedia on this stuff that OG play. I mean there's a lot of finals. I don't remember a big basket by the Denver Nuggets in their Finals. Yeah, that shot last night, I mean that is a Willis Reed moment. That's Jerry west hitting the half court shot against the Knicks. I mean where does it rank all time in the history of the Knicks? OG's tip, where is it?

[Frank Isola]

It's gotta be top five, top three. I think you're 100% right with the Willis Reed shot because that's Willis in 1970 limping out onto the court. Court. The first time he touches the ball he shoots. And I think in fact he ended up going 2 for 2 in that quarter. The crowd is going nuts. Provide a lot of inspiration for the New York Knicks. You know, Patrick Ewing had a big tip and dunk against Indiana that was all the way back in 94 to send them to the NBA Finals. Larry Johnson's four point play against Indiana in 99 would be up there. Alan Houston's shot against Miami. But this is game four of the NBA Finals. You missed that. And the Knicks are. The series is now tied at 2 2. What a great. That that's what you love about the game. The guys like OG Anunoby who does a little bit of everything and it's just wanting it a little bit more. It's not dribbling between your legs. Step back three over an outstretched armored defender. It's just getting to the basket. Nobody's putting a body on you. And speaking of nobody putting a body on you, why was even Jaren Fox in the game? Why didn't they have a bigger lineup in there that two small guards in the game.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Frank Isola]

On that final, on that final Knicks possession, both Dylan Harper and de' Aaron Fox. It doesn't make any sense.

[Colin Cowherd]

Frank Isola covered the Knicks for a long time. Brooklyn Net STUDIO analyst yes, Network. One of the really truly talented guys in New York and in our business. Good seeing you, buddy.

[Frank Isola]

Good seeing you. Enjoy the World Cup.

[Colin Cowherd]

Thank you. Yes, I am. I'm going to enjoy the World Cup. It's on Fox. We said it, folks. Throw your TV changer away. Put it on Fox. Frank's so good. He's been doing this for all he's got memory just rock solid. That, that's another by the way, great point. Why do the. Why do the spurs have two small guards? You know, the Knicks are going to try to shoot the thing with time on the clock and then get a tip in. What do the spurs have two small guys on the floor. Like, it's just, it's just margin stuff. It's little stuff. Like just get Wemby with two minutes left in the third. Two or three minutes left in the third. Get him off the floor. You go to the quarter. Commercial break, let him set one more minute into the fourth. Just give him a real time. Eight, ten minute break. Like I mean he. There was a point last night where they showed Wemby in the second half. He was. When your wrists are sweating, you need to sit down. It was just, you could tell. And he's a guy that sometimes can struggle sometimes with a little coordination. Well, like he was at mile 25 of the marathon and we got nine minutes to go in the game. He's done, it's over. You know, he's been better on two days rest. So it was just little things over and over. And that one thing Frank said. The Knicks have been EQ iq. They've been the smarter team overwhelmingly, in key moments. This is something I talk about, the NBA. We always talk about the talent. You go back to that Miami Heat team, the Heels, they had no real center. They were the smallest team in the NBA. Poor rebounding team, not a true point guard. And d. Wade and LeBron kind of overlapped. They were kind of just great athletes, not great shooters. That team was so smart. Haslam, Badier, Allen, Wade, LeBron, Bosch. It just like they made so many smart plays in big moments. The Detroit Pistons, bad boy teams, how many of those guys were GMs? How many of those guys were successful executives or coaches? Like everybody thought, oh, the bad boys. So many of Those guys were GMs and coaches. Like this idea that it's all talent in this league, that the Knicks are making such clever coaching and player decisions in crisis. I mean, the spurs have led every game with two minutes left. They played every game. They got one win. So, I mean, it's like Jimmy Johnson always says this, you lose more games than you win in sports. And the spurs have also dominated first quarters. They've jumped out to leads in every quarter with their youthful energy, and they've led late. I mean, if I just told you the team that takes the lead in every game, the team that leads late in every game, and you're like, oh, did they sweep them? No, they're down three one. Yeah.

[Jason Timpe]

By the way, remember that last series? Thunder, Spurs, Thunder go up three, two, go to San Antonio for game six and get blasted. SGA and company didn't even play in the fourth. They rested their guys for game seven. I wonder if we see that the Knicks, you know, they're getting blown out and they just power down early. Hey, Brunson, rest up. You just played 40 some odd minutes, OG. Rest up. Let's play for game six.

