Hour 1: Knicks Back in the Finals

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 1: Knicks Back in the Finals (May 26, 2026)

Episode Overview

On this momentous episode, Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg dive headfirst into the unthinkable: the New York Knicks are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Riding the energy and unity of the city—and their own decades of Knicks heartbreak—the hosts break down how the Knicks blew out their playoff competition, what this achievement means for New York and longtime fans, the legacy of Jalen Brunson, and whether this postseason could reshape the city’s sports landscape. Featuring high-spirited banter, insights on fan culture, historical context, and a passionate segment with special guest Stephen A. Smith, this hour captures the breathless excitement and cautious optimism of a city on the brink.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Knicks’ Historic Run and Citywide Impact

• The Mood in the Studio

  • Don opens emphatically: “Today is one of the biggest days in the history of this radio station.” (02:01)
  • The unity among Knicks fans is unique for New York, where teams usually divide the city.

• Unprecedented Dominance

  • Discussion of the Knicks’ 11-game postseason win streak and three consecutive blowout closeout wins—each by 30+ points, two on the road in hostile arenas flooded with Knicks fans.

  • The win in Cleveland felt like a “virtual home game” because of the number of traveling Knicks fans. (03:31)

    "The amount of text I received of people driving to Cleveland… friends texting pictures from inside the building—it was incredible. Have we ever seen anything like this?" – Peter Rosenberg (03:31)

• City’s Emotional Response

  • Don reflects on fans who never gave up, celebrating not just the bandwagoners but “those Knick fans… up until one o’clock in the morning watching Knicks in Sacramento on a Wednesday in November.” (05:11)
  • Alan shares how the wave has reached even casual fans, making the whole city electric.

• Getting Past Celebration, On to Focus

  • Both hosts and the Knicks themselves share a “job’s not done” mentality, with players echoing the focus on the championship, not just a Finals berth.

    “There was no huge celebration. There was a sense of accomplishment, and then there was job's not done.” – Alan Hahn (13:56)

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2. Jalen Brunson: From Underdog to New York Icon

• Brunson’s Ascendancy

  • Alan frames the Brunson/Judge debate: If the Knicks win the championship, “this becomes Brunson’s town, officially.” (08:24)

  • Emphasizes the emotional tie—Brunson’s own father played for the Knicks during their last run, and this legacy matters to fans.

    “To the point, guys, his dad’s still on the team. He was standing next to him last night. The whole thing just adds to this awesome story.” – Alan Hahn (09:37)

• Right Guy, Right Time

  • The show reflects on New York’s constant pursuit of superstars (LeBron, Durant, Giannis), discovering sometimes it’s not about the “best” player, but the “right” one—comparing Brunson to Eli Manning and Derek Jeter.
  • Don: “Brunson isn’t the best player, that’s why he’s so underappreciated. He’s just the right guy for this team.” (43:58)

• Brunson’s Clutch Nature vs. Judge

  • Alan: “Jalen Brunson is as clutch an athlete as there is in pro sports… He wins when it matters.” (19:00)

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3. The Fan Experience: Old and New Generations

• Waves of Euphoria

  • Peter gives a candid, sleep-deprived, from-the-streets account of the scene all over New York: “The joy, the euphoria, slapping hands, hugging strangers. What the Knicks have done for this city is crazy.” (26:51)

• Generational Perspective

  • Don: If you have a vivid memory of 1973, “you’ve got to be 60,” underlining how rare this is even for lifelong fans. (17:28)
  • The radio station itself has never been the rights holder for a champion or even a Finals team until now. (04:38)

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4. Building a Team, Not Chasing Stars (w/ Stephen A. Smith, 27:37-39:46)

• The Evolution of the Roster

  • Stephen A. traces the journey from perennial star-chasing and disappointment, to actually building a team around Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and depth pieces like Landry Shamrock.

  • He highlights the trade for Towns, the value of the Villanova connection (Brunson and Bridges), and credits Mike Brown for strategic adjustments.

    “These are things that are usually happening against us, but now it’s happening for us. So it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” – Stephen A. Smith (30:15)

• Fan Skepticism and Vindication

  • Smith acknowledges the doubts many had about Brunson’s ceiling, especially with New Yorkers dreaming of “bigger” names like Kevin Durant:

    “When the Knicks acquired him… We didn’t see this. Let’s stop lying to one another… It wasn’t that anybody had a problem with Jalen Brunson, it’s that we were thinking about Kevin Durant.” – Stephen A. Smith (34:57)

• Team-Building over Star-Hunting

  • Peter and Stephen A. land on the narrative: This time, the Knicks didn’t land the top superstar, but built a team with chemistry and grit.

    “We could sit up here and applaud that. Let’s just not act like we saw that.” – Stephen A. Smith (38:35)

• Celebration and Standards

  • Even in triumph, echoes of “job not done” and New York’s sky-high standards pervade.

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5. The Path to the Finals: Easy? Or Historical?

• Critique of Opponents

  • Both hosts and Stephen A. note—yes, the Knicks’ path didn’t include the “best” Eastern teams, as injuries took out key stars elsewhere (Halliburton, Tatum).
  • Still, the dominance is unprecedented: 11 straight playoff wins by a record 23 points per game, largest 11-game point differential in NBA history—even over regular season stretches. (46:00)

• Don: “What are they supposed to do, Alan? They can only play the teams in front of them—and they smack them around.” (45:24)

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6. Fan and Gambler Perspective

• Calls from Real Fans

  • Jamie in Cleveland: “It just leaves me speechless after all these years of the dark days…my dream would say… it’s okay, Jamie.” (25:45)
  • Kadeem in the car: Describes a Manhattan scene: bars at capacity, “slapping hands, hugging strangers…the joy, the euphoria.” (26:51)

• Gambling Fun

  • Playful exchange among the hosts and a caller about betting on the Knicks’ streak–“If you’re a degenerate gambler and a Knicks fan like me, you are on cloud nine.” (47:42)
  • Alan notes he’s been betting every game, and the team has nearly always covered; even jokes of a “moral imperative” to keep betting for the city’s sake. (48:54-49:02)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the city's unity:

  • “The city is unified right now, and it’s one of the biggest days…because we’ve never been the rights holder of a champion in the 25 years that we’ve done this radio station.” – Don La Greca (04:38)

• On Jalen Brunson and legacy:

  • “If they win a championship…Goodbye, Judge. You’re in the rear view in terms of number one in the city. It becomes Brunson’s town officially.” – Alan Hahn (08:24)

• On the ‘job’s not done’ mentality:

  • “There was no huge celebration. There was a sense of accomplishment, and then there was, job’s not done. That’s the best message, because that’s exactly how I feel.” – Alan Hahn (13:56)

• Stephen A. Smith (29:11):

  • “For once, the best player on the basketball court…isn’t from some other team invading Madison Square Garden. Instead, we’re watching our very own in Jalen Brunson do that.”
  • “They didn’t just beat them. They stomped them and sent them home shaking their heads. They made two teams quit—you could say three.”

