Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Hour 1: Knicks-Hawks (April 13, 2026)
Hosts: Don LaGreca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
ESPN New York

Episode Overview

Theme/Purpose:
The trio dives into the New York Knicks’ 2026 playoff journey, spotlighting the first-round matchup against the Atlanta Hawks and addressing the controversial broadcast shift—Knicks games moving exclusively to Amazon Prime in the first round. The hour blends in-depth Knicks analysis, playoff expectations, media accessibility issues, and real-time audience reactions, including a frank discussion about gender stereotyping among sports fans.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Knicks Playoff Coverage Moves to Amazon Prime

• Broadcast Shake-Up:

  • For the first time ever, Knicks’ first-round playoff games will not air on MSG. Game 1 is exclusively on Amazon Prime, sparking confusion and frustration among fans used to the traditional cable setup.
    • [02:07] Alan Hahn: “...The Knicks will not be on MSG in the first round of the playoffs and game, well, or at all. Right. But in game one is Saturday, six o'clock, tip off. And you can find it on Amazon Prime.”

• Fan Adjustment & Streaming Landscape:

  • The hosts discuss fans' struggles with streaming apps, echoing broader trends across MLB, NFL, and now NBA.
    • [03:23] Peter Rosenberg: “So there you are, already out of the gate. You're gonna have to find your way to Amazon prime and be in streaming jail with everything else going on...”
    • [04:10] Don LaGreca: “Oh, they're not happy. But you had to figure with all of these apps in bed with these leagues, they want playoff games... They want the Knicks.”

• Are Fans Ready for Amazon?

  • Questions arise over fan readiness. Many likely have Amazon Prime for shopping, yet are unaware it includes streaming.
    • [06:44] Don LaGreca: “Well, I think, Peter, it's very possible that people have Amazon and don't know it because they have Prime.”

• Humorous Take on ‘Box Arrivals’ and Streaming Access:

  • The hosts riff on stereotypical home dynamics—who deals with package deliveries and app logins—sparking later controversy.
    • [07:46] Don LaGreca: “You pull up to the front of your house and there's like, six Amazon boxes… and now we're going to tell you in your fit of rage that the reason you have Amazon prime and you've got the app is because your wife gets things delivered.”

2. Knicks’ Roller-Coaster Season & Playoff Readiness

• Season Recap and Turning Points:

  • The group recaps the Knicks' up-and-down season—hot starts, nasty mid-season slumps, and a strong finish.

    • [09:11] Alan Hahn: “They went 23 and 9 to start. Then they went two and nine. Right. And then they finished the season 30 and something.”

  • Weak Opponent Pool:

    • The regular season’s weak schedule, with a record number of teams with 55+ losses, is cited as a problem for overall NBA competitiveness.
    • [09:55] Alan Hahn: “Just to put a cap on the NBA season. This is the first year I think they had eight teams with 55 losses or more.”

• The "Real Season" Begins:

  • All attention shifts to the playoffs. The regular season’s tanking and lack of effort are dismissed as the ‘real’ fun begins.
    • [10:53] Don LaGreca: “Nobody's thinking about that because now it's on, man. Now everybody's trying win and it's, it's going to be fun.”

3. Playoff Matchups and The Importance of the Path

• First-Round Opponent: Hawks, Not Raptors

  • Knicks miss out on “easier” Toronto matchup due to wild last-day results. Some fans instantly panic about facing Atlanta, given prior history.

    • [12:26] Alan Hahn: “...it became the Hawks again...A lot of people I saw Nick fans in the building were going like, oh, my God, we got to play the Hawks. Oh, no. And I'm thinking, did I miss something?”

    • [13:01] Peter Rosenberg: (joking) “Is that Kevin Willis?”

• Should Fans Fear Atlanta? Debate on the Value of a Real Test:

  • Alan (“iron sharpens iron”) argues a tougher first round prepares the Knicks for Boston in Round 2. Don prefers “path of least resistance” for rest and health.

    • [14:15] Don LaGreca: “Give me the path of least resistance...I don't want to have to play extra games if I don't have to...I want to be tested and it's not a case of I'm scared of Atlanta. But if you are a team that thinks it's going to make a significant run, then I don't want to have to mess around with extra games.”

    • [16:14] Peter Rosenberg: “That's to me is the key. If you worry that, like as good as you think they are, you don't know if they have that level yet of like, we can just turn it on.”

    • [18:07] Alan Hahn: “...I just feel like this run, this year is going to be excruciating...the end might be fun, but I think Journey is going to be excruciating because of the teams you're going to have to beat.”

