THE HERD - Hour 3 - More on the NBA Finals

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 3 – More on the NBA Finals

Episode Date: June 10, 2026
Host: Colin Cowherd (with J Mac, Rob Parker, and guest Chris Broussard)
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd (iHeartPodcasts & The Volume)

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses heavily on the ongoing NBA Finals, especially the matchup dynamics between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. Colin and his rotating guests dissect key player performances, discuss the psychological impact of playing in major markets, debate NBA, NFL, and soccer stories, and engage in a nuanced conversation about gambling in college sports.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NBA Finals Analysis: Knicks vs. Spurs (03:13–11:54, 14:57–14:57, 16:46–24:24)

A. The Value of “Distraction-Free” Environments

• Colin opens with a discussion on how cities like Miami, Texas, and LA can act as distractions for young athletes, giving smaller-market teams (like Gonzaga in college basketball or San Antonio in the NBA) an “advantage” of focus due to less outside temptation.
• LeBron James, referencing the NBA Finals, shares the mentality of playing away from home:
  • "Knicks fans right now are so insane and crazy for a finals game that them starting off on the road... the main thing is the game. Let’s just play the game... San Antonio, we focus on basketball. You ain’t doing in San Antonio nothing at all. Nothing. And I mean nothing." (LeBron James, [04:34])

B. Knicks’ Struggles and Spurs’ Defensive Dominance

• Colin and J Mac highlight:

  • Jalen Brunson’s inefficiency in the series due to strong Spurs defense, especially by Victor Wembanyama (Wemby) and Stefan Castle.
  • Castle’s emergence as an elite defender who “held SGA [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] well below his norms” and is now making Brunson’s life difficult.
    • “Castle, outside of Knicks and Lakers, is probably my favorite player in the league. Just to watch. He plays so hard defensively, sometimes a little too aggressively, but that’s my style on the court.” (J Mac, [06:44])
  • Castle is described as a Jimmy Butler-type: “A hard, tough guy.” (J Mac, [08:39])

• Colin on Spurs’ player development and keys to the series:

  • “Wemby’s not going backwards... Castle’s game has been established. Elite defender, hyper-aggressive, can... It’s a decent shooter. Not great, but he can stroke it... The two big leaps on this franchise: Dylan Harper’s ability to hit the three, and then Wemby’s growth offensively.” ([06:58])
  • "Well, he was probably the one guy in the league this year, the one guy that had an argument. He got snubbed on the all-defensive team... he got overlooked." (Colin, [08:49])

C. Game 3 & MSG Pressure

• Chris Broussard joins for deeper analysis:

  • The Knicks’ home-court hype may actually hurt them: “I actually think tonight as well that most of the pressure... the Knicks... will feel because the city has been celebrating. The city has thought before game three that they got this championship in the bag." (Chris Broussard, [19:09])

  • The Spurs’ aggressive play and the Garden’s environment left the Knicks off-balance in Game 3.

  • Brunson’s performance and potential fatigue are discussed, especially given the full-court pressure from Castle and Wemby’s rim protection.

  • The Knicks' offense risks becoming too "Brunson-centric":

    • "The key for them is not being so Brunson Centric that no one else gets involved. And that's what happened in game... The Brunson centric offense... had them as a three seed in the east and down 2-1 to Atlanta... When they went, let's get the ball moving... that's when they went on their 13 game win streak." (Chris Broussard, [21:40])

  • The crucial stat: “When Wemby’s on the floor, the Knicks are shooting 39%. When he’s off the floor, they shoot 58.” (Colin, [20:00])

D. Free Throw Disparity Debate

• Both Colin and Chris debunk fan/coach concerns over free throw differentials:
  • Colin: “The Knicks were 25th in the NBA this year shooting free throws. That’s who they are. They don’t shoot free throws.” ([15:14])
  • Chris: "Mike Brown wasn't confused [about the free throw disparity]. He was putting it out there to get it on the minds of the officials hoping that maybe tonight... he'll get a favorable whistle." ([16:46])

2. Other Sports Updates (09:59–11:54, 28:13–29:23)

A. Soccer: Messi and World Cup in America

• Messi's popularity is highlighted by the 88,000+ crowd for Argentina’s friendly in Alabama. “Messi came off the bench in the 72nd minute. Crowd went nuts.” (J Mac, [09:11])
• Colin and J Mac discuss concerns about weather during the U.S.-hosted World Cup:
  • “Anything in Texas is going to be brutal for whoever has to play down there. It’s going to be rough.” (Colin, [09:45])