• On the narrative if Knicks lose:

  • “I think it will be a narrative if they lose in the final. But right now, it can’t be a narrative that you care anything about.” – Don La Greca (47:14)

• On believing before betting:

  • “I have to. There’s a moral imperative because of the audience, the fans and the audience. I’ve bet, they’ve not lost since I bet them. I will keep going.” – Alan Hahn (48:54)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:31] The “virtual home game” in Cleveland and Knicks fan migration.
• [04:33]–[06:56] Don on the significance for both city and lifelong fans.
• [08:24] Alan on Brunson overtaking Judge as NYC’s sports icon.
• [09:56]–[13:56] The emotional perspective of covering and rooting for the Knicks.
• [13:56] “Job’s not done”–Fan/organization mentality and why there’s not more celebration.
• [17:28] Generational context: Who actually remembers the last Knicks Finals run?
• [27:37] Start of Stephen A. Smith segment.
• [30:15] Stephen A. on this postseason's reversal of Knicks' fortunes.
• [38:35] Stephen A. on team-building, not chasing stars.
• [43:58] Don on “the right guy” > the “best” guy.
• [46:00] The historical magnitude of the Knicks’ playoff point differential.
• [47:42] Gambler/Knicks fan caller segment on betting the historic run.

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Conclusion

Hour One of “Don, Hahn & Rosenberg” brims with a blend of disbelief, pride, and cautious longing for the ultimate prize. The hosts and Stephen A. Smith dive deep, celebrating the unique culture and unity this finals run has awakened, giving full due to the decades of pain weathered by true fans. From brutal banter about the city’s sports icons to the granular edges of point spreads and playoff history, this episode is required listening—and, with this summary, you’re fully caught up on every meaningful beat.

Transcript

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[Peter Rosenberg]

Han, you're a filth bag.

[Don La Greca]

You're a sex star filth bag. Han, the guy's gonna be 41.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Flicking it.

[Don Hahn]

And Rosenberg, go look at Redford in

[Alan Hahn]

that movie right now. You'll want to hook up with him.

[Don La Greca]

This isn't North Dakota. This is New York.

[Don Hahn]

This is Don, Han and Rosenberg.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The best threesome I've ever heard on

[Don Hahn]

ESPN New York and streaming live on YouTube.

[Don La Greca]

3 o' clock in the big city. Don Hahn and Rosenberg on a glori glorious Tuesday. Hopefully everybody had a phenomenal weekend. If you're a Nick fan, why would you. What a night. Another blowout win. I've never seen anybody, even Mariana Rivera, close like this. You get a team in an elimination game against the Knicks, you're dead. But not even show up.

[Alan Hahn]

You get the Knicks, period. Right now, you're dead.

[Don La Greca]

I. I think I'm the only one really equipped to say this because I was the first voice of this radio.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh.

[Don La Greca]

Today is one of the biggest days in the history of this radio station.

[Alan Hahn]

Go ahead.

[Don La Greca]

And maybe in a couple of weeks it'll be topped if the Knicks win the championship, as Alan is holding up the Knicks win. Brunson, Star Wars. Yo, yo. Thing that we did here. Yeah, because I love this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I need a poster of this.

[Don La Greca]

I hate it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And he's got his lightsaber. Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Because we got a corn pone everything. It's not corn pone. Yeah, we gotta. We Gotta housing it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's got Jedi.

[Don La Greca]

We've got a Star Wars. It listen, like it's not good enough to just have him stand there as suit and be the Superman that he is. We gotta put a lightsaber in his hand and nerd it up.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, are you. I mean, the movie came out this weekend, Tom.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. And I heard it was glorious.

[Alan Hahn]

I heard it was great. I heard it was great. I hope it does. Big gangbusters at the box office. This is a. An absolutely insane thing to watch. It's just been yesterday I realized they get. I only bet 500. They. It was free money.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It was free.

[Don La Greca]

Pick it up.

[Alan Hahn]

They were guys, they were minus two. The Knicks blew them out Saturday. And the best that Vegas could do because it's still a team fighting for its life at home, minus two and a half. Best they can do. But how did you not know that's going to be a blowout?

[Peter Rosenberg]

How did you not? First of all, a home game.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, that was a virtual home game.

[Alan Hahn]

Crazy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The amount of text that I received yesterday afternoon of people that were telling me giddily, I'm on my way to Cleveland right now, driving to Cleveland. Then friends of mine, people I know, people I'm shocked that told me they were there. Like, I'm like, I didn't even know you were that big of a fan. Texting pictures from inside the building. We're here. It was like, it was incredible. Honestly. Now, this is not hyperbole, guys. Honestly, have we ever seen anything like this when it comes to what's happening on the court? With three straight closeout wins that are by 30 or more points, and the fact that all those closeout wins included a road arena filled with New York

[Don La Greca]

fans, well, that's what makes it so interesting. It's. It's unlike anything we've seen. We've seen, you know, dominance before. Oh, yeah. You know, when the giants won in 86, they slammed the 49ers 49 to 3. They shut out the Redskins, 17 nothing. And then they ended up blowing out the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, the Yankees. Oh, the Yankees ran through the pre

