Knicks in 5 !

The 53-year wait is officially over. Season 6 kicks off with Eli and Reggie taking a massive victory lap as the New York Knicks are crowned NBA Champions. 

We’re breaking down not just the remarkable 5-game gentleman’s sweep, but an absolutely historic, scorched-earth playoff run. 

After falling down 1-2 to the Atlanta Hawks, this squad flipped a switch and won every single game leading up to the Finals. We're talking pure domination in elimination games—blowing out opponents by 51, then 30, and then 37 points. Add in that unbelievable 29-point comeback in Game 4 before officially closing out the series in San Antonio in Game 5, and it's a wrap. 

We are cashing in our receipts on every hater who doubted this squad and soaking in the glory of bringing the Larry O'Brien trophy back to Madison Square Garden. 

The Mecca is back on top, and we are breaking down every moment of the run. 

Transcript

Eli 0:22

We are back, ladies and gentlemen, and I come to you as a champion. This man came up like Jersey here is 94 feet hosted by yours truly Eli Mike who's not here right now and Reg. Say what up to the people, Reg.

Reg 0:56

What's going on? What's going on? It's been it's been way too long.

Eli 1:02

Um, I mean, I I have an excuse. I was on a you know playoff hiatus. My captain told us we had to lock in. Um, the locker room was laser focused on a goal. And um, unless you live under a rock, you should know that goals met. And we are NBA champions. World champions. Um wow, this just feels feels great. My my years, decades of talking about basketball, I've never been able to smile the way I'm smiling right now. Um, at the fact that the city of New York is able to host the Larry O'Brien trophy for 365 glorious days. I wish it was a leap year so we can have an extra day with it. Um and ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to tell you. I'm here to tell you I'm registering you can speak. This will happen again. Very soon. I'm not guaranteeing back to back, but very soon. Reg, please.

Speaker 5 2:24

I I ain't gonna lie, I feel like so. I'm not married yet. I don't have a child yet. Uh two Santa was honest to God, June 13th, was probably the greatest night of my life. Like, the feeling I felt was was indescribable. Like, I'm watching, obviously, we're doing our typical comeback routine, and I'm like, just keep it close. We're not going back from 299 again. Just keep it close, keep it close. Once we get to the fourth, they go start having the whole, here we go again, Brunson go take over.

Speaker 4 3:07

So I'm just like, yo, when we were down, I would say eight, it's about 7:30 to go, and Brunson hit a scoop layout to get it to six. I was like, oh shit. Like, we really about to do this shit now. Like Brunson was not trying to handle game six. I'm just like, this is literally like trending towards being like the greatest night. And it's funny, I've lived through my team winning championships before. I've watched the Yankees win. Um, I watched Duke win, I've watched my favorite player win, Kobe, and none of that comes close to watching the next win. Like that that was a feeling that will literally never be replicated. Because I agree, I don't think this is it. But no matter what happens afterward, it won't hit the same as this first one.

Speaker 5 3:59

It just won't.

Speaker 2 4:02

No, it won't. Yeah, bro, it definitely won't. I like um it just what would it what it would do, and we actually don't need it because I I I've made an argument for anybody who would listen, because obviously I've been talking about this non-stop. Um, this might be the most vindicating championship that I have uh well, I guess seen since I don't know, I'll give them credit, since 2022. Um, but if I'm to ward up, yeah, if I am to like credit this though, I'd even put this above 2022 because that's still Steph Curry, right? It's still it's like if if anything, he stamped what we already were contemplating. No one saw what we saw from the Knicks, right? That that's my that's my thing.

Speaker 4 5:04

I'm not taking away the so so is it is it is vindication the right word, or is it the most surprising one? No, not not to not to Knicks fans, but like so more widespread.

Speaker 2 5:18

So the reason why I use vindication, right? Because what I really would say, and I was just looking for the right single word, this to me is like the most definitive non-asterist championship that I've seen. Like, I feel like there's every championship you could poke holes at in terms of why the other team won, right? Versus with this one, and again, this is me trying to speak as unbiased and as objective as I possibly can, because I am a Knicks fan. With this championship, it felt like every single thing was against New York, right? There was no home court advantage. New York did not have the best player through three games.

Speaker 4 6:09

So you're talking about specifically the finals or the entire run?

Speaker 2 6:12

The finals through three of the games, okay, through three games, the whistle was heavily lopsided. The rest of it was was was almost it was debatably lopsided, but those first three games, you could not tell me that there was a fair 50-50 whistle, and the Knicks found themselves a way to be up 2-1. Right? So I'm I'm looking at this, right? And obviously, I've watched every finals that I I feasibly could look at and understand what basketball uh uh uh um kind of translates to. And I'm like, I tried, I've tried, but you know me, I am Mr. Devil's advocate. I try my best. Oh well, the Knicks got this, the Knicks got that. What did I what did we get? The Spurs messing up. I mean, the Knicks don't control that. We don't control De'Aaron Fox going for a layup when he should have he walked the ball out, we don't control Victor Wembenyama deciding he wants to be a center at the last second when most people think he's dribbling that basketball up. Like we we don't control the coach drawing up a game-winning play as opposed to giving themselves an opportunity for an offensive rebound like we did in game four. We don't control coming blowing a 29-point deficit. Like, there's nothing you can say, oh well, that's why the Knicks, like, literally, no. We against all odds, against all disadvantages, the Knicks won the championship, right? Um, and again, yes, I'm specifically talking about the finals.

Speaker 4 7:56

We can get to how they mollywap the Eastern Conference, but I think to me, like the the finals is one thing, but like I think just broader perspective, because people will still no matter how non-asterisks you want to say this, people will still try to find holes that have nothing to do with us, like it's out of our control. So they'll say, and and this is why, and this is why I guess vindication is the right word to use, because this is why we could look back at all the people that doubted and tell them to kick rocks. Because you have all this to say after the Knicks win.

Speaker 2 8:39

After, bro.

Speaker 4 8:40

Because I because I heard prior to the Atlanta series, oh, this is the worst first-round matchup possible for the Knicks. Atlanta finished the season like 18-4 with CJ starting. And I remember when Boston beat Orlando in that final game of the season that they had no business beating, which allowed Atlanta to be that sixth seed instead of Toronto. It's like, oh boy, like Atlanta was like that sneaky first-round upset when they went up 2-1. Don't even get me started on what the Pundits were saying. Then we went three in a row. Eh, you're supposed to do that.

Speaker 7 9:12

Cool.

Speaker 4 9:13

Then Philly. Philly beat Boston, come back from 3-1, and B is back talent-wise, they quote unquote stack up. They beat the team that was supposed to come out the East. So now this is their time. Beat the absolute dog shit out of them. Oh well, Philly's hampered. Okay. Then Cleveland, the preseason pick to come out the East, by the way, by the by the by the odds makers. Just beat the number one seed Pistons 60-win team. Harden, Donnie, beat the breaks off of them at the comeback to 22 in game one. Oh well, I mean, it's hard. It's a harder than that team anyway. What'd you expect? And then we get to the Spurs. Wemby's the greatest thing ever. They just beat the team who's supposed to be the champions. We beat them in five games, come back from double digits in every single game that we win. The refs are against us. And oh, they're young and inexperienced. So my question is if they were so young and experienced, why were they favorite?

Speaker 2 10:15

I yo, bro, they were telling us that the Western Conference Finals was the NBA champion.

Speaker 4 10:20

Bro, Michael Wilbon, God bless him, the man called the Eastern Conference Finals the JV series. The man said the real finals is our west. Whoever win that one, the chip.

Speaker 2 10:31

Bro, that's that's that's why I'm like, like, and I'm happy you agree with the word Vindicate, because I was looking for the right word, and and what I was really saying is like there's no asterisk you could put on this, because obviously, me also being a LeBron, a career LeBron fan, um, every one of his championships has an asterisk, right? If you ask, if you ask somebody who's a crit a critic, every single one has an asterisk, right? No, 20 2012 is better. 2012, young team, lockout. I'm telling you. Nah, lockout and a and a young team.

Speaker 5 11:05

But obviously, we know next year's Ray Allen, uh, 2016 Adam Silver. 2028, 2020, Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse, right?

Speaker 2 11:14

Uh but the thing is, I and I've heard the lockout claim before, and I and I've heard the the young team that they're trying to do to the next before. And the problem is, and especially with that 2012 team uh as well, or 2012 finals as well, the problem is when you say young team, you're not factoring in that going into it, they were favored. Right? That's that's actually why Boston versus Golden State gets respect from me with Curry pulling that out, because I think there was an 80% chance that the Boston Celtics were gonna win that.

Speaker 4 11:51

It was disgusting. They gave Golden State no chance at all.

Speaker 2 11:54

80%. That's why I was like, all right, let me, I was gonna say ever. And then like, you know, I was gonna argue the Dirk one and whatever, but the the Steph Curry one is is is is valid. He can have that, but it's like you still at least had like even with Dirk in 2011. Well he did it.

Speaker 3 12:13

He fucked off. Um yeah, he fucked up. Oh, okay, okay. So we tell me more.

Speaker 5 12:22

I hear that last piece. What you saw?

Speaker 2 12:24

Uh you were listening to something and it got into the the audio, but um I was on mute.

Speaker 4 12:31

I know, but delete this.

Speaker 2 12:34

Oh my god. Anyway, um, whatever he was listening to, like whoever knows it knows it. We're not cutting it, I don't care. But uh my main argument for even the Steph chip, the Dirk chip, right? The other chips that can kind of fall in line with this one, like you can't hear me, right? No, I couldn't hear you that time. All right, um, was the fact that those are top 75 players, those are Hall of Famers, those are people going into those series that had NVPs, that had pedigree. Um, so them doing it was yes, remarkable, but stacked up to the pedigree of player they were at the time of when they were doing what they did. Nobody saw this in Jalen Brunson. Nobody said that Jalen Brunson was gonna beat Victor and Pinyama head to head in an NBA finals, right? We've seen Steph Curry go against the Giants, we've seen Dirk Nawiskey make a finals. Nobody expected this from Jalen Brunson. So that's why it's like, and I'm saying nobody, because part of the nobody, as much faith, I think, I think getting to the finals, that's where the Knicks fans were like, we could do this, right?

Speaker 4 13:59

Like we had the faith, but it had to that's when that's when you first started that's when you first started to believe.

Speaker 2 14:04

But but it it so no, I I started to believe when we went up probably 3-0 on the Cavs. Um, really, that's when I was just like hope.

Speaker 4 14:15

So I guess I was just I guess I was just early to the party. No, yeah. Because what I when when I started to believe was after game four against Philly. See, see after I watched them Mollywap the Sixers in four, and at that point that was seven straight wins, and those last two wins were without OG, and by that point, that was when the offense was like really wild. That's when I was like, yo, give me whoever I was, I'll go for it. So that's my thing. If the Knicks, if the Knicks get healthy, because OG was obviously with the Hammond. If the Knicks get healthy and they play the way they're playing, because that by that point we're well in the whole cat-centric offense from the point of him being the hub. I'm like, and Mikhail started hooping, and Shaman was hooping. And after that series, Deuce was hooping, which God knows what happened in the finals. But I was after game four, I was like, yo, I don't I don't care what's going on out west, bro. Like OKC and San Antonio beat up on each other for seven games, which is exactly what the fuck happened. Give me whoever, bro. That's when I was like, yeah, nah, they can do it this year.

Speaker 2 15:26

But that was that's so that's my thing, right? I didn't know when you're saying the Philly series, I didn't know, like you knew, but you didn't know who was making it to the conference finals, right?

Speaker 4 15:37

Um no, you knew who's making it to the conference finals. Stop it. By the time we finished, by the time at the time that we finished the Philly series, uh OKC, I think, was up 3-0, looking to sweep the next day that Monday. Hear me. And then San Antonio was up 3-1 on Minnesota. You knew what that match was gonna be, bro. You knew that and I didn't care who we played.

