Loading summary
Transcript65 lines
- [00:00]
Colin Cowherd
You're listening to an iHeart podcast. T Mobile's stats are as impressive as your favorite athlete's highlight reel because T Mobile helps keep you connected from the heart of Portland to right where you are on America's largest 5G network. Switch now keep your phone and T Mobile will pay it off at the $800 per line via prepaid card. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com keepandswitch up to 4 lines of your virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device, credit service port in 90 plus days device and eligible carrier and timely redemption. Required card has no cash access and expires in six months. Okay, have you heard about this? Last year degree changed the formula for their Cool Rush deodorant and their fans rebelled and wanted the old scent back. And degree listened. That doesn't happen often, they admitted they effed up and they're bringing back the original Cool Rush scent. They're bringing it back and it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. There's a reason it's the number one men's antiperspirant and it's back in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under four bucks. So try and see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart or Target to try the OG Degree Cool Rush for yourself. Just like how true champs master both offense and defense, the BMW IX masters both ultimate performance and unbeatable space. Love mine. The greatest legends in sports never compromise in any aspect of their game. So why would you settle for anything less from your suv? What I love about my BMW IX is that it redefines the electric vehicle experience, seamlessly integrates powerful performance, its bold, daring design, a refined interior, details, cutting edge technology. Basically pushes the boundaries of innovation. Thousands of details went into creating the ultimate electric suv. Compromise not one of them. If you own a home, here's an interesting fact for you today. American homeowners are sitting on a record amount of home equity. That's the part of your home you own outright. Rocket Mortgage can help you turn your home equity into cash and that can help you fund a home renovation, pay for your kids college tuition or pay off consolidated high interest debt. To learn more Call 804 Rocket or visit Rocket.com today. Rocket Mortgage LLC licensed in 50 states. NMLSConsumeraccess.org Number 3030 thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports radio at noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
- [02:30]
Michael Hawley
Now let's get this party started.
- [02:32]
Colin Cowherd
Listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. Hour two, NFL schedule release night. It is great to be here. J. Mac joining us. Go to Boston in a second for the host of NBC Sports Boston, Michael Hawley. Smart guy, wrote a Bill Belichick book. We're going to talk about that. Jason Tatum, Mike Frable, a lot of stuff going on in the New England area and a scheduled release. They're now, they want eventually 16 international games. They're going to move it to seven this year. I'm fine with. It's like never forget Roger Goodell has bosses. They're called owners and they own the domestic market. So the NFL is going to spread out and go international. It's like Netflix. All right, we're going to go global. We own the domestic market. So I get it. But I think JMac, the one schedule that's interesting. I think this is a lot of hooey. So they always have like toughest strength of schedule. But I have argued for years that it depends. For instance, when you sign up for your college courses, and I tell my son and my daughter this fall, it's beautiful on a college campus. College football is going college in fall. Don't have your hardest schedule. Do it in the winter. You're stuck inside anyway. You're stuck inside. The spring gets sunny. You're going to want to be outside. The fall is happening. All the good parties. You're going to want to be outside in the winter semester or quarter. Right. You can just have your heart, a schedule. You're gonna be stuck inside anyway. You're not gonna want to go outside. You're not gonna be distracted. It's the same with a schedule. When are the tough games like there's a difference between going to Green Bay in December and then going to Lambeau in the second week of September. Right. Especially if you, you know, you have a, you have a quarterback that likes to throw the ball downfield. You don't want to play in windy, cold weather in Buffalo. I'd rather play Buffalo in September than I would October, November. Right. So the Bears schedule is considered the second toughest. The structure and order of the Bears schedule is interesting. So last year with Matt Eberfluss and a rookie quarterback, I thought they needed momentum early, give them an easy schedule early. They had Tennessee Week 1 and they won that game. Thanks to Will Leviss. And that was good because if they started off 02, every loss for a coach in the hot seat would be chaos. And you don't have a rookie quarterback engulfed with chaos. This year with Chicago. They have to go to Baltimore, they have to go to Detroit. I'd rather get those games out early. Get the San Francisco game out early at Detroit, at ball. You're probably not going to beat those teams early or late. What I want is, and Ben Johnson is rebuilding the O line. The O line is the hardest unit to get cohesion. This offensive line is not going to be great until probably Thanksgiving and later. And by that time you're going to have a hard enough time beating Detroit and Detroit, Washington and Washington or Detroit and Detroit even if you have it. But you know what? You would guarantee success if you're playing the Giants, Cleveland and New Orleans late in the year. Your offensive line with Dolman and Tuney and this left tackle from B.C. everybody loves. And all of a sudden it's November. You got the offensive line cooking. Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams are locked in arms. They're seeing the same world. And here come some tomato cans as you're trying to grow and fight for that wild card spot behind Detroit, who has a much better overall roster. So get the losses out of the way. Last year it's like win early. It's your only chance to avoid chaos. If you started Owen 2, it's not ideal, but if Caleb's playing well, well and Caleb's improving and you lose a couple of games late because your defense has holes, you're fine. There's no chaos. They got the right coach. So I think the indicator for the Bears schedule is I'd rather get some of those big dogs out of the way because even if you're flying high, you're not going to beat Baltimore and Baltimore anyway. Baltimore's beating the Rams. Baltimore clobbered San Francisco and Detroit the last couple of years and a red hot Miami team in Baltimore. You're not winning that game. Get it out of the way early. What I want late is momentum and confidence. And the Giants and Cleveland and the Saints, teams that could be resting starters because they're trying to get a number one pick. And with that, a guy I respect a lot. Michael Hawley, NBC Sports, Boston, New York Times bestseller is joining us live. There is a ton going on in Boston. How are you, Michael? It's great to see you again, but continued success for you.