[Don La Greca]

postseason, but to see the domination, to see 11 straight wins and to see it with a team that everybody seems unified with because you just don't get that in this city. Because the Giants are bigger than the jets, but the jets take a chunk out of it. Yankees are bigger than the Mets, but the Mets take a chunk out of it. You know, hockey, Hockey's hockey, but you know, basketball, you know, I'm sorry, Net Fans. And I feel bad for you because I've been on that side of it where you're doing great things and nobody cares because you just don't have the fan base that the monolith that you're going up against has. It's just a fact. The city is unified right now, and it's the one of the biggest days in the history of this radio station because we've never been the rights holder of a champion in the 25 years that we've done this radio station. We started in September 3, 2001. We've had runs, you know, we've had. You know, the Rangers go to the conference final a bunch of times. The only team besides the Knicks to go to the final stage were the Rangers in 2014. The jets couldn't get to a Super Bowl. They went to a couple of championship games. We've got the Mets now, and they've never been to the World Series in that span of time. Not since 2015, we haven't had them. So to have the Knicks, these games airing on our radio station is a big deal. But it's also a big deal for so many people that I care about. Because when I see this team go to the finals for the first time since 1999, I don't think about the bandwagon jumpers and the people that only watch in the postseason or the people that get excited because it's a New York team and they want to see a New York team win. I feel for those Knick fans. And there's a ton of them out there that watch every game. They're up until one o' clock in the morning watching Knicks in Sacramento on a Wednesday in November because they love this team. And when they have to miss a game, they're listening to it on the radio. They're completely glued to what's happening with this team every second. Those are the people I'm happy for. Oh, yeah, not the bandwagon jumpers. The people that have been on board and working at this radio station for 25 years. Whenever we've talked Knicks, no matter how good or bad they are, the phones usually light up. People are passionate about it. We played that game last week, Al. I remember. Just like, you know, your strange pole, Nick.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

And it was fun because people follow this team so religiously. So those are the people I'm happy for.

[Alan Hahn]

No, I'm with you.

[Don La Greca]

I. I truly.

[Alan Hahn]

I think I've settled into my happy place here, guys. You know, last year there was a. Am I becoming a Knicks Fan feeling I settled into. No, I know what I am. I, I pull for this team. I love the fan base and I love seeing the fan base go crazy. And after betting them in 11 straight games, I feel a tremendous amount of respect and camaraderie between me and the New York Knicks. So I'm in a, I'm in a great spot. Just watching this fan base go crazy has been so fun. Even seeing my wife who's, you know, you know, obviously not a hardcore sports fan, but if there's a, if there's a team in New York that she loves the most, it's the Knicks. And seeing her light up as, you know, a kid who was into like the LJ really, the 99. I mean, my wife was born in 89, so that 99 team, you know, she's 10 years old. For people of that age range. Even though yesterday there was a question about whether or not she thought there were two people. OG and.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, I see. So they played a lot together. OG and anobi.

[Alan Hahn]

They're always together. Yeah, that's the thing.

[Don La Greca]

So she would be one of the people. I'm not happy for today.

[Alan Hahn]

That's not nice. Well, she would. No, because she wouldn't be out in the streets burning things down. Burning.

[Don La Greca]

Well, I feel happy for them either because those aren't real Nick fans.

[Alan Hahn]

But I'm just saying there are, there are people here who, yeah, they're, they're the hardcore fans who took the trip to Cleveland, who are out on 7th Avenue, who are doing all the things. Obviously I'm extremely happy for them. But then I'm just happy for New York people in general who've a lot of great memories with this team. And yeah, they're not like us. They don't follow sports every single day. But this is a joyous moment to see a team here play like this and the way they've done it. And I heard an argument this morning with David, Rick about Brunson and Judge and it was an interesting discussion and basically the agreement, and this is a no brainer if they win a championship. Goodbye, Judge. You're in this. You're in the rear view in terms of number one in the city. It becomes Brunson's town officially if they win a championship. I don't think you can even make another argument. It doesn't matter how great a player Aaron Judge is. We know how championships affect fan bases. But the argument that I found interesting and Rick sort of downplayed something Ray Santiago said. And I thought Ray was Dead on is. Ray was talking about that, like, does the history with the team matter? Like, does him being a little boy wearing the Knicks uniform because his dad was a role player on this team the last time they were in the finals? Does that matter? And Rick kind of pooh, poohed it. I disagree. I think it does matter. And Rick was saying, like, well, but he started his career in Dallas and sure, all of those things, but the bottom line is he has blood in the ground with this team. To the point, guys, his dad's still on the team. He was standing next to him last night. The whole thing just adds to this awesome story.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They're all uncles for him.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, we're gonna have Patrick Ewing on later in the show.

[Alan Hahn]

Look at you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

4:30.

[Alan Hahn]

Look at the. By the way, it's. It's booking Hat Allen today. He's doing it all.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, this is the time to get, you know, to get the guys on. But Patrick Ewing, like, babysat for him. He watched Jalen with his kids.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Like.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, this is.

[Alan Hahn]

You can't remove that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's a real part of the whole thing. But if I could just. Because for me, like, there was a lot of the different rushes of emotions that I've gone through in the last 36 hours where. And just for the record, I have not gone to sleep yet.

[Alan Hahn]

Wait. At all.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No. Oh, had a little nap up on the roof in the sun, maybe a few minutes, but had. And I haven't actually gone to bed.

[Alan Hahn]

I did not realize you had not slept at all.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No. No. How could you. First of all, like, it was. Last night was something special, like, trying to get out and, you know, getting out to 7th Avenue and just realizing there's just so many people that were just happy. There was also other people. We're not going to get into that, but it's amazing because I always. I was wondering before the game with the anticipation of up 3, 0, and, you know, okay, they have four chances to win one. This feels pretty much immediate, like something's going to happen, even if it's not in Game 4, something's going to happen. But I had this sense they're going to win again because they're just. You saw it in the Cavs, the quit. It's amazing how they made these teams quit. And so I was saying to myself, like, all of the 20 years I've covered this team, and then going all the way back to the 80s when I was a kid and I was a fan of those teams from the 90s, we talked so much about and the heartbreak that we argued about Don in 94 and what it meant to me. And I wondered, like, how. How am I going to feel? I'm curious. How am I going to feel about this? Is this going to be some type of cathartic moment? It's just going to be a huge celebration. How am I going to react? Because I knew the minute the game's over, I'm going on the air. Like, you don't want to. You don't want to be goofy. You don't want to get crazy, but you also don't want to be flat. And I got to be honest, the emotion I have today, and I'm wondering how many of the older fans, the young fans. I get it. You guys have never seen anything like this. But as an older fan, I'm like. And I'm glad the players, to a man, kept saying the same thing over and over again. I'm not sad. Like, I'm not. I'm like, all right, let's go. Let's keep going. Is it strange that there's no jubilation? I really didn't have this sense of joy, like, this sense of, like, I get it. I had.