Speaker 2 15:54

Hear me out. You knew the teams, I didn't know how healthy each team was going to be. I didn't care. I didn't care. Hold on. I didn't bring me anybody. I didn't know how healthy we would be, right?

Speaker 4 16:10

But that's why I said barring health.

Speaker 2 16:12

So, okay, that's what, and that's what I mean by like for me. I need I like I need plausible deniability, especially when it comes to health, to to start saying we will. Like, for example, us showing us that we can win a championship, showing us that it's possible to win four games in the NBA Finals. I have full confidence we can and will do it again, right? The problem is when we haven't done it, and and I'll give you credit because Reggie said this in terms of why we may want San Antonio as opposed to wanting OKC. Because I've been the bring me OKC. I want the champs, I want to show the NBA we're the best. The reason why Reg was like, I get you, but I rather San Antonio is because of experience, right? It's because of understanding the moment, and I think that's part of being a champion, right? Getting to know that we have to do this, not getting excited when you have three wins. My biggest fear, and why I think 90% of New York, even though everybody yelled Knicks and five, if you really okay, 90% of real Knicks fans, not just the city of New York that came together, which was a beautiful sight to see, actually, but um knew that hey, we're probably gonna lose this game five. Because what did we see last year against the Boston Celtics in a similar scenario? Getting a command.

Speaker 4 17:38

I didn't feel that way.

Speaker 2 17:40

You you you literally told me we were gonna lose.

Speaker 4 17:43

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Like the game five against uh the Spurs? Yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no. Hear me out, hear me out, hear me out. I know I the the when I said that I thought we would lose, it wasn't from a standpoint, it was me trying to like psychoanalyze the NBA and the ratings and the meeting that I had at work in which the ratings were the this was the most watched final since 1998. Mind you, prior to game five, we had already seen the nastiest whistle that we had seen in a long time, and I can only imagine what the hell the ratings would look like in a game six at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks to try and break a 53-year drought. Like that rating would have been through the roof. So I thought we'd lose game five solely because I thought the show would be fixed, because it'd make sure that we could get the game six. But in terms of like just like them, like the boys playing, the way that they had like played in every closeout game prior to that game five, just the level of focus that they displayed since game since they lost game three against Atlanta, the boys is ready, man. Like, the boys is ready. And in regards to the whole experience thing, like, and I and mind you, they in my opinion, the way they were playing and the way that I just really think it was destined, I thought they'd be OKC anyway. Um, it obviously helped J Dub not being healthy and AJ Mitchell not being healthy. But if what I told you before, experience like matters and it it really should people people telling me, oh, remember I showed you the Twitter thread, I got into an argument with the dude when dude talking about oh, they said the same thing as OKC, blah blah blah. Let me tell you something. Hate hate masks a lot of like underlying things. Like the Spurs hate OKC. Wemby hates Chet. Sometimes hate will drive you to play out of your mind, and things that would typically hamper you won't hamper you. Like, back to high school, like I hated Mega Everett's. I still hate Mega Everett. Osei, when you listen to this, I don't like you. But like when we play teams that we hated, it brings it to another level, and therefore them playing OKC, a lot of that youth, which and NXP springs did show at times in that series, but their overall level of hate rose above that. But there has not been a champion prior to the the with the exception of probably the Bill Walton-led Blazers in like what 7? 1977, whatever the hell that was. It was 77, right?

Speaker 2 20:44

Yeah, 1977.

Speaker 4 20:46

Yeah. Outside of that, there's been no young team that hasn't taken their loss. It's it's like it's inevitable. And honestly, for them, it happened at the worst. Well, it depends how you look at it. One could say it happened at the worst time, but in reality, was it really the worst time for them? Like, what would they have rather had? To just lose in like six or seven to OKC in the conference finals, or do you want to make it to the final with your first year? But regardless of whatever they may have preferred, they were gonna take their lumps. And for our benefit, it just happened to be in the finals. I remember prior to game one, Mike Brown was talking, and I was like, oh shit, he's right. When he was like, this is nothing to me. I've been to like seven of these, and I was like, oh shit, 2003 as assistant with San Antonio, 07 as a head coach with uh Braun, and then in his Golden State run. This is this is nothing new. Whereas Mitch Johnson, which we saw, Mike Brown ran circles around Mitch Johnson, ran circles around him. The head coaching was a mismatch, the experience on the court was a mismatch. Like this Knicks team is the culmination. Of a four-year project starting at the at the helm of it, Jalen Brunson. On the second, and and and literally year by year by year, they did something to get a little better. And a little better. And then finally it broke their way. I don't know if you remember um his first year when we lost to Miami second round. Do you remember what happened in that game six?

Speaker 2 22:24

Uh Brunson had like 30 ball, 40 ball. No.

Speaker 4 22:29

Yeah, he had he scrolled over 40, but do you remember what happened at the end of that game? And he was sick. Uh Julius, right? No. No. Just to show you how like you need the lump so you learn. What happened was we were down two. He was trying to tie it. He got into traffic. Josh Hart. Yep. He completely missed, not missed. He saw him, but chose something else and ignored a wide open Josh Hart. Got a turnover, ball game. He was sick about it.

Speaker 3 23:03

Yeah.

Speaker 4 23:04

The very next year, first round, game six against Philly. Philly came all the way back. Similar type of position. Now, mind you, he had the backdrop of a game seven because we were up three two, but still, very similar position. He made the pass to Josh Hart, knocked down. And then Josh Hart spoke about it post-game. Experience is your teacher. Then that run ends with injuries. That's kind of a little bit out of our control. I remember Miami City.

Speaker 2 23:34

I said I remember the Miami. Yeah, he tried to like play Hero Ball and get the shot off.

Speaker 4 23:38

Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. We come back. We come back. We're hurt. We're hurt. We lose to Indiana 7. We come back the next year. Game third, third year as a Brunson-led team. We take care of Boston. And then Josh Hart set in a roommate's pod this year. And that wasn't the only reason why they lost. But similarly to what may have hampered San Antonio this year, Loki hampered the Knicks last year. Because we made the Mikhail trade. Because we had one team in mind. Boston. We had to beat the champs. We wanted Mikhail. We wanted OG because we wanted to match up with the champs. Then we get the champs. We beat the champs. And then maybe take your eye off the ball a little bit. You beat the champs, you're like, oh shit, we're going to the finals. Indiana said not so fucking fast. Tyrese Halliburn, Devil Ball, Devil Magic. You blow that 17-point lead with like five minutes to go, which still hurts my heart. Can't come back from that. And then we lose. And then similarly, in terms of lesson learned, once again, every year there's a lesson learned. Because last year, you learned your fucking lesson about how these blown leads will really fuck up a series. And then this year, we were the ones that inflicted that on people. They knew after game one, Cleveland was cooked. They knew it. Like, obviously, they're not going to go into the media and be like, yeah, this shit's fucking over. But they knew full well you cannot mentally recover because the Knicks themselves admitted after the series was done last year, this shit was done after game one. Like, yeah, we were gonna fight, but like the mental blow that that takes when you have a game in your hand and you lose it, you can't recover from that. And after that game one, what Brunson did to Harden picking on him for every fucking possession, and then we won that game, we won that game one after being down by 22. Oh my, the rest of that series wasn't even close. Could they know it's cooked? Can it happen to them? Experience is your best teacher, and yes, sometimes you would rather be instantaneous, like one thing happens and it's like, all right, I learned my lesson, and then the next year you get the ultimate prize, but sometimes it's gradual. And this has been a four-year project. And honestly, people like Leon Rose and Worldwide West and Brunson, yeah, vindication is the right word. They feel vindicated right now. When people, Leon Rose, when people call him out his name because all the picks from McHale, and McHale wasn't really living up to it. No shot the Knicks are having a uh uh uh parade in the can of heroes and Mikhail Bridge and Omnesty. Every move that has been made over the last four years led to this moment. So, you know, vindication that that's the right word right there, boy.

Speaker 2 26:31

Yeah, man. I I I is it's very well put. The only thing I'll say, right, as to to defend myself a bit on why it took me to be up 3-0 in the conference finals as opposed to um the semis, is you did mention that you saw the way we took care of business in these closeout games. My only issue is that our finals closeout game went nothing like what I was used to in terms of yes, the guys are ready, and maybe we could say defensively they locked in, but Jalen Brunson had over 40% of our points.

Speaker 4 27:17

So I think that's that that has to do with the opponent, not necessarily the team's mentality. Clearly, they won the game because I think the team was still ready to play. But yeah, we won. But there's a reason San Antonio was up double digits in every game. The boys is nice, they're nice, but them boys is nice. We also that's why that that it's like, yeah, we didn't win by sorry, they're not the Hawks. We can't beat them by 50.

Speaker 2 27:45

No, but it's like we like okay, but our players didn't play well aside from Jalen Brunson.

Speaker 4 27:53

Well, San Antonio has a second best defense in the league. Them boys clamp up every game that finals, with the exception of I think game four, was low scoring.

Speaker 3 28:04

Yeah.

Speaker 4 28:05

Now let's and sometimes and sometimes you need just you need your Superman to put on his cape. But Brunson 45 don't matter if we give up 110.

Speaker 2 28:14

No, of course.

Speaker 4 28:16

So like the boys' shots wasn't dropping. They wasn't dropping, our shots wasn't dropping, but we didn't let that affect the other end, and we let Superman take us home.

Speaker 2 28:25

For sure. And and and honestly, speaking of, like, I don't think we putting enough attention almost in half an hour in to game four. Game four.

Speaker 4 28:38

I was getting the game four. Yeah, yo, sorry, I think Jose said it himself, and I I thought about it, and I was like, he might be right. Honestly, I'm trying to think back to how I felt. Like, I did shed a tear when game five happened. I may have been more joyful after game four. Oh, because like for me, game four was when I knew that it's over. Yeah, I don't know how we were gonna end up winning, yeah, but I knew once again, similarly to what happened to us last year, what happened at Cleveland and conference finals, whether it was five or six, yes, the series was done after game four.

Speaker 2 29:17

The series was over, brother. And the reason why I said uh I'm saying that to you, and I felt really stupid down 29, but thank God OG Annobi and Jalen Brunson for like your efforts. After we won game two, shout out my good friend brother HD Dave. He called me, and with the utmost bass and confidence in my voice, I said, This series is done because there's no way we're losing two out of three games in New York, and you gave us two in San Antonio. So chalk this series up.

Speaker 4 30:00

He said this after game two.

Speaker 2 30:02

I said this after game two.

Speaker 4 30:04

You said after game two. After game two, I agreed with that sentiment. I said I actually thought these motherfuckers might pull off the fucking uh 15 in a row.

Speaker 2 30:14

Oh, I wanted to so bad, but I just I felt like the San Antonio Spurs were too good.

Speaker 4 30:19

But I said with the utmost Adam Adam Silver, Adam Silver is too good.

Speaker 2 30:24

Yeah, the rest were terrible, but the utmost base in my voice, I said, pack this series up, bring me my trophy, because we are not losing two out of three games in New York. And Reg, after a game three loss and being down 29 in game four, I was like, holy cow, we are going to lose the series. Wow, you went to losing the series.

Speaker 4 30:54

Oh, you're nasty. No, you're nasty. Because no, no, no, no, no. Because my whole I didn't get that far. I didn't get that far. I was down to the dunks, but I wasn't that bad.

Speaker 2 31:03

My whole mindset, my whole and bro, momentum is a dangerous thing. I will never forget those same 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder that packed up San Antonio after losing the first two. They just simply caught lightning in a bottle and didn't lose again. And and that's what started to kind of creep up in my mind like, holy cow, after confidently taking these two road games, are we now about to lose momentum and ultimately lose this series? So because I already had the mindset that we're not losing two out of three in the garden, and the fact that we won down 29 in the garden, bro. I don't care if you brought Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, brought brought uh uh uh who's in a Mussolini from the dead to game six. The Knicks were not losing that game six.

