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- [00:00]
Doug Gottlieb
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:04]
Colin Cowherd
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- [01:01]
Doug Gottlieb
Rocket Mortgage LLC.
- [01:02]
Jason Stewart
Licensed in 50 states nmlsconsumeraccess.org 3030 Summer.
- [01:07]
Colin Cowherd
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. 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 listens. 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. Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and 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?
- [02:39]
Doug Gottlieb
Now, let's get this party started.
- [02:40]
Jason Stewart
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
- [02:45]
Doug Gottlieb
Doug Gottlieb in for calling. This is the Herd on FOX sports radio, the iHeartradio app. Welcome, welcome, welcome aboard. We got about an hour left till my show, Doug Gottlieb show takes air here on FOX Sports Radio. Let's get into last night's game because, you know the Knicks take the floor tonight after what was an absolute epic and complete choke job. And, and again, I don't. Colin. It was. Colin has, is brilliant in the simplicity of how he does what he does. And I don't think that Colin takes a cue from anybody and decides to be a contrarian. I, I'm the same. If I'm a contrarian, it's because I have a contrary opinion, not because I'm a contrarian. But Colin is the guy who yesterday said what you heard on the intro. Hey man, the Knicks just made a bunch of shot. I mean the, the, the Pacers just made a bunch of shots. Knicks didn't play poorly. Like, yeah, they missed two free throws. They turned the basketball over and they, they didn't defend Aaron Neesmith for several of those shots. Like, you can't allow a great catch and shoot shooter to get open. Catch and shoot shots on little handoffs and not be there. Like, yeah, they, they choked. That one. Is any choke helped by great plays? Yeah. Or any great comeback help by chokes. Yes, they do work in concert with each other. So we'll get to, to foreshadowing forecasting for that game. Let's look back at last night. Last night, Oklahoma City. So game one, the Wolves lead at the half and in the second half, completely different. Shay Gilgis Alexander, Anthony Edwards doesn't score a point in the fourth quarter and what they. While they trailed in half a run, the second half and the game was over. Yesterday was obviously a celebration of Shay Gildas Alexander getting receiving his MVP award before the game. And here's, here's Shay talking about balancing fun and competing.
- [05:00]
Jason Stewart
We just prioritize what matters and like we've come to realize that you win games and all that other stuff comes after and, and it's. You guys saw it last night with myself and Lou and Dub today getting recognition. When you win games and you do it together and you have fun out there. Everything else, all the individual stuff you want, it comes with it. But it starts with taking care of business on a basketball court and we know that.
- [05:22]
Doug Gottlieb
Here's Mark Dagnote, who's their Head coach, talk about Shai's impact on the game. And I thought he led tonight, just with his approach and his force and his blend. You know, he threw great passes down the stretch. You know, the attacks Nick was talking about, you know, I thought he had good blend of attacks and early passes, and he kept the scoreboard moving for us down the stretch. Here's Chris Finch, Wolves head coach, talking about the difficulty in scheming against the mvp. Yeah, obviously, you know, Shay's a handful to contain. You know, he's getting around us to, you know, to. When there's contact, he's getting around us, and, you know, we got to do a better job of squaring him square. I mean, got to keep him in front. Once he gets on your hip, that's. Once you get. He gets you on his hip, that's when he can glean India, cut off angles, make you foul him, throw his hands up, heads back, throw the ball up and. Or just, you know, pivot, and you go kind of flying by. Like he. He's amazing at his use of angles. There's a little James Harden in terms of his foul merchantry. There's a little Kobe Bryant in terms of his footwork and understanding of angles and cutting into Gu. There's. There's a lot. There's also a lot of Kobe in terms of the footwork as well, like the pivoting it. There's parts of it which are incredible to watch. It's just hard with him falling down all the time. And what I think is sort of missing one is defensively how the Thunder are scheming, where they're playing much more of a college style called, you know, they're just loading to the ball, which means they're over into the gaps, deep into the gaps, into help. Daring you not just to make that easy pass next to you, that pass doesn't really. But daring you to get a dribble and then skip that ball to the weak side corner or the weak side low wing, right? Where now all of a sudden you have a harder closeout. And the counter last night for the Wolves was they put Anthony Edwards in the post, which helps. Somebody's not really a post player. It's not really what he does. He's a downhill attack guy, which means you skip the ball to him and then let him get downhill attack and then give him the answers, knowing where the. The questions are going to be posed to him. But I think the bigger thing is that there's nothing unlikable about the Oklahoma City Thunder. Right. There's nothing really unlikable about them. I mean, tell me what it is. They've. They. They've put together this team. You know, Shea was a big piece, but just a piece of the Paul