[Alan Hahn]

They already had it, but they already

[Don Hahn]

know it was wrong.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I had nothing. I just had this sense of like, all right, let's keep this thing going. Like, let's go.

[Alan Hahn]

Because didn't you know that this was happening?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, well, you had a. You had a feel, first of all, the way they've been playing. You just saw something that looked right. And I kept saying to myself, no, this. This looks real. And I kept believing it. And now the fact that I believe in it so much, I just feel like, no, no, you got to finish the deal. You got to close the deal. This is not the same, but similar emotionally, I think, in some ways to when the Red Sox took out the Yankees and now they're going to the World Series, and it's like, all right, well, let's finish the job, man. Like, when people are saying, who. Who would you want to. Who'd you rather play? My answer is, I don't care. I honestly don't care. I just want, like, four more. Let's go. So that's where I'm at. I'm not at any state of, like, people are texting me about how you must be excited, you must feel great, all that. And I'm saying, I. I don't feel any of that. I feel, onto the next one. Let's go. This is not over yet. I'm not ready for it to be over yet. And there's one thing and one thing only that you want to achieve here. And I love the fact that all of the players, to a man, said that yesterday after the game, there was no huge celebration. There was a sense of accomplishment, and then there was, job's not done. That's the best message, because that's exactly how I feel.

[Don La Greca]

Well, listen, get caught up in it if you're a fan, because this is only the third time they've gone to the final since their last championship. 94, 99, and now this year, you know, first time in 27 years. It's something that deserves to be celebrated. But as a fan, you've got to look at the players saying, all right, what's next? And not celebrating and not bringing out any champagne. And Michael brought this up and how embarrassing. Every stage baseball has the goggles out and the champagne stupid. When you see other sports not do it, because the objective is one thing, and that's trying to win the ring. And they've got an opportunity to do that. And. And that needs to be celebrated. But from within the organization, guys, this was the destination by both the organization and the fans. What did the fans say? Listen, the path's open, right? No Halliburton, no Tatum. We should be able to go to the final. You fired your coach because you did not get to the final last year. So this was the destination, guys. It really was. So they're exactly where they thought they

[Peter Rosenberg]

were supposed to be. That. That right there. Let me tell you a story. The end of last season, you remember, there was a story about it was a poorly timed thing. The Knicks had a player's party, end of season party, right in the city. And it came. They happened to have it after it was reported that Tom Thibodeau was fired. So it looked bad, but they had already set it up. They had a club, they all got together, they had a party because they were all going to go their separate ways in the summer. Do you know what the theme of the party was? And I had this confirmed today. Finals 2026. They felt like they let again, as we know, Game one. They felt like they gave that away, that they should have been going to the finals. They believed it. They were mad at themselves for it. And they knew that the only thing to make it up is next year at this time, we're still playing. That was what they talked about. And then before the game, which is even better. This is smart. Mike Brown, before the game 4, showed a video to the players in that video is no highlights. You know what it was? It was the end of the game, Game six in Indiana, when the Pacers were shaking hands with Nick players as the Knick players were leaving the court. And Mike Brown had one message, one question, and he said this. How'd you guys feel in that moment? They ripped the door off the hinges when they went out to the court to play that game. When you wonder why they put a 200 run. Because they were all like. They all understood. That's right. This whole season has been about getting back to this point. Now, was it a broken road? Yes, of course it was. It meandered a lot. They found something. Nobody knew that was going to happen, but all along they knew the edict was, we've got to get back to this point because that's where we should have been last year. So all they are is back to where they thought they should be. So this is not the accomplishment. They did not run through any tape yet. This is just now getting to the final stage that they thought they should have been last year. In fact, I had a player who was on last year's team tell me that they really believe this should be back to back appearances. So they're just where they should be right now. And I feel the same exact way. And again, I'm wondering if there's a difference in the ages of fans. Is some feeling the way I feel, which is, let's go, more games to play. And then there's others who are just, this is incredible. I've never seen this because you're a lot younger.

[Don La Greca]

Not to insult anybody, but you're probably an old man. Even if you have seen the champion or didn't see the championship because you'd have to be in order to have a vivid memory of 73, you've got to be 60. Oh, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm talking about just, just getting to the finals.

[Don La Greca]

So you're deep in your 50s and you're out there going, I haven't seen a championship yet, but it's going to be a lot of fun. We're going to talk a lot about it today. Coming up at 3:30, we're going to talk to Stephen A. Smith. Oh, yeah. At 4:00', clock, Walt Clyde Frazier. All right. And at some point later on in the show, we're going to talk to Patrick Ewing. So we're going to get a flavor of what it was like to actually win as a Knick with Clyde. What was it like to come close with Patrick and Patrick was in Cleveland with a lot of the other former players who traveled.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Patrick and Clyde handed Jalen Brunson both trophies, too. The two of them were there. That was a special moment as well.

[Don La Greca]

And I want to dive deeper into what Peter said about the whole Judge and Brunson debate, because even though I agree Judge is a better player, I think how often you've won, there is something to slaying the dragon. There just is.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, there's something.

[Don La Greca]

Judge will not slay a dragon. He's got his own dragons to slay because he doesn't have a ring. But I'm sorry, I know it's a long time, Yankee fans, but 2009 is not 1973, okay? And you see Mark Messier. And as much as it pains me to say, you know, hockey is a hot dog stand compared to the NBA. And you see how Mark Messier walks around this town, that's Jalen Bronson. If he wins a title, that's Jalen Brunson.