Speaker 4 32:18

So you know what's funny? I'm actually so all right. One, I wasn't, I wasn't, I wasn't as down bad for anyone who follows my Instagram. The video is still up of how I was feeling at halftime of game four. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And and then the clear contrast to how I felt when it was over. So it's clear I was living at halftime. But I had already, thank God the players didn't have this mindset, I had already mentally like shifted ahead to game five, like, how are we about to recover? And what I was telling myself, which is why I still didn't think the series was over at all, is yes, momentum is a hell of a thing. Understood, but literally, nothing this team has shown me, even when they weren't as good as they are now in the in this four-year run, they will always fight. Backs against the wall. The Knicks have uh someone fact check me, but I believe when they're down 20, they're like five and three in the last two postseasons, this season, this postseason, last postseason. The rest of the NBA is clearly like well below uh 500. The Knicks get down 20 and then start to play. But the point is to even have that mentality to do that, you have to have a never say die attitude. So I don't believe even if they did lose game four, I don't think that would have been it. Because also, I don't know if you remember um you know those chasing history uh docs NBA does for every game?

Speaker 2 33:56

Yep.

Speaker 4 33:57

In the middle of game four, Alvarado was telling them, yo, we gotta play because this will carry over. So he didn't even think they would win the game four, it was more so we gotta start getting back to our habits so that we could take that into game five.

Speaker 2 34:14

So, yes, yes. Obviously, as a Knicks fan, my optimism was that, and I think I told you that. I I I said I continued to watch the game because the truth be told, fans, I stopped watching after Kat got his second foul. Now, if you were actually watching the game, that was in the first two minutes. So I stopped watching the game after the first two minutes. So I turned it back on in the second half due to what Reggie said is that I just want to see good habits going into a 2-2 series game five. Because right now it's 0-0. If we could say we played the best basketball at the end of this game, maybe that can spill into game five, and then hopefully we can catch the series back in six. But I won't lie, losing two straight in New York handedly, right, would have been very like emotionally like you know, daunting for me.

Speaker 4 35:04

So it would it would it would have been it would have been a gut punch. Yeah.

Speaker 5 35:07

But I think that's what makes this team so special is it's funny because obviously I I we both play sports, but like in high school, uh before my senior year, because senior year we would not get down by fucking 20. We was punching people by 20.

Speaker 4 35:32

But prior to that, we weren't the best. So I don't know, like my soul, there'll be games where we'd be down, say 15-20, and second half, and coaches trying to tell us, like, yo, just whittle it down, get it to this, and you never know what can happen. And yo, you're in the huddle, you say, Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got it, and you go back down and you continue to get punched. Um, so for the Knicks to have that mindset of like actually truly putting into practice what you know the coaches are telling them in the huddle, let's get 29 down to fit 25. Let's get it down to 20, like increments. Let's get this shit down to 15. Once we get down to 15 and that crowd start jumping, who knows what can happen? And I think the best thing for them, like mind you, this is something they've been kind of doing the whole the last two postseasons, but obviously, uh 29 is a different animal. Because the 29 happened so early in the third, when you come back from 22 with seven minutes to go, as recent as the previous round, that gives a different level of belief. So once that 29 got to 15 and it was still the third quarter, I was oh shit, hold on now. And even when the Spurs pushed it back up to 20 briefly in the fourth, there was still like 9.30 left on the clock. And I'm like, well, they've done this before too. And the and by that point, the crowd was already back in it. And and one thing that like the New York crowd, man. I mean, mind you, when you pay $10,000 for a fucking ticket, you better fucking cheer. Like, not game. What's going on? You better, you better make the most of it. But that game four crowd in particular, man, because even when they were down 29 and they cut it to 25, you would have thought that they were up five. Oh my god. They were lit. I felt like when they cut that 25 down to like 20, the crowd was tweaking. You look at the scoreboard, it's just like 9373. You're like, yo, are we up or down? Like that crowd, like it really lifted them. But that that MSG crowd, like Knicks fans, man, like, and I think also the what I like about the players is they have as Quentin Richardson said uh a couple days ago, that the Knicks jersey is heavy. It's a heavy jersey. You're carrying the weight of a franchise that has been primarily uh it's underachieved. It the New York Knicks are an iconic franchise. It's one of the original franchises. When you think of the NBA, you think Celtics, Lakers, Knicks, Bulls. Like those are like four like iconic teams. Steph has made the Warriors one of the most popular teams, but that's a recent development because of what Steph has done. The original teams, the Knicks are one of those landmark teams. And unlike the Bulls who have six because of MJ, don't get me stoned on the Celtics and Lakers. We only had two and then 53 years of like garbage outside of a decade of Pat. So that jersey's heavy. The expectations of New York is heavy. And this team and these players never shied away from that. They embrace that. And as a result, we embraced them. And there's like a Monica McNutt said, like, there's no greater love language a team could give its fans than a chip, and she's dead or right. But I would say like that that love between team and player had been building for the last four years. Like, there's truly like a connective tissue between this group, these group of players, specifically led by Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks fan base, that allows a crowd down 25 to still cheer as if we're up 25. Not every fan base and every team can say that. In the playoffs, motherfuckers be booing, bro. Up in Boston, they booed them in game five when they was blowing that lead against Philly.

Speaker 2 39:42

Philly. Philly, too.

Speaker 4 39:44

It was booing them in the postseason. We down 25, and we like, yo, let's go. Like we're yelling encouragement. Like, bro, get it done, like pick it up, not booing them and making them feel worse than they probably already feel. And just that that connective tissue between fans and players and team is what made this run just even that much more special. And that we didn't even get into the historical context behind it. This shit got people really scratching their heads at like their place in history is is makes for some uncomfortable conversations.

Speaker 2 40:20

Very and then just to give you your updates, your fact check, um, yes, the Knicks um for the last two playoffs are five and three when down twenty. Right? When the Knicks have gone down twenty, they've gone down twenty eight times in the last two playoffs, they are five and three. The rest of the NBA when being down twenty in the playoffs for the last two years are four and seventy-one.

Speaker 6 40:58

Come on, right? I think you say that again.

Speaker 2 41:00

I thought you said it again. No, no, no. I actually only want to say that once because I want to say this one again. I want to say this one now. Teams down 22 or more points in the fourth quarter. You want to hear this? It's happened 596 times since 1997. Two and five hundred and ninety-four. Those two wins belong to the 2026 New York Knicks. Two and five hundred and ninety-four. Ladies and gentlemen, if you if you if you need some help with that, if it was two and ninety-eight, that would mean ninety-eight percent of the time teams lose that game. So we we are we are five times less likely than two percent to do what we just did. That is a point zero. Oh my goodness, a point zero four percent chance, and that goes to our great mayor, Zoran Mondami, a point zero four percent chance, and in that point four, what do we do?

Speaker 4 42:38

Go to work, we go to work. I ain't gonna lie, man. Whoever his speech writer is, they deserve a promotion. Oh, it was good, it was anytime you get a uh Langston Galloway, Chris Duhan, Tony Douglas shout out in the championship for race speech, man. That speechwriter was on basketball reference. It was on ESPN.com. Yeah, bro. It was doing they was doing research. They went crazy. Shout out to Mam Downey for delivering it, but the people behind the scenes, he didn't write that shit.

Speaker 2 43:08

He there's no way. Like if he did, bro, he's the greatest of all time. But I I I refuse to believe he's that tapped in. Um, but he's he, I don't know. I don't know, man. He's he's if you hear this, which he might, bro. He just be doing random stuff.

Speaker 4 43:24

Oh, bro, that man, that man be in West Indian bars, whining and dancing to Caribbean music, and he don't drink.

Speaker 5 43:32

He just be doing shit, bro.

Speaker 2 43:33

Bro, he just does stuff. He's literally a New Yorker or a plant. I don't know which one, but uh um yeah, man. The the hand of God, OG Anobi. Whew! Like yeah, I I literally watched that game.

Speaker 4 43:53

After four games of finals MVP. Mind you, I think front and left no doubt in game five, but I do. Four games OG was my foul BP.

Speaker 2 44:03

I told Reg 2, I was like, listen, man, I like I don't know because if Brunson has a good game and OG just plays okay again, they're gonna give it to Brunson.

Speaker 4 44:14

I didn't deny that though. I did not deny that. I did not deny that. Like, like obviously, Ty should go to the superstar. Exactly. Except if you're Steph Curry and they hate you.

Speaker 2 44:26

Uh uh, but but that's what I meant. I didn't think OG could play good enough for it not to be a tie. He literally would have had to put up like 34, 8, and 90.

Speaker 4 44:35

I disagree. I disagree. Bro. Because here's the thing a lot of this shit is narrative based and a lot of it's recency bias. Um, I was listening to Brian Windhorse on the pod, and the the final NBA finals voters, they literally have to cast in their vote almost like instantaneously when that buzzer sounds and the champion is crowned, which means that the whole time that game is going on, they have in their heads who they have to vote for. And it's very recency bias is crazy. If Brunson had 25 points and OG had 20 to 25 with the same kind of defense that he always has, you think recency bias and you think of the fact that literally the because when you think of this series, shout out to Brunson, and even him, the 45 in the closeout game and the move he had on Wemby finishing with the right hand, like that's great. But this series came down to game four. And when you think of game four, you think of two plays, and both plays were made by the same dude: the block on one end and the hand of God on the other. If that man had just a regular good game and Brunson also had a regular good game, I promise you OG was getting finals every day.

Speaker 2 45:56

I don't think so, bro.

Speaker 4 45:57

He just happened to have a bad game, and then Brunson just happened to have the greatest game of his life, so it left no doubt. Matter of fact, after the pod, don't worry about it. I'm going to send you voters who are literally telling you what I'm saying, bro.

Speaker 2 46:13

Okay. I'm not making this up. He was going to win, bro. So listen, Peep, the reason why I can't even go bait, like, OG had the hand of God, right? Seven of nine of three. Like, he he shot amazing. Like, he he did great. 33 points. Can you can you guess the discrepancy on plus minus between the two?

Speaker 5 46:37

For that game or for the series?

Speaker 2 46:39

For that game.

Speaker 5 46:42

See, uh I'm listening.

Speaker 4 46:43

What's what's what's plus minus?

Speaker 2 46:45

Just guess. Just guess.

Speaker 4 46:47

You said a discrepancy.

Speaker 2 46:49

Yes.

Speaker 4 46:50

So between them?

Speaker 2 46:51

Yes.

Speaker 4 46:52

Um, I would say say Brunson was like plus 10 over OG.

Speaker 2 46:58

That's exactly the number. Brunson. So OG, OG.

Speaker 4 47:02

I don't like that though. OG was. You see me. I see. The people listening, they don't see. You see me.

Speaker 2 47:09

You know I look at shit. You didn't look at nothing. OG just trying to think of that game itself. OG, as amazing as he was, actually, and I this is where obviously you take advanced ass with a grain of salt, but I'm just showing you how like Brunson was doing his as well. OG was a minus one.

Speaker 4 47:27

I ain't had shit to do though.

Speaker 2 47:29

And Brunson. And Brunson was a Brunson was a plus 11, right? Okay, but you're talking you're talking about one game, though. But I'm talking about the game. The game that, like, you know, yes, this is obviously in the game.

Speaker 4 47:46

In the game. So here's the thing. In that game, right? Brunson had the three over Wemby to cut it to one. He had the go-ahead floater to get him the lead. Chicken. Beautiful. Oh my god. No one fucking talks about that. Why? Those weren't the moments of the game. The moment was the block and the hand of God. You won't talk about plus minus so much. Through the first three games, Brunson plus minus was disgusting. Disgusting. Matter of fact, Finals MVP, in my opinion, shifted three times. Once again, Brunson left no doubt. If you listen, this has nothing to do with Brunson. Finals MVP, he's the cap. God bless him. He saved my broke life. That's not the discussion.