George trade. You know, they've drafted well, they developed, they've added some really smart pieces, but nobody crazy. They. They obviously value Alex Caruso, who helped the Lakers win a championship and then was just mired in difficult seasons with the Chicago Bulls. And he's become kind of their defensive energy and. And stalwart here in the playoffs. Plus, he's got that championship experience. There's nothing like. It's just. It's not a great watch when the best player is constantly falling down and constantly drawing fouls. Constantly. And the difference is probably that we see it more clearly now. It's. It's a lot like officiating. Like, people can say officiating is worse now than it's ever been, but what's the reality to it? The reality to it is we see the calls way more clearly now. You know, you remember the first time you watched hdtv? You remember that? Remember when. When I think it was ESPN was like the sports. First Sports network. I was working there at the time, and they came out with. With ESPN hd, and you flip over like, man, that looks so much better. You go back to standard def. You're like, how did we survive this for 50, 40 years? And. And with that, with the much better technology, more cameras, more slow mo. You're like, even that. Have you guys seen the. The replay of the Halliburton three where he dribbles? It looks like he was grabbed twice, but then he double dribbles and then back dribbles back for a three. Like even that. Those are three things I didn't know happened. If not for that slow motion and camera angle, I had no idea. And I was watching the game in real time, didn't think anything of it. So I bring that up to point out that it's not that guys didn't draw fouls before. Michael Jordan drew a ton of fouls. Magic Johnson drew a ton of fouls. Larry Bird drew a ton of fouls. It's that it's one thing to draw fouls, to draw contact, to jump into guys, to absorb contact on drives, to get smacked on drives. It's a whole thing to grab somebody else's arm, lock it in with your arm, and then as you go to shoot, throw up your arm, which is then con. Contacted by his arm because it's stuck kind of in your bread basket, if you will and get fouled. Like that's free throw merchantry, free throw artistry that no one has seen at this level. And it's way, way, way more obvious now with replays with, with the best of, the best of cameras, with all the different camera angles. Now you're like, yeah, this is hard to watch. Hard to watch. And final fouls have occurred for years, years, years. But now it's just way more obvious. And it, it, it takes a really likable bunch that honestly is winning because their defense, more, their offense that seems to like each other, that seems to not take life all that seriously. Like they check the boxes for all the things you want, but their best player constantly falling down and ending up at the free throw line. It's just one of those like, yeah, I get it, but I don't love it. I don't love it. I don't love it. You know, we do have a sense of like manliness with our drives and our fouls in the sense that like playoff fouls. But I mean we, we went from Harden constantly throwing his head back and getting calls and not getting them in the playoffs to Shay Gil. Is Alexander literally cutting in front of people, purposely tangling their legs, falling down, locking in their arms, drawing vows and us getting annoyed by. It's. This is all new, right? This is his first time being the mvp. This is their first time in the conference finals with this group. All of this is new. And yet I would guess that this is going to be in addition to the fact that it's Oklahoma City. It's just not that great a watch. It's just not that great a watch. Whereas the Pacers Knicks series, and this is even before the Pacers came back and won. Just the, the way in which the Pacers play, the frenetic pace, the number of possessions and fewer fouls because you know, foul merchantry. And don't get me wrong, Jalen Brunson, he draws a lot of fouls. He, he does bang into guys and, and fall over. He doesn't do the lock in arms the way that Shay Gildas Alexander does. But that a better watching product. That's a better product. So you can hear what Chris Finch is saying, hey, don't let him get, get you on his hip. Keep him in front, square him up. They can't call fouls that way. But it's frustrating and his head coach saying, look, the best thing he did was pass tonight. But I would say that, that Shay is, you know, the bigger the stage, the better he's got to play, but the more obvious it's going to be that so much of his success is based upon his ability to get to the free throw line. That has to be a benefit of how good you are not you can't benefit from the free throng to be that good. I think that's thing there's where the disconnect is. He's great at what he does and he seems like an awesome dude. But as somebody who coaches and has watched and evaluated basketball for 25 years, yeah, it's a hard one to watch. And again, like we when we're recruiting, we like that volume of free throws. You get in there and you avoid or do you go to contact? There's a difference in going to contact contact and creating artificial contact in order there'd be any contact to get a foul. That's where you kind of draw the line. All right, coming up next in the Herd, I'm Doug Gottlieb. When someone is waiting on you and they say, well, wait a little longer, how do you react? More importantly, how will Aaron Rodgers react? We'll discuss next in the Herd.
- [14:12]
Colin Cowherd
Be sure to catch live editions of.
- [14:14]
Doug Gottlieb
The Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio Apple.
