JR SportBrief Hour 4

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That's betterhelp.com slash positive. That's right. It's the JR Sportbrief show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. Happy NBA elimination night.

Yeah, I made that up myself because I can't. Congratulations to the Atlanta Hawks. They're the only team that faced elimination and stayed alive. Pushing a Janet, Janet, Janet, Janet. I'm thinking about Janet too much.

A Janet Jackson concert. Back a day. Anyway, there are two other teams that are going home. Minnesota Timberwolves, done. Clippers, done. The Phoenix Suns, they just got the Clippers the hell up on out of here. The final score of the season. It took some time. They got the Nuggets out of here.

Excuse me. Nuggets got the Timberwolves out of here. The final score.

112 to 109. Suns and Nuggets going to face each other starting on Saturday. It's been a fun night. I'm coming to you live from New York City. I'm being joined by super producer and host, Dave Shepherd. We'll be right back.

It's been a fun night. I'm coming to you live from New York City. I'm being joined by super producer and host, Dave Shepherd. More importantly, I'm here with you.

There's no show without you, the listeners. If you want to talk to us here, the phone number is as follows. 855-212-4CBS.

It's 855-212-4CBS. Hawks beat the Celtics tonight in Boston. Boston leads 3-2. They'll be back in action on Thursday in Atlanta. I wish I was there. I'll be at the NFL Draft in Kansas City. I am thrilled, absolutely thrilled to be there holding that down with my main man, Zach Gelb. Nuggets beat the T-Wolves.

112 to 109. And it took a fight. It took a battle.

It took too long. The Suns looked like they had this in the bank. And the Clippers did not die. The Clippers kept on fighting. And the Suns held them off 136 to 130 at one point in time. The Clippers were just knocking down three after three after three. But they couldn't stop Devin Booker at the end of the day. Devin Booker finishing with 47 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. He was four of seven from downtown. He was 19. Oh my God, I need to double check this. Do my eyes, do they deceive me?

Am I confusing myself? Devin Booker was 19 of 27 from the field. Damn. Kevin Durant, 31. A quiet 31 points.

10 of 19. He was four of six from downtown. And Chris Paul, eh, ordinary ass game. 15 points, seven assists. It's about Devin Booker. It's about Kevin Durant. DeAndre Ayton threw in a double-double. 21 points, 11 rebounds.

Devin Booker, this game is nuts. Let me say this again, because I feel like I'm confusing myself. Shep, am I right here? Am I reading this wrong?

You're not reading it wrong. 47 points, 19 of 27. Kevin Durant, he was getting busy, I told you about him. In the third quarter, where it started to look like the Suns got this in the bank, Kevin Durant, he knocked down a three to put the Suns up by 14.

This is from the Suns radio network. Law goes over to Booker. Booker with 37 points. Booker out on the perimeter now, Batum out to meet him defensively.

Now they want a double team. They go in the corner to Durant for three. Shazam! Devin Booker's court decision is really, really shining through tonight. Uh-oh. I have a feeling we're going to get some more shazams.

Anyway, let's see about another shazam. The Clippers fought all the way back to make this a game at one point in time. They could have tied the game. Russell Westbrook went in and he was a little too hard on the layup, and he missed. And the Suns kept on rolling. Devin Booker said, don't worry, I got this. Devin Booker knocking down a late three deep into the game to help solidify this game. In the corner it goes to Okogie. He drives the baseline out to Booker. Straightaway three.

Shazam! Josh Okogie continues to make great plays. Dribble drive into the lane, get the Clippers to collapse, and then find someone on the perimeter. It's your hottest player right now, Devin Booker.

44 points for a book. Yeah, and Devin Booker, I told you tonight, this man finished with 47 points. They had, they being the Suns, 50 points in the third quarter. 50 points going into the fourth. 111 to 94, the Suns led.

They basically gave, almost gave the lead up. Norman Powell had 27 points. Mason Plumlee had 20. Russell Westbrook, 14 points, three of 18 from the field. This was, you gotta give the Clippers credit though. And I think that's exactly, that's exactly what, what Devin Booker did.

Devin Booker, he spoke to TNT after his 47 point game and he said, these Clippers, they tough. I mean, those guys don't stop fighting. I mean, that's been the story of the whole series. You know, even though they were down then, we knew they were going to bring it. You know, started at the top with Russ. You know, he's going to bring it every night.

