5.5.23 - JR SportBrief Hour 1

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Whatever. I'm going to be hanging out with you for the next four hours. This is when I get started every single weeknight at 10 p.m. Eastern Time, 7 p.m. Pacific. I'm coming to you live from Atlanta, Georgia. Thank you oh so much to super producer and host Dave Shepherd.

He is coming to you live from New York City. We got a busy night. We got a lot to talk about, a lot to discuss. At this moment right now, the Boston Celtics lead the Philadelphia 76ers 100 to 92. There's about five minutes left in the game and the Celtics are trying to take a 2-1 series lead.

We'll keep you updated on that game. Joel Embiid getting his MVP award tonight on court prior to the game. Speaking of an MVP, I would think this guy is finally done winning MVPs. Tom Brady says that I still plan on sticking to broadcasting. The New York Jets with their new quarterback Aaron Rodgers. They've made it clear that Aaron Rodgers is not in New Jersey or New York calling the shots. Carolina Panthers said we are not going to rush Bryce Young. Matt Harvey, you remember him?

New York Mets? Yeah, unfortunately a drug user, suspended guy? Injury?

Tommy John surgery? He's done. He's quitting. He's retiring. Deebo Samuel says we, the 49ers, were better than the Eagles.

Nick Foles is, I don't want to say he's on the street, but he's a free agent. We've got another basketball game that's going to take place tonight between the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns. There will be no Chris Paul, so it will be very interesting to see how that game goes. And so we've got a lot to talk about tonight. If you follow me on social media, at JR Sport Brief, you can pretty much already know everything that we have on tap. Hey Shep, how are you, man? You doing good this Friday? I'm doing well, JR.

Thank you for asking. That was some emotional speech that Joel Embiid gave, man. What an MVP-like speech. Yeah, we're going to get into Joel Embiid momentarily. Right now the 76ers are trying to show some life. He, and he being Joel Embiid, he hasn't gotten too much help tonight. James Harden having another craptacular game.

2 of 12 from the field. Embiid currently has 26 points. Tatum has 20, bouncing back from a 7. Brown has 21. Brogdon off the bench has 13. And so Boston is trying to keep Philadelphia at bay right now. But you just heard Shep and Joel Embiid, he received his MVP award on the court before the game took place tonight.

Now, you might remember this. The NBA, a few months ago, they announced that the NBA awards are going to be different. You know, for instance, we had D'Aaron Fox, he won the Clutch Player of the Year award. It's the first time it was presented. There's a new design to the regular season awards. The MVP award was named after the NBA's first commissioner. And right now it has been renamed after some guy named Michael Jordan.

It's even different in regards to stature and size and shape. It doesn't look like your typical MVP award. But Joel Embiid, thrilled to have it, thrilled to receive it either way.

And Adam Silver was there to basically say, hey, here, Joel, here's the award. And Joel Embiid, his parents came in from Cameroon. Joel Embiid, he was eventually joined by his young son who kind of waddled out onto the court to be there with his dad. And it was a pretty cool scene, a pretty cool moment for Joel Embiid, the third overall pick in 2014. Didn't start playing basketball until he was 15 years old coming out of Cameroon. And so with his speech, man, it was all about family.

This was what took place on ESPN. My family has been a big part of it. Obviously, we went through such a huge tragedy, losing my little brother, but we stuck together. We went through a lot. And my family, my son is somewhere over there. And honestly, he's the main reason why I'm really here.

Becoming a father changed my whole life. And I just wanted to show him a good example and I'm glad he's here with us. And he continued on crying.

That's it. He thanked more of his family and the tears. He had to kind of stop and pause for a moment. And it's reminiscent of a lot of the MVP speeches that we have seen, that we have heard over the past several years. I think just in NBA history, and yeah, I mean history, I don't think anyone who's a basketball fan is going to forget 2014, Kevin Durant winning his only MVP award and thanking his mom. Kevin Durant telling his mom, telling everybody, his mom is the real MVP. You know, would we get the same reaction out of Jokic tonight?