[Colin Cowherd]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. FS1 and the iHeartRadio app, you know, kind of my theme today. And pick your annoyance, but there's been about four to five things with the head coach of the spurs, and I'm not. I don't bang on coaches a lot. Like, I think players win and lose games. And it's kind of an epidemic in the football season, you know, like you don't know. You don't watch film, you don't know who's healthy. A lot of times Andy Reid will not make. He will not make certain adjustments because he's got a guard that's playing on one leg and he can't. And so a lot of times you're masquerading stuff during the course of a series or a game, but when you lead it by 29 at one point in the second half and, and WEMBY on one day's rest, you got to get him a break and you got to manufacture shots. You got to call a timeout for Dylan Harper. He didn't have a shot in the last 10 minutes. I mean, there's some things here that is just casual observers would get Jason Timf host a Hoops tonight at the volume covered the NBA for a long time. Former Laker podcaster blogger okay, so give me the two things. I think we agree on this. I was listening to your stuff this morning. Give me the two things because I could go give you about six the two things that are kind of unforgivable. And again, the spurs are young. So is Mitch Johnson. It's really his first year running the show. Give me the two things that drove you nuts about the coaching for San Antonio second half.

[Geico Tagline Voice]

So the first piece is the the final two possessions. Just simply the double team of Brunson. As soon as you double team Brunson, you create a four on three rebounding dynam. And if you look at those seven players, OG Anunoby, Mikhail Bridges and Karl Anthony Towns are literally the three tallest players out of those seven guys. And so if you're not matched up and you're not boxing out, it turns into a jumping contest. And you created a jumping contest where OG and Anobi had a Runway with nobody standing in front of him. I thought that was a tactical error there. Just let Wemby guard him. Stay matched up so you can box out on the ensuing possession. Mike Brown, genius, plays both of his centers because he knows 1.2 seconds left they can't pass. So we don't have to worry about the inbounder at all. So he puts Mitch on Wemby and he puts cat on the inbounder. And I thought Mitch Johnson made a catastrophic error by having his smallest player, who's also a lefty, trying to throw over the top of a seven footer on a play that is designed to generate a lobby. What's crazy is the play design was beautiful because Mitch didn't want to leave Wemby. So him setting the back screen creates the dynamic where Steph is wide open, but you got to put a taller player in there to inbound over the top of Cat. I thought that was a huge mistake. And then lastly the Harper piece, the no shot attempts over the last 10 minutes. Like you said, where I think Mitch keeps overthinking, this is play all three of your guards. There's no reason to have Champagne out there or Devin Vassell out there at the same time. He keeps cycling in two of the guards at the same time. If Mike Brown is going to play Jose Alvarado, you got to play Dylan Harper alongside your two guards because then Dylan Harper is being guarded by Jose Alvarado and he can't guard it. And then, then you have a matchup. You can attack. Instead you have Dear and Fox attacking one of the best defenders in the league, OG Anunoby, over and over again. And I just think that's a recipe for disaster. I thought, I thought Mike Brown badly out coached Mitch Johnson down the stretch.

[Colin Cowherd]

I have no question. Now what's interesting is the spurs have been a great first quarter team. The Knicks are falling into deficits, ugly ones last night. The spurs are heavily favored five and a half points in game five in San Antonio. Why? What is the remedy? Is it just youthful energy? Is, you know, Mike Brown and his staff, you know, a lot of times you'll see this in the first round. It's a feeling out process. We want to watch their, you know, we kind of want to watch their offense. What are they leaning into? But the spurs keep taking command of these games. Does that worry you going forward? Because remember, when Wemby gets two days rest, he's a better player. Like he's in his third straight physical series. Why does San Antonio rush out to dominant leads in these first quarters?

[Geico Tagline Voice]