Speaker 3 48:35

He deserves Fallout WP.

Speaker 4 48:39

He saved my broke life. Jalen Brunson is forever indebted to him. Tati, if you ever listen to this, tell Jalen Brunson I love him personally, please. Um after game two, the finals MP was cat. So sounds MP was cat after game two. After game four, I'm telling you, the finals MEP was OG, bro. And none of it matters. I think that was based on that. After game five, the finals MP was the captain.

Speaker 2 49:08

We're gonna agree to disagree because I think it's a vibe thing. Like you because in my mind, and I told you this, I said this word for word. I said, if they're gonna give this to OG, we have to reevaluate the voting for one of the six Bulls championships and give one of those to Scottie Pippen. Because that's literally the role he has for on this team to Jalen Brunson to Michael Jordan.

Speaker 4 49:34

Did Michael Jordan have a negative plus-minus through three fucking games in which he was up 2-1? And OG had 20 plus in almost every game, shooting damn near 60, 50, 90.

Speaker 2 49:45

But okay. No. Hold on, hold on, though. As you say that, I'm just and again, like I said, we agree and disagree, so I'm not gonna convince you. But game one, Brunson, minus nine, OG minus three.

Speaker 4 50:01

That's six. I'm up six. What's the episode game two?

Speaker 2 50:04

No, no, we're going based off. They're both minus. I'm up six. I'm up six. I'm up six. I'm up six. What happened, game two? Oh my god, you asked me if they're both minus.

Speaker 4 50:15

I'm up six. What happened, game two? What was the plus minus of game two?

Speaker 2 50:19

Let's see where we at. Uh so that was actually that was game two. Game one, Brunson minus ten, OG minus nine.

Speaker 6 50:33

I'm up seven.

Speaker 2 50:34

Okay, whatever.

Speaker 6 50:36

They share the fucking coat, they share the fucking court too much. I'm up seven.

Speaker 2 50:41

And then game three was so you're up seven. So now you're down three after game three. Oh no, no, sorry. Game three was not that. That was game four. Um, so game three, OG, minus what the hell? This is game four. Alright, so what is game three? Game three, they all should be minuses, they all suck. Am I smart? So I gave you the minus three, minus nine already. Uh minus ten, minus nine. So that's seven. Okay, so game one. Okay, hold on. So actually, it doesn't matter because it's the same. Because game one, Jalen Brussels was a plus six, but OG was a minus six. So that's a zero. So it's still the same score. And then Brunson overtakes him plus three in game four, right? So then game five is the deciding factor. And in game five, OG was a plus two, Brunson was a plus ten. And I think uh so Brunson wins in the plus-minus battle. But the my whole thing, right, is just a matter of yes, Steph Curry's the outlier, he's the guy that got screwed. But every other time the final MVP has gone to the guy who we pretty much think it should go to, like, despite what the others have done.

Speaker 4 52:24

Cedric Maxwell would disagree.

Speaker 2 52:26

Who Cedric Maxwell?

Speaker 4 52:28

Cedric Maxwell.

Speaker 2 52:29

Okay, um, Joe Dumas.

Speaker 4 52:32

Um Joe Dumar. No, stop it. The guy that's supposed to get it, because remember, Scotty's a Scotty's a Hall of Famer, just like Scotty's a Hall of Famer, and it went to Joe Dumas. It went to the sidekick. It went to Joe Dumas in 1987, I believe. You can fact check me, it went to James Worthy. It didn't go to magic. So there's been examples, there's been cases where the star, the best player, does not get it. Okay, finally.

Speaker 2 53:03

The sidekick. Okay, fine. The sidekick, psychic gets it. I what what I the instances that I was speaking towards were like the first one, right? Like if Michael Jordan like brings the Bulls to the first championship, you're not just gonna turn around and say, oh, Scottie Pippen. Like, you know, like it's going to Michael. Like, Tim it depends on what that series looked like. Tim Duncan was the reason the Spurs were able to win a championship for the first time, and he got it. You know what I mean? Even though David's been there. He was the best player. Um David was starting to get old as shit in the by 99. But uh, what I'm saying, like, Steph was the first one, is like, oh wow, like it went to Eagle. Versus the other ones is like, okay, it's probably like a multi-championship situation. Like, for example, when I say I think we're going uh we're gonna win again in the next um three year span. I do believe it. Basically, while everyone's still under contract in our core, we're gonna win again. I don't think Brunson's gonna be our finals MVP again. I think Carl Anthony Towns is going to um kind of be more he's gonna be more loud because uh for it won't happen, it won't happen because the refs won't allow him to be loud.

Speaker 4 54:11

And Loki, he himself won't allow him to be loud, but he still does do have dumb files. He won't stay on the court long enough to be able to get files. I'm hoping he's nothing to do with the talent.

Speaker 2 54:19

I'm hoping he works on it, but um that's that's me being.

Speaker 4 54:22

And then also go back to your point, the first one. So, what about Boston?

Speaker 3 54:27

Uh Paul Pierce.

Speaker 5 54:29

No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm not talking about that first one. Oh in terms of like for a group, the first one. They gain that shit to Jalen Brown and not Tatum. And Tatum is the best player.

Speaker 2 54:39

But is that uh, I guess, I guess that one. Yeah, but come on now.

Speaker 4 54:46

But at this point, I guess, and they had already greased them in the Eastern Conference finals that we peek, and they gave that one to Brown too.

Speaker 2 54:53

But then, and I don't want to harp too much on the Celtics, I mean this Knicks celebration with Celtics talk, but I guess the simple question you can answer yes and no. At this point, do we not feel that they are contemporaries? Like they are 1A, one B. Like these other guys, I'm thinking, like, is side like you like you said, sidekick, right?

Speaker 4 55:15

But like, I don't know if I think I think ultra talent-wise, I still think it's Tatum. And I still think it's clear that it's Tatum, even after the series, even after the season Brown just had. And I think it's clear as well that I'm not the only one that thinks that because only one person gets brought up in Trental.

Speaker 2 55:36

I guess, I guess, uh I don't know, man. To me, like, proof is in the pudding, bro. Like, he's he's literally the finals MVP, and on top of that, in a season where the quote unquote one guy went out, and we were supposed to be a lottery team, my team was the second best in the conference.

Speaker 4 56:02

So so that's not so it's not nothing slightly to Jalen Brown at all. I to me personally, if I had an MVP vote, it would have gone to Jalen Brown. But it doesn't change the fact that like his best year ever, with all being able to take all the shots, have complete control over the offense and everything, still don't touch Jason Taylor's best year ever.

Speaker 2 56:24

See, touch, that's that's the problem. I you could say it's not better, but like doesn't touch. Like, this was a pretty remarkable. Oh my god.

Speaker 4 56:32

See, see, see, you you see what what what you do, which is very frustrating people, what he does is is it's clear what I'm trying to say, and he will just harp on on a a no because guys, words mean something. It doesn't touch it, words mean something. Okay, fine, fine. It touches Jason Tatum's S year, it's not better than Jason Tatum.

Speaker 2 56:58

See, I can accept that, bro.

Speaker 4 57:00

I can accept and the point and the point is Jason Tatum to me is the better player, and he is the one. And you don't have to ask me if he's the one. Go ask Brad Stevens who's the one. There's only one dude that's constantly in trade talks, and honestly, who the fucking knows? By the time he dropped his pod, he might not be on the fucking team anymore. Um, don't want to get into the Celtics. You know, good segue real quick. Uh, because you talk about how words matter, um, and you're not wrong. I like to get to a NBA Hall of Famer. No, sorry, a basketball hall of famer, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, one of the greatest point guards ever. Also becoming one of the, if not she's already, one of the greatest WB coaches. Greg Becky Hannett. Her lack thereof apology to Jalen Brunson. And even when she finally did drop an apology, how weak that was. And I think the my issue, I don't know about Knicks fans, I do think Knicks fans can be a bit sensitive. Um, and when you talk about Jalen Brunson, our tennis go up. But to Eli's point about words mattering, it was the way she had her opinion that was a bit not not a bit, it was very strong. So once proven incorrect, be a woman about it and say, Hey, I felt the way I felt, and he has completely proven me wrong, and respect to him, and Nick's fans would not be in her mention. So, so instead, she doubled down saying, eh, this is my opinion. I stand by it. Just like with a smug arrogance, and she was dead wrong. And I encourage everybody who thinks we're over we're being over dramatic. Give me a second, Eli. I encourage everyone who thinks we're being over-dramatic. Go watch that clip of when she said Jalen Brunt did so the way she said it.

Speaker 3 59:28

Give me a second.

Speaker 2 59:29

No, no, no, but I'm not done. But don't I'm trying to tell you after you're done, I actually have it pulled up. And I don't know if you'll hear it, but they will hear it. So that's why I'm I'm telling you, you're on the right path. They don't have to look for it.

Speaker 4 59:43

Play it, play it, play it, play it, and then I'll continue. That's why I feel as strong as I feel.

Speaker 2 59:48

I got you. It's playing right now three, two, one. Duck do you think the Knicks are here in the Eastern Conference?

Speaker 59:55

Well, I certainly agree with you. They're not getting into that tier. Um, they don't have enough personnel, they don't have the manpower that they need to hang with those guys. Um, I think you're gonna get a consistent team like they've been. They're a pretty good team. They're they're well coached, they're gonna be on their defensive game. But at the end of the day, they don't have a dude. You gotta have a dude. You gotta have a 1A dude. And they're missing that at the end of the day if we're just getting down to brass taxes.

Speaker 1 1:00:22

I didn't want to disagree with Becky today, but they do have their dude. Oh, tell him Purple. Taylor Bronson. No, he's too small. But here's the thing, and that's that's about you, but you know what? You're a whole team.

Speaker 1:00:34

I got a philosophy. Can I say my philosophy?

Speaker 1 1:00:36

Go ahead.

Speaker 1:00:37

If your best player is small. You're not winning. John Stockton, Alan Iverson, Steve Nash, you could go down the list. He's not that small. But he's not that small. He's like 6'3. But but also, though, I mean, he's the greatest shooter to ever walk the planet. He's he's in an he's in a get out like that. Okay.

Speaker 1 1:00:56

She's right. History says she is right. But we're living in a new age, okay? New day.

Speaker 2 1:01:04

House. All right, it's done, play. But that I it's funny. I haven't heard that as as as vivid as I just did it yet. Oh my god, I'm so happy. Let me tell you something. Continue now, though. Continue now. They've heard it.

Speaker 4 1:01:19

The as you've now heard, it was the way she said it. Shout out to Perk. Obviously, it's an opinion, so that's like her opinion. You don't have to agree with his opinion, but he was one of the first people in the national media to truly be on the Jalen Brunson brigade. Big Body Brunson came from Big Perk. That's him. Big B when you hear Jalen Brunson has nickname, I think Klutz and Big Body Brunson. And Big Body Brunson came straight from Kendrick Perkins. Yes, it did. He bit on that, and that man said, Hold on down. Was this about three years ago, Eli?

Speaker 2 1:02:08

Yeah, yeah, actually.

Speaker 4 1:02:10

Kendrick Perkins said three years ago, mind you, honestly, I'd argue obviously this is the best Jillian Monks has ever been, potentially. So 2024, he had a crazy like scoring, like he's maybe the better scorer two years ago, but as a total player, this is the best he's been. And Big Perk three years ago was saying, Hold on, they do have that guy, and the disdain in her voice as if he was on crap for saying Jalen Brunson could be that guy. Oh, he's too small.

Speaker 2 1:02:41

Yeah, oh, he's too small. She said a mat.

