Speaker 1: Hey, Maddie, Hi Ross, how you doing, Matthew, I've been better.
Speaker 2: Technical difficulties at the station.
Speaker 1: We're back on air, though, baby, all right Kevin or no? No?
Do we want to call Kevin? Do we want to
just do nothing?
Speaker 2: Let's yeah, we'll try call him. Let's call Kevin or
you want to try to break real quick? I mean,
we just went on a very link like a wrong
ass break. Let's let's stay here.
Speaker 1: For a mene.
Speaker 2: Technical difficulties up at the station. But we're all good now.
And I sound a little bit different, but you know whatever,
it's fine.
Speaker 3: All right, I'm going to send Why don't you talk
for thirty seconds while I sent Jonathan and Chris Kevin
Harlan's number, So stay with me, you talk for a
few seconds.
Speaker 2: Okay, we're gonna talk. Yeah, we're supposed to have Kevin
Harland here on the station here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
But we had some technical difficulties. We had to get
the engineers in here, all that type of stuff. So
everything is gonna be all all right. Soon enough, we
will get Kevin Harlan on here. That should be well,
a real fun conversation coming up with him. We had
Rockets head coach Emma Adoka on the show early. You
can catch that on the Sports Talk seven ninety dot
com podcast page. I think some of the will be
posted up on our social media as well. Looking forward
to talk to Kevin Harland. We've had some NCAA news.
We've been talking about Rockets losing last night a heartbreaker
in Portland as the tip in from Tarry Eason went in,
but just with about I mean milliseconds, literal milliseconds after
the buzzer. Back in the olden days as it was
called a win, it would have been fine, but justice
was served. Rockets didn't get the shot off in time,
so they lost the game to the Portland Trailblazers.
Speaker 1: As they stay in.
Speaker 2: Portland and they'll be taking them on tomorrow at nine
pm here on Sports Talk seven ninety with yours truly
on the Rockets launch pad coming at at eight o'clock,
and I'm guessing you're gonna hear from Rockets head coach
Imyadoka there too.
Speaker 3: Imagine that taking a nice conversation with the Rockets head
coach and replaying it for the Rockets launchpande tomorrow.
Speaker 1: I mean, people want to hear the programming. What do
you mean.
Speaker 3: I should have had that second cup of coffee this morning?
Because now are you really wired?
Speaker 1: How many him do I hear? Kevin Harlan?
Speaker 3: Thank god? You know what Kevin does, these radio interviews
all across the country. Nothing is more as fluid than
right now, Kevin, it's Mack.
Speaker 1: Can you hear me? Okay?
Speaker 4: I can't. Yeah, let me assumed connection didn't work? Huh
it didn't.
Speaker 3: Well, no, I'm gonna peel the curtain back. All right,
our borgeous fried seven minutes ago.
Speaker 1: All right, when you do.
Speaker 4: Oh, I'm so sorry.
Speaker 3: When you were doing Football Sunday when I was a
kid board hopping thirty five years ago, your board fried too.
Speaker 1: So I don't want to. I don't want you to
judge me at all.
Speaker 4: Not gonna. I won't judge nothing worse than a fried board.
I said that. I really mean, I really mean it.
Speaker 1: Right now, give me give me credit. I listen.
Speaker 3: When I was a young board operator twenty years old,
football Sunday was on my radio on seven and KSV
in Houston, Texas. So I remember, young Kevin Harlowe.
Speaker 4: Those are wonderful memories. I always tell young broadcasters that
sometimes if you dream and you're lucky enough in the
business to achieve those dreams, you don't look around and say,
is there more? You say, I'm so thankful for every
step that got me to that position. And whether you're
a board out when you're twenty, whether you're just trying
to climb the ladder step by step from job to
job and team to team and assignment to assignment, you
you appreciate the journey. And I think anybody in the
business would tell you that same thing, that the journey
truly is such the reward, and you enjoyed being at
the end of it and where your dreams, you know,
all kind of come together. But it's it's approaching. It's
approaching that which is really fun. And I've enjoyed the
journey much like you. I'm sure I have. And it
is an honor to have you on. I tell this
to Jim when he's on with me, because we're fellow
you of h guys. I mean I on a couple
of times, you the three of you, can't retire. You
just can't. I don't care if you reduce your schedule.