[Alan Hahn]

There's a longer conversation to have. But I will just say, though, in spite of what you just pointed out, I think it's an astute observation, the difference in time between titles and stuff. If Judge had been clutching the playoffs every year and already had two World Series, I wouldn't say that one ring puts Brunson ahead of him. We cannot ignore the fact that there's a. There's a big thing hanging over Aaron Judge, which is unfortunately, with the exception of last year, which was better. Still, wasn't lights out. He's. He has not been clutch. Jalen Brunson is as clutch an athlete as there is in pro sports. I mean, that is a gigantic thing for sports fans.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That game one, that game one, what he did in that fourth quarter with

[Don La Greca]

that stuff alleged, by the way, last night.

[Alan Hahn]

Does his line yesterday tell you everything you need to know? He did nothing like yesterday. It was all. I mean, he did his thing, but it was over from the beginning. They were up and down and running so fast. And I got to give it up. Sorry. Inside the NBA again. Such a coup that ESPN got them. I know some people are offended by this. I know some people are like, how

[Stephen A. Smith]

can you say that?

[Alan Hahn]

I love that. On the biggest platform on earth. They cut to Charles at halftime. He goes, well, look up quit in the dictionary. It's the Cleveland Cavaliers. And they all tried to push back at first.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

They all were like, no, no, Charles. Then they showed the highlights.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, they had a graphic, though.

[Alan Hahn]

They showed the graphic.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So they weren't pushing Back that much.

[Don La Greca]

But the one thing I'll say yes. Did the Sixers quit? Clearly. Did the Cavs quit? Clearly. Did the Hawks quit in game six? Clearly. All three in their own buildings. But the reason they quit, they were forced to quit by the name.

[Alan Hahn]

No, the Knicks take your Hawks just

[Don La Greca]

quit because they're down 3 0. I'm already, I've already packed my bags. I'm done. The Cavs came out trying to win.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh yeah.

[Don La Greca]

And the next day, no, you know,

[Alan Hahn]

I texted the group. Yeah, I texted the group last night. In the first three minutes of the game, I saw Carl Anthony Towns aggressively just grab a ball, cut through the paint and jam it. Then I saw Josh Hart, no hesitation, knock down a three. I went, this is not going to be your night click if this is what we're getting.

[Don La Greca]

But they came out trying to quit. They did quit right away.

[Alan Hahn]

They swung back and forth with them for like six minutes and it was still tied.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm like, oh no, it was 20 nothing.

[Alan Hahn]

And then it was, then it was over.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was just a barrage. It was unreal. And that's the thing with Brunson's numbers and everything else. No.1, they scored 130 points, boys. No one got to 20 points into this.

[Alan Hahn]

Crazy.

[Don La Greca]

It was a demolition for sure. So the Knicks are four wins away from Ring, but there's other rings in the world.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, we are a couple of weeks away from my ring, which is the Rings End, which is of course a project we have at the house that I've been telling you all about. And Rings End is a big part of it. Rings End has extensive inventory of built to last high end product lines that contractors rely on. So for me, in my situation, it's going to be a beautiful French door. For you it could be anything like that. A door, windows. You want to upgrade your kitchen. They have all kinds of, all kinds of product lines that you really need to look into when you are talking with your contractor. Go to Ring's End and if you can't make it to a store, you can shop [e-mail] ringsend.com they have of course, full service lumber yards in Connecticut and Westchester. Eight of them in fact. And 12 freestanding paint centers. Paint centers as well. Rings Ends family owned and operated since 1902. I trust them. Contractors trust them and you can too. So again, ringzend.com that's ringzend.com Most protein

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[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

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.

[Don La Greca]

Waiting on Stephen A. Smith while we wait? Let's get to the calls at 1-800-919-3776. And let's talk to Jamie in Cleveland who was at the game last night when he got Donna Rosenberg.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Hey, how's it going fellas?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Good.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Oh man, what can I say? It's just. It's just so unbelievable. I mean, I'm from New York, but, you know, I grew up in Cleveland most of my life, so just to, you know, had this opportunity in front of me, I told myself, you know, I. I can't pass this up. So went ahead and got those tickets and well worth it. What can I say? Well worth it.

[Don La Greca]

How much did it say? You back?

[Stephen A. Smith]

What's that.

[Don La Greca]

How much did it set you back?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Oh, there's only. Only about 400.

[Don La Greca]

Well, listen, it ended up being worth it, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Unreal.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Exactly. Like I said, I'm not. I live out here, so I didn't really have to, you know, I have to pay for any hotel stay or, you know, too much to travel. So what can I say? You know, had to take the opportunity. But, you know, for us people that live outside of New York, you know, if it's just so incredible, you know, yesterday it felt like Madison Square Garden was at Rocket Arena. And even outside after the game, you know, we had a little bit of that, you know, 7th Avenue vibes out on East 6th Street. So it's just like. It just leaves me speechless. What can I say? It leaves me speechless after all these years of, you know, the dark days that my dream would say, you know, it's okay, Jamie.

[Don La Greca]

You're a guy that I feel happy for because you did a lot of suffering. And the one thing I can tell you about Nick fans is they still watch, they still cared, they still believed. And it's a day like this where you really feel for those people. Because it was an easy team to give up on a few years ago, and you guys stuck with it. Now it pays dividends. Kadeem, in the car. You're on. Don Hanna, Rosenberg. What's up,

[Stephen A. Smith]

gentlemen?

[Caller Jamie]

It's good to talk to you again. I will keep it distinct. Not to make Stephen A mad, but I told Anthony when I first called, I was like, I must be on, like, two hours of sleep, my man. Look, you probably run on two hours of sleep for the last couple weeks. So when you take the inevitable vacation when the season's over, I'll miss you. But please take. Take some rest, because I could only imagine how your last couple of weeks.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, you could. I've been saying it since April. I'll sleep in July. Like, I want to take this all the way to the end, right through the tape. Let's go.

[Don La Greca]

He's dead. Whichever comes first.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That isn't going to happen.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Very, very good. But, yeah.

[Caller Jamie]

Guys, I went to the city. I went to Manhattan on Saturday.