B. New York Giants Roster Talk

• Debate over the Giants' receiving corps with Malik Nabers’ health and new additions.
  • Colin is unconcerned: “I don’t really worry about their wide receiver position... They’ve done a good job with Juju Smith; Nabers comes back; Fields from Notre Dame. It’s not an area of concern.” ([10:45])
  • J Mac pushes back, citing the young quarterback and lack of proven targets.
    • “You have a second year quarterback in Jackson Dart who’s got like 12 starts and this is his wide receiver room. His leading returning receiver had 538 yards...” (J Mac, [11:04])

3. Broader College Sports & Gambling Controversy (29:23–39:18)

A. The Brendan Sorsby Betting Scandal

• Context: College quarterback Brendan Sorsby caught betting thousands of times on games, sparking national debate.
• Colin downplays the impact, arguing it’s more a case of poor personal judgment than a systemic threat:
  • “If I would have gone to any sports fan and said we’re going to have one major controversy this year in college football, you would have all guessed some kid was an idiot and bet a bunch of games and got caught.” ([30:41])
  • "All my buddies bet. None of them are problem gamblers. That's because none of us had any money. But the point being is this idea that everybody that does it is a victim. That's not true." ([34:22])
• J Mac contextualizes the numbers:
  • “He made 9,000 bets... It was spread across a lot of sports... People are saying... he only bet $90,000 on all those bets. So... he’s doing like $2 on Romanian soccer. He’s not moving markets.” ([31:35])
• Discussion about victimization and gambling regulation:
  • Colin challenges who the “victim” is in these cases: “He is the victim. He’s not broke. He doesn’t have a family. He’s not ruining a neighborhood or a university or a billionaire booster. It is a mistake. He should be punished firmly and more strongly now.” ([37:20])

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “College football teams are full of 18, 19, 20, 21-year-olds... I think it’s an advantage to play at Gonzaga in basketball... The reality is you’re. And I think, you know, the spurs are a really, really young team and San Antonio is not a, you know, wild party town necessarily.” – Colin Cowherd, [03:13]
• “Knicks fans right now are so insane and crazy for a finals game that them starting off on the road and just knowing that it’s keeping the main thing. The main thing. The main thing of the main thing is the game. Let’s just play the game... San Antonio, we focus on basketball. You ain’t doing in San Antonio nothing at all. Nothing. And I mean nothing.” – LeBron James (clip), [04:34]
• “If Wemby’s on the floor, the Knicks are shooting 39%. When he’s off the floor, they shoot 58%.” – Colin Cowherd, [20:00]
• “Stefan Castle is picking up Brunson full court... He hampered Anthony Edwards in Minnesota. He obviously hampered SGA for OKC... and now he’s doing it to Jalen Brunson. The dude is a great defender.” – Chris Broussard, [21:03]
• “When they went, let’s get the ball moving... getting others involved, running it through Cat, that’s when they went on their 13-game win streak.” – Chris Broussard, [21:44]
• “The key for them is not being so Brunson Centric that no one else gets involved. And that’s what happened in game three.” – Chris Broussard, [21:40]
• “People that are addicted to anything eat too much, drink too much, drive too fast, and gamble too much.” – Colin Cowherd, [31:16]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• NBA Finals, City Distraction Discussion – [03:13–05:13]
• Stefan Castle, Spurs Breakdown – [05:30–08:39]
• Soccer, Messi in America – [09:00–09:51]
• Giants’ Roster Debate – [10:45–11:54]
• Free Throw Disparity Debate – [16:46–17:39]
• Chris Broussard, Game 3 Atmosphere & Pressure – [17:39–20:00]
• Wemby’s Impact on Knicks – [20:00–21:03]
• Knicks’ Offensive Concerns – [21:03–22:58]
• LeBron/Lakers Offseason Musings – [22:58–24:24]
• Broad U.S. World Cup Hype – [28:13–29:03]
• College Gambling Scandal, Sorsby – [29:23–39:18]

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Memorable Moments

• LeBron James’ blunt take on San Antonio: “You ain’t doing in San Antonio nothing at all. Nothing. And I mean nothing.” ([04:34])
• Chris Broussard on Knicks pressure: “…the city thinks it’s over and they certainly thought it was over before two zero... that does affect you to some degree.” ([18:26])
• Colin’s philosophical question on sports gambling: “Who is the victim here?... A victim maybe the wrong word. He will pay the price singularly.” ([36:00])

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Episode Summary

This episode delivers a comprehensive snapshot of the current NBA Finals, dissecting matchups, the pressures of playing in New York, and the rise of young defensive stars like Stefan Castle. It also expands into soccer’s growing American footprint and the upcoming World Cup, before engaging in a thought-provoking discussion about gambling in college sports and its ripple effects.