- [07:29]
Michael Hawley
Hey, good to see you too, Colin. I'm doing great. Just getting ready for the Depression. That is certainly coming tonight at Boston Garden. And I think it's officially a home game, Colin, for the Celtics. But there have been a lot of Knicks Fans at Game 1. Game 2, I'd say was probably 75% Celtics fans, 25% Knicks. Who knows? Some of these Celtics season tickets ticket holders say, I'm gonna sell my tickets, let these New Yorkers come in and celebrate. So I think it's going to be a 5050 atmosphere, a lot of orange and blue at the Garden tonight.
- [08:03]
Colin Cowherd
So it's interesting. Obviously the Tatum injury is awful, but new owner, $500 million payroll. Horford, old Drew Holliday looked really old. Porzingis not the mystery illness. Could I not argue, and I know it, forget the Tatum injury, but they were going to lose this series to me pre Tatum injuries. Four minutes before that injury, New York was making every basket and had total control. Could I not argue, regardless of the Tatum injury, that getting knocked out is a little bit of a wake up call, that there are still elements here that it needed tweaking anyway, what you don't want to become is Milwaukee holding on to something after a title or Denver. Now, Michael holding on to Denver's not a title team. Milwaukee got way old. There is a glimmer of hope losing to the Knicks. It's a little bit of a wake up call maybe. Yeah.
- [09:03]
Michael Hawley
It's just. Kyla, you know what, you know how it is. New York, Boston, you're right. But it's. You don't want the wake up call to come. Now, New Yorkers involved, Boston, New York, that goes back years. But I would say this, I think that was coming anyway. So let's say they win the championship. Let's say they sweep New York and they take on Indiana and beat them. They win the championship again. Well, Drew Holiday is unlikely to come back because of these payroll issues. Porzingis was unlikely to come back. Either Horford's going to retire or go somewhere else. So they, they had some tweaking to do. Anyway. This wasn't, this wasn't necessary. You can't lose back to back games at home at the start of the series the way they did. Like look at game one, they're up by 20 points in that game and the Knicks come back and win it. So you can say we'll never let that happen again. We won't miss 45 threes again. We won't shoot like that. And they came back in the next game, they were up by 20 and they did the same thing again. So I don't know if that's a talent issue or is that just. Your perspective is all wrong, your philosophy is all wrong, and you need to adjust that.
- [10:25]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. I thought Joe Zula has had a bad series. I'm not some. I used to always joke with Bill Simmons. I said, you're too tough on coaches.
- [10:32]
Michael Hawley
That's an understatement.
- [10:33]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. I mean, I said this. He has one. He has one club in his golf bag. It's like, guys, when the three shots aren't falling, ISO ball, top of the arc is not good enough. You watch Chris Finch pull levers. Spoelstra Kerr for years, Tom Thibodeau pull levers. I don't think Joe has pulled the right levers. I don't think they're going to. J. Mac has said on my show, if Missoula gets embarrassed, he could be gone. As a former coach, I don't see Brad Stevens as a run him out of the building guy. Do you know?
- [11:03]
Michael Hawley
No. And the Celtics. Not only is Brad Stevens not that guy, the Celtics aren't that organization. I'm trying to think about the last time they fired. I guess the last time they fired a coach. And it was an unusual circumstance. It was Ima Doka, but Doc Rivers was there for nine years. Brad Stevens was there for nine or 10 years. They had the Doka situation. But they love. They love Missoula and what he's doing. This is not a philosophy that he invented. It's something that he endorses. But this is organizational. They love three over two, and we like the pressure it puts on defenses. We got guys who can shoot it, and we're going to take advantage of it. So he has had bad series before. I don't think this series even losing in five games, which is a real possibility, I don't think that will get him out the door.
- [12:01]
Colin Cowherd
So I just defended Belichick. I said, listen, you could be Uber trying to overtake taxis. You could be Oregon. Years ago, when I was on the West Coast, Michael was looking up at Washington and USC and ucla, and they said, you know what? Those are traditional powers. We're going to wear a thousand uniforms. We're going to hire this guy from New Hampshire, Chip Kelly, have an offensive play every 13 seconds. We are a disruptor. And now Oregon looks down at all those schools, and they're not Penn State. The advantage of not having great tradition. You can go. New North Carolina looks at Clemson. Now Clemson's dug their feet in. No nil, no portal. And Carolina is like you know what we're going to do in Oregon? We're going to go to a pro model. We're going to hire Belichick, Mike Lombardi. We're going to go total pro model to a basketball school. And Jordan Hudson and Bill are actually simultaneously catalysts for the change. She's beautiful and cool and on social. Bill's an NFL guy, not a college guy. I am defending. They are being disruptive. And that is the only way, Michael, as you know, to catch the big dog, to catch taxis, is to be Uber and do it the opposite way. But that said 24 and 73 makes people uncomfortable. How is it playing for iconic Belichick in New England? What do people think in Boston?
