Hour 2: Monica McNutt & The List

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 2: Monica McNutt & The List (May 27, 2026)

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Episode Overview

This episode continues the trio’s signature blend of sharp New York sports analysis and playful banter. With Monica McNutt joining for her weekly spot, the show dives deep into the Knicks’ historic playoff run, the mindset of both the team and its fans, and what lies ahead in the Finals. Meanwhile, “The List” segment offers a spirited ranking of the most dominant postseason performances in New York sports history. The episode is packed with insights, classic New York sports nostalgia, and lively discussion, making it a must-listen for Knicks fans and New York sports aficionados.

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Key Discussions & Insights

1. Knicks' Playoff State of Mind and Team Dynamics

• The Knicks’ Unprecedented Run:

  • Hosts marvel at how fresh and healthy the Knicks are entering the Finals, emphasizing the rarity of such a situation in New York sports. Monica notes the team’s “businesslike” demeanor after clinching the Finals berth.

    “I was so struck by how businesslike they were... All of them being like, 'We'll celebrate tonight, and then we're not done.' Even long after, I bump into Jalen and I'm like, are you happy? And he's basically like, 'Nah, not really.' I'm like, dude, is that healthy? But I get it in terms of the job not being done.”
    — Monica McNutt (24:52)

  • Alan Hahn echoes Monica’s amazement:

    “Name me a team that was this fresh and healthy going into the final. It's unprecedented.”
    — Alan Hahn (08:16)

• Impact of the Long Break:

  • Discussion on how a lengthy layoff affected previous starts (notably Game 1 against Cleveland) and strategies the Knicks and coaching staff might use to avoid another slow start.

    “It would not surprise me if they intensified the practices a little bit... Especially as you get closer to the actual game June 3rd.”
    — Monica McNutt (27:23)

  • They analyze how increased practice intensity and strategic rest might affect readiness for Game 1.

2. Fan Experience, Celebrity Presence, and Media Embrace

• Atmosphere and Fan Joy:

  • Monica recounts postgame scenes, reflecting on the “jubilance amongst the fans” and her own surreal feeling being hugged by celebrities courtside.

    “I turn around and Timothy Chalamet is like, Monica. People have been sending me videos all morning of me hugging Timothy and Kylie, and I'm like, they just grabbed me. I'm hugging people back.”
    — Monica McNutt (24:52)

• Media Perspective:

  • Monica responds to being embraced by the New York sports community and reflects on the personal meaning of this playoff run.

    “I could not have imagined being embraced by an area, not DC, Maryland, or Virginia, which is home to me, the way that New York has embraced me. To be a part of this run… it has been more than I could have anticipated, without question.”
    — Monica McNutt (35:32)

3. Finals Preview: Knicks vs. Spurs/Thunder and Potential Threats

• Matchup Challenges:

  • Deep dive into how future Finals opponents (Spurs or Thunder) will be far stiffer than earlier rounds; both teams lack the obvious “soft spots” the Knicks exploited against teams like Philly and Cleveland.
  • Monica, citing colleague Vince Goodwill, stresses:

    “...there was a soft spot in the defense that the Knicks could go after... that's not the case with the next two teams that are waiting, either one, which I do think is a fair observation.”
    — Monica McNutt (28:23)

  • Caution about overconfidence: “This is not going to be a sweep... if it is, y'all, we really absolutely witnessed history. But the next round is going to be the most difficult round. And that's OK.”
    — Monica McNutt (28:23)

• Potential for Regression:

  • Worried whether Knicks’ “out of this world” numbers so far are sustainable, but optimistic about their resilience and the advantage of rest.

4. Opponent Watch: Thunder Analysis

• Monica assesses why SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) hasn’t played like himself during this postseason, possible fatigue for the Thunder, and how the Knicks’ physicality might match up against the Thunder’s finesse.

  “I don’t think SGA has been himself at all this postseason... if the Thunder are a little bit tired. Some of the ways that they're starting to create space from the Spurs... I don't think that's going to work (vs. Knicks). Like, the Knicks can be physical back with Isaiah Hartenstein.”
  — Monica McNutt (31:08)

• Hosts probe the art and controversy of SGA’s ability to “sell” calls to officials, with Monica defending the gamesmanship.

  “If it's working for you, then somebody gotta stop you from doing it...”
  — Monica McNutt (33:24)

5. Classic New York Banter & Listener Engagement

• Running jokes about travel logistics for Game 6 at Madison Square Garden, which coincides with a World Cup match at MetLife, and the absurdity of former president Trump attending the Knicks game.

  “He can’t go to six. He’s going to go to three or four. Well, because there may not be a game six.”
  — Rosenberg (18:59) “That's a volatile situation that you'd want to make sure that... it's more complicated than the Super Bowl.”
  — Alan Hahn (21:02)

• Lighthearted debates about what type of dog a listener should name “Cat” in honor of Carl Anthony Towns (12:17–14:04)

6. “The List”: Most Dominant New York Postseason Runs (39:36–46:50)

Rosenberg introduces his “top five most dominant postseason performances in New York sports history.”

The List (with timestamps and discussion):

• #1 — 1986 Giants

  “I got the ‘86 Giants as number one.”
  (40:13–40:42)

• #2 — 81/82 Islanders

  “The ‘82 Islanders…won their last nine playoff games, and 12 of their last 13.”
  (40:44–41:19)

• #3 — 1999 Yankees

  “The Yankees went 11 and 1 in the postseason…just smoked everybody.”
  (41:33–41:54)

• #4 — 1932 Yankees

  “I went with the ‘32 Yankees…they swept the Cubs and they pounded them…”
  (42:23–43:05)

• #5 — 73/74 Nets (ABA)

  “73/74 Nets…I have at number five. Average 17 points per game in their title run.”
  (44:20–45:54)

Notable exclusion: The 98 Yankees, and 94 Rangers ("not dominant enough," due to series length).

"When you got to go more than five [games], I think it takes away from being a dominant run."
— Alan Hahn (46:59)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the Knicks’ Confidence and Focus:

  “They may have been more businesslike in that moment than they were when they won in Vegas... For everybody to be able to relish and share in the moment, I think was really special.”
  — Monica McNutt (24:57)

• On New York’s Sports Media Embrace:

  “To be a part of this run and for people to be like, you know, things started to kind of turn around when you got here... it has been more than I could have anticipated.”
  — Monica McNutt (35:32)

• Classic Banter:

  “He'll do air link. At 10 o’ clock at night? Who do I look like, Alan or Don? I know how to get on from anywhere.”
  — Peter Rosenberg (04:13)

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Episode Structure with Timestamps

• [00:00–02:00]: Cold open, banter, and quick Knicks playoff odds discussion
• [02:07–13:00]: Knicks playoff scenarios, rest advantage, team readiness, and matchups
• [13:12–18:00]: Listener calls (dog-naming “Cat” for KAT), World Cup/NBA Finals logistics
• [23:31–36:57]: Monica McNutt’s Weekly Report—Knicks coverage, playoff atmosphere, team mentality, media embrace, and reflections
• [39:36–46:50]: “The List” — All-time dominant New York playoff runs, with debate and trivia
• Throughout: Lighthearted asides, classic sports nostalgia, fan and celebrity stories

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Summary Takeaways

This episode highlights the unique mix that defines Don, Hahn & Rosenberg: passionate, knowledgeable sports discussion delivered with humor and an unmistakable New York edge. Monica McNutt provides firsthand insights into the Knicks’ remarkable run and team psyche, while “The List” segment sparks vintage NY sports debates. The episode paints a vivid picture of a city on the brink of sports history, captures the shared joy of fans and broadcasters, and reminds listeners how rare and special this kind of playoff ride can be.

