KNICKS STUN CAVS! EPIC CHOKE JOB by CLE, Harden! Recapping NYK Historic Comeback! A-Rod "This is It"

The New York Knicks completed one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Playoff history against the Cleveland Cavs in Game 1 of their ECF matchup. How much credit goes to the Knicks? Or was this also one of most epic choke jobs in NBA history? #nyknicks #nyknicksbasketball #clevelandcavaliers #cavs #cavsnews #cavsnation #jamesharden #chokejob #playoffs #basketballhighlights

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to a Wednesday edition of OnQ as we are coming at you live inside the friendly confines of the SR 1029 FM, the game remote studios. As always, I'm your host, Rich Kanyonis. Hope everyone had a wonderful Sports Tuesday. You are enjoying your Wednesdays. We like to dub it a Wussaw Wednesday edition of OnQ on this 20th of May 2026. Get in on the conversation. You can capture me all over the place. Rumble, kicks, millions, the YouTube channel, the Odyssey app. Also get social with me at RichQ on Q on XIG. Subscribe to the YouTube channel. We're powered by our good friends over at Fresh Roasted Coffee. Use that promo code BYP Endor on Q20. Save now on your first purchase. And what an absolutely glorious Wednesday it is if you are a New York Knicks fan. Now, let me just say this. I've watched a lot of basketball over the years. I call a lot of basketball. I've covered a lot of basketball. As a Knicks fan, the game last night prior to the 22-point comeback and the epic choke job by the Cavs. Let's just call what it is. The epic choke job by the Cleveland Cavaliers. I have watched many a Knicks team have horrible, depressing, soul-crushes. I've witnessed a lot of them as a fan. Last night, you just kind of chalk it up to, you know, uh, they're down, they're losing, and maybe there's a little bit of rust. Maybe you deal with the long layoff. And then what happens? If you are a true fan, you do not turn that game off. If you're a true Knicks fan, you watch that game. 22 points, non-insurmountable, about eight and change to go, and just quietly chipping away, chipping away, and then realizing if you're the Knicks, Cleveland was absolutely foolish enough to keep putting James Harden on Jalen Brunson, who absolutely dogged him. Jalen Brunson decided, get on my back, here we go. Now, did the role players step up? Did Mike Brown coach well last night, especially late in that fourth quarter? Absolutely. Did he make some adjustments? Absolutely. Did the Knicks have any business of winning that basketball game? None whatsoever. But that is the mark of a good team. That is the mark of a great team. When you can literally sit there, okay, you can literally sit there, and it appears you're gonna get your doors blown off because all I talked about yesterday was what? The matchups. I didn't like some of the matchups. I thought Mobley was gonna have a field day. I thought Mitchell was gonna go off, and it started to play out like that. It started to play out like that if you are a Knicks fan. But you hang in there long enough, you watch these games unfold, and you realize Cleveland is such an enigma. You can't figure them out again. For the life, for the life of me, I can't figure this squad out. And what do the Knicks do? They do what great teams do. They go on a run. And that's exactly what they did. And the catalyst was Jalen Brunson. Every other possession was ISO, and he took James Harden. He absolutely cooked James Harden. He took him to school. I mean, James Harden should friggin' retire. James Harden needs to call the friggin' police because he got absolutely mugged. He got absolutely just viciously destroyed. I mean, it was a flat out beatdown. Down 22, went under eight to play, and the Knicks get it in overtime after they tie it up late. And I'll get into my man Landry in a moment. But they tied up late, go in overtime and outscore Cavaliers 14-3. And for all intents and purposes, the Cavaliers were cooked when the Knicks came back. But the fact that this team kept coming, coming, and Jalen Brunson relentlessly, relentlessly attacked James Harden, and Cavaliers made no adjustments. They made no adjustments. And if you're a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, you got to be pissed off at the head coach, and you got to be pissed off at Jalen, um, I'm sorry, James Harden. Because James Harden had no business trying to ISO on the other end of the floor late in that game, possession after possession, behind the back passes, you know, over-the-shoulder passes, step back threes. Are you friggin' kidding me? What the hell is he thinking? If I'm Mitchell, I'm screaming, give me the rock. Atkinson doesn't call a timeout when the Knicks are going on a historic run. I mean, it's just so many things happened last night in a basketball game that if you're a Knicks fan, you've seen the Knicks lose those types of games. You've seen the Knicks give up those big leads. You watched the Knicks choke away games. And then finally, finally, it goes their way, which tells you it's a different year, it's a different era, it's a different story, it's a different team. That's what it tells you. But I'm watching this game unfold, and the Knicks are down 73. I'm sorry, the Knicks are down 93-71, 93-71, with about eight to play, 752. And Jalen Runson, and you saw, you saw the Knicks, the desperation every time they got a rebound, they wanted to get up and down the floor. Jalen Brunson absolutely not only dog walked James Harden every time down the floor, but he picked on him like a bully picks on a nerd on the blacktop in the sandbox. I mean, uh, Jalen Brunson was the bully. You know, uh uh James Harden was the nerd, the little kid that was uh, you know, had no muscles to him whatsoever. He was soft, and Jalen Brunson just kept basically picking him, prodding him, poking him in the stomach, punching him in the gut, taking his lunch money, taking his lunch, taking his snacks until James Harden took the ball and cried and got the hell out of that sandbox. That's exactly what Brunson did. And it sparks an 18-1 run, and then you tie it up 1-0-1, right? 