[Stephen A. Smith]

A couple.

[Caller Jamie]

Me and my buddies went at six. And, you know, because we want to go a couple hours before, get a place established. The first three bars we went to fully booked. One of the bars, we tried to go sit at the bar and they had the bar stools reserved like it's nuts. We finally were able to settle down, shout to American whiskey, but just the joy, the euphoria, euphoria. Slapping hands, hugging strangers. What the Knicks have done for this city is crazy. And in conclusion, I will say that I'm not going to get ahead of myself. I'm not going to say, because I'm not going to jinx this. But if there is an event in mid June that mirrors what New York is known for on Thanksgiving morning, we're going to have to call the National Guard because it might be the craziest thing we'll ever see.

[Don La Greca]

Well, obviously, one step at a time because we've got a long way to go. But let's talk to Stephen A. Smith on this glorious day. Don Hanna, Rosenberg, ESPN New York. How are you, buddy?

[Stephen A. Smith]

What's going on, y'? All?

[Caller Jamie]

What's going on?

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's a beautiful day. It's a beautiful day. How y' all doing? How's everybody doing today?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's one of those days, right, where you just keep looking. I've checked, I think, my ESPN app four or five times just to make sure I got it right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what I mean? Like. Like, I almost, like, just to make sure before get up this morning, I'm like, so the series is over, right? It is over, right?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I can't wrap my head around it. I really can't.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, you know, listen, I mean, they were fantastic. They were phenomenal in the playoffs. Obviously. It was the Hawks, the Sixers and the Cavaliers. That's not much to write home about, particularly considering who the combatants are out west, but nevertheless, lesser in life have gotten in the Knicks way over the last 27 years. Did we expect Carmelo Anthony and the Crew to lose to Roy Hibbert? No, we didn't expect that. All right, so the reality is that there have been plenty of times when the New York Knicks have failed to measure up to our expectations, to the point where we took expectations out of our vocabulary and we just leaned on the word hope, and they never, ever, ever came through. And now look at this. It's a new day. We got, I mean, for once, the best player on the basketball court. Is it from some other team invading Madison Square Garden and contaminating our experience? We're not watching LeBron or Kobe or MJ or Steph Curry come and use the Garden as their playground. Instead, we're watching our very own and Jalen Brunson do that. And to see OG Ananobi and to see Karl Anthony Towns. And there's a trade that took place, and we won that trade because Julius Randle is gone. And call Anthony Towns is here to see Mikel Bridges completely turn his game around from what it looked like at the tail end of the season to what it has looked like in these playoffs, especially these conference finals where he's averaging over 18 on better than 60% shooting. And then to see a guy like Landry Shamrock come off the bench, Good Lord, have mercy. 11 to 12 from three point range. I mean, these are things that are usually happening again against us, but now it's happening for us. So it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. No doubt about it.

[Don La Greca]

Stephen.

[Alan Hahn]

What we knew Brunson would be, you know what he's been throughout this playoff. Who besides Jalen Brunson, who surprised and impressed you the most on this team?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, well, I just told you. Mikel Bridges, OG and the nobe. I've always believed in him. He's just a linebacker playing, playing basketball. I mean, that brother's built like a tank, you know, he just moves people around and he's a him on both ends of the floor. Paul Anthony Towns, we knew from Minnesota what he was capable of doing. It's just that Mike Brown was playing him differently than what we thought he should. And then the playoffs approached and he just changed things around once they went down 2:1. So we get that part. But I think the combination of Mikel Bridges and what you've been getting in terms of production from your bench with a guy like McBride, with, with the shaman, with even Mitchell Robinson coming off the bench and doing what he's doing, having an impact in minimal time that he's getting, you just can't say enough. And then you got to give all, all the praise in the world to Mike Brown because Mike Brown, obviously you succeed in Tom Thibodeau. I'd be the first to tell you, had they lost in the first round to Atlanta, I don't think Mike Brown would be here. Had they lost in the first round to Atlanta, I think that Carl Anthony Towns and Mikhail Bridges would have been on their way out the door. Okay, but the bottom line is, with what you're seeing now, you don't want anybody to leave. You want these guys to do what they do and finish the job. It's going to be a tall task. They will undoubtedly be the underdog, but they've given you every reason to believe that they could, they could potentially win this series even from an underdog's vantage point. And that's all you can ask for. Because of the way they play, their willingness to play together, their commitment to one another, you Just love it. It's just beautiful to see to the point where you ain't got. I. I have nothing negative to say about Leon Rose. I have nothing negative to say about William Wesley World Wide west. And. But. And don't fall out of your chairs. I don't even have anything negative to say about James Dolan, who had the smarts to hire the people that he hired and stay the hell out of the way. I just can't say enough about what we have here in New York City right now. I'm proud of these brothers. Not because they're in the finals, it's how they got here. I mean, they kicked Atlanta, Philly and Cleveland's living asses. They bust their ass. That's what they did. They didn't just beat them, they stomped them and they sent them home shaking their head. They made two teams quit. You could say three if you wanted to. Considering the closeout wins of 51, 30 and 37, you could say they made three teams quit. And there's a legitimate argument to justify that.

[Don La Greca]

So who would you like to see them play in the final?

[Stephen A. Smith]