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Next Week: Monica returns, the Knicks continue their quest, and expect more coverage of New York’s role at the heart of the sports world.

Transcript

[Alan Hahn]

So good, so good, so good.

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[Don Hahn]

This is the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

[Rosenberg]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don Hahn]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.

[Rosenberg]

Game time is brought to you by Tullimore. Do Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, guys, Mets finish up their series against the Reds. They'll try to avoid getting swept with coverage immediately. Following us on 880 at 6:30. Yankees, they're getting hot now. They put a pound down on the Royals last night. They'll continue that series at 7:40 Tullamore due the original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Telemore do or try the new Telemore do, honey. During today's action, glasses up to enjoying Tullamore do responsibly. We'll do some Mets in the five o' clock hour. We've determined. We got together. We had an unfortunate confusing of actors during the break from our pinhead suit, which was a lot. I mean, if I'm, if I'm James Brolin, I'm very offended.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That was an. Let's just have an honest conversation.

[Rosenberg]

Let's do.

[Peter Rosenberg]

John Winthrop is a culturally weird person.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, he's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There's just no way around it. The thing when you think about the things that he's interested in and obsessed with, the lack of concerts that he's been to, like the obsession around football which borders on Rothenberg, like, like if two random teams are playing, he will skip a family event to watch two arbitrary teams play. He's. There's no way around it. He's a strange duck. Like there's.

[Monica McNutt]

We got.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think we got a level with this, guys.

[Rosenberg]

Now, the incident, maybe a lot of our listeners would confuse this, but we were talking about Charles Bronson for some reason.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh boy.

[Rosenberg]

And John said, is that the one that's married to Barbra Streisand? I said, no, that's James Brolin who was born in 1940 and still with us, as opposed to Charles Bronson who was born in 1921. Would be 104 if he was still alive today and died in 2003 probably

[Alan Hahn]

still would make death wish 12.

[Rosenberg]

That's right.

[Alan Hahn]

And it'd be a good watch.

[Rosenberg]

You bet your ass.

[Alan Hahn]

Be tremendous. Imagine doing Death Wish now.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, that doesn't.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know. I don't know if that really sells as well.

[Rosenberg]

It depends on the market.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay, well, it was here. It was.

[Rosenberg]

No, I was just saying I think. I think it would do better in some markets, I think.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

In some markets he'd be canceled. In other markets to be lines around the block. Just kind of the state of where we are right now. But the state of where we are right now is still talking about the New York Knicks. And, and listen, we're going to have our predictions later on and I'm not mad at you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is today the day to be high?

[Rosenberg]

No, no, I mean later on.

[Alan Hahn]

You need to know the opponent.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I was like, we should know the. I was going to say, I think we.

[Rosenberg]

No, once we get the opponent and I.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then we need some time.

[Rosenberg]

Friday, Tuesday is when we're going to.

[Alan Hahn]

You want to do a Tuesday?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I'm going to say I'm going to send my prediction in or call

[Rosenberg]

you before you leave.

[Peter Rosenberg]

When?

[Rosenberg]

Thursday.

[Peter Rosenberg]

My last day is tomorrow.

[Rosenberg]

But you'll know the opponent by. No, you won't know till Thursday.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'll jump in.

[Rosenberg]

They don't have phones.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no. But not only that, they have computers. If you'll have me, I'll jump on first day. Oh, yeah, well, listen, I know Carmelo Anthony has a tough time finding a cell phone, but I can find one in Italy. Don't you worry about it.

[Alan Hahn]

You're not going to Italy. He's in Oklahoma City.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's a good point.

[Alan Hahn]

Come on, give him a quick.

[Rosenberg]

What kind of time difference you get now? I think.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, Siri, what time is it in Tauren, Italy?

[Alan Hahn]

See, if she tells me six hours ahead.

[Rosenberg]

I assume it's six. You think it's six?

[Alan Hahn]

I'm going six.

[Rosenberg]

Well, then it'll be what, 10:00 clock at night?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, yeah.

[Rosenberg]

So I expect airlink.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'll do airlink.

[Rosenberg]

I expect air link. He's not scared of you.

[Monica McNutt]

Yeah, I'm not.

[Rosenberg]

He'll do air link. At 10 o' clock at night?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Who do I look like, Alan or Don? I know how to get on from anywhere.

[Rosenberg]

How dare you.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen, if it's a Friday, you might be the only one on there.

[Rosenberg]

Don't get off anywhere. He can get on anyway.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I was about to say it's a Friday. If they're working from home. I should leave the show. I'll be the most reliable person you got. What did he say?

[Rosenberg]

I missed it.

[Alan Hahn]

Isolated.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't hear it. I missed it.

[Alan Hahn]

Can't be repeated, but it was a really, really good take. It was an excellent.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I've never seen Don more tickled with

[Alan Hahn]

himself, which is what he was kind of referencing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And now he's gone.

[Rosenberg]

It was just the reaction, Alan. I'm not laughing at my joke. Although it was very violent. Six hours.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're correct.

[Alan Hahn]

It was good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Six hours in Rome.

[Rosenberg]

What did he say? How did I miss her?

[Alan Hahn]

Well.

[Rosenberg]

Well, I think we could say you said you can. You could. You could take it on anywhere, and

[Alan Hahn]

I can get on. You can.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I said I can get on anywhere.

[Rosenberg]

You can get on anywhere. Yeah. And I. I went the other way.

[Alan Hahn]

Don said, and I quote, most people get off anywhere. You can get on anywhere. And it was just. You know how he does this thing where he says something. I don't know if he does it to you, Peter, but every now and then when he's proud of something he said, he'll just turn his head and look at me. And he just called me at the right time.

[Rosenberg]

I just want to know. It's usually because the guy that I can maintain eye contact with the whole show is Jacob.

[Grainger Announcer]

Right.

[Rosenberg]

And so if I. If I'm not sure he heard it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know maintaining eye contact is important for you. Again, back to your turn on.