- [14:21]
Colin Cowherd
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. Everybody loves a good MVP story. And the story of Wasabi Technologies is one of the best. Wasabi is purpose built to free businesses from skyrocketing storage costs and unpredictable egress fees from old and top heavy legacy providers. You know the big guys Wasabi is the world's hottest cloud storage company, becoming the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams and leagues around the world. And here's why. From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals, data deletion and ransomware, Wasabi has taken the lead in driving innovation in data storage, eliminating overhead where it matters to deliver you results you can count on and won't break the bank. In fact, Wasabi is up to 80% less than those other guys and doesn't charge a cent for businesses to access their own data. Wasabi Another championship story. Check them out for free@wasabi.com, wasabi Hot Cloud Storage Proud partner of the Voluum Podcast Network hey everybody. You've heard me talk about Green River Whiskey, the official Whiskey of the Herd podcast. And if you know anything about me, I love a good metaphor. So the team at Green river challenged me to come up with a perfect to describe their incredible bourbon and rye whiskeys. And with the playoffs upon us, the answer is clear. Green River Whiskey is like a big playoff win by your favorite team, always sure to raise your spirits. So pair the thrills of this playoff season with Green River Whiskey. And with four core products in their starting lineup, there's something to suit any taste. To find Green river near you, head on over to greenriverwhiskey.com here's the green River Whiskey Raise your spirits. A product of Green River Distilling Company, Owensboro, Kentucky. Alcohol by volume varies by product. Greenriverwhiskey.com, please drink responsibly.
- [17:18]
Ryan
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- [17:22]
Doug Gottlieb
Son, your grandpa and I used to work on this car together, and when I'm gone, I want you to have it. Wow.
- [17:28]
Colin Cowherd
Thanks dad.
- [17:29]
Ryan
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- [17:48]
Doug Gottlieb
Com Doug Gottlieb in for cone it's the Hurt FOX Sports Radio iHeartradio Mark Stein is going to join us after we get to Herdline News, of course. Longtime NBA reporter and insider. He publishes a substack called Steinline. We'll get to get to that upcoming. J. Sue. What. What? Up is down, day is night, black is white. The Angels have won seven games in a row, including sweeping your Dodgers. That. Is that. Is that what's happened here in baseball? I mean, that's. Is that our. Is that our baseball update that makes no sense at all that it happened.
- [18:23]
Jason Stewart
And Angels are kind of having a weird season, right? They started off hot. I want to say they were in first place after a couple weeks. Then they, then they played like the Angels. And then, yeah, they lose Trout. And they've won seven in a row, including sweeping the Dodgers. I think Dodger fans could take solace that will. Will likely won back to back championships. But losing three in a row, the Angels, that's a tough pill to swallow.
- [18:46]
Doug Gottlieb
It's got to be a tough pill to swallow. And then the Rockies are a team I again, I challenge people to name a current Colorado. Rocky. They're off to the worst start. What in the history of baseball. Through 50 games, right, they've won eight. Eight and 42.
- [19:03]
Jason Stewart
Yep.
- [19:06]
Doug Gottlieb
Yeah.
- [19:07]
Jason Stewart
And imagine being a Rockies fan. Like, I know we're on.
- [19:12]
Doug Gottlieb
I can't imagine this one. You can't imagine this one. This one. I can imagine. It is not. It's like imagine. No, no, don't have to imagine. I know the feeling. It sucks. And, and again, I don't think they were designed to be good, but I'm sure there's some of that. When things go wrong, they just all go wrong. He was like, ah, just get it all in. Right? Just. But man, you're talking historically bad with. I mean, it's like baseball, it should even out. You should be at least decent. You know, win one game in a series where they don't take it seriously. But that's a crazy one considering the consistency that the Rockies had in terms of success once they kind of figured it out to now being just dormant in terms of success the last five or so years. All right, Mark Stein in a second. We'll also talk some Brock Purdy later on the show, but let's get to her. Line news.
- [20:06]
Colin Cowherd
No, no, no.
- [20:08]
Jason Stewart
Turn on the news. This is the Herd line news. Doug. Steelers owner Art Rooney must be sick of this question. Remember back in April when he was asked about Aaron Rodgers? He said that the team would, would quote, not wait forever. So recently he was asked by ESPN same question. And Art Rooney says, we'll wait a Little longer. A little while longer. Now, how do you, what do we do with this? Because I think Mark Dominic, last hour just told you that you, you want rogers around for OTAs. I think that's starting June 5th. So what transpires here over the next five days?
- [20:57]
Doug Gottlieb
I mean, it's just gotta be like, are you coming? You know, it's the, it's the invite to the party that you had to invite somebody because they are the life of the party or they used to be the life of the party. And he got invited. If you don't invite him, like, well, I'll let you know. I got a really busy schedule. I just for organization like the Steelers that I think partly trade away George Pickens because they didn't like entitlement. They wanted guys that are more part of the team, more part of culture to wait on Aaron Rodgers. And I'm not somebody who tells you that Aaron Rodgers is terrible for the culture. But just the way in which he's handling it where a lack of decisiveness and not a, hey, I'm going to be a Steeler. I just, I'm going to be there when I'm there, you know, whatever. It's just very anti Steeler. And it just shows their desperation for a quarterback, especially one who even at the end of his career like an Aaron Rodgers in comparison to what they've been throwing out there.