Speaker 3: You've cut back in your Amazon Prime, which I'm not
happy about But that is what it is. You just
can't quit on me because I need you guys in
my business. I need people to go. I wanted Kevin
harn Ulman. I almost had one yesterday. Tari Eastan's tip
in almost gave me a chance to be on Sports Center,
except it was one tenth of a second too late,
so I was.
Speaker 1: I wasn't able to get the Nationals.
Speaker 4: Too bad. Yeah, oh that's too bad. That's too bad.
You would have enjoyed it in the call. I know
would have been phenomenal.
Speaker 1: Hey, what is your favorite?
Speaker 4: There's more as good as good as that team.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, there's.
Speaker 4: More in store. There's no doubt.
Speaker 1: What's your favorite buzzer beater?
Speaker 3: Whether it be football, you've called field goals, you've called
buzzer beaters in your career.
Speaker 1: Give me give me your top one or two if
you can think of it.
Speaker 4: Two. In Big Moments, Playoff Game Toronto, Game seven, Philadelphia
Toronto Raptors fade away falling out of bounds, heavily defended
Kawhi three in the corner for the Raptors to and
the ball bounced about three or four times on the
rim and went down and won the series, and the
Raptors went on to win the championship, but Kawhi hit
that shot in the final seconds to win the series,
got into the finals and the rest is history. And
then we had a game in the Eastern Conference Finals
a couple of years ago in Miami, Boston Derek White
beating at the buzzer the Heat to force I think
it was a three nothing series lead by the Heat,
and Boston came back and won the series. They won,
they they they won four games to three, but that
game six in Miami forced the game seven and White
got through the inbound pass, drove to the basket, retrieved
the pass, took it in and they didn't count it
at first look back, and it was good. So those yeah,
those are two kind of recent times. And you know
you got, you got. I've always been told you call
it as if it's good, because if they rule it
no good, then it'll it'll just disappear. If it's really good,
you say, oh, I don't know that he got it
in time, then it lives in that world and you
don't have the oomph on the call. You assume it's
good until you're told otherwise. So you make the call
if it's good in a game winner scoring in whatever sport,
and I've kind of stuck with that motto.
Speaker 1: It's good words, great advice.
Speaker 3: The great Kevin Harlan with us here on the Matt
Thomas Show with Ross here from Portland. Kevin, you've seen
the Texans a few times this year, and everybody that
calls a game, whether national or local, regional, brags about
the defense. You have called the NFL football for thirty
plus years. Size up this Texans defense. And again, you
don't even necessarily play he to a Houston audience, but
the facts are, especially at the ends, Daniel Hunter and
Will Anderson have made life miserable for about seventeen or
eighteen different quarterbacks this year, and.
Speaker 4: They're about ready to make life miserable. I think for
Rogers Monday night, I think he's going to be pinched
all night long. And these kids are excited about the
platform on a Monday night, standalone game, not in a
busy weekend, but standalone game. The weather's not going to
be like it is in Houston. They're not going to
be indoors. It's going to have a frigid feel to it.
But I think that when you get to this stage,
and you've got the momentum that the Texans have right now.
I don't think anything's going to stop them. I think
Rogers is a historically special player, and I think getting
DK metcalf is going to help them. And I think
the third component is the Texans stopping the run game,
which showed life against Baltimore in Week eighteen and that
big win on Sunday night. Those two kids are special,
Warren and Gainwell, and the quarterback has a very good
He's playing exceptional football right now. Rogers is. So that's
the matchup. Nothing against CJ and what that offense does,
and not a shot at Watt and what he means
to the Pittsburgh defense. But to me, the game centers
around how effective can Rogers be? Is though momentum strong
long enough, is the confidence great enough that they can
contend with those two ends? That will just cause I
think havoc all night long from the Texans defense. And
of course we know about the glitter and the secondary
and what they mean, how they can change a game.
I love this game. I love it for many reasons.
Being outdoors hall of Fame quarterback, rising young quarterback in CJ.
This defense, which has just been a terrific It checks
every box and what you want in an early playoff
game like this one.
Speaker 2: Ross with you here as well, Kevin Harland with us
here on Sports Talk seven ninety and keeping with that matchup, Kevin,
you mentioned CJ.
Speaker 1: Stroud.