[Rosenberg]

No, it's just to get a reaction.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Got it Right.

[Rosenberg]

Anytime you tell a joke, you want to know if he heard and Jacob's the one. Because the hope is if there's nobody laughed, well, maybe they didn't hear it. And there's a lot of things going on. Three people are talking. So sometimes these things get messed, get missed a little bit.

[Alan Hahn]

So.

[Rosenberg]

So that's what happened during the break. And what I was saying is, is that you should feel good about the next chances for sure. But it's going to be a different set of skills, a different matchup. We've already seen that the regular season doesn't mean anything. And I'm not going to. Let's face it, the NBA cup is regular season of Jace. Right. So I think the Knicks have an excellent chance to win, but they're going to be dogs. I think if Michael had it right, I think they're significant dogs against either.

[Alan Hahn]

No, not significant.

[Rosenberg]

Well, he.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What do you think is significant?

[Rosenberg]

He had said what Vegas was saying is. I forget what odd. He said that they're giving The Knicks a 25% chance to win a series.

[Alan Hahn]

Again, you got to know that they'll be the I only because I'm not looking at Vegas but I was looking at ESPN analytics for both and they against the spurs would be a 5,149 favorite.

[Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

As far as the analytics go up winning.

[Rosenberg]

I don't know where Michael got his

[Alan Hahn]

number, but their number against Oklahoma City would be significantly lower because.

[Rosenberg]

Well, he was basing this all. I guess last night I missed it but I guess Reggie Miller said that the Knicks will be the favorite against either of these two.

[Alan Hahn]

He's not the only one.

[Rosenberg]

Well, I see there's a lot of people saying he misspoke. What do you say there's a difference between I think the Knicks will win and saying I think the Knicks will be a favorite. The Knicks will not be a favorite. Yeah, I see what you're saying now, Nick. Fans should get excited about that because if you believe in them, that means you'll win more money if you bet them. But at the end of the day it really doesn't matter anyway. I'm just saying like Spike, I don't think they're going to lose another game or they're only going to lose one more game. Just relax. You don't have to win in five, win in seven, win by 1.4 times. Who cares? All I can tell you is what's happened the last three series I don't believe is going to happen in this series. They could win the series, but I don't, I don't think either of these teams are going to quit the way the Sixers and the Cavs did.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Rosenberg]

And I think the. I think these two teams are significantly better. I'm not taking anything away from what the Knicks did, but they got help, face it. Right.

[Alan Hahn]

But one thing that you can't deny that is to the advantage of the Knicks is how little they've had to play. No that help like again they, they will be the freshest team I think you could like the la. Name me a team that was this fresh and healthy going into the final.

[Rosenberg]

It's unprecedented.

[Alan Hahn]

Their minutes are so much like their minutes, their, their usage, their wear and tear, all that stuff like how much treatment they are getting and rest now it is interesting you brought up in between the second round and the conference final this long break and you know, should they get out of town. Right. Get him out of New York. Some of the guys, including Towns were suggesting like whatever we did between the second round and conference final, that Game one, we didn't play well. We need to do something different because the guys all wanted to get back in the gym. That's what I loved about it, is there was so much of the players just saying, like, we're going to celebrate tonight when we get back to New York. We want to be in the gym. We're going to get in the gym, get shots up, start focusing on the next thing, which is exactly what you want to hear. But the guys were almost looking at Mike Brown and the coaching staff, like, whatever we. Whatever you thought was a good idea. No, we need to do something different with our scrimmages and everything else. And this is where I'm still surprised that they didn't say, all right, fellas, you. Instead of staying in town, we're going upstate, or we're going down to Charleston, or we're going somewhere and we're just going to hunker down. And this is. We're going to just have a minicamp and get ready for the finals because they have to go on the road anyway.

[Rosenberg]

Because I believe that if they do what they did in game one against the Cavs in game one, they're losing.

[Alan Hahn]

That's a 20 point loss.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, they're losing the game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

Agreed.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

Now, you could lose game one and still get up from the mat, because all you're looking for is the split on the road, of course, but they. There's an example right there that you fall behind that early against the Cavs or the Spurs. I mean, the spurs or the Thunder, you're going to lose that game.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

And now, bang, all of a sudden, you're down one, nothing, and we'll see. I'm always interested whenever you have a long winning streak. I'm always kind of curious to see how you respond when it ends. Because at some point, you figure it's

[Alan Hahn]

going to end, right? It's supposed to.

[Rosenberg]

And, you know, how do you respond from that? You just get right back on the mat or, hey, this magic carpet ride. And I don't think it's a magic carpet ride because that suggests that it's fluky and it's not. But it just. I'm always interested in seeing how a team responds when they suffer that first. It'll be their first loss in over a month, by the time they play Game one, whenever that loss is. You like. Like five weeks, right? Yeah. It'd be a pretty significant amount of time. So I'll be. I'll be curious to see. Yeah, I don't think you're sweeping. I think you can win. But you know, sweeping is kind of. Kind of kooky. But listen, you're high on what's happening. Why not, right?

[Alan Hahn]

With the most remarkable thing you've ever seen in anything in New York sports is if they. Again, this is all funny hypothetical stuff, but I was just thinking about it because you just said it. Let's say they do sweep. Something crazy happened. They sweep. Their. Their next loss isn't until next season.

[Rosenberg]

I know, right?

[Alan Hahn]

You know what I mean? Like some. Sometime in like November, they lose a game and you're going like, they haven't lost since April. I know. It's crazy dumb, but it's crazy. You know, like that's.

[Rosenberg]

That's kind of two losses they have in these playoffs are both by one point. So.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Yeah. Again, no one expects it. You know, the level of opponent is going up astronomy to 60. Win team. So you're talking about legitimate.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is this any different? Did you send me something different, Anthony? Is it actually different? I was going to give you guys some odds.

[Rosenberg]

Here we go.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, we have odds.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, they're the same thing.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, there they are.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. So if game one were to be at Oklahoma City, the New York Knicks would be a six and a half point dog. At okc, it's.

[Rosenberg]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And at San Antonio, they would be a four and a half point dog.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what that says to me? Let's keep this thing going. 500 right now. Right now.

[Rosenberg]

Right now.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, listen, I can't press the button.

[Bucked Up Announcer]

You can.

[Monica McNutt]

Technically, I can actually.

[Rosenberg]

Technically, you can technically bet both right now.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, they'll avoid the one that doesn't exist.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They'll avoid the one that.

[Rosenberg]

Who am I to even question what you're doing now? Dale has called back because he was not on the air when I came up with my brilliant idea to name his dog Cat Dale.

[Alan Hahn]

Do it.

[Rosenberg]

Because not only is it ironic, but when people say, why Cat? Hey, I'm a Nick fan. Is that on the table that I give you a good idea?