- [21:58]
Jason Stewart
I want to give Caitlin Carr credit here. She is so relevant that she has risen to the level of being an item on hurdlen news. Last night, the Fever went into Atlanta and spoiled their home opener. I know most people don't care about that part. Caitlin Clark win an entire game without making a 3 for the first time since 22. That's significant. But the most, I guess the most viral part of this game last night was Atlanta Dreams. Ryan Howard confronted Caitlin Clark mid court and gave a little shove. And then Caitlin Clark is. Looks like she's saying, I'm not afraid of you. What do you.
- [22:38]
Doug Gottlieb
I'm not scared of you. Honestly, this is, this is kind of rite of passage, basketball, whatever. They're trying to punker. They're trying to punker and she's not gonna let it happen. She didn't play great. But that's what I mean. That's what all generations do to the young up and comers, right? It's the. Was it Cole Hamills who threw at somebody and was just like, yeah, I just don't like the way he is approach. I remember, you know, it doesn't, it doesn't it doesn't matter if you're the young up and coming hitter, two people like to buzz the tower or if you're the quarterback that guys, you know, might, might, might hit a little bit harder or hold that, hold that block a little bit longer in football, whatever. Like it's kind of normal rite of passage with, with basketball. And the other part to it is again, this is where it's normal to me. I'm pretty sure people were. I am a white basketball player from Orange County, California. When you play LA teams doesn't have to be, doesn't have to be black history, white kids as well, they would try and punk you because you were from Orange county. You were seen as soft. She's, you know, I don't think she's seen as soft, but people are trying any, anything they can to rattle her. And I think that's what this was the case of last night. Just trying to rally youngen, trying to physical her up. And it worked to limited success, but didn't work overall as they lost the game.
- [24:11]
Jason Stewart
Final item here, David Falk, for those that don't know, he was Michael Jordan's agent, longtime agent out of D.C. but it looks like he's entered the hot. Take space this week. Yes, his quote, his quote about LeBron and the goat conversation. I really like LeBron, but I think if Jordan had cherry picked what teams he wanted to be on or to others with two other superstars, he would have won 15 championships. Mic drop. David Falk.
- [24:44]
Doug Gottlieb
Yeah, that's a, I guess that's a mic drop. That's a lot out of about 15 championships. But it is interesting on how we sit here now and act like Michael Jordan played on super teams. Okay, okay. If, if we're honest with ourselves, Michael Jordan's first championship team, they had Bill Cartwright. They traded Charles Oakley for Bill Cartwright. Do you know what Bill Cartwright's nickname was in New York? Jason Stewart. Medical Bill Cartwright. I thought you would allow, you would love that, that, that nickname that's like right up your alley. Medical Bill Cartwright. So they had Bill Cartwright, they had John Paxton, Craig Hodges came off the bench, they had a young Scottie Pippen. And Scottie Pippen became an all time great player during his first championship run. He wasn't an all time great man. He was young and people had thought Scotty was, was soft. Horace Grant was their power forward. Right? That's their team. That was their team. He wanted Luke Longley at center. These are not great all time great players. The, the, the point is that you can say what you, some people will say, hey, Jordan played against a watered down league because they had the expansion. It's not inaccurate. But you would also point out that let's not act like Jordan's teammates were all time greats who he joined in their prime to win a championship. Scottie Pippen, you know, was slightly younger than him. They grew up together. He became a great player. Rodman was, had been a great player elsewhere and joined them. Other than that there wasn't. I mean Ron Harper was a shell of his former self since tearing his knee when he was a great scorer in Cleveland. So I actually agree with the sentiment of, of David Falk, even if I don't really agree with the delivery of he win 15 titles. And clearly you, anytime you say no, I like LeBron, you know, that's, that's like saying no disrespect but. And there's disrespect coming. And that's Jason Stewart with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the Herd lie news. Hey, let's get another opinion here. Mark Stein writes a sub stack called oh, we're going to get Mark Stein in a second. Going to get Mark Stein a second. Yeah, I mean I, I actually enjoy those discussions about Jordan just because again, I'm not trying to disrespect Jason McIntyre, but J. Mac's younger. He, he wasn't. He and Nick Wright, they weren't really old enough to have lived through as basketball people those eras. And you can quote stats all you want, but when you've lived it, you understand it. Now you could point out that there were other teams that weren't super teams as well. That's fine. You know, you could point out that when they won their first title, right? That was after, that was after Kareem had retired and it was kind of a new Laker team led by Magic Johnson, but not one of the great ones. And they, you know, as much as we want to say he went through Charles Barkley and Charles Barkley's team was great. That was at the end of the, that was at the end of the three peat. The point is that again, I don't know why David Falk got into the hot take thing. And of course he's supporting his guy, Michael Jordan, but he's not wrong. Jordan's team wasn't a super team until after they won all those games. Mark Stein joins us. Of course he writes the Stein line. It's a substack. I would encourage anybody who cares anything about basketball to read the substack called the Stein line because it's really good. Mark joins us now in the herd on Fox Sports Radio. Mark, let me ask you about last night. How is Shea viewed in the league as now? I think mainstream fandom is finally starting to watch his games and some are calling him the, you know, a James Harden type of foul merchant.