- [13:24]
Michael Hawley
They're freaked out. They're freaked out by the college, and I am, too. This is so. This is so out of character for him, not being in love or in, like, whatever he is with a beautiful woman. That's not out of character for Bill. What's out of character is the loss of control. He is a grade A control freak. He doesn't like anybody to speak for him. He handles media situations. You can argue sometimes he handles them poorly, but he handles them himself. He doesn't like to be out there and anybody to kind of represent him in a way, it makes him uncomfortable. But this has all changed. And I know we tried to walk it back a little bit and saying Jordan has nothing to do with North Carolina football. I don't believe that. He gave her. He gave her power, and I don't think he has taken that power away. She's not going to be as visible with North Carolina football, but I believe that she's going to have a lot to do with it. So it's just. It's not the Bill Belichick that we saw. It's not the honest Cincinnati Belichick. It's not the guy grumbling in front of the media and giving you one and two word answers. It's actually Belichick stepping back and letting someone else come forward. It's shocking.
- [14:42]
Colin Cowherd
So I was telling a friend that was grumbling about politics in America, and he was grumbling. He said, my party, Democrats are lost. And I said, listen, Democrats were lost pre Clinton, then they weren't. Republicans were lost pre Reagan, then they weren't. I said, if you find the right person, it's amazing what happens to a political party. And I feel this about the NFL. Patriots are lost. I think Drake May is the next Justin Herbert. I think Grebel's great and I think they will be the most improved team in the league. The last three years they have been lost. They've been tone deaf to offense. They can't draft. I think this is the beginning of a great 10 to 12 year run. Are people that. I really do. I think again, I think if Michael, it's a quarterback coach league. Buffalo was a mess then.
- [15:36]
Michael Hawley
They're not.
- [15:38]
Colin Cowherd
I think. I think this is the beginning of the next great chapter. Are you that optimistic?
- [15:45]
Michael Hawley
I am not that optimistic yet. So 10 to 12 years, that's saying a lot. And I. And you kind of toned it down because. Didn't I hear you say. I said I'm so glad we're talking today. I got to talk to Colin about this. Didn't you say they're going from worst to first? You got them in first place in 2025.
- [16:04]
Colin Cowherd
No, I said. I said they're going to make the playoffs. They're going to be. They're going to be. Every year I pick a team that's going to double their win total. Last year it was Washington. This year it's New England. The year before, by the way, it was the Rams who were considered a rebuild team and made the playoffs. Year before that it was Minnesota. I may stink picking winners against the spread. I'm really good on finding a cruddy team that gets good. And. And I think Gerard Mayo is a wonderful guy, but I think he was a classic coordinator, not a head coach. I think Vrabel's worth four and a half points alone a game.
- [16:39]
Michael Hawley
Okay. I'll give you that. I love Mike Vrabel and I don't know if I've ever told you this story. I covered him in high school. We were about the same age, by the way. Okay. I had just started at the Akron Beacon Journal and he was at a high school called Walsh Jesuit and he was a defensive end, tight end and the same wise ass then that he is right now. So I've known him for a long time. I root for him. I'm a big fan of his. But I think their talent got to the point because of Belichick, their talent was so low. I mean, I think they're bottom five talent in the league and this infusion of free agents and draft picks, I think best case scenario probably gets them to the middle of the pack talent wise. They still have some work to do, so I think they'll be much improved. I got them at seven or eight wins max. I'd be really surprised if they find enough in year one under Brable to get into the playoffs because it's just too much damage done the last four or five years.
- [17:41]
Colin Cowherd
Finally I want to circle back to the Knicks and the Celtics is. I think one of the things I love about sports is the cultural changes. Three three point shots in the nb but it's really interesting. These playoffs have been fascinating, Michael, because the NBA has always swallowed the whistle in the postseason. This year it's a tug of war, it's a fist fight. And I'm going to make the argument circling back to this that if this is what the league is going to allow in May and June, that the Knicks today are better built than the Celtics going forward. Big physical defensive coach, get a bucket. Superstar guard that they don't. The Knicks don't need a massive swing. They need to get more consistent at center. Cat can't defend Mitchell Robinson can't hit a free throw. But the league, this analytics sounds great, Michael. Until the league says, yeah, we're going to officiate the playoffs totally differently than the regular season and that New York may be better built going forward.
- [18:48]
Michael Hawley
I might buy that. If the league says we're going to be consistent with this, we'll go back. We won't go back to the 90s when the Knicks and Rockets were in the playoffs and all those scores were awful. All those scores were in the 70s and 80s. We're not going to go back there, but we're not going to allow just anybody. We're not going to allow finesse ball. We'll do something in the middle.
- [19:09]
Colin Cowherd
That's right.