[Monica McNutt]

It is.

[Dale]

It's the front runner.

[Monica McNutt]

Don't.

[Rosenberg]

I'm honored, Don.

[Dale]

I'm tipping my Knicks. I am literally tipping my Knicks cap to you right now. I'm a song sucker for a pun. So that is just. That's. That that's scratching all the itches, if you will, with that. With that name. But yeah, I mean, do we. Then we can get into like, what kind of dog? But we can't go there. That's too big of a rabbit hole. You're having fun next, I think. Okay, okay. Because it's a golden retriever, but, you know, a zesty, zesty Carl Anthony Towns personality.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Dale]

I don't know if it's quite golden

[Rosenberg]

retriever, but I just think the fact that you're even thinking about. And Dale informed. Run it by the wife, See what she says. I just love the irony. And he's a significant piece. But it could be a championship puzzle.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What kind of dog should cat be? Well, if you want it to be Carl Anthony Towns, like.

[Rosenberg]

Well, no, but I. I think Saint Bernard. No, you're leaning into the irony of it. So the bigger the dog, the better. Right? Because cats, I think, relatively speaking, are small. So if he gets like a Marmaduke or something.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, like something like that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's a Marmaduke?

[Alan Hahn]

A big dog that is just so lovable.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And, you know, St. Bernard's being lovable.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, but like, Great Dane. A Great Dane would be perfect.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, Danes are more. They're too serious.

[Alan Hahn]

Marmaduke was a Great Dane, by the way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, Marmaduke. What the hell is Marmaduke?

[Rosenberg]

It's a show.

[Alan Hahn]

It's a cartoony show. Cartoon.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That is a Great Dane. Yeah. No, Is that giving cat.

[Alan Hahn]

Thanks for confirming. Yeah, just big, lovable.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think St. Bernard's way more lovable than a.

[Rosenberg]

Listen, I don't think we've picked the name now. We're helping with the dog. We're going to have to go pick this thing up now. Well, let's hope we don't pick up

[Peter Rosenberg]

their poop, because if it's a Saint Bernard, great.

[Rosenberg]

Forget about it. Small house. Not going to deal with that.

[Alan Hahn]

Need a backhoe.

[Rosenberg]

All right, let's. Let's go to Bob and Morristown. You're on esp.

[Monica McNutt]

Hey, guys, it seems to me a

[Rosenberg]

perfect rebuttal for Becky Hammond's point is

[Monica McNutt]

Isaiah Thomas and the Pistons, he's small, and he was the best player on the team.

[Alan Hahn]

That's. That is. I think the point she was making is, is that the game's different now or something. I don't know. But he's. He's the. I believe, the last one because Steph Curry, despite looking small, I think he's listed a six. Three.

[Rosenberg]

Right, Right.

[Alan Hahn]

So they don't. They don't really count him as a small guard who led his team to a champion.

[Rosenberg]

And if I remember, the time is about two years ago, Bob, I think it was 20. That. That was the conversation. It's like, not since Isaiah Thomas she was talking about in the modern game,

[Alan Hahn]

John Stockton never got. He got to two finals but never won, never did. Stockton was one of two great players on that team, but he was the, the engine of that offense.

[Rosenberg]

But do I think there was, you know, bias there? But again, at the time it was. She didn't know they'd be facing the spurs in the final. Like, I, I just think she just, she was, she was an analyst and she gave you an analytical view of why he. She didn't think they'd win. Now, I'm sure there's the bias of, like I said earlier, hey, oh, the Knicks aren't going to win. They haven't won since 1973, so it's a pretty safe bet. But I just like the fact she doubled down. Like, why should she be intimidated? She said it. And if she's proven wrong, hey, you're wrong. I'm wrong all the time. You make, you, you make these bold predictions or you have these opinions and you're proven wrong. You're proven wrong. There's no apologies for it. There's nothing, you know, and it's. Hey, Brunson's been proving a lot of people wrong for a long period of time here. Let's go to Rod in Bethlehem. You're on espn, New York.

[Caller Rod]

Hey, guys, I think you should. I should go with a mastiff if you're gonna name a dog a catch, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Caller Rod]

So, guys, I wanted to give Alan a heads up if you've looked ahead at the schedule and if the NBA Finals makes it to game six.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Caller Rod]

There is a World cup soccer game at met life at 3pm between France and Senegal. It's on a Tuesday, so it's a work day. So from I say about noon until past midnight, it's gonna be people soup down there. Oh, yeah, Penn Station. Would you want to drive it?

[Rosenberg]

Well, they might have to because it's gonna cost you. What price did they settle on? If you're gonna be taking the train, you're gonna be paying like over a hundred bucks, so.

[Alan Hahn]

And Penn State is gonna be a ghost town. Remember, they're gone. On World cup game days, they're gonna close off half of Penn Station for only the World cup traffic.

[Rosenberg]

This is going to be a mess.

[Alan Hahn]

And that, that just makes even worse

[Rosenberg]

now with the game being at three and the Nick game will be at 8:30. Soccer games are usually pretty quick, like two hours. So it's possible by 6:30, 7:00 when the, when it starts to build up for the Knick game.

[Alan Hahn]

Think about the, the.

[Rosenberg]

The World cup crowd could be already out of the world.

[Alan Hahn]

You're coming from Jersey, trying to go to the Knick game or even just go to bars near the arena because we all know that's what everybody's going to do and then congregate after the win. You're going to have World cup people and NBA people all coming in at the same time. On the New Jersey side.

[Rosenberg]

No.

[Alan Hahn]

Why not? After the game. The World cup game will be over.

[Peter Rosenberg]

People are coming back to New York from New Jersey.

[Alan Hahn]

You'll be trying to get in around seven, around the same time they're both going to be heading to.

[Rosenberg]

The game is over. I say get a ball again. You're a soccer guy. What time will that game be over? Soccer starts at three.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They play 90 minutes. Let's suppose they don't do extras. Suppose it's a regulation game. I will say your 90 minutes turns into 2 hours, 2 hours and 5

[Alan Hahn]

minutes, 2 hours, 10 minutes, halftime.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you could, theoretically, you could be

[Rosenberg]

in Penn Station to get to wherever you need to go or. No, no, I mean you'll be going to Penn Station to get wherever you need to go. Subway, whatever. By six o', clock, if I'm in Jersey to go to. The game's at 3. 30 games. The game is at 3.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The game's at 3.

[Rosenberg]

So MetLife, there's a chance that Penn Station, the World cup crowd returning to New York is around 6 o'.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Clock.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah. And that's still two and a half hours before tip.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

Now, I'm not saying it won't be crowded, but if I were, If I was. If I lived in Jersey and I was taking a train, I probably would get on the train at 6 for an 8:30 game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, all I would say is all of this sounds tough. I think the one thing you need to do here is add the president going to the game. That's the only thing that can make this better.