He's going to make sure the people around him bring it too. So, you know, I have a lot of respect for that man. Devin Checker, I felt in the first game, he was looking to get people involved and you know, you guys came away with the L and after that, you just said, I'm going to go get mine. At what point of, you know, after the loss, did you save myself? I'm not going to look for people.

I'm going to look for my shot first and everyone just got to follow me. I mean, you know, it's all been an adjustment since the trade. You know, we've been trying to find ways to get Kev, you know, involved organically and not try to force it to him. But like you said, we're doing that a lot the first game. So first game was a fill out.

You know, I went back and watched it and you know, they're denying them a lot. So, you know, the rest of the team just uses gravity for our benefit and we ended up getting a lot of good looks. Oh, you got to give him credit. Devin Booker is making this look way too easy.

I mean, throughout the playoffs so far, yes, it's still early. He's looking better than the Hall of Famer next to him. That's that's Kevin Durant.

Even Monty Williams. He's talking about Devin Booker and he's like, that man was out there just destroying everybody. And when he's going like that, we're not calling any plays. It's all about concepts and looking at the environments to create space for him. And the guys on the floor, whether it's VA rolling or Kevin in the corner, it allows for him to have more space.

But that's his book. He's he would tell you like he's trained and waited for moments like that. I'm just glad to have him on my side. Oh, it must be nice to play alongside Kevin Durant, right? Must be nice.

Life is good. Matter of fact, let's listen to Mr. Shazam as he gave us the final call of this game, the final call of this series, putting an exclamation point on what will be a Phoenix Suns advancement to take on the Denver Nuggets. Three seconds, two seconds, one second. Suns win.

Nine tenths of a second showing, but this one is history. The Suns will win. They'll eliminate the Los Angeles Clippers. Suns will move on.

The Suns win. Oh, brother. Oh, brother. I'm going to start saying that just then. Just just randomly.

Oh, brother. That's going to be a fun series. Phoenix Suns. Denver Nuggets.

This is the fun part about the West right now is this. It's so close. I'm going to have to think about who I think will advance. I think ultimately. You you look at DeAndre Ayton being able to to body up to a certain degree, Jokic, but when has that ever mattered for anybody? And if you think about the wing scores, are you going to trust Jamal Murray more than you trust Booker?

I think the answer is no. And and who has ever had an answer for Kevin Durant? The problem for the Phoenix Suns really comes down to its depth. So we'll talk more about this game. We'll get into more about this series. But I got to tell you right now about the Clippers.

I tweeted this out. You got to give the Clippers some credit here for how they fought as a team, whether it's. Plumlee or whether you're taking a look at Norman Powell. Eric Gordon, he needs to just come off the bench somewhere. He had three points tonight. Russell Westbrook, I guess people are tired of crapping on Russell Westbrook.

Let me remind you of his line tonight. Yeah, yeah, 35 points. The last game, Russell Westbrook finished with 14 points, eight assists, eight rebounds.

Sounds OK, right? Russell Westbrook took 18 shots tonight, 18 shots. He only made three.

He was one of six from deep. Three of 18. That is worse than poor. I want to I want to put a word in front of poor, but then it'd be a little a little dirty.

I can't say that, but it's that type of poor. Three of 18. You can't get layups. This is the part that makes Russell Westbrook so so infuriating. And it was only a couple of days ago when Russell Westbrook had 35 points. That Kevin Durant and Chris Paul wanted to defend Russell Westbrook. Like he's underrated, like, oh, my God, wait. When he's retired, people, the NBA players are going to tell you how difficult he was.

I got eyeballs to guys. I don't have to play on the court to watch him. Listen to Durant and Chris Paul basically trying to protect not even maybe a friend, but their brethren.

Listen to this crap. Kevin, Monti just mentioned that he's never heard as much criticism for an MVP player as much as Russ gets. I mean, what do you think about that? And have you spoken to him about that criticism?

But Russ? No, I don't know about criticism. I mean, people are people who are always criticized when you're successful and doing your thing for this long.

You know, I always find something that they don't like about you. But Russ has been resilient his whole life. He come to work. Don't say much.

Just come hope. So, you know, when he's retired, people don't really tell the truth about how they feel about his game. Right now is the fun thing to do is to make a choke out of Russ. But he you know, the way he's been playing is since he got with the Clippers showed everybody who he really is. I feel like the only people to do that, too, is the people who don't know basketball. Chris Paul continued on and said that. That Russell is one of my friends.