You know, a caller just called on my radio show, made a really good point that I wasn't thinking about it. I was thinking about OKC and the reigning defending champions and Shea Butter and what he brings to the table and how they experience it just is what it is. And you were looking at it from that standpoint. You were saying to yourself, you know what, that's a lot to go up against, but anything to avoid the 7 foot 5 alien, because there's just no answer for 7 foot 5. So you look at stuff like that. That's true. The flip side to it, however, is that there's history there with the San Antonio Spurs. They're the ones that beat us the last time we were in the finals in 99, and we won the cup, which was the. In season cup. And you know, somebody like women, Yama and those boys got attitude and they're like, you know, that was their cup. You can have that. Wait until we get a hold of you and watch what we do to you. So seeing that and knowing that kind of fervent, that kind of attitude is going to exist in a finals matchup, you gotta like the prospects of that. And so for me, I don't want to say I like it. I like the idea of going up against the cat 7ft 5. But what I will tell you is, the hell with it. The way the Knicks have been playing, bring them all on. I mean, I'm not saying that again, they would be the favorites, but in the end it's like, yo, you can't to be the man, you got to beat the man. You can't run from challenges.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you and I have seen this Nick franchise chase stars for years, going all the way back to 2010, maybe even before that with Kobe Bryant, even though that really wasn't a real thing. But there was a sort of attempt to get Kobe Bryant. Right. And then you have Kevin Durant in 2019, which was just one of those moments that I know, I remember. I'll never forget that. When you were on the air and that came down and you knew he wasn't going to the Knicks and you know that feeling of another one. They can't get another one, and yet they build this team. You mentioned Leon Rose. Any stars on this team? I mean, I'm talking about like brand name stars. Jalen Brunson is a star in his own right, of course.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, let's understand something here. We gotta stop letting people get away with knocking us for our lack of belief in Jalen Brunson. First of all, he's 6ft 1. He's not an athletic, above the rim kind of dude like a Russell Westbrook or a Derrick Rose. He was a second round pick. And when the Knicks acquired him, even though we knew by then he could play because he had helped the Dallas Mavericks get to the conference finals, we didn't see this. Let's stop lying to one another or letting people lie on those of us who were critical of it. It wasn't that we had a problem with him becoming a New York Knick. It was that that was the year of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes. We wanted Kevin Durant. We believed he was coming. At the 11th hour, Kyrie Irving convinced him to change his damn mind. And they took their talents to Brooklyn and we settled for Jalen Brunson. And what I'm saying to you is that when you're looking at it from that standpoint, that was what. That's the backdrop of that. It wasn't that anybody had a problem with Jalen Brunson, is that we were thinking about Kevin Durant. And the bottom line is, until you saw Jalen Brunson do what he did, once he got into a New York Knick uniform, there's in a damn soul alive that wouldn't have picked Kevin Durant above Jalen Brunson. Right. So get that out the way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You look at the rest of the team. OG Anunoby 212 million. Nobody blinked. We know he deserves it. You know, you got Paul Anthony Towns. Nobody was disrespecting the Knicks portrayed in the way Julius Randall. We wanted to keep Dante DiVincenzo, but we weren't upset about Julius Randle being gone at the expense of. The expense of call Anthony Towns. We want to call Anthony Towns. He was very happy with that. Then you take into account a guy like Kel Bridges, I will never apologize for being critical of that. We wanted Mikhail Bridges here. That's the guy that's a champion with, with Brunson at Villanova. The flip side is we didn't want to give up four protected picks plus a pick swap and another pick. That's six picks, man. And four of them were unprotected first round picks. For a guy that never been an All Star. What the hell are we talking about here? We saw Jay le Brunson take 100 million, $114 Million dollar pay cut, okay? And to get, to help get his boy here. And we didn't mind him here for the money. We didn't mind him here to stick with Brunson and the guys. But we certainly had a problem with giving up four first round picks because that's draft capital that you can utilize to help continue to improve the team. Which is why I was saying, since you have to give away those assets, you damn well had better step up and not average 7 points a game on 20 percentile shooting. Hell with that. You got to step up and be the Mikhail Bridges that was capable of giving you 20 to 25 a night as a Brooklyn Net or that was a fixture on the Phoenix Suns before that. You better be that dude with all these assets that they gave up. And of course Josh Hart said Energizer Bunny and you see the assets off the bench. But the point is, when you look at the moves that they made, for the most part we applauded it. With the exception of we would have preferred KD at the time, which is no crime. And Mikhail Bridges, did you have to give up that many, that much draft

[Peter Rosenberg]

because those draft picks. Yeah, because those draft picks could have to Giannis and that's another star that was the star chaser. And I guess, Stephen, the point I was trying to make is simply that in not really getting that super mega star guy, they instead built a team that plays to the definition of team. And it's almost like it's. It's what's like, you know, it's what Bill Bradley said about the 70 teams we weren't the best players in the league, but we were the best team. And maybe that's just how the Knicks have to work.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, we could sit up here and applaud that. Let's just not act like we saw that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, no one saw.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Don't even act like Leon Rose. Don't even act like Leon. There's no way on earth that Leon Rose, as many years as he's known Rick Brunson and his son Jalen Brunson, that he saw this. And keep in mind, you're talking to somebody that goes back. We're talking about 30 years with Rick Brunson. I covered Rick Brunson when he was at Temple. Yeah, that was my first college beat. I was the beat writer for the Temple Owls in Philadelphia under John Chaney. I covered Rick Brunson. That's how far back we go. Nobody saw this from his son, Jalen Brunson. We saw a lot of things. We didn't see this level of greatness. It's phenomenal. It's inspirational for all the small gods out there who can't jump, can't play above the rim and stuff like that. Let this be a lesson to you. There are other ways to be effective and to elevate yourself to superstar status as a basketball player. And the model is Jalen Brunson.

[Don La Greca]

Stephen, you're the man. Thanks so much for giving us a couple of minutes, man. We'll talk to you soon.

[Peter Rosenberg]

By the way, I will see you next.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yes, sir.

[Peter Rosenberg]

At the Garden.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

At the NBA Finals.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You damn right. You damn right. You better ask somebody.

[Don La Greca]

That is the great Stephen A. Smith.

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[Stephen A. Smith]

This summer, serve up the Cookout Classics,

[Don La Greca]

Heinz Ketchup and Kraft Singles. Every good burger needs a layer of perfectly melty cheese and thick, rich ketchup. We all know it's not a cookout without Heinz and Kraft.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

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.

[Don La Greca]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it's. It's. First of all, I just wanted to. Because there is semantics to it.

[Don La Greca]

And once he's on a roll stuff.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know Julius Randall was the pivot from Kevin Durant, Right. But I think what Stephen was trying to allude to was that the free agent chase, because he. That getting Brunson was sort of the piece that they really were targeting. Brunson. Randall was a pivot. And remember, Randall did get him to a playoff, one playoff appearance. But then Brunson showed up and everything changed. Four straight years and always went in playoff series. So last night was the eighth time the Knicks had the opportunity to close out a series on the road. They won six of them. That was the sixth one out of eight.