The pace is energetic, candid, and opinionated as always, combining tactical sports analysis with larger societal themes—making it both entertaining and insightful for any new listener or die-hard fan.

Transcript

[Podcast Narrator]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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 [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.

[Rob Parker]

Now, let's get this party started.

[Colin Cowherd]

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. I always thought it was an advantage, or maybe a disadvantage. Years ago, I was talking to a college football fan and I said, how does Texas and Miami and usc, you could look at historically and say they kind of underachieve. And I was talking to somebody, I said, I think part of it is those are probably the three best places in terms of fun and options in college football. College football is mostly small towns. Coral Gables, you're by South Beach, Austin, Texas. Music, wine, food. You know, in LA is la, entertainment capital of the country. I'm like, college football teams are full of 18, 19, 20, 21 year olds. And I'm like, I think it's an advantage to play at Gonzaga and basketball. You know, I think it's an advantage to play in Tuscaloosa or Athens, Georgia, is that, you know, the reality is you're. And I think, you know, the spurs are a really, really young team and San Antonio is not a, you know, wild party town necessarily. But LeBron was talking to Steve Nash on Mind the Game podcast about, even though the Knicks have a bunch of veterans, it was probably easier to start the series on the road. Here's LeBron.

[LeBron James (clip)]

Knicks fans right now are so insane and crazy right now for a finals game that them starting off on the road and just knowing that it's keeping the main thing. The main thing. The main thing of the main thing is the game. Let's just play the game. I can only imagine if game one started at Madison Square Garden. People asking for tickets, people want to be in there. San Antonio, we focus on basketball. You ain't doing in San Antonio nothing at all. Nothing. And I mean nothing.

[Colin Cowherd]

Not getting on the river, man, hell no.

[LeBron James (clip)]

You get on a riverwalk around and fall in the water.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, LeBron was critical of a city. Watch out. Every city's equal in America. J Mac with the news.

[Rob Parker]

No, no, no, turn on the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

This is the Herdline news.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Every city is not equal in America, just like every guard in this series is not equal. Stefan Castle was a factor Collin in Game 3, 18 points in the first half. That's more than he scored in entirety of game one or game two. And Castle was on doing an interview and man, he won just one game. And listen to what he said going down the rest of the way.

[LeBron James (clip)]

We all want to win. You know, we don't care who really puts the ball in the basket, who, who gets the numbers. We all just want to win. So, I mean, yeah, just trying to stick with it, like I said, and not get satisfied with just one win, the one we came here to get to. I expect us to win the next three, but I mean us just taking it game by game, you know, quarter by quarter and trying to walk this thing down.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think if the Knicks can win in like five or six games and Brunson's as inefficient as he's been for a long stretch all season, it really does tell you how special this team is. Cause Jalen Brunson now plus minus is a minus. And he's not shooting particularly well because he gets no freebies in the lane with Wemby none. And Castle's one of the, to me is one of the better defenders in the league.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

He not locked up, but held SGA well below his norms.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

And if he were to do the same to Brunson, I'm telling you, I think Castle, outside of Knicks and Lakers, is probably my favorite player in the league. Just to watch. He plays so hard defensively, sometimes a little too aggressively, but that's my style on the court.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think his game is largely established. I think Dylan Harper has to work on hitting threes and I think Wemby has to work on refining his offensive game this team next year. I mean, I kind of really feel like you better get them now. Wemby's not going backwards. And Dylan Harper's is super athletic, but he's not a dependable three point shooter. I think Castle's game has been established. Elite defender, hyper aggressive, can. It's a decent shooter. Not great, but he can, he can stroke it. I think the two big leaps on this franchise. Vesel's obviously a real solid player, but I kind of feel like I know what I have. Yeah, I think Dylan Harper's ability to hit the three force you to close on him because he is so fast and quick. And then Wemby's growth offensively, I, I Castle to me, I mean is he did he make what? What did he make this year? What were the awards for?

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Castle, I don't think he got anything. I mean he's a young guy, he's only third year. But Colin, the other thing I love is he looks like he knows what

[Colin Cowherd]

he needs to do.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

He's all business. And there's some basketball players. The modern era is very Instagram heavy. Right? Were you on the highlights? You're flashing? You're walking into the arena. Go to his Instagram. There's none of that stuff. He doesn't seem like one of these Ja Morant types. Zion Williamson, who you want?