Like, come on now. Nobody is saying are there people who go a little too hard on on Westbrook calling him Westbrook and you got fans yelling in his face and and he hasn't done himself favors at times his own interactions with the media. But if you watch him play, it's like stop shooting. If you watch him play, it's like, hey, go to the basket.

Some of his decisions are just just maddening. Hey, hey, Kevin Durant, if you enjoyed playing with him so damn much, why did you leave? If he's so damn good as a player, how come he hasn't led a team? Oh, yeah, he's won an MVP. He won an MVP on a team that wasn't even all that good and partially because your ass left.

Come on, man. Like Russell Westbrook. It'd just be nice if some of his decision making matched up with his his athleticism. That is obviously not he's still ridiculously freakishly athletic at 34 years old.

But I mean, damn, we don't need to to protect Russell Westbrook at all costs. He's going into the Hall of Fame. He is dynamic. He is one of the best players that the league has seen. Is he one of these winning players?

The answer is no. And let's all come to reality right now, people. Russell Westbrook is a free agent. He is 34 years old. The team is going to have an opportunity to bring him on.

I have no idea what that team is going to be. I don't think he's going to be out of the league. But I think Russell Westbrook has now reached a point of. Hey, man, you got to adjust. Are the Clippers going to bring him back to Clippers?

They they in some trouble, man. Kawhi Leonard can't play basketball. He can't he can't stay healthy. Paul George cannot play basketball.

He cannot stay healthy. And so what do the Clippers do? Just bring back Russell Westbrook because they need somebody, anybody just to bring the ball up court and make stupid decisions.

I mean, what are we doing here? I want to say I feel bad for Russell Westbrook. But if he doesn't return to the Clippers. Who's taking him? Who's bringing him on? The Los Angeles Clippers right now.

They're a disaster. And there ain't no fixing this. Between Kawhi, Paul George. Westbrook is gone as a free agent. I know I just called the Clippers cockroaches for not dying in this series.

But in the long term, by the time they moved to that Intuit dome out towards Inglewood. Clippers might be back in the toilet where they historically have been. 8 5 5 2 1 2 for CBS.

That's 8 5 5 2 1 2 for CBS. The Clippers season is done. Steve Ballmer and his high priced roster finished. His big guys don't even play Kawhi and Paul George. Russell Westbrook goes out there. He has a dud. Now he's on the way out the door. Phoenix eliminates him. 136 to 130.

Yeah, I got a simple question for you. Would you take Russell Westbrook on your team? He's going to be a free agent. He is a free agent.

Going to be. Would you take Westbrook on your squad? Because I don't think things are looking so bright for him if the Clippers say no thanks. Tyrone Lou just spoke to the media and he was asked if he got a raw deal. As the Clippers coach with all of the issues, we're going to hear from Ty Lou on the other side of the break.

I'm going to get your thoughts on Westbrook because it's not looking too good for this man. It's the JR Sport Brief show on CBS Sports Radio. I'm going to talk to you right on the other side.

Don't move. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief on CBS Sports Radio. I'm going to start off by saying you're one of the best in the game, man. I really enjoyed listening to the show. I love the show.

I discovered it last year when there was actually no sports going on and I've been loving it ever since. I genuinely love your show. Your takes are great. I may not agree with all of them, but they're on point.

Call in now at 855-212-4CBS. Yeah, that's that's good. Don't don't agree with me all the time. Don't. I love it.

There's too many people running around just going. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Just in a general sense, like utilize your own brain and put together a thought. An educated one. How about that? Anyway. Speaking of an edge, well, let me relax. Let me be nice.

Let me be nice. The Phoenix Suns. They beat the Clippers tonight, 136 to 130. You want to know who wasn't on the court? Kawhi Leonard. You want to know who else wasn't on the court? Paul George. Do you want to know who had a crap shooting night?

Tell me if you've heard or seen this before. Russell Westbrook, 14 points, three of 18 shooting. Everybody was getting busy. Norman Powell had 27. Nick Butum.

Yes, you heard that correct. He had 19 points. Mason Plumlee said, I'll get in on the action.