19 seconds ago. And I don't know what the hell the Cleveland Cavs were thinking shooting at three. I mean, this era of basketball, the basketball, the lack of basketball IQ, it's just not there. Take the ball to the rim, will you? And it goes kind of in and out. You know, Mike Breen with the uh, you know, a little too early, bang bang. And it goes into overtime, and the Knicks basically run away because the Cleveland Cavaliers were basically punched in the gut. Bridges had 18. Three Knicks scored 13. OG started to hit his shots. You know, Hart was on the bench. Brown elected to stick with uh Landry, and Landry Shamid came out, uh, came up huge. I mean, really made some big threes late in that game. Buckets, you know, very decisive. Had no problem shooting the ball, shot it with confidence. He was a plus 25 on the floor. Now, I love Josh Hart, don't get me wrong. But Shamid gave him good minutes, good energy, efficient scoring, gave him nine, and had a couple big threes, as I mentioned. He didn't miss from beyond the arc, three for three, plus twenty five, even though Hart was minus 23. I still love what Hart gives you. But that was without a doubt a historic comeback by the New York Knicks. That was a historic comeback that if you watch the Knicks, if you followed the Knicks, if you're a fan of the Knicks like I've been for the last 30-something, 40-something odd years of my life, I know those are games where the New York Knicks choke up a lead. The New York Knicks cough up a 15, an 18, a 20-point lead. The New York Knicks can't close it out in the fourth quarter. The New York Knicks can't seal the deal in overtime, late in the clutch. And they did the complete opposite last night. I mean, it was a run of all runs. Teams with that kind of lead in those situations, in those scenarios, never blow games. And Cleveland did. And I'll tell you right now, I know it's a Wednesday, and I know it's a Woosah Wednesday, but wow. How do you not? If you're if you are the Cleveland Cavaliers, how are you not beside yourself today? How are you not beside yourself today if you're a Cavs fan, thinking to yourself, what the hell just happened? Because you blink and you were like, what the hell happened? They had no business. They had no business losing that game at all. None. What what whatsoever? I mean, James Harden, what are you thinking? What are you thinking? Every time coming down the floor, you're chucking up threes? What are you doing, man? What are you doing? And how in the world do they not take the ball out of his hands? Don't allow him to bring the ball up. Don't allow him uh uh to you know to just freely shoot. Like, take the ball out of his friggin' hands, get it into Mitchell's hands. Uh horrible, horrible because this is who James Harden is. I'm telling you, you blink and you were like, what the hell happened? It was an epic choke job by the Cavs, and it was a historic comeback by the Knicks. And if I'm Mitchell, I had three points in the fourth quarter. Again, I want the ball out of James Harden's hand. And if I'm the Knicks, I want the ball in Jalen Brunson's hands. And I know I've said it, I've said Jalen Brunson at times is overrated. He's an all-time great. He's a great player, an all-time great Nick. Sometimes he frustrates the hell out of me. But last night, you you wanted the ball in Jalen Brunson's hands every single solitary trip down the floor. I mean, he just dogged James Harden, kisses off the glass, floaters, drive, dribble drive, step back, spot up, catch and shoot. He was all over the place. He was all over the place. You got to go back. I mean, that's a 94-89 game with 330. I text my buddy, I said the Knicks are gonna freaking win this game. And then you just knew when he had the ball with 23 seconds to go. I mean, are you kidding me? Ha! Hardin didn't have a the beard didn't have a chance in hell. 17 Hardins on the floor didn't have a chance in hell. Jalen Brunson took over the game. And the Knicks snatched the soul out of the Cavs last night. Snatch their friggin' just their soul. I mean, they just absolutely snatched their soul. I could not believe what I witnessed last night. I I just couldn't believe it. It was on it was just it was historic. Absolutely historic. And I just, you watch a game, I'm lost for words. How do you not, if you are the Cleveland Cavaliers, how do you not call a time out there? How do you not? I gotta get into it. I got a lot of comments coming in. Keep it locked in. We'll get to them. Uh got a lot of Knicks fans chiming in. We're just cranking it up. We'll get into, if you care, Aaron Rodgers says this is going to be his last season, but we'll get into the Knicks, the Cavs, epic collapse, historic comeback. We'll get into uh Aaron Rodgers as well. A little NFL news and notes. We'll mix in a little baseball on this Wusa Wednesday edition of OnQ. Keep it locked in. Quick timeout, 30 seconds. Don't forget, we are again, again, powered by our wonderful friends over at Fresh Roasted Coffee, Three Brooks Bourbon. If you are a Knicks fan, you probably had a couple of those last night. Uh pliable, and of course, get ready with tea. Quick timeout, we'll come back on the other side. Crank it up on a Wednesday. If you are a Knicks fan, get giddy, get excited. On this Woosa Wednesday, on this very feel-good Wednesday, if you are a New York Knickerbacker fan. Absolutely a wonderful, wonderful. And I told you, everything I felt that was going to happen last night, I started to get a little nervous. NBA teams were 2 and 10,058 in the regular season and the playoffs when trailing by 20 plus points in the final seven minutes of a game since 96-97. That number now, three and 10,050. You can't make it up. And I don't want to get too giddy. I don't want to get too high. I don't. I really don't. But after a game like that last night, part of me thinks that the Cleveland Cavaliers are friggin' cooked. Part of me thinks that they don't recover from a game like this. How can you? How do you recover from a game that you, for all intents and purposes, uh yeah, you hung in there, you came back, you were down by 11, you took the lead, you started to shoot the lights out. And I told you the Knicks were not going to shoot 58% from beyond the arc. I told you this yesterday. I mean, it