Speaker 4 1:02:43

Um he's too little, he's too little, he's too small. It was the way, it wasn't just what she said, it was how she said the the fervor in her voice. And my and here's my thing. My thing is, once again, I disagreed with her. Then everyone clearly could see that she was wrong now, but at the time, that was her picking, and every time the Knicks failed since that moment, they ran the Becky Clip. So she was basking in quote unquote being right every time they failed. Well, when that man proves you dead wrong, honestly, I'd even argue, even they would have lost personally. I still think he has shown enough, but it really is because they won, and it's the way they won where he left no doubt. There was nothing you can say about no one foolishness. He has the third most points ever in a closeout game in the final. It goes Bob Pettit, Giannis, Jalen Brunson, tied with who? Michael Jordan. That's as 1A as it fucking gets. So the way he did it left zero doubt. And all Knicks fans wanted was an apology. You were wrong, and it's fine to be wrong. You are a a a pundit who's asked to give opinions, and your opinions won't always age well. Stephen A was dead wrong, apologize. Candace Parker, who I love and is also dead wrong about a lot, apologize. What really ticked off Knicks fans the most was she doubled down after we won. How? How did you watch that series and watch his run and double down and he wasn't a 1A? And then when you finally quote unquote concede, basically just so we can so Knicks fans can just get off your back. It was a weak sauce, it was a weak sauce. My opinion was wrong. When and and and also Loki saying that Brunson is the uh exception to the rule.

Speaker 2 1:04:56

Who who's who whose mouth the opinion came out of? So the opinion just just walked around and started proclaiming. Didn't somebody have to smell the opinion?

Speaker 4 1:05:09

Just say I was wrong. Who even in her just saying my opinion, like given that like my like the disclaimer, the disclaimer might no I was wrong.

Speaker 2 1:05:18

Is that is that is that wrong?

Speaker 4 1:05:20

Is that how I sound back to Jalen Brunson? Huh?

Speaker 2 1:05:23

Is that how I sound when I have to build my my my narratives and say my words wisely? Is that is that what I sound like?

Speaker 4 1:05:29

Bro, bro, you sound a little bit more disgusting than that actually. But the point is the way that even then she just couldn't just like she was just just and you know it burned her to be wrong. It burned her to be wrong, and what pissed her off even more is against her team.

Speaker 2 1:05:49

I was gonna say we did it against the team that she she sat on the bench.

Speaker 4 1:05:53

Oh no, it burned her. Yes, oh, she couldn't stand it, and it goes back to what you said. In the beginning, vindication. Vindication for all the naysayers, all the people that think you could do it. Bro, and continue, continue.

Speaker 2 1:06:13

Now, if we don't win again, and that's why I'm saying so confidently we're gonna win it. Now it's oh, you guys were supposed to do this, but I don't care about what we're supposed to do moving forward. You didn't believe from the beginning. The guy that we had was too small. Hey, and and Nick fans, or anybody who's listening, I'm not gonna tell you and say um the way Ronard test, uh, who was it again? Mark Jackson um and and Shamgott talked about Jalen Brunson when he first first came to New York. I'm not gonna say I was that. I think it I don't know if Reggie remembers. My concern was his um his size for like the first year and a half. But I think like after a year or two when he clearly is just our best player leading our team to the playoffs consistently, I was like, oh yeah, this guy's for real. This this this guy's like the real deal. I think that was was that the the year that we beat Philly in the first round?

Speaker 6 1:07:12

That that that would be year two.

Speaker 4 1:07:17

Year two. Year three was last year. I will say, yep, and once again, and once again, I've never been happier to be wrong. And it's and you have and to me, when you're when you're in this like line of work, you are you you have an opinion, she gets paid for her opinion. She has years of basketball knowledge. Becky Hammond is a brilliant basketball mind, and and and as she had stated, history was not on his side. History shows that for the most part, outside of two people, you can't be a little guy and win. And that's fine. So you can have that opinion, but when you're wrong, you're wrong. I can say I did not think the Knicks could win a championship with Jalen Brunson as the best player. I did not think we can do it until last year. I didn't even think we could do it after year two. It wasn't until last year when we got to the conference finals, and even the way we lost, I said, hold on, if we get a couple more pieces and if we do certain things a little different, we can do it. But even after year two, which was 2024, was when he was really going blood mode scoring, bro. I still wasn't quite sure that as the number one, I thought he would be a I thought he would be a super size, excellent two. But I did think we needed a Giannis type. Yeah. And he and he and I mean there's other people I can name, but the the most realistic guy to obtain, because he clearly just got traded, was Giannis. And the funny thing is, life is funny how it works. Not the New York Giannis after the Kumbo wouldn't be a New York Knit if we did not trade for McCaffrey. And would we have a championship right now? Maybe not. But all those picks that we no longer have in the war chest is why he's in Miami. But that boy wanted to come to New York. It was clear as day, and I won't lie. He and Brunson pairing would have been very intriguing. But um I did not think he could be the one until last year. Last year I was like, hold on, if we do a couple things different, he's really that guy. And I was dead wrong, and I will shout to the heavens, I was dead wrong, and I love Jalen Brunson. I'm still harder on him than me, yes, my my co-host, for example. Yeah, yeah, no, he can do no wrong. But just Jalen Brunson could do no wrong. I mean, Jalen Brunson could literally probably slap me my mom in Times Square, and he will look at his mom.

Speaker 2 1:09:57

Yeah, what what the hell did you do?

Speaker 4 1:09:59

What did you do to provoke Jalen Brunson that he had to slap you? Yes, that would be his first instinct as opposed to trying to do something to Jalen Brunson. Nah, bro. That's how nasty of a dude he is. Bro, because he me? I'm not like that. However, I was wrong. Brunson is that guy and more. And and the thing is, with the Becky situation, is it was like pulling teeth to get her to admit she was wrong. And honestly, in this lineup, in this business, you get more respect from the people that listen to you if you're one of the first people to admit I was wrong. That's it. I was wrong. Shit looks worse when you try to deflect and defend and and go around when you're wrong. Then we're not gonna appreciate when you're right because we know you can't handle when you're wrong and we don't want to listen to you.

Speaker 2 1:10:52

Exactly. For me, the reason why year two shed the light is because it was basically since he got here, we've made the playoffs. Since we got here, since he get we since he got here, we've gotten out the first round. Two things that were very like hard as a Nick fan and as a Nick organization to accomplish. So both years, playoffs, one time, both years out the first round. And then when I assessed, like, okay, we're getting out the first round, we're getting to the playoffs, but what is he doing in the playoffs? Like, why are we losing? He wasn't the fucking problem. I'm watching this man go from 22 to 24 points a game to 27 to 29 points. I'm like, he's balling.

Speaker 4 1:11:44

Like he's a historic playoff riser. Riser. He is the riser. The complete opposite of something that Cleveland would appear to that's funny.

Speaker 2 1:11:55

Um, no, but he and this is what I was trying to tell people. They they looked at me with four heads because I was like, I was already trying to uh paint the matchup of OKC, and I was like, listen, when it comes to the playoffs, we have a Shay. I'm not saying Jalen Bruns is as good as Shea Giljack's hand. I'm saying in the playoffs, we have someone who you think is just as good, or you you think who Shay is. We have that guy.

Speaker 6 1:12:25

And and five people in the playoffs better than Jalen Brunson.

Speaker 2 1:12:28

Bro, and that was my whole argument as to why I was telling you, whoever we get, I'm I feel good because I don't think that there's somebody on the other side who Jalen Brunson is not as good as, not better, not as good as in a playoff setting. And I watched it for at least two years and said, I'm a believer. He did the same thing last year, and like you said, voodoo magic and and and shit that Indiana Pacers did. And I'm like, yo, bro, ever since this guy's put on the orange and blue, he has been a historic playoff player. And and I value that.

Speaker 5 1:13:10

What that does for a team, and honestly for a fan base, but for a team where you know there is not one game you walk into and you don't feel like you have the best player, bro.

Speaker 4 1:13:21

Bro, and then that brings up the level of everybody, everybody. That's like when when uh you uh say you have an older sibling that just beats up everybody, and you be getting picked on and you bring in the school after, you you you walk around like, yeah, touch me now. Like yeah, every game the Knicks go into in the postseason, and I've seen the regular season too, but in the postseason, no, but every game they go into, they can walk in with the belief the best player on the court is on our team. We don't care what the pundits say, we don't care what the pundits say, we don't care what the what the odds makers say, when Wemby and all the no no no no the best player is wearing number 11 for the new.

Speaker 2 1:14:03

I watched him the only other test would have been going up against Shay or Jokic, but I watched him go up against the proclaimed best player in the world, especially because of the impact he has defensively, and dropped 45, hit three in his grill multiple times, took him to the basket.

Speaker 4 1:14:24

I'm like Webby. Brunson said, Come here, let's have this day.

Speaker 2 1:14:28

Bro, he was looking for the switch.

Speaker 4 1:14:30

Yeah, he's a madman. Let's see if you can move. He's a madman. Why do you like that?

Speaker 2 1:14:37

And and and again, I'm not gonna tell you I saw it when he got there, but after two years of getting us to the playoffs, I was like, this is the guy. I'm no longer gonna doubt him. I'm no longer gonna think I'm I'm scared of Dyson Daniels, Herb Jones, Bilau Kulabali.

Speaker 4 1:14:56

Um, um, I'm I like there's a every every team, every team we played had a Brunson stopper. I watched Brunson go every one in the month. Fry Dyson Daniels was that guy, so he wasn't that guy. I heard VJ Edgecomb was that guy, so he wasn't that guy. Cleveland was in trouble, but supposedly Dean Wayne had guarded him well for whatever reason in the regular season. No shot in the postseason. Come on. Oh, we just saw what San Antonio did to share. They have Castle and Harper and Basel. And I won't lie. Through two games, I was like, shit. Hey, no, we were up to one, but them boys made it very difficult on them. They made it difficult. He said after game two, he said, I understand my Philip says they're looking too hot. I'm getting shots that I like, they will start to fall. That's what he said in his postgame, and that's what he was up to. Bro, and what he did from games three through five, and then now now that the series is over, and you look at the totality of the five games, and the boy averaged 33 on 45% shooting, it's like, yo, yeah, man, they really had nothing for him, nothing, and and and we're not we're not even talking about the most remarkable part of Jalen Brunson, right?

Speaker 2 1:16:14

We're talking about just how good he is, how he feels, bro. Even through game one and two, not shooting well, guess who had the go-ahead field goals in both games who scored the last points to secure the victory in both games? Captain Clutch. Like, he like it's it's so I'm I'm happy he got one, but it almost seems fitting that he has announced himself as one of the clutchest players in NBA history by getting a championship and hitting get uh hitting clutch shots against the inaugural uh clutch player of the year. Like it's it's this is almost storybook. Like the the the guy who won the first ever award got to witness what true clutch looks like live in the NBA finals.

Speaker 4 1:17:19

You can't manage just like just like that's fitting, it's poetic that Mike Brown got to take him out, he's gonna find it. Oh yo, listen, man. That's a whole that's a whole nother thing. But real quick on Brunson before we go into that rabbit hole. He I was having this debate at work, and they were trying to tell me the the recency bias of it all. And I said, I mean, that's fair to a certain extent, but I was trying to make the case that Jalen Brunson will go down as the most beloved New York athlete ever.

Speaker 5 1:18:01

And the other names that were being brought up were Eli Manning, okay, Derek Jeter. I feel I had a feeling he would come up, and um who's another name threat. Um Joe Nader.