I just got here a couple of months ago, but here I'll give you 2010. And Russell Westbrook is a free agent. Tyrone Lou, after the game. He was asked, man, look at all these injuries. You feel like you got bad luck. You feel like you're snake bitten.

What's the deal, Tyrone? That's what he said. Would you say that overall you've been dealt an unfair hand or do you enjoy the challenges that come with the injuries and all the ups and downs? I would never say unfair hand.

I would say I've been dealt some bad luck. You know, just some, you know, what, what are two star players, you know? But, you know, it's as easy as it is for me to say, oh, we missed. I mean, it's hard for those guys. You know, you think PG and Kawhi want to be hurt, you know, in the playoffs, you know? So I feel bad for those guys because they want to be out there helping their team and to compete.

And just unfortunately, you know, the last few years we haven't had that. And so, you know, I feel bad for those guys for putting all the hard work in, you know, Kawhi, all the dedication he put in from the ACL, coming back, playing his best basketball since January 1st and then for this to happen, you know? And so I feel bad for those guys, you know? And so, you know, it is what it is.

And like I said, back to the drawing board and I'll come back next year and, you know, hopefully we can have a healthy team. Come on, man. It's the same thing. I wouldn't say I've been dealt a bad hand. I just got bad luck. It's the same thing, man.

I'm not Captain Gambler, but I know that. Bruh, come on. Just say it sucks that there ain't no Kawhi. It sucks that there's no Paul George.

It sucks for them like it sucks for me, too. That's it. And what about Steve Ballmer? He got so much money. He doesn't care, but I know he's throwing stuff right now.

You see him during the games? He looks like he's about to have a, God forbid, a pulmonary embolism. We do not want that. It's a little much, Ballmer.

Well, the... I don't want to call him gyrations, but he gets excited. His convulsions out there.

Well, he's jumping up and down. It's ridiculous. It's too much, JR. He's intense. He can't be intense.

Can't win. I mean, if I was spending money for Kawhi Leonard, has Kawhi Leonard earned his money? That's a rhetorical question, right? No, has he? No, has he? Oh, JR, you know the answer to that.

Of course not. So if I'm Steve Ballmer, right, and I got all this money, you think realistically Steve Ballmer goes home to one of his homes? In the hills, in Beverly Hills, in Calabas. I'm sure he has multiple houses. I bet he got a house up in Seattle. Do you know how much he's worth? I think Steve Ballmer, where is he at? Is he at approximately $80 billion? Man, you're underselling him by $10 billion. Oh, with a Microsoft stock?

I haven't looked. It went up... He is worth, to this day, $90 billion. Yeah, last I looked, it was $84. So he went up by $6.

That's amazing. Okay, he should sell some of that. He should just sell some of it and give it to me. Anyway, I guess he doesn't go home and get mad at how much he's paying Kawhi. Because he's like, I'm giving Kawhi the stuff I got falling out my pillow.

But it is interesting that when you talk about the Clippers, like their superstar player, a guy who did something that only LeBron James and Karim Al-Duljabbar have done, which is win a Finals MVP with multiple franchises, they can't find a way to keep this guy healthy. He's six years younger than you and I. He's done. This is insane, J.R. He's finished. You can't be this physically fragile and susceptible to injury.

I've never seen a guy this great. Because Bill Walton was able to at least play into his mid-thirties and late thirties. He's a big man with busted feet.

But it's even harder being seven feet running around the floor trying to get 93 feet by 92 feet. Well, that's why Kevin Durant had all these big dudes had busted feet. But he'll stay healthy in playoff runs. Kawhi cannot stay healthy aside from 2019. When's the last time you stayed healthy in a playoff run? Kevin Durant stayed healthy in a playoff run.

Yeah. Kevin Durant blew out one part of his leg and his achilles said, no, thank you. And then he was gone for a whole year. But he's the only net. But even two years ago, he was the only net that stayed healthy in that series.

Oh, yeah. Kyrie wasn't, James Harden wasn't. Yeah, but everybody, dudes get hurt. But Kawhi just gets hurt. Always. He's done.

His body, he can't do it. You want to talk? Come on. We saw Derrick Rose. That's what I wanted to ask you in all seriousness. And I'm being serious.

I don't want to say this facetiously. Should he think about retiring? Kawhi? Yeah. I mean, that's not a question for me. Should he think about it? I don't know.