- [19:10]
Michael Hawley
By that I'll say right now, and I didn't think this last week, right now the Knicks are a better team.
- [19:16]
Colin Cowherd
They are. Yep.
- [19:18]
Michael Hawley
But Colin, I got something for you. I'll tell you who's better than both of them and my pick to win the NBA championship. Oh, get ready. Indiana Pacers. The Indiana Pacers I think are more physical than the Knicks. I think they're better than the Knicks. And I know New York says, hey, we had, you know, we didn't have Jalen Brunson last year. He got hurt and broke his wrist. The Pacers are a team. We're talking about Celtics in New York. We need to be talking more about the Pacers. And I think with your theory, what the NBA allows, I think that suits the Pacers more than anybody else in basketball.
- [19:54]
Colin Cowherd
Well, Halliburton and Caitlin Clark, middle of the country's got their basketball point guards ready to go. Michael Hawley, who's been doing great work forever A New York Times best selling offer, multiple books on Belichick looks about 29 years old. You do not age, my friend. You are sharp and I swear to God, Vrabel is starting to look like me. And you look, as always, you do great work. You know, I respect the heck out of you. I appreciate you coming on.
- [20:18]
Michael Hawley
I appreciate you, man, anytime. You know that, Colin.
- [20:21]
Colin Cowherd
All right. Michael Holly, who's just been doing great work in the Boston area for a long, long time. And I get to watch all those Boston guys, you know, I told you that. FELGER ON RADIO Michael, Michael Holly Kearns doing stuff that's good market J. Mac, how about that? You called Indiana. You've been a pro Indiana guy for two years now. You know what my friend on the volume, Jason Timf, he said two nights ago, he said Indiana's gonna beat New York. I'm sorry. If you're gonna allow physical play. They got. Indiana is long, big.
- [21:00]
Jason McIntyre
That's what she said. So, Colin, if you look at last year's Knicks Pacer series, Two of the four best players on the Knicks were Dante DiVincenzo and Alec Burks. Okay, they're out. Enter Mikhail Bridges and Karl Anthony Towns. This is a way better Knicks team than they had last year against the Pacers. That being said, yes, the matchups are good, but they got three guys they can throw at. Halliburton, Bridges, Hart, and I do believe OG Anunoby can get physical with him. The Cavs had zero. You know, Darius Garland, you know, they're calling him Darius Garbage in Cleveland this week. They're so angry with Garland, the injury, the shooting. Cleveland didn't have any matchups for Halliburton. Siakam went nuts. I think this is a great series. And the Knicks playing at home, assuming they get by Boston 95%, I'll give the Knicks, I'll say the Knicks in seven and a great, great series.
- [21:48]
Colin Cowherd
All right, good stuff. Coming up, Chandler, Parsons, last hour. It's the NFL schedule released tonight. We know some of the big games, but I do think it matters. I think the order of games matters for coaches on the hot seat for teams with offensive lines that are new. Like Minnesota is revamping their offensive line. Chicago has rebuilt their offensive line. Kansas City's got questions on the offensive line. Niners have questions on the offensive line. That is a hard unit to grow cohesion. So those teams, I mean, there's like, I think Chicago is going to be really good, but I don't. I think September, I'd rather get the losses out of the way at Baltimore, at Detroit. I don't think you're beating those teams late. I think Chicago needs confidence building. Wins over Cleveland, the New York Giants, the New Orleans Saints, teams that could be resting starters to get a better pick late because I think Chicago is a playoff team. And you want to go into that playoff winning 5 of 6, 6 of 7. Young team, new O line, second year quarterback. Feeling great about yourself? One more Herd the Herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Summer is almost here and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. Now, what do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake? That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? That's a yes. A nice tan? Sorry. A box fan? Happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. How about a box of fine wines? Yeah, that's happening. Delivery's on its way. Okay. How about some clear skies? Nope. Well, how about some french fries? Yeah. So how about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there. But a barbecued prawn? Order it and it's on its way. Even throw in some paper towels. Clean up after the feast. So while you can't get fun in the sun delivered. Don't worry because you can get pork buns delivered. Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. At the end of the season, there's only one team that can call themselves NBA champs. Only one player that can call themselves the number one pick in the NFL draft. Well, there's only one electric SUV worthy of the title. The ultimate. The all electric BMW ix. What I love about the IX is that it delivers legendary BMW performance. While its sleek design exudes innovative style from the inside out. Not to mention how much space and utility it provides. Over 75 cubic feet of cargo space, the IX is completely changing the game with an all electric suv. The greatest legends of sports never compromise any part of the game. So why would you settle for anything less from your suv? After all, there's only one. One ultimate the BMW ix. Everything you love about the ultimate driving machine Electrified American Public University is the number one provider of education to our military and veterans in this country. They offer something truly unique. Special rates and grants for the entire family making education affordable not just for those who serve, but also for their loved ones. If you have a military or veteran family member and are looking for affordable, high quality education, APU is the place for you. Visit Apu Apus Edu Military to learn more. That's Apu Apus Edu Military Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks. Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capital1.combank Capital One NA member FDIC is going major international. Seven international games are going to have three in London, one in Ireland, one in Germany, one in Spain, one in Brazil. The Vikings are back to back weeks. Once in Dublin, once in London. That's. That's interesting. You know, I don't think it's unfair. I think they're experimenting. They just decided we're going to experiment with the Vikings team that's already got some questions. So, you know, a couple years ago, two years ago, the NFL of the top 100 shows in America on TV, they had 93. Now last year was a political year. They had like 72, 73. But every four years, politics kind of screws up TV. But the NFL is like Netflix. They own the domestic market. Let's go. Investors want global growth. I doesn't bother me. I'm not somebody that digs my feet in on stuff like I know the Nil and the transfer portal. You know, everybody. I'll never watch college football again. I'll stop. Ohio State's playing Michigan, you'll watch. Oregon's going to be playing usc, you'll watch. Texas is going to be playing Georgia. We're all going to watch. You know, I pouted when I'm 11. I'm a sports fan. I don't pout now. I just stuff changes. Get used to it. So. And college football today is better. It's got more movement, there's more transitioning. It makes you uncomfortable. Like Belichick in Carolina. There's. It's a little odd, but that's the world we live in. I do think baseball had to be dragged kicking and screaming into change. And now they're playing over in Japan and they played in London and I think it's more fun. So I just think this is part of it. I'M I'm, you know, I think, I don't think it's good, you know, having a west coast team go east, but I look at it as an opportunity. You're going to take 25 year old kids, you're taking them over to the Dublin or Spain. It's a great opportunity and both teams have to play in it. So Minnesota is a little weird playing two games, right? Roger Goodell talked about the international growth. We feel like this game is, is, is destined to be global. We expect to be in Asia, we.
- [28:12]
Jason McIntyre
Expect to be in Australia soon.
- [28:15]
Colin Cowherd
We're going to, we're going to make.
- [28:16]
Michael Hawley
Sure that our game is available around the globe.
- [28:19]
Colin Cowherd
And listen again, Netflix and the NFL, they won in America. They're looking, they're looking for the next frontier. I, you know, Brazil seems a bit far for me, but I'm going to London in a couple of weeks. It's quicker for me to fly from the east coast to London than it is to Los Angeles. So it doesn't bother me and I think it's a great game. Listen, we've seen international soccer come west. Everybody wins. It's a good road trip. Jay Mack on the news. No, no, no, turn on the news. This is the Herdline news.
- [29:01]
Jason McIntyre
London, I love that city. That's going to be fun. Thanks for the invite, by the way, buddy.
- [29:06]
Colin Cowherd
I'm going with my son. That'll be more fun anyway.
- [29:08]
Jason McIntyre
More fun than me, I guess. All right, Colin, let's get started. Indiana Pacers. You know it, baby. My team extinguished the Cavs last night with a win. They were down 17 early, came back behind Halliburton. Cleveland, shockingly went 03 at home in this series. That was after not losing consecutive games in Cleveland during the regular season. Here's Donovan Mitchell talking about the feelings of losing in the playoffs.
- [29:34]
Colin Cowherd
I haven't been asleep yet. Probably watched the game twice. It's tough, man, the embarrassment. I hope we all feel it and I think we do, like 64 win season.
- [29:48]
Michael Hawley
We were slated to be up here.
- [29:51]
Colin Cowherd
We lost 4. 1. I will defend them. Indiana's really good and they went into this series with a bunch of injuries and they just never found their rhythm. So, I mean, Tatum got hurt. By the time Tatum was hurt, New York was winning the series. These guys came into a series. No Mobley, they didn't have a point guard, Garland.
- [30:10]
Jason McIntyre
So he missed a game. It's not the end. Well, I mean, so let me look at it from this way. So Donovan Mitchell, where is he in the hierarchy of good Players because Colin, our staff put together a list. He's played in the league eight years. He's made the playoffs every year. He can't get out of the second round of the playoffs now. I know it's hard, but he was in the west right with the Jazz and then he's in the east with the Cavs and it's like, I mean there's a little bit of a bad look. And I'm not blaming Mitchell, he's superb. Darius Garland had a rough series. You know Colin, interesting. Once you drill down on the stats doing the post mortem. The Celtics and Cavs were two of the best three point shooting teams this year.
- [30:48]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [30:48]
Jason McIntyre
What happened in the playoffs? Both went cold. The Pacers out shot the Cavs from three in the series and it wasn't close.
- [30:54]
Colin Cowherd
I, I for the record am a huge fan of this. I have been on this now for. You've been here for five years with me or four years I've been on this. I like analytics. I don't love them. And that NBA playoff basketball has always been about two things. Get a bucket and get a stop. New York's really good at getting a bucket and a stop. They're really good at it. Indiana, this three point Avalanche. And I think, listen, Adam Silver commissioners have a right. People aren't talking about this. Roger Goodell did not like the catch rule. He literally changed it in a Super bowl between New England and Philadelphia. Remember the Eagles had a juggling catch in the end zone and they gave it to him. They said okay. And Adam Silver came on our show and talked about this homogenous three point parade. Well, what stops it? Physical play. Right. Bumping players, not calling the whistle. These playoffs have been about teams by the way. Minnesota, New York, Indiana, they get stops and they get buckets. We don't think of them now now ant his three point shooting was through the roof. But if you really watch what is happening, the league tweak their rules. We're going to allow the most physical basketball we've, we've ever had and it, it's, it's hurting finesse three point driven teams.