Probably not. Jokic, not the most expressive of individuals, not the most emotional of guys. Jokic pretty much told everybody, I don't care about the MVP.

I believe him a little bit. And Joel Embiid said he didn't care. And then he said to this week, or this week to everybody, said I lied.

Just got sick and tired of y'all asking me about it. And so Joel Embiid gets the award, a lot of love, a lot of just appreciation to his family. Didn't expect his parents to be there, his mom and dad. And then he got the brass tacks. He thanked the city of Philadelphia and their fans. And then you guys, I mean, we went through a lot, you know, all these years, the work is not done. We're going to need you guys, you know, all your support for the rest of this playoffs. We've got a long way to go. So, you know, thank you guys. And you know, keep supporting us and let's get it started.

Okay. We got the wide range of emotions from Joel Embiid tonight. Showing love to his family, had the pause for a moment to compose himself. And then I guess the spirit of the Philadelphia fans got him going, as you heard him implore everyone to get riled up and get ready for the game. And at this very moment is a little more than three minutes left in the game and the Boston Celtics lead 103 to 96. Joel Embiid doing his part, still looking for some help. 28 points, eight of 17 shooting, 11 of 12 from the free throw line, 12 rebounds, four blocked shots. And James Harden is out there with 12 points, two of 12 from the field. At one point in this game, James Harden went clear to the basket and he didn't even want to take the shot. It's like the soul of Ben Simmons just filled James Harden and he didn't know what the hell to do. And must I remind you, it was only about five years ago that James Harden won his own MVP, but that's not who or what he is right now at the age of 33, soon to be 34 in a couple of months. James Harden looks cooked. I mean, I know he dropped 45 points on Monday night. James Harden stood in front of the media and actually said, oh, people say I'm done.

People say I'm cooked. Well, have you looked at the consistency of your play? It's like James Harden got the Brooklyn, got sucked up into that madness, got hurt, got injured. And I think we have most certainly seen the best of James Harden, who likes to burn both ends of the candle when it comes to his basketball career and then what he does away from the court. He's good for some parties and extracurricular activities.

So the Philadelphia 76ers tonight still trying to stay alive. And it is so cool to see Joel Embiid. He's easy to root for. Didn't play basketball until he was 15. Thought he was going to go straight to Europe to play volleyball. Luke Bamuthi, who you might remember, a forward in the NBA, a role player, bench player, basically found and identified Joel Embiid and got him into the United States of America, where he played high school ball. Then he went to Kansas, played one season and was drafted. And it's so cool in the NBA to see all of these stories, all of these players internationally join the league over the past, let's just say 30, 35 years.

We can even go to the 40 if you want to push it enough. The Embiid's, the Jokic's, the Ntukumpo's, we can look at a Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, OK, U.S. Virgin Islands, pretty close as well, Akima Lajuwon, the Dream. These are just a few of the names that have come from outside of the United States of America to pick up an MVP. And it's always cool when the athletes become humanized. You know, we know the story of Giannis, you know, selling watches in the streets of Greece. Joel Embiid didn't pick up a basketball until he was 15 years old. And then I told you about someone like Durant. For as much as people want to beat him up and call him a snake and call him sensitive, he was really humanized, I told you, with his speech. And I think it's going to go down as one of the biggest that the NBA has ever seen. It's when Durant said, yeah, my mom, she's the real MVP.

Take a listen to this. One of the best memories I had is when we moved into our first apartment. No bed, no furniture. And we just all sat in the living room and just hugged each other. Because we that's what we thought we made it. But when something good happens to you, I don't know about you guys, but I tend to look back to what brought me here.

And you wake me up in the middle of the night in the summer times, making me run up a hill, making me do push-ups, screaming at me from the sideline of my games at eight or nine years old. We wasn't supposed to be here. You made us believe. You kept us off the street, put clothes on our backs, food on the table. When you didn't eat, you made sure we ate. You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us.

You're the real MVP. It puts things into perspective. We look at the athletes and we go, oh, this guy's making $40 million. Oh, this guy's making $50 million. Oh, this guy is a punk. Oh, this guy is scared.