Just take all your money, man. I believe we have seen peak Kawhi Leonard. That I believe. I don't know if we will see him back to what he was with the Spurs and in that one run with the Raptors. And by the way, when he played for the Raptors, he ain't played at you either. He played like 60 games in a season and it was just like, here I am and help them win a title. But he was the best player in that entire postseason. Well, that's not the that's not the point. Like, he doesn't play basketball.

And so we've seen the best of them. And now he's what, 32, 33 years old. Kawhi is just, he's cooked. And I guess Steve Ballmer worth 90 billion dollars. He's like, I'm paying this guy 40, 45. I don't care.

And Kawhi Leonard, he gets paid the rehab. What a nice life. I need to grow 10 inches and get my jump shot together.

That's what I need to do. What a guy. It's the JR Sportbrief Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. I'm going to get to your calls on the other side of the break. I know you have glowing things to say about Russell Westbrook and his poor shooting night. I'm sure you have amazing things to say about the Clippers. We're going to have plenty of time the rest of the week or at least tomorrow to get into the Phoenix Suns.

The Nuggets will have a chance to give you a top six list on the draft. And then, of course, as I mentioned, Zach Gelb and I will be holding it down at the draft in Kansas City on Thursday and Friday. You're listening to the J.R. Sportbrief on CBS Sports Radio. Thanks for taking my call. It's a work night and you keep me company while I'm out here on this rainy night. I appreciate it. I love your show, man.

I've been working nights for the past two weeks. So I love watching your show and listening to it. Hey, J.R., thanks for being the best person in your line of work. Call in now at 855-212-4CBS.

The J.R. Sportbrief show on CBS Sports Radio. Clippers are done. Timberwolves are done. The Timberwolves, we know they got a future ahead of them with Anthony Edwards. They got to figure out what the hell to do with Karl-Anthony Towns. They got Rudy Gobert there just sucking a life out of everybody, giving away about four NBA players and four first round draft picks for Rudy Gobert.

Sounds like one of the dumbest trades that we've ever seen in the NBA. We had the Hawks. The Hawks were able to stay alive here in the postseason, going back down to Atlanta after Trae Young said, here's 38 points after the Celtic fans told him, F you.

Must be nice to kind of kick people in the mouth after that. That big for multiple three point shots. And then we saw the Clippers. They go down to the Phoenix Suns, 136 to 130, admirable how they fought to the end, how they did not quit. What their future looks like.

Oh, my God. There ain't no certainties that Kawhi Leonard is ever going to play like a real full season again. There's no certainties that Paul George will ever be able to stay healthy again. You got Russell Westbrook, who is a free agent right now, and Steve Ballmer. I hope he just doesn't like pop a blood vessel, you know, watching this team over the next several years.

And so it's going to be some time before we talk about the Clippers again, probably until the off season. We know we got the NFL draft coming up this week tomorrow. I'm going to give you a top six list. We're going to look at some of the biggest busts in the NFL. A little bit more specific, but that'll be the top six tomorrow. And so let's get to your calls before we roll out. Of course, we got tons of callers here.

I'm going to get on as many people as possible. But having to talk about Russell Westbrook, he just spoke to the media. And this has been a wild year for him, from the Lakers to the Clippers. And now to the conclusion.

Future as a free agent, this is what Russell Westbrook had to say about his season. How it started, how it ended. It started off difficult, you know, honestly. I'm so grateful and blessed to end up in a situation where I'm just allowed to be myself and being able to be brought in with open arms, allowing me to go out and play and compete. And I'm super grateful, you know, just for that. And, you know, I'm happy and blessed to be able to finish another season. Not the result that, you know, myself or nobody wanted, but just for me personally. It's been a roller coaster mentally, emotionally for me and not just me, but for my family, for my close ones, even for my kids.

Man, it's a lot of emotions for me, honestly. So I'm just grateful to be able to be sitting here and be able to finish the season. At least he never had to leave L.A., right?

That's on the bright side. He never had to leave. He just stayed in L.A., went down the hallway. 855-212-4CBS, that's 855-212-4CBS. Let's go ahead and hit the phone lines right now.

We got Connor. He's calling from Cali. Connor, you're on CBS Sports Radio.

What's up? Hey, J.R., thanks for taking my call. I love you, love your show, love Shep. And I'm not trying to kiss your ass here, but I'm just going to say this. I think you are like the GOAT of sports radio. Oh, OK. That's saying a lot, but OK. Thank you. Yeah, I'm serious. I'm serious.