Speaker 2: I'm just curious your perspective of somebody who's called a
lot of his games and watched him, of course on
fire in his rookie season. Since then has gone down
and shown flashes of that franchise quarterback elite level play,
but just not consistently enough.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, hard to figure out whether it's uh,
it's always a combination of a lot of things, right,
It's probably he's he's reacting to.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 4: These defensive coordinators who have watched a lot of tape
on him, have have a good feel for what he
did as a rookie, and they counted it, you know,
the last couple of years and and and maybe not
the the eye opening numbers, but to me, uh, he
is incredibly effective. Still best years are ahead of him.
They've surround him with some talent wide receiver clearly and listen,
I I we did. We did a game with him,
uh uh often last year one in New England another
places along the way. So I'm I'm a fan of
his personally and and professionally. He has sat next to
me at a rocket scheme uh and loves basketball and
we talked during commercial breaks. So I've got a real
affinity for him and he's he's become one of my
favorite players. But but you know, listen, this is this
is a big stage and a playoff game on the road.
Imputs for that place will be bananas on Monday. But
I think we're going to see the best version of him,
and I I I'm still a huge fan. Upside is gigantic,
and I'm I'm clearly on his side on that conversation.
I listen, these these coordinators spend so much time, uh
figuring out what's what they've got to deal with and
and uh, the regression is probably not the right word,
but just make maybe that the rocket was too heavy
off that off that launch pad and and he had
to you know, probably just feel you know what now
is going to be a more complex, a more studied
version of what he was going to face on Sundays.
And but I like what he's done this year. Clearly
they're winning they're in the playoffs, and I think I think,
like I said, I think we're going to see his
best version on Monday night.
Speaker 2: Kevin Harlan with us here on a Sports Talk seven ninety.
Have privilege to have you on the show, Kevin, and
one of the great things about you is covering the
NFL and doing college basketball, NBA, I mean, all these
different sports. So I did want to switch gears to the
NBA real quick because we were talking about this earlier
in the show, and I'm just curious your perspective is
somebody who's followed the league for a while, the state
of the league, how do you feel right now? I
feel like the talent level is very high. There obviously
are some negatives, and one of the things we've been
talking about is all the foul calls. Shay Gilgess Alexander
has been someone who's coming to the limelight as far
as foul hunting. And what was the word Victor Wmbinyama did.
It was I can't remember the exact phrase, but just ball,
like a reputable ball or whatever it was that he
used about not using.
Speaker 1: The foul hunting.
Speaker 2: Your thought like the state of the NBA where it
is right.
Speaker 4: Now, you know, more so than the fouls, because that
changes crew to crew, game to game, and and sequence
the sequence. Uh. Like, just the other night, I did
a game for Prime in San Francisco with the Warriors
coming off a road trip day in between, and they
arrested Curry and Butler and Green, and my first thought is,
all right, we got a crummy game. Now it because
they're playing Oklahoma City and they're completely healthy except for
Hartenstein and and they're ready to go, and they're on it.
They're on a path to trying to defend a title,
so every game for them is huge, and they're taking
on a Golden State team that with those three big ones,
are going to be, you know, a formidable team. But
they're going to come in and they're gonna play hard.
And they won by thirty seven points. There are too
many games in the league, and and and and quite
frankly for the league to schedule on a national game
with the age of that team Butler, Curry and Green,
and to schedule him in the first game back against
the world champs. Then they're already on the West Coast
playing and I get it, you're dealing with arena schedules
and the NHL and college ball in some cases, and concerts,
and we all understand that there are too many games
in this league. The players are different than they were
twenty thirty, forty years ago. The speed of the game
is not even close. The pace of the game is
not even close. And you would think that with the
insertion of the playing the NBA Cup thing, and you know,
adding the play in a playoff tournament just to get
into the playoffs at the end of the season, like that,
the money and now that the Gigantic TV contracts they've signed,
that the owners could look the quality of the game
and say, you know, we've got too many games. And
you can go back and look at what Elijah on
and Jordan and Berkley and and and and Kareem and
like all these guys they were playing seventy seven, seventy eight,
but the game was a different game then, and and
and but and the I'm just there are too many games.
They can't practice, they can't get healthy, they can't catch
their breath, and it's it's it's too much. But the
owners will never relent on having those and losing seven
eight nine home games. They just won't do it. So
I don't know. I don't know what the answer is.