[Colin Cowherd]

He won Rookie of the. He won Rookie of the Year. So he's established himself as a really high end player. But I, but I kind of feel like with Castle, I know what I'm kind of getting every game. I know what I'm getting from him tonight. Elite defense. He'll stroke a couple of big shots. You're going to get like 16, 18 points. I kind of feel like I know what his game is. I. Not that he can't grow. I mean he'll be an all NBA player, maybe second team. I mean he may get a first team nod.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

I think he's Jimmy Butler reincarnated. A hard, tough guy.

[Colin Cowherd]

Defensively, that's a good call. It's a good comp.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

If you look at, he doesn't smile on the court, he's having fun, but he's not smiling. He's talking trash. I love that.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, he was probably the one guy in the league this year, the one guy that had an argument. He got snubbed on the all defensive team. He didn't make it. So there was a feeling he got overlooked.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Media is such a joke. All right, let's go to soccer. Colin, last night, I think you alluded to this, but Argentina played a friendly in Auburn, Alabama, and 88000 people showed up. Leona Messi came off the bench in the 72nd minute. Crowd went nuts. He hit a PK there and sounds like Messi's gonna be good to go in the World Cup. This will be his second sixth World Cup.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Listen, I think you could have probably scored against Iceland last night, not Auburn. But it is an interesting choice because, I mean, I haven't seen full weather reports, but I do know weather's going to be a factor. Colin, at the World cup it gets hot as hell here in America.

[Colin Cowherd]

We have matches. I mean, look, some of the matches are. I mean they have a good one in Seattle, but you got a lot of Houston and anything in Texas is going to be brutal for whoever has to play down there. It's going to be rough.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Even East Rutherford in July.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh yeah.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Is going to be oppressive. And I know people say, well Qatar. No, it was winter in Qatar. It wasn't oppressive. Heat. That's something. That's a tough thing to factor into the handicap. So I think they'll bring along Messi slowly. I don't think he'll start in the opener. I just don't see a point for him to be playing heavy minutes early when you know he's going to be. They're going to be going to the knockout rounds and making a deep one. Final story called New York Giants the G Man. Oh boy, we love them on this show just because they always make news. Well, here's Joe Shane. We call him embattled gm I don't know but he spoke this week and said he believes Malik Neighbors will be fine for week one. So words say Malik Neighbors will be fine week one. Their actions are. Let's go sign a bunch of wide receivers because we don't know about Neighbors. So always actions over words. But your thoughts on how this could impact the Giants?

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen, I don't really worry about their wide receiver position. I think they've done a good job with Juju Smith. Neighbors comes back Fields from Notre Dame. It's not an area of concern. I don't worry about them at quarterback, running back. They've upgraded it. I think their wide receiving core is fine. I don't think it's an issue.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Let me push back. You say it's fine. You have a second year quarterback in Jackson Dart who's got like 12 starts and this is his wide receiver room. His leading returning receiver had 538 yards worth of catches last year.

[Colin Cowherd]

Colin. So what that's concerning.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

You don't think that's a concern?

[Colin Cowherd]

If Neighbors is not there, Slayton Mooney, juju Smith, Schuster, Braxton Barrios, those guys will figure the playbook out in four practices. They're going to be fine. If this is not a great receiving core, it's not a, it's not a factor. It'll be fine. They're not winning and losing on this receiving core. That's not what they're about. Watch Malachi Fields end up being really productive. Maybe not in the first month because I mean there's a lot of veterans. He has to get playing time. Malachi Field is a one of the better draft picks. What is he a third round pick? I think he's going to end up being a really nice pro.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

So continuity, not a big deal.

[Colin Cowherd]

Not to me. J Mac with the News well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the Herd LIE news. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Rob Parker]

Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10pm Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right, you can now watch the

[Rob Parker]

Odd couple live on YouTube every day. All you got to do search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube again. YouTube just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube and subscribe.