Speaker 4 1:18:21

And when I explained to them, and even when I when I explained, they're like, you know, you have a point. They still thought they still thought the recent bias was there, but they was like, you don't ever thought about that way. Um shout out Eli Manning and what he did and what the Giants did winning two out of like four, two like 07 and then like 2011, two out of four against the greatest quarterback ever. Both times they probably had no business being there. He was literally time to bring the cryptonite, which is just insane. I understand that is legendary stuff, and that first one in particular when he stopped the undefeated season, legendary stuff. Eli Manning is a GOAT for that. And Derek Jeter don't get, I mean, that's the captain right there. No matter what Aaron Judge does, he's not touching Derrick Jeter. The difference is it was for the Giants and the Yankees. Well, there's Jets fans who don't give a shit about what Elon Manning did. Who don't give a fuck that he won two out of four? I can care less about that. There's Mets fans who don't give a shit about what Derek Jeter did. The fact is that we hate him. Or they hate him. I'm a Derek Jeter fan of him.

Speaker 2 1:19:39

I was gonna say we.

Speaker 4 1:19:40

But yeah, no, I'm very love the Yankees, love Derek Jeter, love A-Rod. But a Mets fan don't give a shit about the five championship Derek Jeder guys in your team. The difference is also well so with Eli, he has the the Giants hadn't really done anything until he got there. The Yankees have a tradition of excellence, so Derek Judah just piled onto it. The Knicks are the only thing in town. I understand, Brooke. No, no, no, no. The Yankees fans, Mets fans, Giants fans, Jets fans are all fans of the New York Knicks. The Knicks unite New York City, unlike anything, and this run itself has shown you that the New York Knicks fan base is all of New York. It is not split. It is not split. And this man had a team, uh, uh, uh, a city that was starving. Also, the other point that I made, and they're like, you know, didn't think of this either, was love football, love baseball. New York City is a basketball city. Facts. There's a court on every street. Facts. We are the concrete jungle. You take a ball and you dribble on the sidewalk, you dribble. New York City is basketball. Yep, football's cool, baseball's cool. It ain't basketball in New York. That is the most beloved sport in New York. It's the most beloved sport in New York, and there's only one team that truly represents it. And now the poster boy for that team is Jalen Brunson.

Speaker 2 1:21:20

Yeah.

Speaker 4 1:21:21

After 53 years. To me, he and and and I low-key think he probably already might be, but once again, it's clear as day that he will never, never, most likely, more than likely, he will never play for another team ever again. So he will retire a Nick, which means he's he turned 30 this year. So for the next say seven years at minimum, six to seven years, Jalen Brunson will be with the Knicks, which will bring his total as a Knick to at least a decade. So by the time he retires, just think, and as we both think and agree, we think they have one more run. It may not be next year, but just as this group being together, we think they have one more run together. So if that man is a New York Knicks for a decade, Eli, and has two fucking chips, including being the one to break that 53-year drought, how could he not be the most beloved New York athlete ever?

Speaker 2 1:22:25

Bro, I mean, I agree. I agree. And and my points that I wanted to, you mentioned some, but I want to emphasize those. Um, yes, New York City is a basketball city. Um, we also have to think about yes, the Yankees are used to winning. So maybe that first Yankee, you could tell me because you're a Yankee fan, maybe that first Yankee that broke it or whatever, um, is beloved by his generation, but it's kind of like we did it again. Great job, right? Um, similar to the fact that why, like, yes, there's pedigree is winning with a uh a prestigious franchise, like with basketball, the Lakers, the Celtics. But I guess if you ask a Lakers fan, nobody really cares that LeBron and AD did it because Kobe and Shaq did it uh three times, then Kobe did it two more times, then Magic did it five times, right? So it's like we we win. This is what we do. So thank you for being the latest, but you're not unique, right? Um then uh I want to speak to geography. The Bronx is New York City, no worries about that. But MetLife Stadium, is that where they won? Or is that the Jets won?

Speaker 6 1:23:41

Oh, the Giants?

Speaker 2 1:23:42

Yeah.

Speaker 4 1:23:43

So it's the Super Bowl. So Super Bowl is how that neutral site is.

Speaker 2 1:23:47

But where where where do they play?

Speaker 4 1:23:49

They play in MetLife, in New Jersey.

Speaker 2 1:23:51

In New Jersey, right? So it's kind of like even when you win, um, yes, your parade is is here in New York, but like when you play, the atmosphere is for New Jersey, right? This this happens in midtown Manhattan, like literally the heart of New York City, midtown Manhattan. Like, you don't get more like I'm in New York than where the garden is, right?

Speaker 4 1:24:20

In terms of look at the reactions, look at the reactions to wins, bro. Bro, that don't happen when the Yankees win the World Series, bro.

Speaker 2 1:24:27

When the Yankees win the world, it's like let's go, we won. The Knicks win the world series. We're doing pull-ups on lamppost.

Speaker 4 1:24:33

We are on roofs burning down school buses.

Speaker 2 1:24:37

I you I literally drove. I drove after winning game five, and I saw a fire in the street, and nobody cared. Like it no one gave a fuck. I I like I I kid you not, it's different, right? And this is no different.

Speaker 4 1:24:49

You know what's a funny thing, real quick, real quick, bro, real real quick, LG Reduce. After the next one, I saw the TikTok and it had me in tears. There's this white dude, this white boy hanging around like a bunch of black dudes. You know, the the streamers be outside, blah blah, right? And dude told a white dude, he said, Yo, you gotta say it. I'm giving you permission to say it.

Speaker 2 1:25:10

I seen that, I seen that, I seen that.

Speaker 4 1:25:12

I'm giving you he said, Come on, boys, come on, boys. I can't do that.

Speaker 2 1:25:16

You can't do that. And then he was like, Yo, yo, I'm telling you to say it.

Speaker 3 1:25:20

Like, another one came in. If you don't say it, I'm gonna do something to you. And then he said, I love you niggas.

Speaker 4 1:25:31

And there's there's a chair like niggas went crazy, and that shit had me weep, but it just goes to show that like when the Knicks is on fire, it brings everybody together, everybody, bro. It don't do the same for any other team that represents New York. I can argue there's one face of the Knicks right now, and it's Jalen Brunson, bro.

Speaker 2 1:25:56

I can argue America, bro. I have I have uh for for those who may not know, I'm soon getting married. My other half of my family's in Texas. They were asking me for jerseys and shirts. Mind you, San Antonio's in Texas, yeah. And then it's funny, we had we had Oklahoma on our side for the Hate Watch.

Speaker 6 1:26:19

Yeah, we did.

Speaker 2 1:26:20

We had them on our side for the Hate Watch. Mind you, we're talking about we wanted to smoke.

Speaker 4 1:26:25

We had we had Dallas on our side because they still love Jalen Brunson, and we had Minnesota on our side because they hate watch, they love cat that yeah, they hate watch as well. Um, and then they wanted cat to go get one.

Speaker 2 1:26:39

I did, I did, I did a small bit of research, and it works more for Eli than it does Jeter, um, because Jeter actually was at least born in New Jersey. Um, Eli is from New Orleans or or or some part of Louisiana.

Speaker 4 1:26:55

So I can't really even I can't really like even with Jeter, even with Jeter, yeah, he was born in Jersey, but he was raised in Michigan.

Speaker 2 1:27:02

So I did see that, but then Michigan, but then we could say for Jalen Brunson, Chicago, you know what I mean?

Speaker 4 1:27:07

Yeah, but the difference is the connection. That boy daddy was a Knicks, he grew up around the Knicks. Yeah, Patrick Ewan holded him as a baby. This shit was written, bro.

Speaker 2 1:27:18

And technically it was written. Technically, um, he did say like they stayed very frequently in in Jersey.

Speaker 4 1:27:26

Um he went to high school in Chicago for for like prep school reasons. That boy is a Jersey kid, bro. Yeah, me and Kat are Jersey boys, and then that's that's another thing cat connection with his mama uh migrating to this country and coming to New York City and falling in love with the Knicks. His dad had a tryout with the Knicks.

Speaker 2 1:27:48

His favorite player was Magic Johnson. That's why he was 32. But um that has nothing to do with the Knicks, but it's just a fact that I was just about to say what the fuck I gotta do with the Knicks. That's just a fact that I know.

Speaker 3 1:28:03

I said it and the words came out of my mouth. Yo, my brain, my brain was just thinking of facts, bro.

Speaker 2 1:28:17

I was trying to, yo, I said, I was trying to find something. I was hoping that one of the teams Magic owns is New York. I was trying to find something. I was like, what the fuck is that?

Speaker 3 1:28:31

I'm like, I'm giving all these facts about the connection. Somebody said, yeah, Magic Johnson 32. I was like, yo. Yeah, he tweeted for 10. I did, I did, I did.

Speaker 2 1:28:47

Um Magic was the the what we used for OG's hand again. I don't know, bro. I messed up. Guys. Uh case in point, Jalen Brunson has a lot of ties to the New York area. Um, he even unified New York and New Jersey because there's a there's a a beef there. But I heard I've heard New Jersey people say, hey, we accept you guys now because our guys uh are on your team.

Speaker 5 1:29:14

And I was like New Jersey is split, New Jersey is a split. I have, I mean, my fiance who don't give a shit about sports, which kind of burns me, but whatever.

Speaker 4 1:29:24

Um, New Jersey, they I mean I kind of feel bad for them. And like she she gets upset when I say this. And if you're from Jersey, I'm sorry, but like, come on.

Speaker 2 1:29:34

Little bro.

Speaker 4 1:29:35

Jersey people are weird, they I don't know if they have much of an identity from a from a sports perspective. Culturally, maybe, but from a sports perspective, like from part of central up north Jersey, it's all New York sports teams, and South Jersey, they're all Philly teams. So they don't really have much of a sports identity. The devils, they got the devils, but most of Jersey was definitely rooting uh for the Knicks, not even for the fucking team that left them, which makes sense because if you left us, so fuck you. But the point and and and here living in Connecticut is similar to Jersey, but they don't have a team. So from parts of central Connecticut where I'm at to South, it's all New York.

Speaker 5 1:30:27

And then from parts of central up north, it's starting to get all the Boston motherfuckers.

Speaker 2 1:30:31

So, and then what's really funny, right, is um this is not the first time we've had a winning team in New York, right? Basketball team, right? We literally had KD, Kyrie, and Harden who lost like. The city never had this type of synergy.

Speaker 5 1:30:58

Never, never had a jump in like that. Now, mind you, that run, which is widely looked at as a massive disappointment. They only had one series win, you know.

Speaker 2 1:31:08

Yep.

Speaker 5 1:31:09

That was it. Because the year that they probably maybe could have gotten it done, uh, which was 21, was the infamous Tone Line, the Kyrie ankle, the Harden hamstring, and they lost that game seven to Milwaukee, and Yannis was on to win a ring, and the rest is history. But that was it.

Speaker 4 1:31:28

It was short-lived, and even then, like it's so it's funny you can bring them up because now that I'm thinking, they like the buzz, the buzz was there, but not like compared to a Knicks buzz, man.

Speaker 2 1:31:48

Put it this way, bro. Put it this way, bro. We spoke about the toe for maybe, maybe the summer. Maybe the summer.

Speaker 4 1:31:59

Yeah, yeah. Like, if that shit had happened to the Knicks, that should have lived forever.

Speaker 2 1:32:05

Brother. Oh, bro. Forever.

Speaker 4 1:32:08

Odyssey, shit. You want to you want to talk about what was not gonna live forever? Josh Hart owes OG his life, bro. Let us have lost that series and that game because that man, Patrick Ewing's finger roll goes away. The next line is Josh Hart smoking. That would have lived forever. And the K the KD toe is just one of those, like, damn.

Speaker 2 1:32:36

Bro, and put it this way: we did have a negative thing, and think about what lived more in our minds the KD toe or the Halliburton bounce.

Speaker 4 1:32:48

Well, here's what I'll say about that. In our minds, obviously the Halley bounce, but we're Knicks fans, so we're gonna be biased. So to truly get, you have to act like someone that doesn't really care as much. But I'm just thinking of I'm thinking more of like the pulse of the city. Oh no, they're where that doesn't matter if you're a Knicks fan or a Nets fan, you you can feel the pulse of the city. And the Nets just never had shit jumping. No, they had two MVPs, three Hall of Famers on one starting lineup being coached by an MVP. Like stars galore.