- [32:29]
Jason McIntyre
That's a fair statement. I don't know where the Cavs go from, from here. I do think the Tatum injury in Boston means Cleveland should be like guys, we're freaking close. Can we get a three and D wing? We thought it was DeAndre Hunter. He's probably not that guy. He was close. It certainly is not Okoro, but they need a three and D wing. I think the Cavs can win the east next year. Colin. It's basically next year. Cavs, Knicks and Pacers. I'm sorry to Boston fans. You're not there unless you make a big move for the season. Next up. Oh, man. This game last night between Denver and OKC was unbelievable. You know, before the game, there was an interesting story that emerged from a good reporter, Ramona Shelburne. And buried in the story was a beef between Russell Westbrook and Aaron Gordon. Aaron Gordon called Westbrook immature earlier in the series, and the two got in a heated discussion. So, of course, people were not happy that this got out. Here's Aaron Gordon addressing the report.
- [33:27]
Colin Cowherd
Really? I don't feel like talking about the game. Earlier. I caught wind of an article that came out about Russell Westbrook and in our locker room after Game 2, which was a completely arbitrary article and pointless and unnecessary. That conversation wasn't for anybody other than our own group and the internal workings of our locker room. So that article is just so arbitrary and so far from the truth. Russ has been amazing for us, and not only is he a great basketball player, but he's an even better human being.
- [34:08]
Jason McIntyre
All right, let me be clear here. He did not deny the stuff Ramona Shelbourne reported. It very clearly happened. He's just unhappy that it got out. Now, I'm curious. Here's your thoughts on Russell Westbrook and Gordon having beef.
- [34:20]
Colin Cowherd
Well, I mean, Russell Westbrook had beefs with kids at games. I mean, Russell is a lot, and I have defended him all postseason. He is a kind of one gear, a hundred mile an hour, one hundred mile an hour personality. He can't downshift as a guy or as a player. I love the energy he brings to a team in Denver that often looks old and tired. So I have supported him. But I just think this is Russ. I know LeBron's camp felt exhausted by Russell Westbrook. They were exhausted by him. Just that. He just. He didn't like anybody.
- [34:56]
Jason McIntyre
Kevin Durant.
- [34:57]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. I mean, so Durant got tired. I think Russell is. That's his personality. He has got one gear. It can be unbelievable. It. It is valuable, but it is. He may not be somebody that you're. You're not going to have the kind of relationship that it's just easy. Russell's not easy. And that's okay. Not everybody is.
- [35:19]
Jason McIntyre
You've started to use foxhole guy. Listen, Russ appears to be a great human being. All the reports are that he's great. I think he has a chip on his shoulder dating back to high School where he wasn't heavily recruited. Then he sprung up with a gross spurt and UCLA is like, come on down. He's had beef with Steph Curry historically throughout the league. He's very jealous of Steph Curry. And this, this report is just kind of a killer. That being said, Colin, can Jokic force a game seven? Can he get them there? Because listen, they've been, they've been the better team in these last two games against okc. They just fell apart late because they were exhausted. They had nothing left in the tank.
- [35:56]
Colin Cowherd
Now I, I think OKC is going to win the series. I think they're just. Denver is. Denver is so overly dependent. I mean, it's like congrats to okc. That's my feeling is. I mean, it's just like, I think the Knicks won the series and I think the Thunder have won the series. Remember, Houston had what Oklahoma City has in terms of depth of roster, but they didn't have finishers. OKCs got finishers on that offense. It's not Fred Van Vliet. It's the best scorer in the league and one of the best twos. Like Houston has a lot of okc, but you don't trust them to late in games you trust Stephen Butler. OKC is the better team. And I, and I think, I just, I think it's over.
- [36:40]
Jason McIntyre
One last note on Russ. Last three games of which Denver's lost to Russ is 6 of 27 shooting. So that honeymoon phase against the Clippers, that's over. He's missing open shots now. Final story, Colin. Tonight, Timberwolves look to close out the warriors and Steph Curry's not coming back. He is not going to play. He's referenced that multiple times. But I think we need to give some props to Julius Randle, who has been amazing in this postseason run. He credits an NBA legend for shaking his reputation as a player that fades in the playoffs.
- [37:12]
Colin Cowherd
I've battled through a lot in my career, to be honest. So, I mean, my first game in my career, I broke my leg.
- [37:19]
Jason McIntyre
You know what I mean?