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[Colin Cowherd]

It feels good to Geico. Living with a rare autoimmune condition can bring a lot of uncertainty, but can also bring people together in powerful ways. Tune in for Season six of Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a Ruby Studio production in partnership with Argenics. This season, host Martine Hackett brings you fresh stories from people living with MG and CIDP and expands the conversation of people living with other rare conditions like Myositis and igan. Through their stories, you'll learn what it's like to participate in clinical trials seeking new treatments, how connection fuels hope, and how people can support one another along the way. Because living with a rare disease isn't about getting through it. It's about moving forward together. Listen to Untold Stories Life with a Severe Autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You see him on First Things First, Game four tonight in New York. Here is a Chris Broussard Brew is joining us live here in the Herd. So you know, it's interesting, when the warriors were dominating the league with kd, they didn't shoot a lot of free throws because they were very much a jump shooting team. The Celtics over the last several years near the bottom in free throw attempts. Fans, I was surprised Mike Brown was confused about it. The Knicks were 25th in the NBA this year shooting free throws. That's who they are. They don't shoot free throws. Well, you add Wemby to the equation where all they're doing is u turns in the lane. They're not going to shoot a lot of free throws in this series. Like I I mean it's physical. I was surprised Mike Brown went there. I thought Kat played poorly, Bridges played poorly. Wemby was great. This is not a free throw producing team, is it?

[Rob Parker]

No. And what you said, you said earlier, you were surprised. Mike Brown was confused about it. He wasn't confused. He was playing with the officials or not playing. But he was putting it out there like we've seen coaches do before in the finals. He was just putting it out there to get it on the minds of the officials hoping that maybe tonight in game four he'll get a favorable whistle. So I think he knew what he was doing. You're right. The spurs have been far more aggressive in attacking the basket, the rim than the Knicks have. And so that's the difference. You look at two of the Knicks players that do get in the mid range or in the paint. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby. They each had at least eight free throw attempts. I think Anoby had nine and. Or Anoby had nine and Brunson had eight. Wimy had nine for the, for the Spurs. So they, those that were at the rim were getting caught.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right. You know there's. It was funny, I thought from the very beginning San Antonio took it over even though the Knicks are an experienced team. I did think playing at home. LeBron just talked about this. It's like the fans are so crazy. You're getting tickets for friends. It was a weird. You were. The weird environment. It was. I just felt like very early the Knicks were not cohesive and I kind of feel like they'll get their balance, they'll get their feet tonight. But your take on game three, I didn't think there was any question Wemby was the best player. The spurs were the better team. They had much greater balance. They were much more aggressive. Can we just chalk it up to. It was a lot. I mean the price of tickets. It was the biggest game of the garden in 30 years.

[Rob Parker]

The president being there. Yeah, yeah. Look, I think first of all, these teams are very evenly matched. Colin. So I do think the spurs outplayed them in game three. I think this series could be 30 either way or 21 either way. Like that's how close. I mean the spurs held leads in the last two minutes of every game, so it's been close. But to your point, I do think the atmosphere probably worked against the Knicks more than it did the spurs and also beyond just the arena itself. Colin, new look. The players on the Knicks have done a great job of staying level headed and not ahead of themselves and not getting overconfident. But the fans, the city, the city thinks it's over and they certainly thought it was over before two zero. Before two. Oh, so the players are hearing that constantly. It does affect you to some degree. And I actually think tonight as well that most of the pressure. The Knicks, the Spurs obviously have to win. You don't want to go down 3:1. But for the Knicks, I do think there's a pressure that they will feel because the city has been celebrating. The city has thought before game three that they got this championship in the bag. And if the Knicks don't win tonight, those players are really going to feel the pressure of losing a lead and maybe losing a finals that the whole city thought that they had in the back.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, if you look, there's a number here that jumps out. When Wemby's on the floor, the knicks are shooting 39%. When he's off the floor, they shoot 58. It's pretty obvious is that when Cornet comes in, the Knicks are a different offense. And that in any game with two days rest, the spurs have a huge advantage. Wemby gets rest tonight. You get one night's rest. So, I mean, I look at Jalen Brunson, he's not getting as many free looks inside because of Wemby. And Stefan Castle's an elite performer. If you were a Knick fan, would you worry about this? It's not a great. It's not a great series for Brunson because Castle is one of the elite defensive guards in the league. Top three in the league. Wemby takes away all the freebies and if he doesn't get in foul trouble, and he generally doesn't, this is not. They're going to have to have somebody besides Brunson to star, and that's not been who they are in the fourth quarter this year.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah. And first, let me look Castle. Stefan Castle is picking up Brunson full court. And let's give Castle some credit. He hampered Anthony Edwards in Minnesota. He obviously hampered SGA for okc. And now he's doing it to Jalen Brunson. The dude is a great defender. And Colin over the. As this series goes on, a lot of people talking about Wendy's fatigue, like you said, especially after one day's rest. We'll see what that looks like tonight. But I think as this series goes on, you do have to be concerned about Jalen Brunson, just his fatigue level. Because when you have guys picking you up full court and hounding you all the way up the court and the referees are letting them play, so they're getting away with a little bumping, little hand checking, things like that, that can wear you down. And so, yeah, this is. Look, Brunson is scoring. I mean, he's averaging what, about 28 points in the series. He's going to get his points. He's not doing it efficiently, but they're. The key for them is not being so Brunson Centric that no one else gets involved. And that's what happened in game four three. The Brunson centric offense. Colin had them as a three seed in the east and down two one to Atlanta. All right, when they went, let's get the ball moving, let's get players moving, equal opportunity offense, of course. Brunson still the man, but getting others involved, running it through Cat. That's when they went on their 13 game win streak. They were averaging 27 assists in that 13 game win streak. They had 18 assists in game three and they only have five or six assists in the second half of game three. So the key for them is getting the ball movement moving and not just letting Jaylen dribble all night long and take shots.