- [28:52]
Mark Stein
Well, look, he won the MVP this week. They had the ceremony before game two, and I don't think he could have delivered a better statement of validation about winning that award. And look, it was not a unanimous vote. It was pretty lopsided in his favor, but 71, 29 in terms of first place votes for MVP. But I think a lot of people who watch the league and maybe even didn't have a vote would, would tell you that, you know, it should have been Jokic, but I don't think he could have been much more impressive. No. Gets the trophy and then goes out and backs it up with that kind of game. And look, it's in this postseason, especially with all the comebacks we've seen, I don't think we want to prematurely put the Thunder in the finals before they actually clinch it. But they just won the first two games in really resounding fashion. And the way Shay Gildis Alexander has played in this series and the way his teammates all rally around him, support him, sit next to him, they have a very good thing going that I think you would have to say is pretty much the envy of the league right now. Because remember, this is still such a young team. I mean, Caruso is their oldest key contributor and he's 31. I mean, this is, this is, this is just the beginning for what this team is capable of. And right now, if you had to say, if you had to pick a favorite to win the title from here, it has to be the Thunder.
- [30:33]
Doug Gottlieb
Okay. Anthony Edwards has struggled through two games. Let's assume he has at least one really good game, but that he struggles throughout the series. What do we do with Anthony Edwards, watching him struggle now deep in the playoffs?
- [30:51]
Mark Stein
Look, I don't think we have to do anything. Maybe that's just the way it is, that people will change the way they look at him. Look, I, I've been a big Timberwolves fan this season. I thought they were outside of Indiana, the most underrated team in the league. They have not been able to show it in these first two games. They haven't been able to keep up with the Thunder. Worse than that, they look like they're getting frustrated by the Thunder. And again, 20 is not insurmountable. But NBA history tells us when you go down 2 0, it is really hard to come back and win a seven game series. And the big concern that I think everyone had about the Wolves coming into this series was would they be able to score against this defense that is considered the league's best and the league's most versatile. And the Wolves are having all the trouble that, you know, their fans and their coaches, their deepest fears are being realized in terms of trying to manufacture offense against this team. I mean, if that's held against Anthony Edwards. I mean, I heard you mentioning Charles Barkley at the beginning just before I came on. As Charles Barkley always loves to tell us and remind us, the stars get all the blame and all the credit in the NBA, that's always the way it is. So I guess people will pin this on Anthony Edwards if the Wolves can't turn this series around. But I would also say the Wolves are in the conference finals two years in a row. In the first 34 years of their franchise history, they did it once. And in the first 34 years of their franchise history, they only won a series in the playoffs. 1. They won two series the year that KG led them to the west finals. That's it in terms of one series for this franchise before these past two seasons. So again, Anthony Edwards is still very, very young and you know, if people want to change their opinion about him, go ahead. But I think the Wolves are a good team that is up against the team. Look, if you look at what the Thunder did in the regular season, just if you look at their point differential, it's the most impressive point differential we've ever seen from a team in the regular season. And all the teams they passed at the top of that list won championships. So the Thunder are supposed to be doing what they're doing in this series. I actually was worried and they lost me a little bit struggling with such a limited Denver team. But they have clearly used that experience and winning Game seven in resounding fashion as a great springboard and made anybody who doubted them. And I guess I have to throw myself on that list look pretty dumb.
- [33:41]
Doug Gottlieb
How would you characterize the Pacers winning Game one?
- [33:47]
Mark Stein
Man? I mean, on one hand you would say they've done it multiple times in this postseason, but not like that. And I mean, a 14 point deficit with less than three minutes to go, it's just. It's just unheard of. It was unheard of when the Cavs had a seven point lead with 48 seconds to go. And the Pacers found a way to win that game. Now, it sure did look. It sure did look like Halliburton got away with something on that, on that, on the, on the build up to his three. But, man, that's just. That's a comeback for the ages. I don't know if we've ever seen anything quite like that.
- [34:29]
Doug Gottlieb
And not nine with. Nine with 51 seconds, 52 seconds ago. I've never. I've never. I've never seen that. How do the Knicks.
- [34:36]
Mark Stein
You tell me as a coach.