- [37:20]
Colin Cowherd
So I've been through a lot. I had a great mentor in Kobe, you know, that didn't necessarily let me pout or get down on myself. You know, his thing was always, alright, what's next? You know, how can you get better, how can you improve? So I always just kind of took that mentality with me. This guy deserves a ton of credit and so does the coaching staff. I remember when he was a Laker and the league was transitioning to a three ball league. And the feeling was Randall like a Tristan Thompson, the culture was changing and it wasn't going to benefit his game. He became a little better shooter outside in New York and now he's become a better distributor and a true number two. This is a combination of Julius Randle working his butt off and not letting a new culture and analytics define him. And it's also a credit to the Minnesota staff because you and I didn't trust him in the playoffs last year. I didn't trust him early this year. I talked to Chris Finch off the air. I was like, I don't know if Randall works. I'm not. And he's like, it's working. Just give us time. Well, you watch him now and you're like, that is a player in a staff. He's obviously a coachable player and this is obviously a very good coaching staff. This is the magic of good coaching where, where like you could have said Randle is just listen, he's just, he's a good number three. His ability to take coaching take to it and Minnesota's ability to see the gem that he is. The Lakers couldn't figure out how, what to do with them and Minnesota has.
- [38:54]
Jason McIntyre
You made a great point. The maturation of Randall and again and I want to just hammer this home to guys who are looking at Cooper flag and saying, oh, he's going to be Scotty Pippen or this. Like we looked at Randall and said, oh, he can do this, he can't do that. Well, here he is six, seven years later doing the stuff that he wasn't doing before. Like you said, he used to be a black hole. When the Knicks got in the ball, it was going up. He's not passing anybody. He has now become like a triple double guy. He had a triple double the series. He has been excellent. I didn't see it coming. Colin, he's been a clear number two. I am curious. He's going to probably go up against Chet Holmgren next round.
- [39:28]
Colin Cowherd
That's.
- [39:28]
Jason McIntyre
That's going to be a difficult matchup.
- [39:29]
Colin Cowherd
Holgren's long.
- [39:31]
Jason McIntyre
I kind of like the Wolves in that series. I don't know where you are. I mean it's early. Obviously neither series over, but it won't be as easy for Randall next round.
- [39:40]
Colin Cowherd
I don't know who I like in that series. I, I really don't. I. We both like Minnesota over Golden State, I thought. But I like. I don't know. I, I think when I think of Minnesota, I think of Ant and coaching I think they've this is a bunch, Minnesota's got a bunch of disparate parts that should not be this good. I mean, honestly, Conley's way past his prime. Ants emerging. Randle was always a three masquerading as a two. Gobert's got no offensive game. Nas Reed, energy guy, undrafted and it all works. Hey, Matt, we say this all the time in the NFL. Patriots never had, you could argue with Randy Moss. They did. They never had the best roster. I would argue Kansas City doesn't have, I mean, Kansas City's 1, 2 been in three straight Super Bowls. They don't have Detroit's roster. They don't have Philadelphia's roster. I don't think they have Baltimore's roster. It's, it's a lot of this is coaching and using B players and elevating them, the B pluses and A minuses. And that's what the Chris Finch and his staff have done.
- [40:40]
Jason McIntyre
You mentioned the Chiefs. We will talk about them a lot tomorrow. Their schedule is brutal. Colin, it's not fully out yet, but what we've seen.
- [40:49]
Colin Cowherd
All right, Jay McIlanous, well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by. The Herd line news good third hour coming up as well. 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 Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture, stories that won't other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich, wherever you get your podcast and of course on social media, that's Covino and Rich. Summer is almost here and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. Now, what do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake? That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? That's a yes. A nice tan. Sorry. A box fan? Happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. How about a box of fine wines? Yeah, that's happening. Delivery's on its way. Okay, how about some clear skies? Nope. Well, how about some French fries? Yeah. So how about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there. But a barbecued prawn? Order it and it's on its way. Even throw in some paper towels. Clean up after the feast. So while you can't get fun in the sun, deliver. Don't worry because you can get pork buns delivered. Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. At the end of the season, there's only one team that can call themselves NBA champs. Only one player that can call themselves the number one pick in the NFL draft. Well, there's only one electric SUV worthy of the title. The ultimate. The all electric BMW ix. What I love about the IX is that it delivers legendary BMW performance. While its sleek design exudes innovative style from the inside out, not to mention how much space and utility it provides. Over 75 cubic feet of cargo space, the IX is completely changing the game with an all electric suv. The greatest legends of sports never compromise any part of the game. So why would you settle for anything less from your suv? After all, there's only one ultimate the BMW ix. Everything you love about the ultimate driving machine electrified American public university where service members like you can access high quality, affordable education built for your lifestyle. With online programs that fit around deployments, training and unpredictable schedules, APU makes it possible to earn your degree no matter where duty takes you. Their preferred military rate keeps tuition at just $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's tuition and with 24. 7 mental health support plus career coaching and other services, APU is committed to your success during and after your service. Learn more at APU Apus Edumilitary. That's APU Apus Edu. Military Banking with capital one helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks. Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capital1.com Bank Capital One NA Member.
- [45:10]
Jason McIntyre
FDIC Memorial Day weekend the greatest spectacle in racing is coming to Fox the 109th Indianapolis 500 Sunday, May 25th only on Fox.