[Rosenberg]

He can't go to six.

[Alan Hahn]

Can't go to six.

[Rosenberg]

Not going to go to six. He's going to go to three or four. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He said that?

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, he said he'll either go to three or four. Well, because there may not be a game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Six.

[Rosenberg]

Right. So he wants to go to a guaranteed game. That's three or four. Right. So what days are those? So that would be what? Wednesday? Friday. So game three would be Sunday.

[Alan Hahn]

Standby.

[Rosenberg]

That would be the better time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You think you'd be in a suite?

[Alan Hahn]

The President. Yeah, absolutely.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sweet.

[Alan Hahn]

Only. Right? Absolutely.

[Rosenberg]

But here's the thing.

[Alan Hahn]

Here's the thing. That wouldn't work.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Because game six, Tuesday, a Tuesday, the hot.

[Rosenberg]

Somebody like him would get a bunker suite. But a bunker suite means you're now sitting in view of every.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Which is not.

[Alan Hahn]

You're in the middle. See, this is again, where. Where all the. The Knick executives sit is center court. They have the bunker suite.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's right up next to it.

[Alan Hahn]

And it just. They're about 10 rows up or so.

[Rosenberg]

But usually if he's a guest of Dolan. Right. He'd be sitting with Dolan, and that's where Dolan sits, baseline by the Nick bench.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no, I can't do it.

[Alan Hahn]

Imagine that. You can't. No, you really couldn't. That's too high traffic.

[Rosenberg]

But then where would Danhausen sit?

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's a great question by you.

[Rosenberg]

We don't hear Danhausen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He wants to be between Timothy Shamalay and Kylie Jenner.

[Monica McNutt]

We're getting to that point where it's

[Rosenberg]

gonna have to happen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I think it's. I think they.

[Rosenberg]

I think. Cool.

[Alan Hahn]

He wants to be between them.

[Rosenberg]

Logistically, it's just too much for Trump to go.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm telling you, he's not gonna go. It's gonna be too much. It's gonna be. And Alan can push back on me if you want. I'm telling you, I've been in America for a long time, Merck. I've been watching this whole thing now for the last 10 years.

[Rosenberg]

Sure.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The juice and the squeeze. When it comes to Trump, he generally is pretty thoughtful about how will the reception be. To do this much work to get there at a Knicks game is not calculated.

[Alan Hahn]

My bigger thing I agree with you about, in the end, we'll probably just not do it, because I think Adam would also be part of this, and I think NBA security and everybody else will understand just like how logistically, this is very difficult to do. Not just because of the arena, because the fact that you have a pen, you have Penn Station literally below, right underneath.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're in the middle of Manhattan on a week, on a potentially on a

[Alan Hahn]

weekday like that is a volatile situation that you'd want to make sure that

[Peter Rosenberg]

it's more complicated than the Super Bowl.

[Alan Hahn]

It's one thing if you're playing at the palace at Auburn Hills, which is out in the middle of nowhere outside of, you know, Detroit. Right. That's way out of the way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'll throw in the other.

[Alan Hahn]

Isolated.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I will. I will counter that with. He has shown up to UFC at msg. Sold out MSG when I've been there as as sitting president.

[Alan Hahn]

Really?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

They already have a way then.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So they've done it now. It's not a weekday and it's not the press that it's not everything that the NBA finals has with it. True, but it is the same building in the same place.

[Alan Hahn]

But then they have a plan so

[Peter Rosenberg]

there is some way that they've done it.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

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[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Rosenberg]

Now time for the Monica McNutt Report. It's brought to you by Calandra's Bakery and Bet MGM. It's Wednesday. That means Monica joins us. How are you?

[Monica McNutt]

Good morning. I'm all over the Place, you guys. Hi, you guys. Good afternoon.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, what time zone are you in right now? Are you getting prepared or.

[Monica McNutt]

I am back in New York, but I got a bunch of different things happening. And you know, you know how I do something cooking?

[Alan Hahn]

You always got something cooking. What I love though is anybody that watched the post game show after game four. And as everybody knows on MSG networks, we'll have an hour long pregame and we might go an hour and a half to two hours post games in the finals, of course, with all the coverage we're going to have here. So always stay tuned on MSG before and after the games. But Monica was obviously at Cleveland calling the game with Tyler Murray on of course, ESPN New York and went down to the court, which you had some amazing POV video during the ceremony afterwards. But you had Clyde, you had Mike Breen. Like, you had all the interviews that you had. You talked to a couple of players as well. That must have been for you. Just personally a lot of fun. And second of all, what did you notice the most about the team during that celebration?

[Monica McNutt]

Okay, so much to unpack there, hun. It's a great question.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, I wanted to give you flowers on the interviews. That's why I did that.

[Monica McNutt]

No, I get it. No, I thank you and I really appreciate it because I felt a lot of pressure on when was closed on Monday, on Sunday. And I never, I shouldn't say never, but I mostly don't feel pressure about what we're doing. But it was probably the first time that I thought about making sure I was ready for the final call.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Monica McNutt]

And so in that. And then our producer Spencer Julie, who's terrific, was also like, hey, mom, we want you to do interviews. And logistically, Cleveland, our radio position in Cleveland is not the easiest one to get down to the floor for. So I was a little bit worried about that. So thank you that it all came together and it landed. I will say though, of the guide, I was so struck by how business like they were, Hannah. Like, I think they may have been more business like in that moment than they were when they won in Vegas. And I know in the grand scheme of things, what they did the other day means far more, but I just, I don't know what I expected. I remember in Vegas being like, man, I really want to be on the floor because we couldn't come down from our radio shot. But I was so struck by like all of them being like, we'll celebrate tonight. And then we're not done even long after everything has Settled down, you know, we're hanging out in the back and I bump into jail and I'm like, are you happy? And he's basically like, nah, not really. I'm like, dude, is that healthy? But I get it in terms of the job not being done. So I was super struck by that. Beyond that, though, I think Mike, when we talked, he really nailed it. Just the jubilance amongst the fans. Like, I turn around and Timothy Chalamet is like, Monica. Like, people have been sending me videos all morning of me hugging Timothy and Kylie, and I'm like, they just grabbed me. I'm hugging people back. Like, it was great, but it was really cool. Like, it was. It was really cool for the families, I think. So much of sport, like, obviously you fall in love with the players, but it is a sacrifice by all involved. And granted, they make lots of money and live beautiful lives, but I'm on the road with them and I know how much I miss my house, my bed, my husband, my dog, right? And, like, these guys are on the road and they have small children, and why are they home? And so, like, for everybody to be able to relish and share in the moment, I think was really special. And I'm so glad that I got down to the floor. I apologize to the Knicks fans that I blew off that were trying to take pictures up at the radio station. I had somewhere to be.