Because of the fact that they do. As you've mentioned in the show already today, they do have more talent. When they have their best lineup on the floor, they have more ball handling, they're more athletic on the perimeter. Wemby's the best defensive player on the floor. I'd argue Wemby's the best player over overall. And in those groups like, and as you've seen time and time again, when the spurs run their stuff and they set good screens and their guards look to attack, they get good looks at three. And when they play with that pace and they take those good catch and shoot threes early in the set, they are capable of going on these runs where they knock down a bunch of shots. It's how they beat OKC in Game 7. Then on the other end of the floor, I thought Mike Brown with the really smart adjustment as Brunson got worn down by the ball ball pressure from the spurs in game three, he plays Jose Alvarado next to Jalen Brunson, gives him another ball handling outlet, puts more speed on the floor. And that was the story of the tail end of the game. It was a lot of Jose Alvarado screening for Jalen Brunson and pulling Wemby away from the basket. That's the chess match as we head into game five. The spurs have to find a way to keep Wemby at the rim and on the other end of the floor. They can't settle for these bad catch and shoot threes early in possessions. And they have to find a way to get back to what they did in the first half, which is getting their guards going downhill towards the rim. Colin, they had zero points in the paint in the third quarter. Zero. They got away. They got away from what? From what? This team, when they're at their best, it's their guards attacking and everything that comes off of that. When their guards are attacking, they let go of the rope for a few minutes. They opened up hope for the Knicks and then they lost control. The half court battle down the stretch.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, the overall, I said it. It's Picasso's first doodling wasn't his best work. Like I feel like Wimby's first final. There's gaps here. How would you grade him overall? I mean defensively he gives you such tremendous effort, dexterity. But overall where would you, what would you give his grade as a final so far for Wemby?

[Geico Tagline Voice]

Everything with Wemby is graded on this like weird curve where you have to account for just how impactful he is just by being out there. Like, which is so underrated. Like still in the series they're plus 11 when he's on the floor and minus 19 when he's off. So like there's a certain amount of like you can't, you can't like over focus on the flaws. But the bottom line is Carl Anthony Towns has completely erased him as an ISO player. He has been exposed as a guy who does not have a reliable over the top game in one on one situations. That's something he's got to address this summer. The conditioning is a huge piece of this. You've been talking about this on the show all day today and I think you're spot On Victor Wembanyama looks gassed at the end of these games, and I think this is on him and on the organization. If you're going to manage his minutes, I totally understand.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, you don't.

[Geico Tagline Voice]

Why, why would you pay your player, seven and a half foot tall guy, 38 minutes a game in the regular season? I get that. Fine. But you've got to ramp him up. At some point before the playoffs, he was averaging 29 minutes per game post All Star break. Yeah, you were basically ramping him down when things were about to heat back up. Like, you got to have him over the final month of the season playing 36, 38 minutes a game to prepare him for these environments. Because then he ends up in a big finals game having to play 44 and he looks gassed. And everyone focuses on the missed free throws. Obviously, he's got to make his free throws, the missed jump shots. Obviously he has to hit more jump shots. And to me, it's the defensive end. On the defensive end. When Wemby is lively, he's an unsolvable problem. But when he's tired, you can get him in space and you can catch him shifting his weight the wrong direction. You can catch him lazy on a closeout. You can catch him not making the extra efforts that he makes when he has the energy. That conditioning piece is absolutely massive for his long term development because as you can tell this entire team, their success in this whole playoff run has been predicated on whether or not he's on the floor. When he steps off, everything falls apart. So the best thing they can do is scale up his minutes. And by the way, that's not a Wemby unique thing. That's every star I can remember in my lifetime. It's like, man, LeBron's got to play 46 tonight. LeBron's got to play 44 tonight. Steph's got to play 44 tonight. That's just part of the responsibility that comes with these situations.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Do you give the spurs any chance to come back and win it?

[Geico Tagline Voice]