- [34:41]
Doug Gottlieb
I'm just gonna. It was. We. We dropped one last game of the year. It was 14, but it was less than. It was more admits. It was four and change or five and change or something. Up five with 18 seconds to go, and they shoot airball, kick it out, make a three, they press us, we go long, try to get a dunk. They foul us, make one out of two, we foul up three, they get a rebound on an intentionally missed free throw and put it in, and we lose an overtime. So I. I've seen it. I just. I think that. I think that the nice Smith threes and the fact that the Knicks seem to kind of fall asleep there, right? They were, you know, like OG And Anobi, like, didn't even close out on two of those threes. And you're like, all right, I mean, I guess the game's over. But it. It wasn't. So the question is, you know, it's. It's like Boston, hey, you did enough to be up 14 with. With under. Under four to go. So you, you play better, you look better. But what's the likelihood that they bounce back from that sort of devastation?
- [35:43]
Mark Stein
And look, I think our instinct when a team loses a game like that is to write them off and say, okay, they're. You know, they'll never recover from that. That is what. Such. That loss leaves such a scar that it will be impossible to recover from. The only consolation that the Knicks can point to at this point is that it's so early in the series and, you know, they've had a great postseason run. But look, I mean, they. They have to win this series to kind of validate their run. I mean, look, they were tremendous. The game that Taylor suffered, the just horrendous Achilles rupture. I mean, the Knicks were on their way to winning that or that injury happened. So they would have gone up 3:1 anyway, maybe from that position. Even if Tatum, Even if that doesn't happen, Maybe the Knicks win the series anyway, so they took out the defending champ. But they are, you know, they will be, I mean if they are down now, I can't imagine where they'll be if they actually lose this series and this opportunity to get to the NBA Finals. We obviously, everybody knows this is a franchise that's been desperate to win for more than 50 years. But look, Indiana has been a lights out team since January 1st. I mean, if you look at records since the calendar flip to 2025, even before these playoffs, record wise, the Pacers were right there with the 360 win teams. I mean they have been a different team and just, they have been a top five team in the league since January 1st and in the playoffs have only gotten better with this repeated ability to win games that NBA history and NBA math tell us they should not be winning. I mean, I thought coming in, I actually picked the Pacers going into the series because Brunson to me is the best player in this series. He is the best player left in the E. But I just think the Pacers have a more well rounded team and that, I mean to see, it's going to be fascinating to see just psychologically how they, I, I think, I.
- [37:53]
Doug Gottlieb
Think it's like, yeah, the psychology is the most most interesting part. Let me go around the league really quickly. So is Giannis staying? Is that, do we, do we know he wants to stay? For sure.
- [38:05]
Mark Stein
We still don't have a firm indication on what he wants around the league. I think everyone is still expecting him to say that he wants a trade. But to be clear, that has not happened to our knowledge and the Bucks throughout this process, no matter what the rest of the league is hoping for, the Bucks have clung to hope that Giannis is very deep ties to Milwaukee. He's been there 12 years. I mean, that's what's crazy. It's, it's hard to believe that giannis is already 30 and has been a buck for 12 seasons. I mean it's, it's, it's crazy how fast this stuff goes. I mean, so look, the league is wishing, hoping and praying for one thing. We're all waiting for a firm declaration, but to this point we don't have it. And it does kind of hold things up because if he comes on, your teams want to be ready for whenever it is that he theoretically could emerge as a trade target. And I think even as, as good as Kevin Durant is, and we're talking about a future, future hall of Famer, I think even Kevin Durant's trade prospects will, will be, you know, the Giannis situation has to play out first.
- [39:27]
Doug Gottlieb
What about the Celtics?
- [39:31]
Mark Stein
They have incredibly tough decisions financially. The expectation certainly is that they're going to be active to some degree because obviously they're not going to have Tatum next season or if they do, it's going to be very, very late in the season. And so had they won again? Okay, had they won again, you could say, all right, it's going to be 500 million to keep this team together for one more year. But if you've won two titles in a row, you can talk yourself into, okay, we just have to deal with that payroll and luxury tax, check those, those figures. But if you're not going to have Tatum for a year, they have to shed payroll and the two contracts that everyone is looking at around the league. Porzingis has an expiring deal next season. That's almost 31 million. Drew Holiday has three years and more than 100 million left on his deal. I mean, we, we reported this week on my substack, Jake Fisher, who writes twice a week for me, you know, he reported this, that the buzz around the leagues already that Boston might have to attach something as its trade sweetener to move off Jrue Holiday's contract. Because as good as Jrue Holiday is, as proven as he is as a title make, title winning difference maker with two different teams, he's part of title teams in Milwaukee and Boston. But at his age and with the number that is still left on his deal, Boston might have to attach something to move off that salary, which makes it even less palatable for the Celtics. So there's no question that on your list of things to keep track of this summer, I think it starts with Giannis Durant. But Boston and what they do, it's certainly up there.
- [41:10]
Doug Gottlieb
Did the draft lottery save Nico?