Thank you. Everybody else. Now, those guys are old. Everybody else that you would say is a GOAT, these guys are 20 and 30 years older than me. Don't expect me to get that damn gray. But go ahead, Connor.

What's on your mind about the Clippers? Yeah, real quick. You are 36 years old? No. No?

You missed the mark again. But go ahead, Connor. So I would not want Russell Westbrook on my team. And here's why. Actually, I don't really have a reason why. I get bad vibes from him.

I don't know why. You get bad vibes from him? OK. OK. Is it making me uncomfortable?

You got like voodoo dolls? Like, what's the deal here? No. OK.

I mean, I don't know. OK. Well, when you figure out why you don't like him, call me back, OK? Will do, JR. Thanks for taking my call. I love you too, Connor. Thank you. Connor was the first person that told me he loved me today.

Now I'm emotional. 855-2124 CBS. Let's go to San Diego and talk to Dan. You're on the JR Sport Brief Show. What's up, Dan?

Yo, JR. So, you know, I'm not like the last caller. I just really like your show. You keep it real, man.

Keep sitting the fire. I appreciate you. Thanks. Now, there's two things I want to say about Kawhi Leonard and then Russell Westbrook. So Kawhi, so I went to San Diego State when Kawhi went to San Diego State and when he really started that program on the uptrend that got it to where it was.

Shout out to all the Aztec fans and everything. Anyways, I've seen this guy ball and you said we've seen the best of Kawhi? I halfway agree with you. We have seen, but he's got a lot left in the tank. I don't think he's ready to hang him up. I got I got something to say about Russell, but I want to ask you about Kawhi.

Do you really think that he's not got like you think he's like ready to call it a career? I mean, no, I didn't say such a thing. OK, but why are you Shep Shep asked me that and I just kind of gave the same answer I just gave you.

I'm kind of confused as to why you ask it. So I'm just saying I think we still got the best from Kawhi to come. That's what I'm saying. You think you think you think there is you think there is more you think we will see more of Kawhi Leonard at his peak?

Yes. Why? Why? Why?

Because I know the type of guy that Kawhi is. I mean, this just wasn't the year for the Clippers. They're going to.

No, no, no, no. Ballmer's going to make sure that he's got every supporting cast member. So wait, wait.

So so we got we got to come to planet Earth here. What Steve Ballmer cannot do. I don't care who he brings in as a teammate for Kawhi Leonard. He cannot buy Kawhi Leonard a new body.

That's not happening. And when I talk about we have probably seen Kawhi Leonard at his peak, with all due respect, I don't care about you going to school with Kawhi Leonard at San Diego State. I don't I don't care if you know what type of guy he is.

What we have seen from Kawhi Leonard as a basketball player is not enough of Kawhi Leonard as a basketball player. And so telling me about what he did more than a decade ago as to how it should relate to him as he ages. He ain't getting no younger. He's going to be 32 years old in the summer. He played 52 games this year. He did not play at all last year. He played 52 games the year before.

We know the world went to crap with COVID. He played 57 games, 60 games, the San Antonio Spurs. He said, sorry, guys, I ain't playing. And so like this, there ain't nothing here with with Kawhi that makes me go, oh, yeah, he's going to get back to, you know, NBA Finals MVP Kawhi. Can he be an All-Star? Yes. But is he going to be driving a team to the championship?

No, them days are over. Appreciate you, Dan. I appreciate you being sweet for Kawhi.

But it's just that ain't the move. Donald is calling from Georgia. You're on CBS Sports Radio. Go ahead, Donald.

Hey, Gerald, thanks for taking my call. I'm not a Russell Westbrook fan. You know, I'm only a Hawk fan, you know, since I was a little boy. But one thing about me, I'm a I'm a fan of the game, of sports.

You know, because, you know, you got a lot of heroes and stuff like that. But I don't I don't think Russell Westbrook deserve that bad talk. People have been saying about him over the last, you know, two, three years, man, because put in the right situation, Gerald. I think Russell Westbrook could have won a championship just as you put, you know, you stick him in Golden State or you stick him in Milwaukee like you would do any other player in off season or mid-season trade. Then I think he'll be all right. Russell Westbrook plays hard.