[Colin Cowherd]

By the way, Mark Stein reported the Lakers LeBron wants to stay in LA. He does not want to go anywhere. Do you think if they can't connect in a number that LeBron would retire? Is there a 5% chance of that, 10% chance his family doesn't want to leave?

[Rob Parker]

I mean, I guess I might say 5% chance. I, I think he definitely wants to play. He obviously is capable of not only playing, but playing at a very high level. I think he would go elsewhere. Look, Colin, I do think, while I know the Lakers are certainly right there and he could be back there. Look, I think Cleveland might be something he considers because he obviously would have to take very little money, but there would be so much money off the court in endorsements and everything related to him being back home that I think that something financially wouldn't be a problem for him. So I just, I'm just putting that out there as a possibility. And we've heard the talk and the rumblings about Golden State. That would be fun. They wouldn't win the championship, but that would be fun and a circus and really a great way for his last year, if it indeed is his last year. But I would bet that he plays next year, whether it's in LA or somewhere else.

[Colin Cowherd]

Brew, Good seeing you, buddy.

[Rob Parker]

All right, Colin, you too.

[Colin Cowherd]

Here's how big it is for the Knicks. If the Knicks win tonight, they have a 3:1 lead in the series. 38 times a team in the finals 38 times has taken a 3:1 lead in the Series. They're 37 and 1. So it is a Knicks win tonight and my spurs in six prediction probably circles the drain. Live in Chicago, 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.

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[Podcast Narrator]

If you walk into a room and can't remember why, it could be nothing or something more. If you confuse a familiar recipe, it could be a slip up or it could be associated with amyloid plaque buildup in the brain. Amyloid is a protein that your body produces naturally, but a buildup in the brain could lead to memory and thinking issues. To see what may be behind your memory and thinking issues, talk to your doctor about getting a full assessment. It's never too early to start the conversation. Visit amyloid.com to learn more.

[Colin Cowherd]

Living with a rare autoimmune condition can bring a lot of uncertainty, but can also bring people together in powerful ways. Tune in for season six of Untold Stories, Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a Ruby Studio production in partnership with Argenics. This season host Martine Hackett brings you fresh stories from people living with MG and CIDP and expands the conversation of people living with other rare conditions like Myositis and igan. Through their stories, you'll learn what it's like to participate in clinical trials seeking new treatments, how connection fuels hope, and how people can support one another along the way. Because living with a rare disease isn't about getting through it, but that's about moving forward together. Listen to untold stories life with a severe autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

The World cup is finally here tomorrow. It all gets started from Mexico City at 3 Eastern when Mexico takes on South Africa on Fox. Then Friday night, the United States begins their quest for the World cup against Paraguay at 9 Eastern on Fox. The greatest six weeks in sports starts tomorrow on Fox and FS1.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's gonna break. Shatter every ratings record an American soccer sports history. I always roll my eyes, hey, man, nobody likes soccer. No, it's a lot of people do. Like, every friend I have likes it. So it's going to be a big deal. You know, J. Mac, you always get that guy. Oh, nobody watches the NBA. I'm seeing the numbers. Every single person I know watches the NBA.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Yeah, college football's dying.