- [41:15]
Mark Stein
It does appear in the short term that it has. There's been no indication of any looming change. The Mavericks are going to draft Cooper Flag. There's no doubt about that. And so you know, it's. It is, it is all it is. Still in Dallas, a weird vibe because they're obviously fans are obviously happy beyond belief to win the lottery. A franchise that has never even moved up in the lottery and knows nothing but draft lottery misery. There's undeniably happiness and joy and relief to have something good happen after three rough months. But there is still a lot of anger and dismay with the franchise. Not just trading Luka Doncic away, but the way that it went down. So look I can't wait for summer league. Like, I, I, I'm gonna, it's gonna be really interesting to me just to kind of see what the reaction is from the fans when, you know, Cooper Flagg is playing, you know, maybe, you know, I think Wemby played two games when he, when he came into summer league. So you'd like to think Cooper Flag will play a game or two for the Maverick summer league team. Like, there will be a lot of excitement, but, you know, it's still a fan base going through it on a lot of levels.
- [42:39]
Doug Gottlieb
Mark, you're the best, bud. Really appreciate you joining us. Look forward to reading your next substack. It's called the signline. Check it out on substack. Mark, thanks so much for joining us on FOX Sports Radio.
- [42:49]
Mark Stein
Sounds good. Talk soon.
- [42:51]
Doug Gottlieb
All right, that's the one and only other Cal State Fullerton titan on the radio today. Mark Stein, longtime NBA reporter and insider. Coming up next. I'm Doug Gottlieb in for Colin Cowherd. This is the Herd. Brock Purdy thinks He's the top 10 quarterback. Does anyone else think that? We'll discuss next. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.
- [43:11]
Colin Cowherd
Hey, 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. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture, stories that, well, 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 Enriched live on 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 Kobe, no, Rich, wherever you get your podcasts. 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 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. Everybody loves a good MVP story. And the story of Wasabi Technologies is one of the best. Wasabi is purpose built to free business businesses from skyrocketing storage costs and unpredictable egress fees from old and top heavy legacy providers. You know the big guys. Wasabi is the world's hottest cloud storage company, becoming the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams and leagues around the world. And here's why. From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cyber criminals, data deletion and ransomware. Wasabi has taken the lead in driving innovation in data storage, eliminating overhead where it matters to deliver you result you can count on and won't break the bank. In fact, Wasabi is up to 80% less than those other guys and doesn't charge a cent for businesses to access their own data. Wasabi Another championship story. Check them out for free@wasabi.com Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage Proud partner of the Voluum Podcast Network. Hey everybody. You've heard me talk about Green River Whiskey, the official whiskey of the herd podcast. And if you know anything about me, I love a good metaphor. So the team at Green river challenged me to come up with a perfect metaphor to describe their incredible bourbon and rye whiskeys. And with the playoffs upon us, the answer is clear. Green River Whiskey is like a big playoff win by your favorite team, always sure to raise your spirits. So pair the thrills of this playoff season with Green River Whiskey. And with four core products in their starting lineup, there's something to suit any taste to Find Green river near you. Head on over to greenriverwhisky.com here's the green River Whiskey. Raise your spirits. A product of Green River Distilling Company, Owensboro, Kentucky. Alcohol by volume varies by product. Greenriverwhiskey.com, please drink responsibly.
- [47:05]
Ryan
The following heartwarming yet informative scene is brought to you by Trust and Will.
- [47:09]
Jason Stewart
Son, your grandpa and I used to.
- [47:11]
Doug Gottlieb
Work on this car together. And when I'm gone, I want you to have it.
- [47:15]
Mark Stein
Wow.
- [47:15]
Colin Cowherd
Thanks, dad.
- [47:16]
Ryan
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- [47:36]
Doug Gottlieb
Gottlieb for Collins the Herd. FOX Sports Radio iHeartradio app. Welcome in. Hope you're getting ready to have a great Memorial Day weekend. Great Memorial Day weekend. Before we get you ready for our best for let me play for you. This is Brock Purdy. Gorgeous sign his new contract last week. Here's Brock Purdy on KNBR in San Francisco. He had this to say, are you a top 10 quarterback in the NFL?
- [48:01]
Mark Stein
Yeah, no, I think for sure I'm a top 10 quarterback.
- [48:04]
Doug Gottlieb
You know, I'll leave it at that. I'm not going to, you know, create a list or anything right now. Okay. So let's create a list with our best for last. It's almost the end of the show, but that doesn't mean we're phoning it in.
- [48:16]
Mark Stein
Nope.
- [48:17]
Doug Gottlieb
We grind to the very last segment. It's time for best for last. Okay, so we're taking this from Pro Football Focus. Pff. They have their first tier quarterbacks as Mahomes Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen. Okay, so that that doesn't include Jalen Hurts, who just won a Super bowl play. Well, in both Super Bowls that he was in. But I think it's fair to go, hey, he's benefited from great defense, great running game for some reason again. And maybe this is something we need to change because it's even part of my own evaluation.