Speaker 2 1:33:36

Brother.

Speaker 4 1:33:37

And it was just and it was just like, yeah, like people still use those Nets games to go see their favorite player for the other team.

Speaker 2 1:33:43

Brother, here's here's here's the kicker. Here's here's the nail in the coffin. We the get in price for MSG was five to six thousand dollars while the Nets were giving away playoff season. Do you not remember that?

Speaker 4 1:34:02

I remember the get-in price there, and they were giving shit away.

Speaker 2 1:34:07

The get-in price for the garden was five to six thousand, and the Nets were giving away tickets. You can't tell me there's a comparison to the buzz.

Speaker 4 1:34:18

That's mad fun. Wasn't that the year? I remember that happened. That was the Julius Randle year where we made it. Uh 2021. Was it 21? Yeah, 21. And uh, yeah, the Nets were literally giving away playoff seeds while the Knicks were sold out to watch Reggie Bullock and Alfred Payton and RJ Barrett come against the come on. These these men's crazy, you know what's really funny, man, and and uh everything happened for a reason, and I'm glad it happened the way it happened. But I know there have and they will never admit it, and whatever. There has to be a part of KD. There has to be a part of KD that looks at what just happened, looks at how Jalen Brunson will never have to pay for anything in New York ever again. There's certain franchises where winning a chip there just hits different. And the Knicks is probably the most valuable of all those franchises. And a part of me has to think KD looks at this and he's like, dang. Because no matter what he said, I think it came out as his agent. Rich Kleiman is a Knicks fan, he's a diehard Knicks fan, actually. He actually wanted KD to go to the Knicks, and KD didn't truly care about whether it was the Knicks or the Nets. KD just wanted to play with Kyrie. And of course, Kyrie, being the Jersey kid that grew up a Nets fan and had a little disdain for the Knicks, wanted to be different and buck the trend, or everybody thinks we're gonna go to the Knicks. Let's go do it and let's go do it for the Nets. And KD just went along, was like, all right, fuck it, I don't really care. But now I wish he, I wish if he had, if he, if he feels yeah, I wish I had more of like a spine and tell Kyrie, no, no, I'll play with you, but I'm only gonna play with you here. Because the way KD's looked at in the media and he says he doesn't care, he's lying. Um Hall of Fame player, great player, but his talent deserves to be in talks with LeBron, Jordan, Kobe, but his legacy doesn't come close.

Speaker 2 1:36:59

Andrew Wiggins.

Speaker 4 1:37:02

Damn, that's that that's a bit much. But the point is, the point is, if he had won with the Knicks, oh, he would be in conversations that he probably shouldn't even necessarily be in if he won with the Knicks. Brunson's already become. I've heard some stuff, respectfully, that as a Brunson fan, even I have to say, all right, y'all gotta chill. But Brunson's one chip is putting him in talks with some people where it's like, yo, y'all kind of like I heard he's better than Al Ivan. Yo, but if you heard Brunson is a hundred percent better than Alvin. I'm not saying he is, and you're gonna about to sit here and try to make a car and no no no no no no no, no, no, no, no, no, you take prime AI put him on this exact the exact same results happen.

Speaker 2 1:37:54

Hold on. All I'm gonna say is he didn't guard him, and he admitted that he also didn't guard this version of Brunson. But you always tell me the men who have played no better than most, and that I don't know who you're speaking about specifically, but I could tell you someone who said that who played Pat Bev. Pat Bev came out and said he's taking Jalen Brunson over Allen Iverson.

Speaker 5 1:38:28

Pat Bev also said James Harden is way better than Dwayne Wade.

Speaker 4 1:38:37

Okay. My point is it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter that some punk that some athletes put.

Speaker 2 1:38:44

I got Brunson on the majority. I don't care.

Speaker 4 1:38:47

Alright, bro. The point is Brunson has is being put in conversations that I don't think he needs to be in quiet yet. But the reason why it's even a debate or a topic is because of who he won the ring for. That shit matters.

Speaker 2 1:39:07

Yeah, if he won in Memphis, nobody would care. Yeah, if he won in Memphis, nobody would care.

Speaker 4 1:39:13

Yeah, and KD already had two and two finals MVPs. So imagine if you got one for the Knicks. Oh boy, you I mean you'd obviously disagree, and you'd have a stroke, but you'd have people saying he's better than Bron. You'd have people saying, I think Bron would be a good one. But the point is, the point is, I wonder, I really wonder if he watches Jalen Brunson and and and he watches the love he receives. Because KD's a nomad. He's a nomad. He's a he's a guy without a home. I don't know if there is truly a fan base that unequivocally loves KB.

Speaker 5 1:39:51

There's people that do.

Speaker 2 1:39:53

The Warriors love him. Come on, don't do that. He he he he ensured the dinosaur.

Speaker 4 1:40:00

I would tell you, I would tell you, I would tell you, the Warriors like him. Strongly like him. But part of why he felt the need to leave is because he never truly felt fully accepted. Because he always knew that no matter what, it was Steph's team, it was Steph's organization, it's Steph's city, and no matter what, he is not part of that big three. He's not clay, he's not even Drake. They are beloved in the Bay. Once again, he's well liked in the Bay. He wasn't homegrown, he wasn't drafted. They don't love him the way they love them.

Speaker 2 1:40:40

Sure.

Speaker 4 1:40:40

And that used to piss him off as well. Sure. OKC, he burnt that bridge. But that's like Brooklyn ain't did shit. Phoenix used him as a scapegoat and got him out. And then Houston, he played one playoff game and he lost in five. He's a dog without a home. He's a nomad. And I wonder, I wonder if he looks at Jalen Brunson and he just thinks, damn. That's all. That's all I wonder. I just wonder if thinks damn. And it's not and it's not just KD. I don't I don't wanna if this somehow reaches KD, and to be quite honest with you, I wouldn't be shocked for that man has he has odds and ears everywhere. So when we when we get uh uh I am Dickerson at I am Dickerson and they say fuck 94 feet, the boys are stupid. KD, I apologize. But it's not just KD, it's for it's for every top fight free agent that looked at the Knicks and rolled their eyes and kissed their teeth. And part of it wasn't even always their fault. James Dolan is more than enough hindrance as to why I would not want to come there either. But I'm just so shocked that like we had to go this route to get to where we are because Brunson was not a superstar, and we actually kind of got him because Dallas played in his face. If Dallas gave him what he asked for before that season started, he wouldn't be a Knicks. So even then, so who knows what could have happened. I'm like man, no one, no one really wanted, no one had the vision. So you know what? Melo did, and Melo tried, and that's why he's beloved. But no one had the vision to be like, yo, let me see if I can get this done because I know I'm gonna be stamped in the greatest city in the world.

Speaker 2 1:42:27

It's probably the owner, and we see now, and uh, I guess that could tie into um uh a brief maybe five, ten minute conversation on what the future looks like. But um, can you believe after winning a championship, uh, and this is the difference between you know the Warriors who have the latest dynasty, and I guess us, our owner wants to save money. Um, after probably making the most money the organization's probably made like ever, right?

Speaker 5 1:43:02

Just because Hold on, in fairness to that, it's not just about the money, though. It's not just about the money.

Speaker 4 1:43:07

Apparently, this this freaking second apron, it's not about the money part of it, it's about all the roster moves and trade exceptions the second apron won't allow you to do to improve your team. So it's not it's not solely on money. I understand. It really does hamper you. So I'm not even so much against why I understand why he doesn't want to go in the second apron. I do. It's it's it's one of the nastiest things ever invented. CJ McCollum.

Speaker 2 1:43:37

Uh, here's my issue, right? And I'm being selfish, right? I do want to be the winningest team in this decade, right? There is no team that has one. This you won't we only have what three years left, right? Every team has a claim to a decade up until this this point. Can can we say that? Right? The only the only one up in the air is maybe the 2000s can be a good thing.

Speaker 4 1:44:05

Well the two Spurs Spurs and Lakers will fight over that.

Speaker 2 1:44:08

Yes. Right. Um, I would I would well who would you give the eight the 80s, the 80s of Lakers and Celtics fight over that. Lakers and Celtics, yes. I think the the 2010s that belongs to the Warriors, yes. Um, and then right now in the 2020s, we're trying to see who that is.

Speaker 4 1:44:28

I'd love eight eight eight years, eight champions.

Speaker 2 1:44:31

I'd I'd love that to be the Knicks, right? But the Warriors showing the blueprint is for that is to say, screw roster construction. This is the team. Right? This is the team, and it's kind of like well, that's not entirely true.

Speaker 4 1:44:51

That's not entirely true because part of why Clay left was money.

Speaker 2 1:44:56

I understand. Right? Because they they they spent too much homegrown son. I get it. And we we're kind of experiencing that now because I like, and at least they got four championships before that happened.

Speaker 4 1:45:09

We're going to lose Mitch Robinson, who has been Well, see, them getting that four champions before it happened is because that all happened before the new CBA, that dumbass CJ McCullum was behind. So if the second April was a thing back then, it would look different for them too. I'm just saying there's a reason, like Dolan is a lot of things. And I'm not even I'm not even too pleased with, I wasn't even too pleased with him once we got to the finals. He has been quiet this whole time. And once we get to the finals, he's got opening his mouth and doing his radio appearances again and inviting people to games that have no business being at games, and then post-championship runs saying that they've accepted invites to places that they have no business going, um, and clearly doing that without talking to his team first, because Jalen Brunson was like, uh, this is news to me, we'll talk as a team. So he's kind of back to being Dolan, which I'm not a fan of. But in regards to the second April, the one thing he has done recently that I am applauding is he got the right people in charge. And Leon we trust, and Worldwide West we trust. He lets them cook, he truly listens to what they have to say, and he signs the check. So if Dolan is coming out saying he don't want to get into a second apron, I can assure you it's because Leon and Wes has told him all the things that Second Apron will do. Hampering the team.

Speaker 2 1:46:38

It's fair. I just there's the other side of the coin that says apron be damned, this is the champ, this is the team. And again, yes, the apron didn't exist, but the luxury tax did exist, and the Warriors paid that year after year after year to ensure they were absolutely, absolutely, and I wish they brought the luxury tax back because then Dolan would pay it year after year after year.

Speaker 4 1:47:06

I do think he would. The issue is not just the luxury tax is used to hamper you financially from specifically the owner's pocket, specifically the owner would have to pay that luxury tax, but the luxury tax ain't have shit to do with building your roster and hampering moves you could make. The second apron literally hampers moves you can make. There, you don't you don't get a mid-level exception with the second apron. Um, there's certain trades you can't make with the second apron, and it's like God forbid someone gets hurt, but you're already in a second apron, then you are fucked. So I really get it, I do, and they're they're clearly working on the margins, and once again, this roster isn't even possible without Brunson taking that pay cut, correct? And we'll see, and we'll see, and honestly, this is the good thing about what Brunson did because he's already taken his one pay cut when he gets his extension next year. He deserves and should get the absolute super max. It's now up to Kat and McCare. They're the next two that are up for extension. We'll see how much you value winning and how much you value this team with what you end up getting. We'll see. I'm even precedent has the precedent has been set. I know you, I know I don't want to count nobody's pockets and so on and so forth. But respectfully, if you get paid 175 as opposed to 225, and that 50 million can keep this team together, well, that's a sacrifice I will be willing to make, especially because you're gonna make up so much of that in endorsements.