was an easy game to call aside from the Cleveland Cavaliers choking. I told you this yesterday. I literally came on the air during yesterday's show and said, don't expect the Knicks to shoot like they did. And these matchups are going to be rough. They're going to be absolutely rough. And we saw it unfold, but it's just that is another example of you know a team that has belief. And they don't panic. They don't panic. And then you had a team that was very inconsistent during the course of the NBA season and the playoffs, and that was the Cleveland Cavaliers. But that was a win for the ages. And I don't know how Cleveland, how do you respond to that? How do you respond to that? Like, what are you doing? Like, what are you doing if you're Kenny Atkinson? How do you not freaking call a timeout and stop the bleeding? How do you not get James Harden off Jalen Brunson? I don't care if you have to have the weak side and slide over. I just you you bring in James Harden. Why? You brought in James Harden because you thought you were gonna win a championship. This is who this guy is. What you saw last night, this is exactly who this guy is. He's been like this his whole career. All James Harden cares about, all he gives a shit about is his stats, his numbers, his shots, his production. That's it. James Harden doesn't have one iota, one ounce of winning DNA in his blood. He just doesn't. He doesn't. He doesn't care about winning. It's just cash in, cash out, clock in, clock out. Everything else is smoke and mirrors. That's all it is with this guy. Under no circumstances, the last four, five, six possessions in regulation. If I and the Cleveland Cavaliers, if I'm Atkinson, no way James Harden should have the basketball. No. There's no way James Harden should keep chucking up threes. Are you kidding me? He's a turnover machine, and you allow him, you don't even let Mitchell touch the basketball. That offense has to go through Mitchell. It's got to go through Mobley. You had role players and spot up shooters. Harden doesn't command a double team. No one's dreamed by James Harden's outside shooting. He was five of 16. He was one of eight from beyond the arc. No one's gonna sit there and say weeks I slide over, pick up the beard, pick up Harden. Nobody in their right mind's gonna say that. Can you allow this man to continue to shoot the basketball? If I'm Mitchell, I'm living. I mean, I I don't even I don't even want Harden back at the hotel in New York. I don't absolutely not. And you know, come on, man. You know, you gotta I gotta listen to James Harden afterwards say you gotta do a better job of defending Jalen Brunson. He friggin' ate your lunch. He absolutely ate your lunch. Uh Cleveland, I I mean, part of me is I I almost to some extent feel bad for you. Thinking, you know, you bring this guy in, he's gonna give you something. He's gonna give you a headache, he's gonna give you agenda, he's gonna give you panic attacks, he's gonna give you a heart attack. James Harden is not a winning player, he is a loser, he is a losing player, and Cleveland, I got news for you, and I got a lot of people listening. I got Mike in Ohio, I got Chad listening, and Dayton, I got my Cleveland guys listening in. I I don't want to get cocky on a Wednesday. I don't. But how do you respond to this? How do you respond to this? I just don't see it. I just don't see it. I feel like this was the the liver shot. And the head coach has this guy not under fire talking about oh, what do you want to save your friggin' timeouts for? What? The holidays? Ah. Any coach that's worth their salt, when you see a team making a run like the Knicks were making, and they can get themselves back in the game because of Jalen Brunson, because of the ability to eventually get hot from beyond the arc. Even, even if they were cold for three plus quarters, you have to figure out a way to hack a Robinson, all this other crap. I get it. You're doing an up 17 because you don't want them to stretch the game out and get expert possessions and again come down the floor and chuck up threes, whatever. I can talk about that down the road. But I just for the life of me, and I watch and cover and call a lot of basketball in the states and overseas. Any coach, a high school coach, an AAU coach, a YMCA coach, a coach on a Saturday afternoon at the freaking POW would call a timeout when they're when the team's making a run like that against them. And this guy's bagging and tagging them. He's keeping them in his pocket. I mean, horrible. Horrible. And you know where I stood last year with Tibbs when they lost to Indiana and they choked. I said if they lose a series, it's a fiable fence. I'm gonna go that route with Atkinson. I'm gonna go that route. I just, you cannot defend Kenny Atkinson. You can't defend James Harden. You can't defend Kenny Atkinson having James Harden on Jalen Brunson. And I'm not even a Cavs fan, I'm a Knicks fan, and I always feel bad for you guys. Mike and Ohala chimes in. I want this guy gone. Chad chimes in. I don't know what the hell Harden was thinking. Selfish, selfish, selfish. Yeah. How do you not let Mitchell touch the rock? How do you not let him get his touches? Uh DA chimes in. Axident did a lousy job of coaching the last seven minutes. Call a timeout regroup for the love of God. What are you saving? Yes. What are you saving the timeouts for? Thank you. Let me put it back up there for you. What are you waiting for? What are you saving the timeouts for? You think you can take them into the next game? You just stick them in your pocket and you pull them out a year from now? What are we doing? They're not little Christmas cards, little holiday cards you keep in a shoebox. Horrible. I mean, it's horrible. Yeah, I give the Knicks a ton of credit because historically they don't win that game. They just don't. Now, am I gonna sit there and tell you that's one of the worst losses in playoff history? Yeah, it ranks right up there. Eastern Conference Final on the road, game one. A team that's had a historic start to the postseason. They go ice cold, you got a chance to steal one. I'm just saying. Right now, this is a historic win by the franchise and a historic comeback. It's