This guy is that. This guy doesn't want to play. Kevin Durant, oh, he's scared and he's afraid. And Kevin Durant will tell you out of his own mouth, yeah, I do what I want online.

I don't care what anybody thinks of me. Think back at some of his life circumstances. Why would he care?

He's at the peak of what he's wanted to do in life. And why should he care what you think about him going to Golden State or going to Phoenix or what? Why should he care?

We can talk about it. It's fun, but why should he care? And so congratulations to the latest dude to win the NBA MVP. Joel Embiid started off as an injured troll for the Philadelphia 76ers. What is this guy going to do on his sidelines while he is in recovery with broken feet tweeting at Rihanna? What is this dude going to do when he's out on the court with Ben Simmons and he could never stay healthy? What is he going to do with this lack of aggressiveness for a gigantic human being who stands at approximately 7 foot 1, 7 feet, almost 300 pounds? He became aggressive. He took some L's.

He took some losses. I'm not going to forget Joel Embiid walking into the back after a playoff loss with tears coming down his eyes and getting clowned. Well now Joel Embiid is an MVP. He's in rarefied air in the NBA and no one, nobody, not a person can go ahead and take that away from him.

You know what? It helps bring it into perspective just like Durant. Let's hear it one more time. Joel Embiid talking about what got him here. It's his family. My family has been a big part of it. Obviously we went through such a huge tragedy losing my little brother but we stuck together.

We went through a lot. My family, my son is somewhere over there. Honestly he's the main reason why I'm really here.

Becoming a father changed my whole life and I just wanted to show him a good example and I'm glad he's here with us. Hey, easy to root for. Easy to root for. Congratulations to Joel Embiid.

Maybe at some point in time he can get a little bit of help here with the 76ers. The fans are starting to exit the building. Boston leads 112-102.

The clock is winding down. We hit the 22nd mark of this game. What we're going to do is now take a break and when we come back on the other side we'll give you an update on this game as the Boston Celtics get ready to take officially a 2-1 series lead against these 76ers. We're just getting started. We got more to get into. We have some NFL with Bryce Young and Rogers and Brady, Deebo Samuel.

We got another NBA matchup between the Denver Nuggets and the Suns. I'm going to be here for a while folks. It's the JR Sportbrief show on CBS Sports Radio. You're listening to the JR Sportbrief on CBS Sports Radio. JR wants to hear from you. Call him now at 855-212-4CBS. That's 855-212-4227.

It's the JR Sportbrief show on CBS Sports Radio. My goodness. The Boston Celtics just beat the 76ers 114-102. Boston now takes a 2-1 series lead. Joe Lembide gets his MVP award tonight. And then he got no help, man. It's sad.

It really is. Joe Lembide finishes with 30 points, 13 rebounds. He had four block shots and the most help he got was from James Harden. 16 points, but James Harden shot three of 14 from the field.

He was two of seven from downtown. It was just bad all around. He got nothing. Tyrese Maxey had a bad shooting game himself. Only finishing tonight with 13 points, four of 16 from just the field period.

And it's like, hey, you're at home. You're supposed to be, I don't know, doing some type of damage tonight and it did not take place. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics, Jason Tatum bounces back from his port showing in the last game, only seven points. Tonight comes back with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Brown shows up and gives you 23, seven rebounds, five assists.

Malcolm Brogdon off the bench gives you 15 points. Al Hoffer in a return to Philadelphia. You might recall, yeah, he actually was a sixer.

It wasn't a fun tenure. Al Hoffer dropped 17. Marcus Smart had 15. You got Derek White who gave you 13.

The Celtics are just, they're too dynamic here for the Philadelphia 76ers. And James Harden, what a cooked dude he is. Yeah, he had 16 points, three of 14 shooting. He gave you 11 assists and hauled in six rebounds. But is this what they brought James Harden in for?

Hell no. They brought in James Harden to be the second star to help take over. But hey, folks, those days are over right now for James Harden. Three of 14 from the field. If you want to go back and look at James Harden's last game, games two and three combined, five of 28 from the field. This is an MVP.