- [48:53]
Mark Stein
We.
- [48:54]
Doug Gottlieb
And when I say we, I say most people who are yackers. Not, not necessarily NFL analysts. And I think NFL analysts are probably guilty of this, but I don't want to lump them on There I think we do a bad job of not allowing rushing plays and rushing yards to be part of the decision. Right. Because again, we've all been told, hey, if you want to win super bowl, you got to win it from the pocket. You do, but you don't. Anyway, PFF has high end starters as Jalen Hurts, Jaden Daniels, Matt Stafford, Justin Herbert. Okay, there's your top eight, if you will. And now is when it gets interesting. They put Jared Goff in there in their solid starters who have flashed high end play. Jared Goff, Geno Smith, Brock Purdy as that group and then solid starters, but they need more help. Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield, C.J. stroud, Kyler Murray and Trevor Lawrence. So those are your top 16 quarterbacks in the NFL. And I think most of us would go like, yeah, I'm okay if you take Geno out of there. Right? That would put Bert, that would put birdie squarely at 10. Now if you said Jordan Love has maybe more talent, sure, but he turns the ball over more. More touchdowns, but more interceptions. Kyler Murray scrambles around, runs around and has a better arm than Purdy, but doesn't make better decisions. Baker Mayfield also kind of smaller, whatever. Coming off a great year, CJ Stroud had a great year and a bad year. I think Purdy is one of those guys where we, we talk so much about tangibles. Tangibles, how big you are, how strong your arm is. He is a guy who, his intangibles are stronger than his tangibles, but his tangibles aren't so bad that he can't throw a football. You know, it's not like Tim Tebow. It's just when they have guys go that are injured, he doesn't seem like nearly the same guy. If you're going to ask me, is he a top 10 quarterback, I would say probably not. Is he good enough to win with? The answer is yes. And while I think most of us are like, that's a lot of money for Brock Purdy, the general thought in the NFL is a devil you know is better than the devil you don't. If you got one, lock them in. Keep them as long as you can because they're just really hard to find. Really hard to find. Really hard to find. Beach or. Or lake this weekend. J. Stu Beecher lake this weekend.
- [51:24]
Jason Stewart
Oh, man. I steer clear of anything with sand. I live in the wrong part of the world. I don't do sand. I don't do sun. But I guess if you're giving me a binary choice, I'll always take beach ocean, please.
- [51:38]
Doug Gottlieb
You're gonna do. You're I sense a hike in your future.
- [51:42]
Jason Stewart
Yeah, I like that. I like that.
- [51:44]
Doug Gottlieb
Smoking hot girlfriend's gonna make you take a. Take a hike.
- [51:46]
Jason Stewart
Good idea. Love that.
- [51:49]
Doug Gottlieb
Ryan, beach or lake?
- [51:52]
Jason Stewart
If I to choose, I choose probably like a lake.
- [51:56]
Colin Cowherd
I'm kind of anti social, but I'll probably go on a hike. I like being by myself.
- [52:00]
Doug Gottlieb
There you go. There you go. We can. Well, I mean you can be antisocial in any of these two places usually like though, you go with friends. You know, you go tie up the boats out places. There are places where the water's still not totally warm yet in those lakes, but quickly becoming more lake. Although there is nothing like the beach. Again, I think the problem with both of these places is it's not the beach or the lake, it's the people. Right. If you're there and the wrong people show up at the beach, you're like, yeesh. You get there at the lake and somebody just goes running by with the cigarette boat and, and, and they're causing wakes when they shouldn't. Yeesh. We'll see if the Knicks got any bounce back to him after that. Just horrific way of losing a game. From my experience at the college level, when you lose one like that, it does have a tendency to beat you for half of the second game as well. So wouldn't surprise me. The Pacers lead at the half and we'll see if the Knicks wake up. And for Oklahoma City winning last night, like again, I don't love the foul merchant tree, but they're winning because their defense and they seem to like each other. Have a great memorial weekend. I'm Doug Gotley. This is the hurt.
- [53:09]
Colin Cowherd
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. 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.
- [54:21]
Ryan
The following heartwarming yet informative scene is brought to you by Trust and Will.
- [54:25]
Doug Gottlieb
Son, your grandpa and I used to work on this car together and when I'm gone, I want you to have it.
- [54:31]
Mark Stein
Wow.
- [54:31]
Colin Cowherd
Thanks dad.
- [54:32]
Ryan
Doesn't count. What you need is a will. Luckily, Trust and Will makes it easy. Designed by attorneys but customized by you, you can easily create a state specific, legally valid document that actually counts. Now let's let the engine do the talking. Am I right? Start your will@trustandwill.com use offer code count for 20 off and make it count. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. For details, see trustandwill.com okay, have you heard about this?
- [54:53]
Colin Cowherd
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- [55:24]
Doug Gottlieb
This is an I Heart podcast.