That's what I like about it. I'm not a fan of him, but he plays very hard. He plays hard, which is admirable, but he don't play smart, which unfortunately is to his detriment. Thank you, Donald, for calling from Georgia. I'm sorry. You can play hard, but if you ain't playing smart, yo ass should find the bench. And it looks like that's where Russell Westbrook might be moving on the next part of his career. The bench.

855-212-4CBS. I need to let you know the Defensive Player of the Week is sponsored by the Navy Federal Credit Union, who proudly serves the Armed Forces, DoD, veterans and their families. Their members are the mission.

You can learn more at NavyFederal.org. The Defensive Player of the Week is not a defensive player of the week. It is a defensive team of the night.

The Atlanta Hawks defending their season, holding on to beat the Boston Celtics 119 to 117. Instead of going home, like the Wolves. Instead of going home, like... Who else?

Hey, Shep. Who else went home tonight? Well, there's only two. The other team? Yeah, Clippers. Yeah. Poor guys.

Yeah. Well, you know, we saw that coming. The Hawks, they're sticking around, so congratulations to them. Let's see if they can defend home.

Probably not. The Boston Sox will probably go down there and smack them. Hey, Barry's calling from Boston.

You're on CBS Sports Radio. Go ahead, Barry. Hey, Jay. Yes.

How are you, brother? Quickly, quickly, Barry. So Muggsy Bowes was 5'3". I'm 5'9". So I would play better than Westbrook or Westbrook, whatever the name is. OK. But anyway, we're here to talk about the Celtics. OK? OK, that's what you wanted to talk about.

OK. So they let off the gas pedal in the fourth quarter, obviously. Tatum has a lot of growing up to do, obviously.

I'm just... It was so frustrating because I think coaching has a lot to do in every sport, every single sport. If someone says coaching doesn't matter in the NBA, they don't know what they're talking about. Well, Barry, I agree with you. He is not as experienced with that into each his own. Let's see what happens the rest of the series.

He certainly didn't make the best decisions, and Tatum didn't help his cause either. Let's get one more in before we have to roll out. Josh is calling from Washington State. Go ahead, Josh. All right, Jay.

I'll make it faster in a time crunch. I want to say a couple of weeks ago I called in, and I'm a Cuckoo fan. I've been for about nine years. I'm not a bandwagon, I swear.

There's nothing to be cheering for them about. And a couple of weeks ago I was calling you and you said it would be a warm up for the Suns. I disagreed. And I really regret saying that because, oh my gosh, dude. I know they played super well.

They played their hearts out. Please, I need to get rid of Kawhi. He can't do anything. He's done. His days are done. Okay.

Well, thank you, Josh. Ain't no getting rid of this guy. So where?

Kawhi Leonard is going to stick around, try to play ball, and cash his checks. It's the JR Sportbree Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. Listen, people. I am going to be back with you tomorrow. 10 p.m. Eastern time.

7 p.m. Pacific. Thank you to everybody who locked in tonight. We've had a busy night. We were able to talk some NFL as we get warmed up for the draft. We're going to have more NFL talk tomorrow. We're going to have the Sacramento Kings in action tomorrow with the Golden State Warriors.

We had two eliminations tonight. The Clippers, done. The Timberwolves, done. The Hawks, they live on. And C.J.

Stroud, they're trying to make this man look silly. I can tell you who else is done. Me. But I'll be back tomorrow. 10 p.m. Eastern time. 7 p.m. Pacific. There is no elimination.

No, there's no elimination. I'll be back. If you miss me in the meantime, I'm all over the damn place.

New York, D.C., Kansas City, Georgia. It's a busy week. Follow me online, at JR Sport Brief. Look at my Instagram and then you'll see I'm not some 55-year-old weirdo sitting around doing radio.

I just mind my business. Thank you to the super producer, the best of the best, Dave Sheppard. The JR Sport Brief Show on CBS Sports Radio is a wrap.

But don't move. Amy Lawrence, she is coming up next. You'll be cool. Hey football fans, Baldy here, and I'm doing something special for the year's NFL Draft. Jason Lockett and I are hosting the 2023 Odyssey NFL Draft show. So join us on the first night of the draft talking with local experts from our Odyssey podcast from across the country. And leading up to the draft, check out our podcast, In the Huddle. I'm going to give you the inside scoop on the best prospects for your favorite team. It all starts tomorrow at 7 p.m. Eastern on the free Odyssey app.