[Rosenberg]

Now, what's interesting is, is that they had the long layoff going into the Cleveland series, and it was not good for three and a half quarters. Now they were on a short turnaround. Whoever wins this series is not going to be on that short of a turnaround. But what are some of the things. Do you think they'll work on Monica to make sure a slow starts not in the cards like you saw with game one against the Cavaliers?

[Monica McNutt]

I think I would. It would not surprise me if they intensified the practices of little bit. From what I understand, a lot of the work in between the last series was, you know, light, optional, whatever. It would not surprise me if they ramp up the intensity, especially as you get closer to the actual game June 3rd. Now, remember, the finals comes with a lot more responsibilities. Like, I don't know when they're leaving, but I know I'm leaving June 1st because media day is June 2nd. So perhaps that day, an opportunity to practice there, to really acclimate to the opportunity, will help with that. Some of that rust, too. But I would just imagine that they might look to get after it a little bit more this week than they did in that last game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So at this moment, coming off of this kind of streak, 11 straight, everything has gone right. What, if any, concerns do you have for this Knicks team heading into a final series with either San Antonio or Casey?

[Monica McNutt]

Well, I gotta give a shout out to my brother and colleague Vince Goodwill, because we were talking about this actually before game four in Cleveland. We got a bunch of folks together for dinner and everybody's sort of pontificating as we do. The one thing he said that has kind of stuck with me is like, in those theories so far, there was a soft spot in the defense that the Knicks could go after. Whether you CJ McCollum, Joel Embiid, James Harden, that's not the case with the next two teams that are waiting, either one, which I do think is like, okay, I get it. Like, that's, that's a fair observation of this one. I personally think, though, that this offense has evolved enough that. And shown enough options that that doesn't mean they still can't get it done. I think the other thing though, too, Rosenberg, to be mindful of is like, this is not going to be a sweep now. This is a sweep, y'. All. We have really absolutely witnessed history. But the next round is going to be the most difficult round. And that's okay. Like, I'm talking to fans earlier today and of course everyone's super excited and they are a die hard Knicks fan. They're like, we're winning. I can feel it. And then they're like, but I'm a little bit nervous. I'm like, well, you should be like, the finals are not going to be easy. Nothing worth having is easy. So I think that's one of the things that I see as a little bit of concern. I do also wonder, Rosenberg, to that end, the numbers have been so out of this world. Can they come back to earth a little bit and still be good enough to get it done versus either a defending champion or an otherworldly centerpiece? Right. But I really think the story that we might end up talking about more than anything in this one is the opportunity that the Knicks have with this upcoming week to be off and how they've given themselves this opportunity multiple times in this postseason compared to the gauntlet that is unfolding in the Western Conference planet.

[Alan Hahn]

That's exactly it, Monica, is the fact that this is a rare situation for them to have this much time off between series to recover. And normally this is supposed to be a grueling journey to get to 16 wins. And by the time you get to the Finals. A lot of times you've got injuries, you've got, you're playing through things, you're beaten up. And the Knicks are getting opportunities to get into the hyperbaric chamber and kind of recover unlike most teams can. But you mentioned the spurs and the Thunder. I mean they're in a, they're in a fight right now and the Thunder do have the advantage after last night's win. When you, when you watch the Thunder last night, and I know you're watching that series closely as well with all the stuff that you do with their injuries, is there something about them that looks different than the team that look the Pacers took them to seven games last year. But is there something different about the Thunder as you watch them? And I want to also ask you about, you know, wembanyama, but the Thunder because they're up in the series, what do you see in them this year compared to what you saw last year?

[Monica McNutt]

Well, I'll start with this Han. I don't think SGA has been himself at all this postseason and I, you know there was the talk that J.J. reddick, the basketball mind that he is Lakers figured out a system to make it difficult for him, yada, yada yada. Spurs did the same thing, yada yada yada. But isn't that what an MVP is like to able to do where they still figure it out? But you know what I mean. And so that is where it starts for me. Beyond that, it would not surprise me if again in the grand scheme of things the, if the Thunder are a little bit tired. I think one of the things that started to catch the warriors down the stretch right is you play into June so many times and I get it, they did it the first time last year at least being the last team standing. But they've been deep into the postseason and for a while and the Jalen Williams injury is not a new thing. So I think in the basketball part of it the other thing too is some of the ways that they're starting to create some space from the spurs. That's I don't think that's going to work. Like the Knicks can be physical back with Isaiah Hardenstein, right. Like the Knicks have great two way players and wing defenders that they can put around Jaylen Brunson. I don't know know if the fresh shooting bears out that the SGA pump fake, whatever you want to call it is not has not been as effective. And then Chad, I don't know if he's been exposed or this is just a really. I know he played better last night if he's been exposed or if it's this particular matchup. Because I would argue that if it's about physicality, like, the Knicks got that too. And so I think what I've seen from them in terms of how they've gotten by some of these other teams and if they are going to be dispersed, I just don't know if those formulas are going to work. And you combine their injuries as you look at what the Knicks have been able to do.

[Rosenberg]

Talking to Monica McNutt, her weekly spot here on Don Han and Rosenberg. The other topic we talked about earlier was sga. Seems like he's ended up on his butt every time he takes the shot. When you look at that, do you just say, hey, good on him, man. If he's able to fool the officials good. Or do you look at it as a front to basketball?

[Monica McNutt]

I am. I'm the former Han. I am. I'm not Han, Don.

[Rosenberg]

I'm just a guy. I'm just a dude, man.

[Monica McNutt]

Don't do that. I knew you were gonna do that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, he can't help it. He has to. He can't do it. He can't help it.

[Rosenberg]

It's kind of my thing.

[Monica McNutt]

I was thinking about the show. I'm sorry. You know I love you. You were one of my first, like, three radio partners. That's the place in my heart. I'm in the ladder. I know everybody's, like, very frustrated by it all, but I'm like, if it's working for you, then somebody gotta stop you from doing it. And I don't. I get it that that might be a conversation that people want to have with officials more than they can actually defend it themselves. But, like, that one doesn't get my gears going the way it does some other folks.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, I was saying the same thing earlier, Monica. It's like, on principle, I like. I respect it. Like, there's an art to doing it. But then I will say when Alan recommended I go watch, like, the high. Some of the highlight videos from. Or low light videos from this particular series. There are some more egregious ones, like the leg kicks on the jump shot and, like, some that are just. I do see why it annoys people. I'll give them that.

[Monica McNutt]

I agree with you. I agree with you on why it annoys people. But for me, unless you're going to pull a Rick Carlisle and clip off the 12 instances that he pissed you off and send them to the league and Make a big stink about it at the podium. Like, I mean, the game is played on one way. You have the opportunity to respond however you feel, however you believe is going to be effective for your team.