This man is not completely washed. He's not at the MVP level that he was years ago. But five of 28? Just go to the free throw line? Stop jacking up shots?

His confidence looks shot right now. In game one, he had 45 points. And so with this James Harden, I think it's real clear, very apparent to everyone here, they ain't winning. I had the Celtics winning this series anyway. But the Philadelphia 76ers, they don't have the firepower. They don't have the athleticism. They do not have the consistency. They can't move and transition like the Celtics can.

And even in this game, they were just trying to play catch up. It was Joel Embiid waiting for somebody else to go out there and please, please do some work. I told you Al Horford, he returned. And Al Horford, he was five of seven from downtown. And one of those threes kept the Sixers at bay. This is late in the fourth quarter. Al Horford says, don't worry, I got this.

Here's a three. Grant, three, short, long rebound, punched in the air and Brogdon comes up with it. Brogdon, kick out Horford. Horford shakes off his man Melton and sticks another killer three. Big Al.

It wasn't just Big Al. Jason Tatum was knocking down his own three late in the game to make sure that the Celtics had a nice cushion to help close things out. Jason Tatum, left side, steps back away from Harris.

His three in the air is good. Get the money out. Get the money out, man.

Go get it. Just like the good old days, the Celtics and Sixers just trading haymakers down the stretch. Boston by nine. Yeah, well, then finished by nine. Boston ended up winning by 12.

The final score, 114 to 102. 855-2124 CBS. That's 855-2124 CBS. Rashawn is calling from Baltimore.

You own the JR Sport Brief Show. What's up, Rashawn? Hey, man. How you doing? Excellent. Yeah, I'm not a real big, big basketball fan, but I do follow like the Sixers because that's like the closest team to Baltimore besides the Wizards.

That's winning. And, you know, we all know the Wizards haven't been winning in years. I was going to say there is a team right now, 295.

Yeah, yeah, but we all know about the music down there. But I think the 76ers can still pull it off. I think they're going to come back because beginning of the playoffs, I had the 76ers and hopefully the Lakers in the finals because I also am a big LeBron fan. Not a Lakers fan. I'm a LeBron fan. So, of course, wherever they got to go, I root for them. But I think Harden and them are going to turn it up a notch.

And I think they're going to take it serious, though. What have you seen from James Harden here this season, this playoffs, the past several seasons, any playoffs to go? James Harden is going to help turn things around.

Something might just click in him, man, you know, and just he won't realize who he is, you know, like, get that killer instinct. OK. Hey, you're very optimistic. Do you have any hopes for world peace for us while you're here? Well, listen, I believe and I still believe in the Cowboys, though. I know people call me optimistic. I'm a Cowboys fan.

I'm still thinking three years from here. A broken clock. What do they say about a broken clock?

It's right twice a day, right? Hey, one day the Cowboys edit. Rashawn, I appreciate you for calling from Baltimore. All right, man. Thanks, man.

Thanks for taking my call. Hey, that's a lot of optimism right there. James Harden is just going to wake up and find that it will click. I was just on Twitter.

And if you want to tweet me, knock yourself out at JR Sportbrief. And I just asked people describe James Harden with one word. Cooked. Lost. Fraud.

Enigma. Anthony Davis-esque. Aggressive in whatever he does in life. Raw Desi says he is inconsistent with a dash of washed. Plain Jane says he is just a clown. Inconsistent.

Cooked. These are these are like simple word association with James Harden. And it is it really is a shame the way that he kind of forced him has forced his way out of Houston, the way he he bailed on Brooklyn, regardless of how bad or terrible they were. And and then his I think he would he would get a little bit more grace. If he didn't force his way out of Houston, I think he'd get more grace if he didn't just like torch his former teammates in Houston on the way out. I think he'd get more grace if he wasn't always seen.

Not more recently, but many times in strip clubs. And James Harden deserves credit. James Harden was never out here. One of these dudes, it's he needed to take games off or he was down the rest.

James Harden was the Houston Rockets for years. He had the green light. He played.

He showed up. He played his ass off. He was exciting. He was dynamic.