also, and this is where I I did radio in Ohio. I know about these fans. This just adds to the classic choke job that is. This is not, you know, I'm not gonna put it on the level of uh Jordan over Elo. I'm not gonna do that. I'm not gonna um you know put it on the level of uh the Cardiac Brownies, right? The Cardiac Kids and Brian Saipe trying to force it in the end zone against the Raiders in the playoffs, and what was that? Uh 79, right? I'm not gonna I'm not gonna go that route. I'm not. Or whatever the hell that year was for Cleveland, or you know, the drive, right? I mean, it's just those were uh the Cardiac Kids, those were horrible, like horrible losses. Horrible, historic losses by those Browns teams and those Cavs teams. I mean, the you know, Elo gets the ball in bounds, driving layup, and you leave too much, a little too much time for Jordan and his legacy cemented, right? So I'm not going that route. And I think that was 80 when they were 11-5, by the way. And they lost in a divisional round to the Raiders because they won. All they needed was a field goal. That's it. But they call pass play and it's intercepted. Like, that's a brutal loss. That is a brutal loss if you're a Browns fan. Elo Jordan, brutal loss if you're a Cavs fan, right? But last night, up 22 on the road against a team that's been absolutely on fire, and you have an opportunity to basically steal a game, and you can have the Knicks debate if it was Rust or not. They went ice cold. I told you they were. I told you Mitchell would have been a factor. Mobley was going to be a factor. Kat can't stay out of foul trouble, and that game is done. But then a couple missed bunnies, a couple missed shots, the Knicks race down the floor, bridges making some plays, getting some steals, uh, you know, Brunson ISO, ISO, ISO. How in the world do you not basically tell James Harden, get the hell off Brunson or slide over and defend? Weak side help. And then when you're making a run like that, if you are Atkinson and you see the Knicks making a run of all runs, you have to call timeout. You have to slow the game down. You have to get your guys, your men, you know, regain composure. You can't play through the friggin' whistle. You can't. I'm telling you, go to the YMCA on a friggin' Saturday when guys are trying to work off the course light from a Friday night. Go to the PAL and watch these games and the team's making a run. I don't care who the hell is on the sidelines, who the hell is on the bench, or call a timeout. And this guy's just in there sticking them in his pocket. Uh firable offense. Fireable offense. If they go on to lose this series, fiable, fireable, fireable offense. Michael chimes in. Broncos Country. Let's ride. All right. Q. We stole one. Yes. Yes. That's all that was. The Knicks stole a game last night. That's exactly what they did. They stole a game from a team that could not. A team that got overwhelmed. They got sucked in the whirlwinds. And those who know know. They got sucked in the whirlwinds. They had no answers. They had none. They had no idea how to stop the bleeding. They had zero idea how to stop the bleeding. They did not know what to do. And James Harden, for the life of me, if I am Mitchell, oh my God. It just makes no sense. Cavs are up 22 with 740. They're up 20 with 659. They're up 15 with 554. They're up 12 with 448. They're up eight with 254. 6 with 144. 3 with 45. 2 with 19. And they lost. And oh, by the way, and I gotta see these jackass Sixers fans on TikTok and that one goofy friggin' girl. Get a friggin' life, you clown. Eating a pizza pizza, trying to narrate what's going on. You're a friggin' Sixers fan. Get the hell off TikTok. Stop being a friggin' pizza pizza for four friggin' hours. Then, then to add insult to injury, because this is what happens on social media. This is what happens. I gotta watch these friggin' fraud betters. Fraud betters. When the Knicks are down 22 because, you know, they they they got the Knicks in eight and a half. They wait after the game is get the frig out of here, you friggin' fraud. Oh, it was always there. It was a lock eight and a half. And again, I'm not cooking anyone too soon. And it's funny because some of you friggers were quiet last night. And I'll just leave it at that. I'll just leave it at that. All I'm saying is I don't know how, if you are Cleveland, you respond. Now, I will say this. I think the Knicks come out tomorrow night and destroy them. You want to market, market. I still think the series is gonna go long. I just don't know how you respond if you're Cleveland. I don't. The Knicks played a horrible game. You think the Knicks are gonna go out there tomorrow and play that sloppy of a basketball game? It's not happening. You think Cleveland is gonna be able to muster up any type of mental fortitude and toughness after that loss? Get the hell out of it. It's not happening. They got to get back home. They got to get back home. By the way, and TC chimes in Q. Excellent mono. Brunson and Shamet got to get the flowers. But again, do not let it get lost in the sauce. Mobley just hit a three to extend the Cavs lead to seven. Shot clock expiring. And what does Bridges do? Yeah, he weaves through traffic and he nails a three from the wing. That was a tough bucket. Didn't even hesitate. I mean, he pulled back out. Bridges playing with a lot of confidence. Series is far from over. The series is far from over. I'm just being, I'm trying to be objective. Okay. I'm trying to be fair here. If I'm a Cavs fan, I'm beside myself. I'm beside absolutely not. No. No. No. I won't get sucked in. Listen, I will not get sucked into this game because I know firsthand. I was there. Trust me, I know. How do I know I was there? I know all about the Memorial Day Massacre 2.0. There was a lot of deflection going on. It got very intense. Chairs were about to be thrown. People were about to be homeless. You know, cards uh were being flicked all over. I was there, trust me. I'm not setting myself up for 2.0. All I'm saying is a loss like that. How do you respond? How do you respond? And to me, you know, Willis Reed, I watched the game in its entirety, right? Uh the Starks play, you know, Patrick on Christmas in '85 