[Alan Hahn]

Such a great reference you just made there. I hope most people caught it. You remember when he, when Rick Carlisle did the Woe is Us. We're a small market team thing. So brilliant. All right, so you also get time off here, but what has this run been for you and Tyler? I texted Tyler this morning And I said, 10 years from now, you're going to look back and tell people about the epic first two years you had as a bank Nick's broadcaster. Because everybody else, all of us will tell you, you know, it's really not like that around here. But what has for you, this, you guys, both of you, been this ride been for both of you to get to this point? Because I imagine when you were on the court getting hugged by, you know, Timothee Chalamet and others, that you probably were feeling like an out of body. Like, this is surreal right now. So what has this all been just for you as a broadcaster?

[Monica McNutt]

You know, hon, I could not have imagined being embraced by an area, not dc, Maryland or Virginia, which is home to me, the way that New York has embraced me. And so to be a part of this run and for people to be like, you know, things started to kind of turn around when you got here or just kind of have me in their minds when they think of the Knicks. Like, one of the people that sent me the post of the clip of me being hugged by those celebrities, her caption on the Twitter post was timmy and Kylie and the capital T H E E E. Monica McNutt. Which, like, made me giggle because I'm like, girl. But that is sort of the interaction that I've been privileged to have as a part of this broadcast team and covering this team. I think the other day somebody was posted, I can't. I'm blanking on the guys. My. But the guy that does all the stuff for okc and he was talking about how much the team loves him. And someone added me in the comments and was like, no, the Knicks feel the same way about Monica. And I was like, oh, my God, you guys see what we put in. You see my passion for the game. We may not always agree, but you have respect for what I'm bringing to the table. It has been more than I could have anticipated, without question. And quite honestly, now your girl is trying to monetize all these things. As you know, endeavor, but it's just been really cool to be so embraced. Like, I do not take it for granted.

[Rosenberg]

Well, Monica, looking forward to having a few more weeks of this. So we'll talk to you next Wednesday and you'll be out and about with us when we do our remotes. And now forever. You'll have a cake in front of you.

[Alan Hahn]

Always cake with Monica.

[Rosenberg]

It's amazing.

[Monica McNutt]

I'll be there for cake next week.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's unreal.

[Rosenberg]

Thank you Philanthropes. Enjoy the time off. You deserve it. I know you've been working your tail off on both radio and TV and all the times you're on get up and all that. So great job out of Monica. And that was the Monica McNutt report, brought to you by Calandra's Bakery. Calandra's Bakery. Just four simple ingredients and still made by hand since 1962. Available fresh daily at your local supermarket and BetMGM own your moment. Make it legendary. Download the BETMGM app today. Please gamble responsibly. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- GAMBLER as you know, managing

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[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to Us, wherever you get your podcast.

[Rosenberg]

You just made the list, buddy.

[Don Hahn]

This is the list with Don, Han and Rosenberg.

[Rosenberg]

All right, it's now time for the list, and it's brought to you by Allure Group.

[Alan Hahn]

Can't wait for this.

[Rosenberg]

So with the Knicks being as dominant as they've been in the postseason, I started thinking, what are the top five most dominant postseason performances in New York sports history? Now we can't include the Knicks because, listen, if they don't follow through with the championship, then they can't be on this list. I have all of one.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, so they ended in championship.

[Rosenberg]

Yes, they did. Okay, you want to take any guesses here?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, I mean, we did discuss a little bit yesterday, so I am kind of cheating, but I have to guess that the 86 giants.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, I got the 86 giants as one. Maybe I'm completely biased, but, you know, they went 14 and two in the regular season there. They won by a combined 27 points in their postseason games. 49. Three against the Niners, 17. Nothing against the Redskins. 40 or 39 to 20. Missed an extra point. Otherwise it would have been 40, 20, 39, 20 in the Super Bowl. That is a dominant performance. And having not won a championship in 30 years, kind of has a Nick vibe to it. But I got the 86 giants as number one.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, I'm going to go bias.

[Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

I hope I get the right year, because they all blur to me. The 82 Islanders.

[Rosenberg]

82 Islanders. I got it. Number two.

[Alan Hahn]

They pretty much swept everything.

[Rosenberg]

The fight I had with myself. The 81 Islanders went 15 and three in the postseason.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that's why I was trying to get the right year.

[Rosenberg]

The 82 Islanders, that's the Vancouver one. Went 15. 4. So you'd say, well, why don't you go with the 81?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, this is why you asked me this question.

[Rosenberg]

Well, the reason why I went with 82 is because they won their last nine playoff games and 12 of their last 13.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, they were a wag.

[Rosenberg]

So to me, if you're that dominant in the conference in the third round, it's not the conference finals then, but like the third round or the Stanley Cup Final. You know what? You deserve to be dominant. 81, 82 Islanders. I have a number two.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, 98 Yankees.

[Rosenberg]

I didn't go 98 Yankees. All right, which year I went 99.

[Alan Hahn]

99. Okay.

[Rosenberg]

Now, the reason I went 99 is because the Yankees went 11 and 1 in the postseason. Remember, they had that little hiccup against Cleveland in 98.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, yeah, it's fair.

[Rosenberg]

And, and the Yankees were just.

[Alan Hahn]

I completely. You're right. Even though that ended in dramatic dominant fashion. 99 was the 1 where they just smoked everybody pretty much.

[Rosenberg]

You know, they took care of the Red Sox in five and then they beat up on the, the Braves in four straight. So I went with the 99 Yankees over the 98 Yankees as number three. Again, not looking, looking at the regular season. We're looking at the post season.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Rosenberg]

Now the 98 team won. You know, was it 120? It was 125.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

But what was it? The 120. It was 14, I think in the regular season, another 11.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Rosenberg]

In the postseason.

[Alan Hahn]

This is going to get harder now because now we got to go back in time. Right.

[Rosenberg]

One I don't think you're going to get, but I think you'll agree.

[Alan Hahn]

Is it one of the Murderers row Yankee teams?

[Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Rosenberg]

But not the 27 Yankees.

[Alan Hahn]

Not the 27 Yankees though, because listen,

[Rosenberg]

the 27 Yankees won 110 games and they, they swept the series.

[Alan Hahn]

But there was only one series.

[Rosenberg]

But I still, I went with the 32 Yankees really because they swept the Cubs and they pounded them in like every game. They won by an average of over four runs a game. So you could have, you could have picked and choose, but I just felt that they were a little bit more dominant in the 32 series. That's the series where supposedly Ruth called his own shot.

[Alan Hahn]

Right? Right.

[Rosenberg]

So let's just say for sake of argument, he called his own.

[Alan Hahn]

He called it a Wrigley.