Those days are over. You know, would we get a few more, you know, great seasons out of him if he wasn't out here with his off the court activities? Maybe if he got some more rest and and got some more treatment, maybe so. We've seen the best of James Harden, and I don't think he's going to wake up and show you here this series. Is he going to have another great game? He's going to have another two great games, maybe.

But I don't think he's going to show up and help Joe Lynn beat out to beat this Celtics squad. Jonathan is calling from Houston. You're on CBS Sports Radio. What's going on, J.R.? First time caller. Long time listener. Love the show, man. Things are done, bro.

Hopefully. I'm tired of hearing about it, man. Watch them a lot of years down here. Watch them give that fake hustle and just I mean, I wouldn't be happy to see it happening, but I'm not surprised. I mean, said it for years after Dame beat us two years in a row. I don't know.

It was maybe a year spaced out in the playoffs, but you can't do in big moments, man. Some people just got it. Some people don't. I just feel like you don't got it.

Yeah. Well, thank you, Jonathan, for calling from Houston. He does not think James Harden has it.

He hasn't shown to have it. Chris is calling from Toronto. You're on CBS Sports Radio.

How are you? I just want to say great show. First of all, let me say this. And I'm glad Joel Embiid, you know, is getting the accolades now. He's not a very flashy player. You know, that's why he doesn't get a lot of accolades like that.

But I'm glad that he's winning the award. I also want to say, too, that this is really the best time of the year. You got all the playoffs and the baseball season coming up and everything like that. And you can just see nowadays right now with this time of the year, man, the the passion of sports is real. You know, people in the city, they're all excited about their teams being in the playoffs and stuff like that. And and you know, that's always one conversation you can always have with with another person is, are you watching basketball? Are you watching hockey or are you watching baseball? So I want to tell you, great show and make those two comments. Thank you, Chris.

I got a question for you before you roll out if you're still here. Are the Maple Leafs going to turn are the Maple Leafs going to turn things around against these Panthers? You know what, man, it's it's it's you know, when you watch the last game, they obviously played well. You know, when when you get to the playoffs, it's such a razor's edge rate of of of mistakes that your team makes. And and, you know, the way that the other team is able to capitalize. So, you know, obviously they play they played well that last game. But, you know, they obviously have no room for error now being down two games. But I think if they go to Florida and they take that first game, you know, then you go into the second game and then that series is all tied up.

OK. I know they appreciate being back in this space. Thank you, Chris, for calling from Toronto.

Yes, it's tough, folks, especially when you're not expected to be here. The Carolina Panthers leading the Maple Leafs two to nothing. The Maple Leafs actually get into the second round. Panthers knocking off Boston. That series by itself is a how the hell did they get here?

But they are. It's the JR Sportbrief show on CBS Sports Radio. I am here. You want to call me?

Do it. 855-212-4CBS. That's 855-212-4CBS. Jason Tatum. He had a bounce back game last game, only seven points.

Tonight, he smacked the Sixers with twenty seven. Jason Tatum spoke to ESPN and we're going to share that with you on the other side of the break. But right now, before we get to your calls, before we hear from Tatum, you are listening to the JR Sportbrief on CBS Sports Radio. Hi, JR. Pleasure to speak to you.

You know, I just recently discovered your show a few weeks ago and just got to tell you that you've got a very easy listening style. Call in now at 855-212-4CBS. That's right. It's the JR Sportbrief show on CBS Sports Radio. Celtics just beat the Sixers 114 to 102 to take a 2-1 series lead. Jason Tatum having a bounce back game in Philadelphia after only scoring seven points in that game two. Tonight, he finishes with twenty seven points, ten rebounds and five assists.

I told you that he was he's getting busy. He helped extend the lead, giving the Celtics a cushion to go home. One of those plays, a big bucket, making it 105 to 96 in the fourth. Boston by seven and the ball 252-251 to go in Game three.

Brodhead moves into the left corner. Tough pass. Tatum's able to handle it. Pressure there by Tobias Harris. Tatum laid on the shot clock. Tatum throws his shoulder into Harris. Turns, fades. Tough shot.