versus the Bulls to put back, you know, last year some great moments. You know, um, I remember the Trent Tucker four-point play, right? Last night, as a Knicks fan, was a it was a special game. It was a special moment because they have blown games like that. It's rare they come back from games like that. If you are a true, you know, the ones that didn't, and I'm calling you out, because a lot of guys I saw on my feed, they were turning the game off. You gotta understand, basketball is a game of runs. And you just knew when Brunson started to cook, it was over. So if you're a true legit fan, you gotta play that through. You gotta watch. Because there was a lot of time left. And I always believe when you're down like that with about eight to go, and I say it on the air, get it down to ten with about three and change. And that's exactly what they did. But what Jalen Brunson did to James Harden, I'm telling you right now, it if Jalen Brunson gets pulled over, you know, he might get arrested. I mean, he literally, it was, it was just unlawful what he did to James Harden. It was absolutely unlawful. And James Harden, like, for the life of me, why do people still get sucked in to this James Harden mystique? There is no way on God's friggin' green grass earth that James Harden should be chucking up threes late and the ball doesn't even touch Mitchell's hand. And then again, to not acknowledge he could not cover Jalen Brunson. Jalen Brunson turned around last night, and I'm telling you, Jalen Brunson was the bully. Jalen Brunson was the bully. Jalen Brunson basically didn't take the bus to school. Mom and dad dropped him off. He's walking around chest out. Oh, let me just dive into the sandbox right now. James Harden's trying to play peacefully. What does uh Jalen Brunson do? Smacks him around a little bit, pushes in face first, digging into that sand. I'm grabbing your lunch money, I'm taking your ball. Get the hell out of here. And oh, by the way, after recess, I'm gonna take your girl. I'm taking your girl, sixth, seventh grade. We're going to that dance on Friday night. He basically decided not only am I gonna dog walk you James Harden, but I'm taking your lunch money, I'm taking your lunchbox, I'm taking your friggin' basketball, and I'm taking a little girl you're dating down the hallway, seventh and eighth grade, whatever. Whatever the hell it is, when the bell rings. I mean, he just he absolutely owned James Harden, and they just never switched up. They just never switched up. I just, for the life of me, what are we doing? What are we doing if you're Atkinson? What are we doing? Monumental heart last night. Absolutely monumental heart, but also a choke job by Cleveland. Harden throwing up bricks on the court, throwing out stacks in the club after the game. He's so wash and stealing money at this point in his career. It's not sad. This is who he is. This is who he is. James Harden doesn't give a shit about winning. Let's just call for what it is. He didn't. And he doesn't, and he never has. If James Harden actually cared about winning, okay, think about this for a second. If he actually cared about winning, and look, he's winning off the floor because of these contracts and his shoe deals, and they're going up. I mean, his Adidas shoes are up like 30% off online. I mean, um, whatever. Okay. And, you know, it's it's it's been marked down. I mean, James Harden's a marked down player right now. But if he cared, if he absolutely cared about winning, he's got to be unselfish. He has to. And that's why, you know, and I joke, right? That's why these shoes are dropping in prices. They're, you know, dropping exponentially. But James Harden has to understand, I'm not that guy anymore. And, you know, I get it. That kid wanted to be the hero late with the three-point attempt. But this shows you where the Golden State Warriors, okay? Where the Golden State Warriors, uh, and by the way, I see some of you guys are um tweeting at me with Winhorse. Shut the frig up, Winhorse. I don't I don't give a shit. I don't care about what you're saying about Starks coming on the court at Marbury, you know, aiding the Knicks on the they're on the court. Shut up. Shut up. You're only on friggin' ESPN because you basically had your head stuck up LeBron's ass since his days in Ohio playing basketball in high school. So shut up. Nobody wants to hear that shit or that nonsense. The holier than now. Get off the floor, get off the stop with that friggin' nonsense. But yes, getting back because I don't want to hear it anymore. I don't. I don't want to hear it anymore. I don't. I absolutely don't. Whining, bitching, moaning and complaining. Just stop. Always the one guy in the friggin' room. You just basically want to just there's always a guy in the group. That's all I'm gonna say. The biggest possession in that fourth quarter, though, listen, the bridge is steal. But going back to Harden for a second, if you are if you're a legit, unselfish player and you understand at this point in your career, you got an opportunity to steal a game on the road in the Eastern Conference Finals. You have to put your ego aside. And I know it's hard to do. I understand it's hard to do because they're competitive and they're competitors. But again, there's no way you keep going down the end of the floor of your James Harden and you're chucking up three after three after three. It's unacceptable. James Harden was one of eight last night, five of sixteen from the floor. Oh, by the way, he had six turnovers. He was a turnover machine. If you're Mitchell, you are screaming for the basketball. Every timeout, which, oh, by the way, they didn't take any. If they would have burned them, I'm screaming in the huddle of Atkinson, get me the friggin' ball. If they lose this series, it's a fireball offense. Sorry, I said the same thing last year about Thibodeau when they lost to Indiana. If they lose this series against the Knicks because of this choke job, it is a fireball offense. Miss Memorial Days in South Jersey queue on the girl. Yeah. No nonsense, by the way, on the girl. I was absolutely no nonsense. All right, quick timeout. We'll come back in about a minute. A lot of comments coming in.