[Rosenberg]

Right, That's. Yeah, that's dominant.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

Now there is some footage of. Looks like he's kind of taunting the Cubs dugout. He's pointing at them like I thought

[Alan Hahn]

it was the bat wave, wasn't it?

[Rosenberg]

The bat.

[Alan Hahn]

Like he kind of held the bat out right extra second.

[Rosenberg]

But he's, but he could have been just gesturing to the Doug Adams get

[Alan Hahn]

in the way of a good story.

[Rosenberg]

But still I listen, you can, could have went with any of those dominant teams, but I went with the 32 Yankees and how they own the Cubs in the four game sweep. I got that at number four.

[Alan Hahn]

Interesting now because like some of the things I'm thinking of here, like this 73 nick team beat the Lakers, they lost weight in one and then they won the next four. To win at LA against that Laker team had legends on it. But I think the conference or the division finals, whatever it was before that

[Rosenberg]

was a battle I'm thinking outside the box.

[Alan Hahn]

You're going outside the box A little outside. So we're not going team sports?

[Rosenberg]

No, it's team sports.

[Alan Hahn]

Team sports.

[Rosenberg]

But it's. You're not. You're not gonna get it.

[Alan Hahn]

Help me, though, because I don't want to just give it. I don't want to give up.

[Rosenberg]

It's not.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm thinking of all the great.

[Rosenberg]

It's not in a league that exists anymore.

[Alan Hahn]

We're doing this.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, we're doing this.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, so this. The. So the. So the New York Nets have to be the answer here.

[Rosenberg]

There you go.

[Alan Hahn]

Is it the last championship they won before the ABA closed?

[Rosenberg]

No, it's the first one they won. First one. 73, 74, they win the championship. They beat the Utah Stars 4 to 1, sweep the Kentucky Colonels, and they take care of the Virginia Spires.

[Alan Hahn]

Squires.

[Rosenberg]

Squires. Excuse me. Four one in the divisional round.

[Alan Hahn]

That's a hell of a.

[Rosenberg]

The finals when they beat Utah.

[Alan Hahn]

Was Rick Barry on that team with Doc, or was Rick Perry on the other one?

[Rosenberg]

Well, you look at the team.

[Alan Hahn]

He took the money.

[Rosenberg]

You got Julius Irving, of course. Mike Gale, Gary Gregory.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Rosenberg]

Larry Gennin, Bob Lackey. Okay, let's see. Oh, his number's retired. I never knew how to pronounce it. The guy from. Of Villanova.

[Alan Hahn]

Keone.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, he's got his number retired.

[Alan Hahn]

Billy Paul's on that team.

[Rosenberg]

Billy Paltz is on the team.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Rosenberg]

Brian Taylor, Ali Taylor. Billy Schaefer.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, sure, Billy Schaefer. Great player. No, seriously, Billy Schaefer.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The whole segment could be just called strange.

[Rosenberg]

No, it could be. And, and, and when you look, you look at the series and you look at the dominance. They blew everybody out. You know, they, they, they beat the, the Squires 108 to 96. 129 to 110 Average 17.3 points in their wins. They were, they were a dominant.

[Alan Hahn]

That's Nick like that.

[Rosenberg]

That's. That's Nick like. And that's the run.

[Alan Hahn]

Wow.

[Rosenberg]

73, 74 nets. I have at number five.

[Alan Hahn]

That's.

[Rosenberg]

Peter was just on Sports center and now he's back with us again. So I need to recap.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Just a quick recap for me, please.

[Rosenberg]

Top five most dominant playoff runs in New York history. Number five, I've got the 7374 New York Nets who won by an average of 17 points per game in their title run.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You have the 86 Giants, number four,

[Rosenberg]

the 32 Yankees, who powered the 27 game sweep murders. Number three, the 1999 Yankees, who went 111 in the postseason. Number two, the 8182 Islanders, who went 154 won 12 of their last 13 and nine straight on their way to the Cup. And number one, I've got the 86 Giants, who won by an average of 27 points in the postseason.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's.

[Grainger Announcer]

That's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's really insane when you think about it.

[Rosenberg]

I gotta tell you. Let's say the Knicks take care of business.

[Alan Hahn]

Who are you taking out?

[Rosenberg]

You know, who are you taking out?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, because it would be.

[Alan Hahn]

I would take out the Nets because the league doesn't exist now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what?

[Rosenberg]

I like what you've done now. If you look at the 94 Rangers, they're on their way. They swept the Islanders. They beat the Caps in five, but then they had to go seven with the Devils. They had to go seven with Vancouver. So it kind of knocked them out of the box.

[Alan Hahn]

That wasn't a dominant run. When you. When you got to go more than. More than five, I think it takes away from being a dominant run.

[Rosenberg]

Now you're. You're in jeopardy of losing. But you know what hurt the 90,

[Alan Hahn]

the 98 Yankee team is because of that. That was. It is the Cleveland series right down two one.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Needed some.

[Rosenberg]

Right. So it was. There was a little bit of a scare there. Chuck Knoblock threw the ball away. Remember, he's pointing.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, no, no, that's right. He stopped playing.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, he stopped playing.

[Alan Hahn]

And then was it. El Duque had to come in and give you an. Right. The game, that game four. He gave you the start of a lifetime. El Duque. So save everything.

[Rosenberg]

I always get in trouble when they put these up on social media because then people are like, wait a minute. The Yankees won 114 games, and I'm talking about dominance in the postseason because, remember, inspired by the Knicks. The Knicks weren't dominant in the regular season.

[Alan Hahn]

They were good, but they weren't dominant. And that's exactly it. So I guess you have to make sure it's phrased the most dominant post season runs.

[Rosenberg]

Yes, exactly.

[Alan Hahn]

Post season.

[Rosenberg]

Now, Jake, get on that.

[Alan Hahn]

I like this.

[Rosenberg]

Allure Care Management llc. That was the list brought to you by the Allure Group. The Allure Group, where care meets compassion.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And if I were interested in betting the Knicks, which I have been, and I've been winning, that's 11 straight to you and me.

[Alan Hahn]

Been very interesting.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Isn't it ironic, had it not been when I was on FanDuel, if I had just resisted betting my stupid Celtics in Game 7 against Philly. I would be crushing even more.

[Rosenberg]

You'd be a billionaire.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I may be a billionaire but guys this is the time to hit FanDuel because during the NBA playoffs now profit boosts. I am talking about special drops you won't want to miss bonus bets. So much more. All there for you all playoff long. You know I've been crushing with my Knicks bets so head on over to FanDuel.com local to get started. 21 and over fizzly present New York Opt in required rewards are non withdrawable. Restrictions apply including bonus and token expiration leg requirements and max wager amount. For help with a gambling problem, call 877-8-HOPE NY or text OPENY 467369 thanks

[Don Hahn]

for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good.

[Don Hahn]

Hear more of Don Allen and Peter Weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8. ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

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