Got it. Big boys step up at the right time. Twenty two for Tatum. Celtics by nine. Starting to get quiet in here with 231 to go.

Oh, yeah, it got quiet. Celtics radio network always with the jokes and the fun. Jason Tatum, I told you, kept going, knocking down a three to extend the lead some more. Jason Tatum left side steps back away from Harris.

His three in the air is good. Get the money out. Get the money out, man.

Go get it. Just like the good old days of Celtics and Sixers. Just trading haymakers down the stretch.

Boston by nine. Celtics radio network is full of the comedy. Let's see what the final call sounded like. I wonder.

I bet there has to be some jokes there as well. Listen to this. Brogdon makes the free throws. James Harden will launch a three.

It's no good. The rebound of Jason Tatum. He will walk it into the front court in 2012. The Celtics came to Philadelphia and won Game three in twenty eighteen. They came to Philadelphia and won Game three in the bubble as the road team. They won Game three and tonight they have done it again. They have reclaimed home court advantage in the Eastern Conference semifinals and they do it in convincing fashion down the stretch. The final score in Game three. Boston one fourteen. Philadelphia one oh two. Celtics lead the Eastern Conference semis two games to one. Oh, no funny jokes. Hey, Game four is going to take place on Sunday.

Just in case you want to tune in and watch and or listen. Tatum, he had a conversation with Cassidy Hubbard after the game on ESPN. This is what he had to say after his bounce back. We were just making plays, honestly, and we felt like we didn't play well. I made a lot of mistakes on defense.

We didn't shoot the ball well. We had gotten in foul trouble. It's a great win, right?

Tough environment coming here, figure it out on the road. The series is far from over, but you just love the way we competed and found a way. And you guys recapture home court, like you said, in a hostile environment, an emotional night. What did this win tell you about you guys? I mean, we know we can win, right? This is a great team.

The crowd is electric. You know, you love being in that environment. But, you know, we're not surprised, you know, to win a championship. We got one on the road series is far from over, but we'll take it. Yeah, he sounds real relaxed about it.

I guess I'd be real relaxed about it, too. If we just came away with a W. I mean, just a couple of nights ago, he was on the bench. He looked like James Harden did tonight. Just miserable. And they walked away with a W. And he just looked miserable tonight.

He looked real relaxed and real chill. And so let's see what the Philadelphia 76ers can do in Game 4 this upcoming Sunday. Boston will have an opportunity to go up three games to one.

I'll be real interested to see how James Harden decides to kind of bounce back from his poor performance. Just five of 28. Am I giving him too much credit?

Hey, Shep, am I giving him too much? Was it five or three? Is that a trick question? I mean, does it really matter, right?

He was just complete crap. I'm looking at this, and they're finished, man. Sorry. I wonder what James Harden is going to do in the offseason.

It's probably not going to matter too much, although we've got those stupid rumors of the Houston Rockets wanting to bring him back. And it's just, for what? Why? Take away shots from everybody else involved? I don't know. But you get what you deserve.

You reap what you sow. James Harden has certainly, I'm not putting him in the dirt for his career, but we've seen the best of the guy. Well, I have a question for you, JR. Yes? I think it's fair to say that James Harden, maybe it's not fair to say, all-time great player?

I would say yes. He's one of the most talented. When you say all-time great, what does that mean? He's one of the best players that the NBA has ever seen. Okay, fair enough.

And so a lot of people have a different measurement of what that looks like. Some people quantify that as top 10, top 20, but I think it's fair to assume you have him in your top 50, correct? I have not sat down and said he is my top 50 NBA players of all time. I have not done that.

Fair enough. Is he one of the greatest guards that has played in the game? Yes. Is he one of the most talented players? Yes. Am I putting him on a championship level? No, I am not.

Okay. So I guess the follow-up question for that then is, for any quote-unquote all-time great player that the 77-year existence of the NBA has seen, is there a bigger no-show in big games than James Harden? I mean, that's a lot of players, man.