Absolutely. So I think when you really dig into it in the half court dynamic, like all the complaining about officiating has been so lame to me. I think this has been a very well officiated series. I think, yeah, the spurs are beating up Brunson, but the Knicks are beating up Wemby. And for, for, yeah, There was a 24 to 8 free throw advantage in the second half of game three. Well, there's a 23 to 6 free throw advantage for the Knicks in The first half of game four. Like, I don't, I don't see that as a storyline at all. The real problem is, over the course of the last several games, the spurs were getting better shots than the Knicks. For a long time there. It wasn't until that final lineup with Jose Alvarado where I was like, oh man, the Knicks are getting some really good looks there for about six, seven quarters. There was a long stretch there where the spurs were getting better shots. They're home for game five, they're home for game seven. And what I would remind everybody is look at what happened in the OKC series in the Western Conference finals. They were down 3, 2 and they beat them up in Game 6 and they went into OKC in Game 7 and threw an excellent defensive punch and closed the deal. The only reason why I still view the Knicks as the safer bet is, frankly, I think these games are going to be close. Colin and over and over again in these close games, the Knicks have proven to be the more mature, the more stable, the more steady and the less mistake prone team. And that ends up being the difference when these games, like every one of these games, has been a clutch game. Colin. All four of them, either team could be up for 4, 0 at this point. It comes down to these close games and the Knicks are just a more savvy team. Last thing I'll say about it is this. When you look at the Knicks, they know at the end of the game they're playing through Brunson and he knows exactly what he's going to do. He's going to look to score one on one or he's going to draw that second defender and make that decision. And he's one of the most rock solid ball handlers in the league. The guys in the broadcast were calling this out last night. Shout out to Tim Legler, he did a great job. He's like, the spurs don't look like they know what they want to do. They literally don't look like they know what action they want to run at the end of the game. And that to me is the biggest difference. They're going to be some close games and the spurs have to win all three of them. And that's just a lot to ask against this well executing of a Knicks team.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, remember the old warriors on their, they were the older, smarter, more mature team. Beat a Celtics team when we thought Boston had more talent and it was a former T wolf, Andrew Wiggins, who was kind of unreliable, that was reliable in the finals. Here we have Cat the former T Wolf sometimes unreliable. He's on the older, wiser team with less talent. And I think they're going to see the same thing. Is there, there is some value in these finals. There's a lot of things that matter and some of it's just days on task. Like I think, I don't think that the spurs look as lost, but I think we have to be honest about this. Mitch Johnson to this point has gotten. He's gotten worked in a couple of these big games. We just. And we don't need to always bang on coaches. But there are times, I mean a lot of guys that win championships. Popovich, Daly, Phil Jackson, Red Arbach, they're not a lot of young coaches hoisting trophies. That's kind of my vibe. It feels like a Celtics warriors. I I just thought wisdom iq EQ won it for Golden State over that Boston team.

[Geico Tagline Voice]

That specific dynamic. We're talking about how the spurs don't know what they want to do. That's where Mitch has to step in. Okay, here's what we're doing guys. Dear and you got OG it ain't the right matchup for us Wemby cats shoving you around. I. That's not. We're not going ISO here. I want Harper to check into the game. Harper, you are going to be guarded by Jose Alvarado. Here's the set we're running to get you into an advantageous position. We want you to look to attack to your point. The younger teams need that extra helping hand, that guiding hand so much more than the veteran teams. When you're talking about a veteran team, they got coaches on the floor. LeBron solving that stuff in the moment. Steph is solving that stuff in the moment. The veteran teams, they are kind of coaching on the floor and it's actually more important for the coach to step back and let those guys kind of solve the problem with this particular group. Mitch has to take more of a hands on role in their offensive process. Just spamming Fox against OG Anunoby the one of the best defenders in the league when he's got a high ankle sprain. And have you seen the. The numbers from before his ankle sprain to after are catastrophically different. His numbers have fallen off of a cliff. He's not the same guy there. There needs to be more of an intentionality towards the other spurs young guards.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, Jason, temp hoops tonight at the volume. Great seeing you buddy. Zoe was nice insight.

[Geico Tagline Voice]

See you Colin.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I mean last night de' Aaron Fox. It's just, it's off. You can just sense it. He's not playing with any confidence. Sometimes he's just getting rid of the ball too quickly and you can see it. He's an old injured player. You know, his contract now it kicks in next year. It is a massive contract. And de' Aaron Fuck. Now the good news is nobody else is getting paid. So you can, you know, it doesn't matter what sport it is in NFL, same thing. If you got a bad contract on a young team, you can live with it. So. But de' Aaron Fox's contract, he's not healthy and he was a minus last night. He got in the way of progress

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[Colin Cowherd]

Living with a rare autoimmune condition can bring a lot of uncertainty, but it can also create community. In season six of Untold Stories Life with a severe autoimmune condition, they go beyond MG and cidp as host Martine Hackett welcomed stories from other conditions like myositis and IgAN into the conversation. Untold Stories is produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenics. Listen to Untold Stories Life with a severe autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Geico Advertiser]

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[Geico Tagline Voice]

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[Colin Cowherd]

It feels good to Geico. Hi, it's Colin Coward. If you want your outdoor space to really stand out, Deckorator surestone technology is where you should start. Decking with Surest Stone technology is made through a patented process that uses crushed rock, not wood fiber like other composites, which gives every board incredible strength and durability and it's engineered with a unique surface design for better traction when things get wet. It's comfortable, it's safe, it's durable. And that just looks great, too. Build season is coming fast, so order a sample today. Visit decorators.com herd to get your free sample. That's decorators with a K again. Decorators.com herd this is an iHeart podcast.

[Podcast Host]

Guaranteed human.