SPEAKER_01 37:10

We'll get into them.

SPEAKER_02 38:42

That's a good that's a great question. He's clutch. I mean, there's there's really Jalen Brunson is a special player. And I know I said at times I think he's overrated. Um, and he frustrates me a little bit, but I'll tell you, it's one of the greatest signings, free agent signings in NBA history. Hands down. And uh the return on the investment has just been remarkable. He's just a brilliant score. He's a brilliant score. Like anytime the Knicks needed a bucket, uh, you just you know you turn to him. You turn to him. There's a certain level of clutch. And and Brunson's that guy, right? Tommy Chimes and Q. I saw you last night on your feed. I was about to text you. How bad did you think it was between RJ and Legs? I couldn't stand listening to them during the broadcast, by the way. It just annoyed the hell out of me. It just absolutely annoyed the hell out of me. Uh MC Chimes and Q, any thought on Kid getting axed? Um, you know, I think it's I think his personality started to um wear on players, to be quite honest. I I think Jason Kidd is a very good head coach. I really do. Um he will land somewhere. He will, he will, Jason Kidd will be fine. He will be fine. He trust me, he will be fine. Um, but yeah, I mean, listen, there's there's clutch and there's clutch, right? There's clutch and there's clutch. Period. Uh Mike in Ohio chimes in Q. I can't believe you're going after a Wendy like that. Yeah, I'm going after him. Yeah. Yeah, I'm going after him. Absolutely. I'm going after him because, again, I don't need to hear that crap. I don't allow me to enjoy my moment. Why? Because Starks and Marbury on the floor. Stop. Stop. I I I don't I don't need to listen to you, Windhorse. Your head's been so far up LeBron's ass ever since you were you were covering Cleveland for the the friggin' Beacon Akron Journal, whatever the hell the paper was. Just stop. Without that, you're not on friggin' TV. You don't know a dick about basketball. Sorry, you don't. You don't. You're a fanboy. So your Cavs lost last night. They blew a frigging 22. Hey, hey, write a story about the head coach keeping friggin' timeouts in his pocket. Or James Harden chucking it up every possession down the floor. How about that? Bad enough I gotta listen. I got Sixers fans out there trying to friggin' troll me. I had these jackass Sixers fans of mine text me last night when the Knicks are down 22. Where you at now? Nowhere to be found. I mean, if you're a Sixers fan, what are you even bothering me for watching the game? You got swept. You got your asses handed to you. You got dog walked. I don't want to hear that nonsense. Fun to listen to when your teams win, but you're more entertaining when happening a meltdown. Well, listen, I don't even think today's a meltdown. If if if if the Knicks are up 22 and lose like uh the Cavs did, then I got news for you. Yeah. It's meltdown. It's meltdown. No, no, these are not bunker. These are actually outside the B-boys. Trust me. I had others trying to get under my frigging skin that had absolutely no business texting me. You have absolutely, if you are a Sixers fan, you have no business tweeting at me or texting me when the Knicks are down 22. Oh, by the way, to friggin' dis disappear like a little rat cockroach. Okay? Like a little whack-a-mole. You peek your friggin' little head up, all of a sudden the Knicks are down 22, and you just peek your head up and then boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. But then when the Knicks come back, they chip away. You kind of hide a little bit. You go back in the little hole. Like I said, that girl on TikTok eating the pizza, go away. Nobody gives a shit what you're thinking about the Sixers having a piece of a slice for five friggin' hours. Come on. Just stop. Sorry, chimes in Q. Thoughts on Aaron Rogers. Haha. I know you're all nicked up today. Josh Shimes in Q, you're making me roll today. I just like to hold my timeouts. I try to hold them, laughing out loud. I mean, you just you call one timeout during a 30-8 run to end the fourth quarter and you blow a 22-point lead. I'm telling you right now, they want his ass. They want him fired. What are you holding your timeouts for? For what? For what? Sunday sermon? What are we doing? Now, you will be treated. Now think about this for a second. Whether it's going to be Cleveland or uh the Knicks.

SPEAKER_00 44:09

Watch what nuts do to our body. A walnut is really good for you. It's loaded with omega-3 fats and with fiber, but right next to it, cashew. Cashew is not enough. I know cashews are delicious, but your body doesn't think so. Pistachios are good for you. They're the highest melatonin-containing compound. One of two antioxidants in your mitochondria. Here's a trick. Always get pistachios in the shell. Trail mix. If you want your own trail mix, you could use walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, add some chunks of dark chocolate, and you got a perfect trail mix. Apple. The average apple in a grocery store is over a year. What? Okay, put the apple back. Kiwi. It's really one of the best fruits you can eat. It's got loads of soluble fiber. Now here's the deal: eat the peel. It's got all the good stuff. Blueberries. When I was a kid, blueberries were little bitty tiny things. And now they've been hybridized to basically be the size of grapes. So don't get carried away with modern blueberry. They've mostly been bred for sugar content.

SPEAKER_01 45:13

Turkey bacon?

SPEAKER_00 45:14

Why anybody would be eating turkey bacon is beyond my imagination. The turkey was fed corn and soybeans, so it's an inflammatory bomb. End of story.

SPEAKER_02 45:23

Portobell and mushrooms?

SPEAKER_00 45:25

So portobell and mushrooms.