[Colin Cowherd]

Really. It's just, it's, it's like an epidemic. It's an epidemic in the. I understand fans being emotional. I always have.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

I. The media wants the fatal stuff, like you said, because it gets clicks. Are you going to read a story about, hey, everything is great in college football. You're not reading that. You're reading the death of the ncaa.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's what you're reading. The media does report on plane crashes, not plane landings. So it's not news if a plane lands. So we do report, I mean, we do report on, on bank robberies and plane crashes. That's when we report stuff. But I, but I do think over the course of my life, and I think some of it is the media has gotten younger because, I mean, it's, it's, it's more about profits now than it was when I got in the business 35 years ago, profits mattered. But it's, it's. And because of that, the media is younger and people that are younger have less perspective. If you're 28 and 32, you just haven't lived that much. So you see something and you're like, oh, this is the end of the world. And it's like, you get to my age and you get gray hair. You've seen everything four times. I mean, I've lived through the Donaghy betting scandal, the Damon Jones betting scandal, the Guardians betting scandal, Pete Rose betting scandal. Like Brendan Sorsby is not the end of the world. We're also in a time in America with gambling. There's a lot of new stuff. We're figuring that it's like nil. We're kind of figuring it out. Well, it's just like business. It's like tech. It took everybody a while. I mean, there was a long period of time. The only thing that made money on the Internet was adult videos. That was for like a decade. I mean, literally, it's just like AI AI is going to have all sorts of swings and misses. There's going to be two companies, maybe three, that are going to crush, you know, like if you go back and you know, Microsoft did well, Apple did well. And there, I remember 25 years ago, micro Sun Systems or something like that. And it was like. And that just disappeared. Dell's always done very well, but there's, there's going to be winners and losers. This Brennan Sorsby situation was totally predictable. If I would have gone to any sports fan and said we're going to have one major controversy this year in college football, you would have all guessed some kid was an idiot and he's a player and he bet a bunch of games and he got caught. You would have guessed that. So that's, it's not shocking that it hap this idea. It's like, oh, it's unbelievable. Well, he bet 900 times. Well, people that are addicted to anything, eat too much, drink too much, drive too fast and gamble too much.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

But that's the thing. He made 9,000 bets. But it was spread across a lot of sports. And Colin, some of the numbers people are saying like, wait, he, he, he only bet $90,000 on all those bets. So he's doing like $2 on Romanian soccer. He's not moving markets. He's not getting stuff from the. Well, from the Indiana offensive coach and putting $10,000 on or not. He's not doing that.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen, I work with Hard Rock Bet. I formerly work with DraftKings and formerly work with FanDuel. I've worked with all of them and I've always asked him, what's your average bet? And you know what? The average bet, they all have the same number, $4.

[Rob Parker]

Right.

[Colin Cowherd]

So college, even with nil, you know, I mean, most betters, overwhelmingly the disturbance rate is. Every time I read a Commercial for a gambling company. I read a 1-800-number. I don't do that with alcohol, you know, so, you know, I mean, it's.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

It's a dopamine rush a lot of these kids want, you know, My son. You met my son, right? He's 15. He got into the prediction market stuff. We got him out of it quickly, but he was instantly like. Him and his buddies are like, oh, I can do this, and bet on the weather and all that.

[Colin Cowherd]

I went golfing with somebody the other day.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Settle down.

[Colin Cowherd]

I went golfing. Nice guy. And just, just, you know, you talk. You play 18 holes, you talk. And this young guy was. He had a new kid on the way. He's got. He goes, I'm gonna have to stop gambling. And I'm like, you know, I. I didn't pry, but I was like, how. How much do you bet? How often do you bet? And he's like, oh, I bet every day. I'm like, how much do you bet? And he had a good job. I didn't. I don't know exactly what it was, but it was. He had a good job, he was doing well, and he bet a lot of money. And I remember leaving the course thinking, I like gambling. Always have. Back in Vegas, blazing five. Oh, I mean, my first week in Las Vegas, you know, I was going to the Palace Station, the Station casinos. I was going to the Palace Station. I was betting five bucks and getting a 99 cent ham and egg breakfast. Like, I've been betting forever. And my take is all my buddies bet. None of them are problem gamblers. That's because none of us had any money. But the point being is this idea that everybody that does it is a victim. That's not true. It's a very small percentage. And a lot of the people that get it over their head, it's not because they're making $20,000 bets to your point. They're just making a lot of bets. And it is, you know, it's something we have to keep our eye on. I am not shocked at all this happened. It is not the last time a big college athlete gambles. It is, Abs. I think it's a much bigger problem. When, like, the mob was. Was changing outcomes for Boston College or the player for Arizona State was literally missing, you know, shots. That worries me. There is no proof this young man who made poor decisions and should be punished there was altering outcomes. Even Tim Donaghy. Donaghy admitted, I didn't change outcomes, I changed over unders. He would call more he admitted Donaghy was very transparent. He goes, I wasn't trying to change winners. So even he. In his world, Donaghy believed he was principled. He goes, I'm just pushing overs. I'm not changing outcomes. So, I mean, in Tim Donaghy's Maybe you say warped world, his thing is, I don't want to change the outcome. I just want to get the over. So let's call fouls. And again, unethical. Should not be officiating games. But, you know, now. Now Joel Klatt totally disagrees with me. He doesn't like this at all. Brendan Sorsby being ruled eligible to play next fall in college football is devastating to the sport. It just is. And in particular, the ncaa and now the ncaa, they have no ability to enforce any rule whatsoever. If you can't enforce this rule as. As an organization with member institutions, then