- [45:24]
Colin Cowherd
So I have, I've grumbled about this before but I think and maybe this is because media is more corporate, therefore it's cheaper, less expensive, younger, less experienced and they overreact to everything. But I think when people say they don't trust the media, I don't and I'm in it and I'm just. There's a Joe Biden book coming out from Jake Tapper. Why would you trust the media? I mean one element of our media. While the rest of us could watch memes on TikTok about a president that had mostly become a walking bowl of oatmeal, the media was telling us sharp as attack. There's a reason people don't trust the media. AI. It's going to end the world. No, it's going to create millions of new jobs and will eliminate some probably coders could be in a little trouble. But I don't think the rest of us are going to have to find new jobs. Learn how to use AI and you'll keep yours and retain it and grow. I mean Covid was awful but in a country of 340 million people. Yes. Like a million one died. It's awful. Almost overwhelmingly all over 75 it wasn't the common cold but the fear mongering was terrifying. Like, like nobody wanted to leave their house. The stock market fluctuations, they're down, they're up. It's all going to be okay. About a year ago, year and a half ago in sports. Now this doesn't obviously is not a perfect analogy because it doesn't really mean anything but watching the overreaction to certain running backs not getting a contract was ridiculous. Nobody the NFL running backs, this is outrageous. They're going to get paid. You probably shouldn't sign them to massive second contracts but Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, you don't think there's a market for them. Jonathan Taylor, I just saw a story. Derek Henry and the Ravens two year deal, $30 million extension and he's an old guy who takes a beating. There's always A market for football players who are exceptional and the media side. And again, a lot of the media is in their 20s and early 30s. They haven't experienced things before. So any fluctuation or change, it's the first time they've seen it. Listen, safeties, for about 10 years, nobody wanted to pay. When I was a kid growing up, it was Troy Polamalu, not growing up, but Ronnie Lott, Kenny Easley. Safeties were big headhunters. And then there was like a time where safety was like, nobody wanted to pay. Earl Thomas, like, you don't want to pay safety. The Rams, by the way, really value safeties. There are a handful of teams. Baltimore really value safeties. Well, Baltimore and the Rams value it. They're pretty good tight ends. For years and years were neglected. Not anymore. People are paying tight ends, guards. Well, you can't draft a guard early. I don't know. Joe Tunney's pretty good. So is Quentin Nelson. Running backs are the last player in the NFL. You can hit high, low, ankles, knees, head. If they're coming through the line and you hit them, it's fair game. They don't last as long, even the big guys. But value, I would argue Saquon Barkley is the Eagles. I love Lamar Jackson and I think he is the soul of the team. But one A is Derrick Henry. There's always going to be room for exceptional people in every industry. Kyle Hamilton at Baltimore is going to get paid at safety. Ed Reed at Baltimore, he got paid at safety. The great gets paid. And it so just. I mean, listen, the newspaper industry has been trending down for 25 years. You know what makes a lot of money? The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Airline industry. Oh, my God. You know what? I fly Delta. They're doing well. I'm on American a lot. Every time I'm on American, they got brand new planes now. Boeing, a planemaker's got its issues. Delta, Southwest, I'm on American Airlines planes. They're fresh, they're new. I was on one yesterday. Beautiful. Great service, great staff. Okay, so with this Derrick Henry story, take a deep breath. Running backs have value, but signing them to a second massive deal. I mean, we all love Christian McCaffrey. He gets dinged up a lot, right? Like, you know, it's like for two years they wore him out and now it's like, this is what happens. It happened in Carolina. After two big years. It's like pitchers, you have a couple 300 inning years. Well, you're gonna get banged up in spring training. It's not gonna be. It's not gonna be great. So Derrick Henry deserves it. He's great. Saquon Barkley got got more money. He deserves it always, especially with more young quarterbacks than ever in the league. What is the number one ally for a young quarterback? Good old line and a dependable running game. Even older quarterbacks. Darnold Geno Smith much better with a dependable run game. Throwing on play action. All right, we got a lot of stuff. Oklahoma City is close. Indiana's in next Balancing work, family and education isn't easy, but American Public University makes it possible with online courses, monthly start dates and flexible schedules. APU is designed for busy professionals who need education that fits their lives. And Affordability matters too. APU offers the opportunity grant, giving students 10% off undergraduate and master's level tuition, helping you reach your goals without breaking the bank. Plus, they provide career services and 247 mental health support at no extra cost. Visit Apu Apus Edu to learn more. That's Apu Apus Edu. Summer is almost here and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. Now what do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A nice tan? Sorry. A box fan? Happily, yes. A day of sunshine? No. A box of fine wines? Yes. Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Wasabi Technologies is purpose built to free businesses from skyrocketing storage costs and unpredictable egress fees from those old and top heavy legacy providers. You know the big guys. Wasabi is the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams around the world. From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cyber criminals, Wasabi is driving innovation in data storage. All for up to 80% less than the other guys. Triumph for free@wasabi.com Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage Proud partner of the Volume Podcast Network, BMW didn't just design an electric SUV. Every detail of the BMW IX was crafted with passion and precision. With a BMW ix you'll experience unmatched power, utility, spaciousness, versatility. My favorite feature cloud based navigation monitors charge levels, locates nearby charging stations so I can drive electric with the ultimate ease. BMW lets performance do the talking and the scouting report is in. Experience the all electric BMW IX and witness dedication in every detail. You're listening to an iHeart podcast.