SPEAKER_02 45:26

You know, it's still gonna be um OKC Endor San Antonio. They're really tough teams. They're like really I mean, you're you're seeing Wemby's unbelievable. Uh Mike Chimes in Q. Let's be honest, one horse is right. Starks almost smacked Mobley while he was fist pumping after the game, tying Shaman three in the fourth. I don't want to hear this anymore. I don't. I really don't. Just stop. He wasn't even close to him. Just stop. Stop. Let me guess. John Starks, one of my all-time favorite Knicks, one of my all-time favorite NBA players coming off the floor, getting excited, is the reason the Cavs blew a 22-point lead. Shut up. I'm telling you, go blow it out your ass, Wendy. Nobody wants to hear your nonsense. Take it somewhere else. I mean, what the hell's gonna happen when LeBron retires? What are you gonna do then? My goodness, gracious. What then? Uh Kevin Chines in Q, you are fired up. That's a big win. I will say this, though. I'm still a little nervous about the hacker Robinson and Kat cannot stay out of foul trouble. That's gonna be an issue throughout this series, and if they get to the NBA Finals. I mean, if you're Robinson, I can appreciate you worked on your free throws, but come on, man. You gotta knock them down. You gotta knock them down. You have to. Series far from over. I just don't know how Cleveland responds. And I would be shocked if they got off the mat tomorrow night. I really would. And again, ultimately, whether it's Cleveland or the Knicks, San Antonio and OKC. I mean, San Antonio is a friggin' beast. Can we just acknowledge? You know, we're seeing clutchness of Jalen Brunson. Then you watch Wemby play, and this kid's the best player on the planet. You know, Jalen Brunson might be the most clutch player in the NBA right now, but uh Weminyama is the best player in the world. I mean, he he is basically, you know, he's 22, and he, if you haven't watched this kid play or San Antonio, he's putting the NBA on notice. He's had he's put the NBA on notice. I mean, it is just you don't you don't have a stat line like he had. 41 points and 49 minutes. Oh, by the way, 24 frigging rebounds, three assists, three blocks, one steal. Uh it's incredible. It's incredible. And San Antonio is not going anywhere. This is why when you have an opportunity to get to the finals and you have an opportunity to win it, you've got to take advantage of it. It doesn't matter what happens leading up to that. But if the doors open up, no Boston, no Indiana, Detroit bounce, Cleveland blows a 22-point lead. You got through the Sixers, who got through the Celtics, get to the NBA Finals if you're the Knicks. Because it's not guaranteed you're gonna get, you know, get there next year or the year after that. And the same could be said about what's going on in the Western Conference. San Antonio might be around for seven, eight, nine more, you know, more years, but they're not thinking like that right now. They're like, well, hold on a second. We went on the road, we beat the defending NBA champs. We got the best player in the game right now who outshined, outperformed the MVP. Let's do it again. I mean, imagine now if San Antonio goes up 2-0 against his team. Because everyone basically wanted to pencil in OKC getting back to the NBA Finals. Everyone pretty much had it in writing. And now, if the Spurs go on the road and go up 2-0, get the win, seven and a half point dog, get the win. And then you get tomorrow off, and then you go to San Antonio Friday, and you don't think that crowd's gonna be in it up to nothing, getting set for game three? Ah. A lot of pressure on OKC tonight. A lot of pressure. Uh Sarge says, Q, you still haven't answered my question. What do you think about Rogers one more year? I told you yesterday he's not going anywhere. It's it's just Rogers is Rogers. And he comes out today and he said that this is his last season for real. I got news for you. I'm not believing it. I just he can sit there and say, this is it. What if Aaron Rodgers gets hurt week one, week two, and he's out for this. He's not gonna want to retire like that. I I just I don't believe it. I don't believe these quarterbacks, the the the way they're built. Favre dicked around with it, Brady dicked around with it, Rogers has been dicking around with it. I just don't believe it. I don't I honestly don't and the reason they brought him back one more year, McCarthy now with Tomlin out, understands the offense because they had success in Green Bay. So here's your swan song. I'm not buying it. I'm really not because Aaron Rodgers, you know, what well, you can hedge it and say, well, maybe that's one of the reasons he waited so long because he was contemplating it, perhaps. But I think Aaron Rodgers was also putting himself out there to see if there's going to be more buzz created prior to him re-signing with Pittsburgh, if that makes sense. And again, you know, it just it's one of those things, man. CD chimes and Q. Where would you rank Brunson's performance last night? Um so you know, everyone remembers the Willis Reed, you know, stepping on the floor game seven, 70 Knicks and Lakers, and Willis Reed, you know, knocking down his first two shots. But I believe Clyde Clyde Frazier, Walt Frasier, um had 39 points in that game. 39 and 16, I think, Frazier had in game seven. I don't let me let me let me double check his stat line. Uh 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds for Clyde to Clyde. Walt Frazier. That's game seven. That's game seven of an NBA finals against the Lakers. 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds. The Lakers were cooked as soon as they saw Willis Reed step out on the floor. And prior to his death, Jerry West would always say, I don't understand why we just didn't go after him. You know, those first two, because even though he only played a couple moments and knocked down the first two shots, it was the energy, the juice that he lifted, right? His the inspiration coming on the floor. Frazier in that game was 12-17, 12-12 from the line, 19 assists. That's an NBA finals record for a game seven. Seven to rebounds, five steals. I mean, it's just the game's always gonna remember for Willis Reed, but it was it was it was Frazier. I mean, he was just he was unbelievable. Now, am I gonna stick a game seven, NBA finals with that stat line against what I saw what Brunson did late in the game last night, game one, Eastern Conference Finals? Frazier's game stands alone, but what Brunson is doing is starting to kind of emulate the level of brilliance that we saw out of Fraser for those years, especially that run in 70. Like that's where Jalen Brunson is at right now. Every time he touches ball, he feels so confident he's gonna knock down the shot anywhere on the court. And that's a scary proposition. That's a scary proposition. When you have that kind of confidence rolling, you believe right now I'm the best player on the floor. I am the best player on the floor. Uh Hoop Central chimes in Q. You know we're loving you. Did you like Mike Breen's uh premature bang? Yeah. Hey, he got carried away. You know, I mean, look, he he's an all-time great. How do you not love Mike Breen? That was a that was a semi-bang, in and out, right? In and out. Uh I had buddies text me last night, tell Ben Stiller to sit down. I'm like, get out of here. Leave me alone. It's so cheesy and salty the Sixers fans are, or the Boston Celtics fans, my buddies that are Boston Celtics fans. Like, give me my moment. Let the Knicks have one. Seriously. Let the Knicks have one because when the players needed to step up, they stepped up and credit the head coach, credit Brown for benching Josh Hart. And Josh Hart, I thought, played well. But he decided we're going to go to Shaman late, and Shaman went three for three, and he had that last three that kind of bounced around a little bit and dropped home. It's still, when you think about it, 93-71 with 746. And again, it was just a little Brunson finding a sliver of daylight in the lane. And now of a sudden it's a 20-point game. You hit the three, it's 17. Now all of a sudden the Knicks start to wake up 9376, 657 to go. You see the turnover back to back. You know, Harden with a turnover. Again, Brunson trying to