[Don La Greca]

Well, they were great last year on the road.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Six and two in close. In four years, six and two in road, playoff close, out of series games.

[Don La Greca]

And what was it, what was the margin of victory this year?

[Peter Rosenberg]

This year? This year was 51, 30 and 37.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, my God. So that's over like. Like 35 points.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you're demoralizing a team that's home and facing elimination. So they. This is when they should be their most dangerous. Right?

[Don La Greca]

The Atlanta one was the one that really shook me. That shook me because Atlanta had won two games. I mean, they still were in the series, down three. Oh, Philly was dead. Cleveland was dead.

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They knew it.

[Don La Greca]

Yes, but Atlanta, if you win a home game, you're playing in a game seven. That's the one. And it was the biggest margin of victory. Crazy that. See, that's, to me, so out of hand so fast, because Steven's right. At the end of the day, the naysayers are going to look at Atlanta, Philly, Cleveland, and say, that's a pretty easy road. But look at how they demolish these teams. So what are they supposed to do, Alan? They can only play the teams that are in front of them and they smack them around.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And that's why I say. Honestly, that's why I say that when people want to Say, well, it was a very weak road.

[Don Hahn]

Understood.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They didn't play the number one seed. They didn't play the number two seed. Totally get it. It was, you know, Boston's run to the finals when they won the championship. That wasn't. They didn't play the best teams. The Bucks played the Atlanta Hawks before they went to the NBA Finals and then played the Phoenix Suns. Like, it's, it's. So everything's in context, of course, but still, you don't see 11 straight wins in the playoffs by 23 points per game. That's, that's. And I want to remind everybody, 11 games in a row, 11 straight wins. 200. I think it's 234 point differential. That is the largest point differential over an 11 game span of any, any stretch of 11 games in NBA history. Not playoffs only. Also regular season. Think about that for a minute. We had 73 win teams in this league, 72 win teams in this league, and they didn't do that.

[Don La Greca]

And that's, and that's why you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Smacking teams.

[Don La Greca]

What are you supposed to do if you're winning every game in overtime and every series is going seven, Then I, Then I guess you got a kick coming. Like, hey, listen, they're lucky to play who they played.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

You look at the way that they played, they would have beat Boston. They would have been Detroit. Now, do I think that those teams would have made it a little more interesting? Sure. But they had the chance to do it against the teams to beat them, and they took care of business. So I think it will be a narrative if they lose in the final. But right now it can't be a narrative that you care anything about. Let's go to Billy in the truck. You're on. Don Hanna. Rosenberg.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Billy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Hey, good afternoon, guys.

[Don La Greca]

What's up?

[Stephen A. Smith]

You're a degenerate. If you're, if you're a degenerate gambler and a Knicks fan like me, you are on cloud nine, Peter. I've been banging the Knicks. Banging. I haven't had the cojones like you have, though. The times I have.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm glad, though, because you said you're degenerate, but that means you have some responsibility with your degeneracy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, you know why? Because I put, I put, I put most of my action on them to make it to the finals. So the whole time I'm like, no, I don't want to do nothing. And then. Oh, what was you put down?

[Alan Hahn]

What did you put down on them making the finals?

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, just between us.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I put. Okay, yeah, I'm off. I'm off the air, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, yeah, Just us. Just.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I put. I put a hundred on them at +550 before the series. And then I went to a Yankee game during the Sixers series and they were still plus money. So I put another 250 on them. And then I. I'm hitting. I'm hitting stuff left and right like crazy. I bet.

[Caller Jamie]

I bet on them when they were

[Stephen A. Smith]

down 20 in game one at plus 5,500. I hit that. So I'm.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, this is.

[Alan Hahn]

I just.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I just want to be.

[Alan Hahn]

I just want to be clear. I hate. I'm going to keep going. Right. Because I have to.

[Don La Greca]

Right. There's a moral imperative because of the

[Alan Hahn]

audience, the fans and the audience. I've bet they've not lost since I bet them. I will keep going. I would say, though, if you're the average degenerate gambler, Knicks fan, I think now this is where you cash out. You crushed it. Now you just enjoy the final.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, exactly like you.

[Alan Hahn]

Because them winning the finals would be a huge bonus. It would be amazing. But like, you've. Now, they've literally covered, I think, all but once.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Once.

[Alan Hahn]

They've covered every night but once. So you've made money with them so much. Oh, sure, I do.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was. It was seven and a half.

[Alan Hahn]

I caught it at seven and a

[Peter Rosenberg]

half and they won by six and they didn't foul.

[Alan Hahn]

So they could have covered even that one. It would have been every single game. Can you believe that?

[Don La Greca]

Do you play the game if you're a fan? I never did it. I always thought about. We've discussed it before, where you bet the Knicks opponent. That way if the Knicks lose, at least you make money.

[Alan Hahn]

I think people say to do that, but, like, you just can't do it. It's not fun.

[Don La Greca]

It feels dirty.

[Alan Hahn]

And then the interesting thing was here, it feels very dirty.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't want to do that.

[Alan Hahn]

The reason this all started for me picking them was that game, to me was an absolute sure fire win in game four against Atlanta.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, you believed it.

[Alan Hahn]

You were like, they're going to hammer them. There is no way they're not covering. And I think it was.

[Don La Greca]

I'll look.

[Alan Hahn]

I think it was like six and a half or something. And I was like, oh, they're crushing. Because game four was in Atlanta.

[Peter Rosenberg]

In Atlanta.

[Alan Hahn]

So they would have been.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They were down to one. But the feeling was there's no way they're going down.

[Alan Hahn]

So maybe they were minus four and a half, something like that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

And I was like, oh, they're going to hammer them.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, that's.

[Alan Hahn]

And they just continued. And then every game you look and you go, yeah, they should win. The only thing I'm feeling regretful about is that heading into this last game, rather than 500 on them to cover, I didn't just empty the whole account on it because you knew. You knew as the game started. I'm watching two minutes, I go, I

[Don La Greca]

know where this is going.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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

[Don Hahn]

Hear more of Don Allen and Peter Weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

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