Speaker 2 1:48:55

Yeah, you play for New York. And I'm hoping that's what Mitch does see. I really don't want to let him go. Um, I'm I'm hoping he he sees that bro. I'm hoping he sees that he's playing for New York and money can be made elsewhere. Um, he doesn't have to rely on his NBA salary. Uh, but we we will see. Um the quick quick comment on on Dolan, even though I don't like give him credit at all, actually. I could do with I could do without him. I like that he stopped worrying about basketball. The only thing I will say, and yes, uh, you know, rich people, blah blah blah, loyalty's not really a thing. The one point he made, and I can understand it with the whole inviting the president thing and all that, and accepting the White House invitation, they're both New York billionaires, right? That is a small niche of individuals. To where I'm sure a relationship was had prior to him being a political figure, as Dolan has alluded to. He's literally said, This is my friend, this has been my friend. And just because he's now a politician, I don't see the need to not be his friend. So I'll give him small credit operating a space of like he's been cool with Donald before he was known as an asshole in the political world. So he's simply just adhering to the friendship he's established from when they were just rich guys in New York. Doesn't mean I like it. No, but there's some type of premise of like being solid that is somewhat admirable, right? Like, yes.

Speaker 5 1:50:56

I think the issue there though wasn't so much I I was it felt very weird to defend two people I detest. Um but I pride myself on being fair. Trump is a legit Knicks fan. He's been to the games way back in the 90s. Um he is a native New Yorker, he is a Knicks fan. As you said, they are legitimate friends. I get that. So, so understood.

Speaker 4 1:51:27

The issue was this is no longer the old Trump. I'm not, and I'm not talking about uh his mindset or policies or whatever.

Speaker 5 1:51:37

I don't care. Uh this is sports.

Speaker 4 1:51:39

I'm talking about all the stuff that had to be put in place to get him at the game, and the rhythm was thrown off for everybody. Fans and players alike. The energy was different for fans and players alike.

Speaker 2 1:51:54

Yeah, the garden was not the same as three years.

Speaker 4 1:51:56

My issue was we are on a 13-game playoff win streak. We are two games away from our ultimate goal. Is this really the time to upset the Apple cart? No, that was really my problem. And case in point, that game just felt weird in general. Like, I and then funny enough, that game ended up being super close, and we had a chance. But from the jump, the energy was just different. Like obviously, the first game, first finals game in the Gardens is 99. The the air just felt it just felt different. That even when we're down in game four, the game four guarding crowd felt like yeah, that felt like what the garden crowd had been like all playoffs on another level because it's the finals. Yes, the game four guarding crowd felt like the guard. Yes, game three just felt weird, bro.

Speaker 2 1:52:50

I don't know, yeah. I was just like this card.

Speaker 4 1:52:56

Only one thing is different, but that's in the past, it don't matter. We got two, we got the next two that we needed, so so yeah, so there's a Don was avoided.

Speaker 2 1:53:06

There, there's that, right? So I guess in the last um, because we're approaching what next seven minutes is two hours. Um, so in these last like seven, six, five minutes, um, we could we could briefly talk about what the future looks like uh in general or with the Knicks. I mean, the Knicks, I mean, uh they they have those fucked them picks mentality still, it looks like, because everything we had, we just traded away for money so we could stay below this apron that we keep talking about. Um the Bonsa went one, Peterson went two, Boozer went three, and um Wilson went four. I think that was pretty like if you were unexpected. Yeah, you're if you're a betting man, that's the order you would have bet. Uh, I think everybody got their guy. Um Boozer will be interesting in Memphis because it's like the jaw state as you go. Uh Peterson be interesting in Utah. Is he actually gonna play?

Speaker 6 1:54:19

No, he's gonna play. That's the best bit so far.

Speaker 2 1:54:22

Uh, not is he gonna play like Will Hardy is gonna play him? Is he gonna play like was what we saw in Kansas a fluke, and he was just uh waiting for the big leagues, or does he really have some stuff going on with his body? Um the banter, man, the banter's talking hot. Like, I guess as he should, but he's like, Yeah, I didn't work out with nobody. They just show me the city, just show me the facilities.

Speaker 6 1:54:53

What what more do you expect from a yard man?

Speaker 2 1:54:55

Um like he's like, Yeah, they I don't need to work out.

Speaker 5 1:55:01

What more do you expect from a youth with Jamaican blood in his veins?

Speaker 6 1:55:05

I don't need to work out it's a different level of confidence, man.

Speaker 2 1:55:10

Yeah, that was crazy. And then and then to go like, yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going number one. Like these teams know what I'm basically saying, these teams know who I am. Like, you know, the way Kevin Durant said, you know who I am.

Speaker 4 1:55:23

I've been I've been number one my whole life. I was number one in high school, I was number one in college, damn I'm going number one in the NBA.

Speaker 2 1:55:29

NBA, AJ. Like he let him know he aura gambled and he won. Now he just can't be a bus.

Speaker 5 1:55:37

No way he'd be a bus, bro.

Speaker 2 1:55:40

I just hope. I mean, because is he going into a good coaching system, player development system? What's the last like the last good player Washington has bred is what John Wall Bradley Beal? You know what I mean?

Speaker 5 1:56:00

Um, yes, I do think what's going to help him is having Trey Young. Trey Young, for all of his faults, that boy could pass the ball. And the difference between like him and why he had to kind of leave Atlanta because he and Jalen Johnson weren't the best fit, is because Jalen Johnson is an elite point forward type. And AJ is a bucket getter, so it'll still allow Trey to set up, set him up, but best believe AJ gonna finish it off. Um I do think I uh I was gonna say the thing is it sounds like AJ feels like he talks like he's a 1A. Yeah, and they drafted him to be that 1A. Trey Young can't be no damn 1A. Especially not this version of Trey Young. This ain't 2021 no more. And then that was five years ago. If Andy Davis stays, who AD will not be there. He will not be there. I'm pretty certain.

Speaker 2 1:57:11

What does that look like? That's for me.

Speaker 5 1:57:12

I don't I don't know. That's a whole that's a whole that's a conversation for a whole nother pod.

Speaker 4 1:57:18

I will say, I will say briefly, the moves that have been made since the Knicks have won the title, uh, there's plenty more moves to be made, but the Eastern Conference, I am not moved by any of it.

Speaker 2 1:57:34

We broke it. We we broke the conference barring injury.

Speaker 4 1:57:39

Health is the supreme of them all. OKC is possibly sitting here, not back-to-back champs, and they could point to nothing but health. So health is a huge caveat, it's a long season, and when you've had long seasons prior, it always finds its way in uh ensuing seasons. But if the Knicks are healthy, I see no reason, especially with the confidence now being champions. I see no reason why they're not in the exact same position next year. Now, who they will play, that's up in the air. What that matchup would look like, I don't know. I'm not predicting no back-to-back. I don't know. I will see when we get there. But I can tell you, if they're healthy, they're coming out the East again.

Speaker 6 1:58:32

I'll tell you that right now, for free.

Speaker 2 1:58:34

I feel good about that. We have the core locked up. I have a I have a dream scenario for my Knicks fans on here that um we we sustain a level of excellence for the next two years. And if for some reason we don't win next year, we win the year after that while signing Dante to a vet minimum off of his Achilles, and the entire Novanick squad wins a championship. Yes, sir. Right next to the 53-year drought being uh being overtaken. Um, but yeah, man, there's some there's some moves. I mean, Giannis in Miami, we don't care. Um what else happened? Julius back in New York. Shout out him, man.

Speaker 5 1:59:24

Giannis left uh a garbage team in snow to join a garbage team in palm trees.

Speaker 2 1:59:32

Hey, but that garbage team does have the best coach in basketball. Um I that's objective. I am not going to I'm not gonna rule that out.

Speaker 5 1:59:42

Why is Poe why is Poe the best coach in B SF?

Speaker 2 1:59:46

I mean, I mean he he I will say because that's it. He does a lot with a little. He's proven that year after year. And now you've given him a lot.

Speaker 5 1:59:57

Doing a lot with a little don't mean his best coach of the league.

Speaker 2 2:00:01

So who's it who's it to you? Mike Brown?

Speaker 4 2:00:05

No, no, no. Shout out Mike BZ, though. Mike Brown is up there now. I got Mike Brown is up there now. Uh that'll be very recency biased answer if I said Mike Brown. I will say that.

Speaker 5 2:00:15

Um, but Steve Kerr is also right up there.

Speaker 2 2:00:19

Oh boy. Yeah, yeah. That's that's that's my Q, Lizzy. Yeah.

Speaker 4 2:00:23

That's why 2022 is vindication of Steve as well. Oh my god. People sleep on Steve, man. Funny thing is, no, no, funny thing is about Steve, all the spull talk and whatever, um, Mike Brown took a page right out of Steve Kerr playbook. The Knicks were a very good team with Tom Thibodeau. Tom Thibodeau is a hell of a coach. Mike Brown came in, changed some principles around, and turned a very good team into a championship team.

Speaker 2 2:00:52

So tell Mike Brown.

Speaker 4 2:00:54

Golden State won before KD got there. And he did it in his first year. Mark Jackson was a very good coach. The Warriors were a very good team. Steve Kirk turned them into champions. Then they were superpowers, and then they came back down to earth, and they were champs again. You're sleeping on Steve Kerr.

Speaker 2 2:01:12

So tell Brown to go to Five State Finals like Kerr did and get Brunson four chips, and then he's the greatest.

Speaker 6 2:01:20

Alright, well, also ain't doing none of his teams, so whatever.

Speaker 4 2:01:24

I'm just saying. I'm supposed to reward him because he does a lot with a little, because after the Eagles, they still got to the chip two more times, the bubble another time. Bro, those teams, those teams. So that's so for all those things that we're going to the finals. Every other year is the play-in. It's boom or bust with spawn, man. You either go into the chip or you're losing in round one or the play-in. There's no in between. But that's no consistency. There's no, there's no, we're in the second round of counterfinals. The quality and losing, by the way, or we're not gonna make the playoffs. Or if we do make the playoffs, we're gonna get swept.

Speaker 2 2:02:00

And guess what?

Speaker 4 2:02:01

That's supposed to be the best opportunity.

Speaker 2 2:02:02

The quality of the team has been the same. That's what's impressive. This is the first time Miami's doing an overhaul since all those times that you're talking about.

Speaker 4 2:02:12

Their core has really been the same. But yeah, so so why do the results vary so drastically?

Speaker 2 2:02:19

Because they're supposed to suck. They're just supposed to suck. That's all they're supposed to do. When they suck, they're supposed to suck. So the how the same team that's supposed to suck is in the finals, bro. Bro, Miami this year started the year as like the best offense in basketball. And literally their roster didn't change.

Speaker 4 2:02:40

And then the NBA realized they suck. But that's the why are we letting why are we letting Norman Powell run rampage on us?

Speaker 2 2:02:51

How did it even happen to begin with? But all right, guys. Um, so yeah, I heard it here. We're telling y'all the Knicks is making it happen again. Um we're telling y'all Brunson's better than Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Um I heard you say it, bro.

Speaker 5 2:03:16

I will say really, really quick, because we actually didn't talk about this, which is crazy. This is, I've come to a conclusion.

Speaker 4 2:03:23

This is the greatest run of all time.

Speaker 2 2:03:26

Oh, yeah. We'll we'll get to that. We'll we'll make a show.

Speaker 4 2:03:29

This is the greatest run of all time.

Speaker 2 2:03:30

We'll make a show specifically showing you why any other run that you just thought about is not the greatest run.

Speaker 4 2:03:36

Um, but I don't I don't care about record 16 and one, 15 and one. Yep, it's the greatest run of all time.

Speaker 2 2:03:43

Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, we got y'all with that one. But with that being said, I I love ending on that old note. It's the greatest run of all time. Um, the Knicks are your 2026 champs, and we're doing it again. Brunson, you saved our broke lives. But yo, thank you guys for always tuning in, being a part. 94 feet. We are back. You're only gonna get more of this. Um, shout out to y'all, man. Love, peace, happiness, and we out.