create, penetrate behind the back, just dog walking James Harden, you know, had another floater, kicked it, dropped it. I think Kat had to reverse. Now you start to get something down 15 with six and change. You get it down to 10 with three to go, you're in business. And that's exactly what they did. You had one team, one end of the floor that never panicked. And then you had another team on the opposite end of the floor, had no adjustments defensively, and they just took the most awful ill-advised shots, i.e., from the vet harden, who's got to know better. And you don't even allow Mitchell to touch the basketball. When Brunson made it a 12-point game with 530, I'm telling you, I text my buddy when he had that high one off the glass. I text my buddy, he said the Knicks are gonna win this game. They're gonna win this game. You just felt Cleveland was tightening up, missing free throws, missing bunnies, bad shot selection. And that's when they took advantage, Brunson did, of just for the life of me, sticking James Hard. James Harden was in the freaking Caribbean. He was in the he was on the island. We all want to go to the Caribbean. We love the islands, we love the blue water, right? We love it. And then this football up 10 with 421s got the audacity to chuck up a three. That's an air ball. Like right there, I'm calling timeout. I'm resettling, I'm regrouping, and I'm saying the offense got to run through Mitchell. It's got to run through Mitchell. But Brunson did whatever he wanted to do in that game. Late. And that's when the great players become legendary players. And right now, Jalen Brunson is cementing his legacy with the Knicks in the NBA, being that clutch in the fourth quarter, being that clutch over the last several seasons, you know, willing a team down 22. Yes, collectively is a group, it's a team effort, but basically recognizing the liability that is the beard and just going after him over and over and over and over. I mean, it was just, I'm watching this unfold and I got text coming in left and right. I'm all over the place. I didn't want to be too loud. I got Kiki asleep, you know, having little puppy dreams. All of a sudden, you know, I got the good juju. I didn't want to get from a seat. I had to take a pee with about seven and a half to go. Once Brunson made the little hook, I'm like, I can't go anywhere. I gotta hold it in. The dog can do it, I gotta do it. You get it down to four with 239, the game was over. The game was over. You get the call from corner three by shaman. A thing of beauty. And then you get Horden again behind the back over the show. What are you doing, you goofball? What the hell are you freaking? 99.96, and they col they just collapsed. They colla. It was just you ever see those moments in sports where no matter what one team did, the ball's going in. There's no misses, there's no, you know, it's just it's going in. It's going in, right? Rim, glass, rim. Here we go. And then everything you felt Cleveland was trying to do, it was going against them. They had just a horrible juju, no bounces, air balls, total epic choke job collapse. We've seen it in sports, Atlanta, New England, 28-3. We've seen it. One side, everything's going your way. The other side, you just nothing is going right. The last possession, if I'm a Cavs fan, I gotta be absolutely beyond pissed off. Why? Because with nine seconds to go, Harden dribbles out. ISO, then with about three behind the back and forces that kid to take a clean look, but and it'll advise three. And it shows you the lack of IQ with some of these players in today's NBA. Take the ball and go to the basket. You know why? Because chances are you probably would have got a whistle. You probably would have got a whistle. And and over time, they were done. They were shot. They were done. They were done. They absolutely, yes, they folded like, yeah, you sit into Ramada, a little comfort in, here we go. You want a little turn down service? Fold up those sheets. It's exactly what they did. It was a colossal choke job. And I believe when teams lose like this, it's very hard to come back from. I I can't count my chickens and say the series is over. I can't. I I just can't. But I I don't know if that happened to the Knicks, I just don't know how you respond. I mean, we've seen bad losses before. You know, I remember when the Giants were up against San Francisco on the road in the wild card game and they collapsed. You know, Shockey misses, uh, you know, drops an easy touchdown. I remember the second miracle of the Meadowlands when the Giants were in control, and then Newmanura overplayed, uh, dropped back in coverage, and Vic hit, I think it was Selleck for a long touchdown, and that started to come back. You know, I've seen horrible choke jobs and losses by New York teams. And I know Cleveland has had a history of brutal, brutal choke jobs. And you know, when you when you talk about some of the worst losses in Cleveland sports history, listen, uh, these guys, you some of these guys on the air in Ohio, they they they they probably had a a rough morning. And Barkley, you know, called it the way it is. It was a choke job. That's all it was. And that's what happens sometimes in sports. You just you you you freeze up, you tense, you have no idea. You know, it's almost like an antibody experience. You have no idea what the hell's going on. None. Now, am I gonna sit there and tell you that's the biggest choke job in NBA history? No. Am I gonna tell you that's the biggest choke job in Cleveland sports history? You know, the the the the hardships of Michael Jordan beating the Cavs and Elo and really doing it twice. And I mentioned the Sype and 80 and and the and the Raiders and the Cavs, um, those are just horrible losses. Last night is gonna go down as an epic one. As an epic one. Because, like I said, I know for a fact what a choke job is. And I can just say this. Um, when the Knicks lost game one last year to Indiana, I came on the air and said, when they lose this series, it's gonna be a fireball fence. And they choked that game, lost in overtime, and they lost the series. Uh, this reminds me of what the Knicks did last year against the Pacers. I didn't think Cleveland was gonna win anyway, but the series is probably gonna be over in five. I don't know if that's I think it's just I would'd be shocked if they got swept. Yeah, I just man, I'll tell you. How do you get up mentally? How do you get and and by the way, if you're Donovan Mitchell, what are you thinking right now? Like, you know, you're looking at you're looking at James Harden, like Mitchell goes back to New York. Here we go. Westchester County, having a great game, and then he has three in the fourth. He has three in the fourth because the ball's not going his way. Yeah, just epic. All right, uh, I gotta start wrapping it up. By the way, you still have Western Conference Finals tonight. I think that's gonna be a hell of a series. I'm very excited. I'm gonna be locked into that. I want to see what this kid does for an encore. Um, and then we'll have game two tomorrow. Knicks and the Cavs. We will mix in a little more NFL with Lloyd Vance, get his thoughts on Rogers. I don't believe that Aaron Rodgers is done. I just don't. I just don't. I I really don't even say it, but I'm not buying it. All right, good stuff with the comments as always. Appreciate you guys um and the engagement. You guys are fantastic. Don't forget, get social with me as always at rich q on q. And of course, TikTok and uh IG and X at Rich Q on Q. Uh, we will break down uh game two of the Western Conference Finals tomorrow. We'll preview game two of the Eastern Conference Finals. We'll squeeze in a little MLB as well and get into a little more NFL. You guys have a wonderful sports Wednesday, and uh I'm glad you guys were entertained for about an hour on this uh Wusa Wednesday edition of On Q, powered by our good friends over at Fresh Roasted Coffee, three brooks bourbon, get ready with tea, and of course, pliable. Have a good sports Wednesday. Enjoy the basketball and the uh baseball tonight. Back at it, Mignana, on a Thursday edition of On Q. As always, I'm Rich Kinunas. Be safe, be sound, have a good sports Wednesday. We'll talk to you tomorrow. Hasta la week on the