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[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, the guy bet thousands of times thousands of dollars. Like what? What are we doing? Yeah, it's. Let me ask you this, J. Mac. Who's the victim here? Brennan Sorsby? Well, I mean, he could call himself a victim. Is the victim college football? That's kind of an amoeba. So my take is we have all sorts of players getting arrested in pro sports, and they're victims. Women, assaults. Worse, they're victims. Who's a victim here?

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

So is this a victimless crime?

[Colin Cowherd]

No, I'm saying he blew his career up. Well, for now, and deservedly so. But the victim, it. Well, the company's not going out of business. Texas Tech billionaire is not going out of business. The. The program's not being suspended. So I'm. I'm. I'm asking the question. I'm not making a definitive statement. Who is the victim? That. Well, and a victim maybe the wrong word. He will pay the price singularly. He. He's not married with kids. He's nil. He's got money. He didn't bet, as you said, they found it one. Betting a fortune. Yeah, he actually had the monetary part of it under control. It was the addiction and the volume of betting. Who is the victim. So, again, I worry about people that commit crimes, and there are countless victims. You know, I've always said this about. You know, I. I don't know if I've been drunk in 50 years. I mean, I have a cocktail, but I just. I don't drink to excess. But there are people in America that flush out of stadiums and bars, that get on the road and drive. It's like that Worries me. Those aren't victimless crimes. DUIs can turn into disasters and ruin your family or your somebody else's family.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

So let me ask you, do you think college football needs to amend the rules about gambling or like, what's the fallout?

[Colin Cowherd]

I think college football has done a very good job. I think the messaging has been excellent. Don't do it. I think universities do a good job, but there are rogue betters. I mean, listen, you see, messaging does matter. Commercials do work. We see messaging all the time. Leagues come out don't do this and 99% of people don't. Every single, every single baseball clubhouse, no gambling, a guardian pitcher gamble. We have messaging by our government, don't do this, don't do that, and people do that. So it's not this Valhalla, this perfect world is this kid made a massive mistake. He is the victim. He's not broke. He doesn't have a family. He's not ruining a neighborhood or a university or a billionaire booster. It is a mistake. He should be punished firmly and more strongly now. And so is the victim the Big 12? Well, it didn't affect any other school that we know of. He was betting ping pong. So again, I'm not advocating or validating it. What I am saying is there are so many things that happen in our society that we tolerate. I mean, we tolerate people leaving bars. I mean, people get served drinks and you know, all over the country they get served drinks. They're over the legal limit and the bartender knows it by the way, getting in a car and driving home.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Are you surprised that a gambling company or two or however many he was working with allowed him to make 9,000 bets? Okay, before saying, hey, we gotta turn this guy in, they'll take all of the money he's willing to lose to them.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, so will casinos. Casinos will cut you off.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Shouldn't they be to blame just a little bit? Hey, we'll let you make 9,000 bets. We'll take a lot of your money and then we're going to turn you in.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. People have complained for years that some of those companies put a stop to the hot gamblers and never do to the cold gamblers.

[J Mac (Sports Analyst)]

Listen, if he was a winning better, he would not have made 9,000. 9,000.

[Colin Cowherd]

He is recovering from addiction. That's what the people around him are saying. An addiction is real. Absolutely, indisputably.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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

[Podcast Narrator]

If you walk into a room and can't remember why, it could be nothing or something more. If you confuse a familiar recipe, it could be a slip up or it could be associated with amyloid plaque buildup in the brain. Amyloid is a protein that your body produces naturally, but a buildup in the brain could lead to memory and thinking issues. To see what may be behind your memory and thinking issues, talk to your doctor about getting a full assessment. It's never too early to start the conversation. Visit amyloid.com to learn more. This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.