I'd have to think about that. If I want to consider someone to be a great player, I'm going to look at them as having some type of postseason success. It doesn't necessarily have to roll into having an NBA championship. Charles Barkley is an NBA all-time great. He doesn't have a title. So to look at James Harden and go, oh man, where does he rank on the great players who don't get the job done?

He's there at the top. Is he going to walk away with a championship at some point as a bit player? I don't think the door is closed there, but he would have had to have been on a team with a lot of talent. I think all things considered, if the Brooklyn Nets didn't run into all the garbage that they did over the past few years, the distractions, the social media messages, the injuries, certainly a part of it, and injuries are part of the game, period, I wouldn't be surprised. Kyrie Irving said it a couple of weeks ago.

You know, if I didn't sprain my ankle, I believe we would have won a championship, and I would not put them out of the realm of competing. So to answer your question, I guess for how it sounds to you, no, he's not an all-time great player. Is he one of the best to ever play? Yes. Former All-Star? Yes. MVP? Yes. Going into the postseason and falling apart? Yes. And I guess the squalor fires him. Does that kind of answer your question?

Yeah, it makes all the sense in the world. I mean, just two games off the top of my head. I think of back to 2000, and I want to say it was that Kawhi year when he went down, and they were playing the Spurs at Houston. Again, Kawhi Leonard not being on the floor.

And I'm pretty sure it was 2017. And James Harden had like ten points, and he shot two of ten from the field. And this is in James Harden absolute heyday, when he was winning three consecutive scoring titles. And then last year, the way he went out, and I remember you being on the show saying, we're never going to see the James Harden we saw in Houston. I was like, I don't know if he's injured or not, but yeah, that's not the Harden we're accustomed to seeing when he had no points in the second half against Miami in that game six back in the Eastern Conference semifinals. But JR, I've never seen a superstar, and he has been a superstar, just have these two for 15 clunkers in the biggest of games every single year.

Like this is routine at this point. JR, he's just not bad. He's historically awful, and I thought for once he was going to turn around the ship in game one when he dropped 45 points. I was wrong.

Yeah, I think he's shown over the past few years, and he's had, for all of the bad games that he's had, he's had some amazing games in the postseason if you go back and look. Got to look, yeah. I'm sorry? I got to look. I got to go back and look for that one. No, you can't. You can look.

There are some amazing games. Has he had an all-time performance when it's time to go out there and get a team over the hump? No, he has not. But at this stage of his career, and you said, I said it last year, and I really, my thought process hasn't changed.

I want to give him credit where credit is due. When it's time to go out and play, he plays. He has always played. I mean, the guy was playing on one leg for the Brooklyn Nets and still managed to go out there and have a hell of a game and at least be competitive as a decoy. And at this stage of his career, he is like a lot of aging players. You have to respect their ability, but you can't depend on them on a consistent basis to go out there and light it up.

You can go and drop your.45. James Harden was not shy a couple of nights ago saying, yeah, people said I was washed and people said I was cooked and people said I can't do it anymore. Well, yeah, sure, you drop.45, but I think people would be a little bit more impressed, be more smooth about it if you just gave a consistent.25 game after game after game. And James Harden has just been out here building bricks. You know, in the case of LeBron James, am I shocked when LeBron goes 30 and 20 in a game? No, I'm not.

But what we used to see from LeBron James 10 years ago, five, six, seven years ago, was LeBron just saying, hey, don't worry. I got you 30 games this time. I got 40 games this time. 40 points.

I got you 20 and 20 or maybe not 20 and 20. But he was consistent in being able to completely dominate. And James Harden, those days are long gone. Can he have some flashes here against the Celtics?

Yeah, sure. Maybe he pops up for a 30-point game. But I think for a long run in this series, it's over.

It's done. James Harden should just run a strip club and just move on, man. Be interested to see who gives him a check next year.

Not for this crap. It's the J.R. Sportbreeze show on CBS Sports Radio. We come back. Speaking of maybe somebody who's washed. Aaron Rodgers, the Jets are defending him.

Tom Brady had some comments on his future I'll share with you on the other side. CBS Sports Radio. Don't move. Get some rest. Get a Cerda. Listen for free on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.