But it's a shame that when you've got Hall of
famers like Green and Curry and and a terrific player
like Butler, and all three are out not only in
a nationally televised game, but just what about the family
that's taken the kid or their family to go watch,
you know, maybe at Christmas time, Hey, we got four
tickets to watch the Warriors and the Thunder they're defending
NBA champions, and then those guys don't play. I mean,
I mean, I'm sorry. It's just it's not good. It's
not it's not healthy for the game. The players are exhausted,
the soft tissue issues issues, uh uh, these injuries continue
to compound. They they it's it's it's too much. And
and every coach agrees. I just talked with Steve Kerr
about this the other night, and and every coach agrees.
So more than the fouls and more than we can
that's that's going to be a constant conversation. Uh. But
but the number of games is it's it's just it's
it's it's it's hurting the product. And I and I
I feel for fans in this case, because those tickets
are expensive, and the park is expensive, and the food
is expensive, and AND's a big deal, and we've got
grandkids and when and and they went to a game
at Oklahoma City the other night. A couple of those
guys didn't play. They're heartbroken. I mean, that's that's what
That's what drives the needle. That's what moves the needle.
Is is is the these big name players, the Kevin
Durance and I'm and on and if they don't play
because they're taking rest or maybe that they're a little
Nick Dupp and they can't go, you know, it's it's
it's heartbreaking, it really is for these kids. And that's
I think about the thing. You lose the fan, that
the game's gonna suffer, and that becomes I think I
think issue number one right now. We're playing too many
games and maybe two compact to schedule, and it's it's
got they've got to relend and that they've got to
cut back.
Speaker 3: One final question here for the legendary Kevin Harland with
us here on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross and Kevin.
I'll be honest with you. I tried to watch some
of the game. It was one thirty one to ninety four,
and it's big of a Kevin Harley Fanisama. I had
to turn it off. I was like, good god. I mean,
my wife's like, you call games, you don't need to
watch blow outs, and I'm like, but it's Kevin because
I don't care to turn it off. So sorry, this
is Thomas Loves You've been Let's be.
Speaker 4: Honest you guys. Matt you're too good. Hey, you're a
good friend.
Speaker 1: Hey.
Speaker 3: Okay, so I don't know if you make predictions, but
you're going to be calling another super Bowl. This will
put you in with thirteen fourteen, fifteen range somewhere in
those super Bowls on radio?
Speaker 1: Is that correct?
Speaker 4: This will be my sixteenth?
Speaker 1: Wow? Okay, So who's going to be there?
Speaker 4: I think the NFC Championship is a Seattle Philadelphia one
or the other. I think it's hard to knock out
a defending champion. Thank you Rudy for that comment from
years ago. The heart of a champion could never be extinguished.
It can't be. It can't be second guest, and the
Eagles have it, but the Rams appear to be you know,
like like like, But Seattle's number one, and they're gonna
sit and watch this weekend. And but but I like
the Eagles or Seattle out of the NFC, And I
guess in my heart, i'd love to see Josh Allen
super Bowl for the Bills. Their fans deserve it. This
guy's had, he's a reigning MVP. I'd love to see
him in there. I don't know if there's a team
in the AFC right now that you'd have to say
is the front runner. I think they're all going to
be in there fighting, and I think it's going to
be terrific to watch. Uh. And then you know, there's
a part of me about about Aaron Rodgers. I don't
know that Pittsburgh's got enough, but uh, we could be
watching his final snaps as a Hall of Fame quarterback.
Be fun to see what he can do. But I
don't want to be at the expense of the Texans
because I love the team in that quarterback so and
and Dimiico is just as good as they come. So
I don't know. I'll go Philly in the NFC and
the a f C. I'll go Buffalo and and and
and or Chicago's got a tough one against green Bay.
Coming out, I'll go Philadelphia, and I'll go and I'll
go Buffalo. Uh. But we're just beginning, and I think
it's gonna be a roller coast. I think it's gonna
be a wild ride.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 4: You gotta gotta harness yourself in on this one, because
it's gonna be There's no Ma Homes, there's no Lamar.
We have some new new teams in there. Jacksonville's in.
Houston's gonna make some waves. It's gonna be a thrill
and I cannot wait to get it started on Saturday