4. Playoff Anxiety and Fan Psychology

• Is Playoff Season “Fun” For Knicks Fans?
  • Don says high expectations make every moment agonizing—not enjoyable—unless you’re a decided underdog.

    • [19:17] Don LaGreca: “If you're a die hard Nick fan, you do not enjoy this time...when you're expected to win, explain to me how it's fun to sit there and watch your team play. It's hard, man.”

    • [19:42] Peter Rosenberg: “...the most frustrating thing...that shouldn't be. Because respectfully, this team doesn't have a championship yet...I think you still have to view this team with a sense of wonderment and excitement about what they could be.”

    • [20:23] Alan Hahn: “That's why I said the pot of gold. You know what the pot of gold is...if this team can do it as a team, then it quiets all of it. But if they can't, you know the noise that will come the minute their season ends...”

5. Listener Calls & The Amazon Prime Gender Stereotype Debate

Roxanne’s Call: Calling Out Sexist Stereotypes (28:00)

• Roxanne (Caller) calls in to challenge the hosts for depicting women as box shoppers and men as oblivious sports fans, handling the Prime account logistics.

  • [27:58] Roxanne: “...the rant that you all made a couple of minutes ago that was so sexist in nature. First of all, I am a woman who is a passionate sports fan as much as any man... I do not shop online and leave my boxes for a man to take in. I take in my own boxes. I cut them up myself.”

• Hosts Respond—Clarifications, Apologies, Reflection:

  • [29:38] Don LaGreca: “...most men are too dumb to figure out how to use Amazon Prime. If anything, men should be insulted because women can figure out...I was giving you a description of a man driving home because that would be me.”
  • [33:18] Peter Rosenberg: “I just say sorry anyway because if it struck a tone with someone, it doesn't matter really what my intention was. It matters how it hit her.”
  • [32:07] Alan Hahn (summarizing): “Roxanne, holding us accountable...for her, she's sensitive to that image.”

• Broader Reflection:

  • The group jokes about the need to be more thoughtful in spontaneous talk and acknowledges how sports radio often overlooks female die-hard sports fans.

6. More Knicks-Hawks Analysis and Fan Questions

• Caller Steve Inquires About Alan's Changing Stance on the Hawks:

  • [34:48] Steve: “You know, why would I not have a little trepidation?...why now A little backtracking on that?...”

  • [34:48] Alan Hahn: “When I say dragonslayer, it's not always where they're gonna take you out. Win a series. It's more or less take so much out of you in that series. It could affect you going forward.”

  • [36:31] Alan: “...2021 when the Knicks played the Hawks that that place was very loud...But...Knicks go down there, it's always a half-and-half crowd.”

• On "Picking" Opponents—Atlanta Rested Guys, Did They Want the Knicks?

  • [48:02] Caller Bob: “I truly believe that Atlanta lost on purpose to play the Knicks and that should give the Knicks fuel.”

  • [49:18] Alan Hahn: “I think they made a conscious decision, Don, to just say, like, we don't care either way. We're fine.”

  • [50:30] Alan Hahn: “...you can't, like, pretend like there's a revenge factor. There's no Trey Young. He's gone. And there's no one really on this [Knicks] other than Mitchell Robinson...”

7. The "Tibbs vs. Mike Brown" Coaching Credit Conversation

• Caller Manny challenges media/fans on giving former coach Mike Brown credit versus Tibbs:
  • [53:14] Don LaGreca: “Well, I don't know what credit you want to give them credit. I mean he took over a team that basically had the same record as they did last year. Alan, this is going to be judged in the postseason.”
  • [53:22] Alan Hahn: “...It's the fourth straight year the Knicks win total has improved...But of course, why was Mike Brown hired? Because the belief was that Tibbs couldn't take them to the promised land.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Alan Hahn on Amazon Prime Confusion:

  “A lot of Nick fans were not happy…you’re hoping this is the beginning of a fun ride and you’ll have to be on a streaming service to watch it.”
  — [06:07]

• Don LaGreca on Streaming Trends:

  “You don’t think that when the NHL’s contracts are up 100% that they’re not going to say we want the first round, too?”
  — [04:59]

• Peter Rosenberg’s Perspective:

  “I think you still have to view this team with a sense of wonderment and excitement about what they could be.”
  — [19:55]

• Don LaGreca on Playoff Stress:

  “If you’re a die hard Nick fan, you do not enjoy this time…when you’re expected to win, explain to me how it’s fun to sit there and watch your team play.”
  — [19:17]

• Roxanne Calls Out the Stereotyping:

  “You depicted women as if they were some sort of frontal lobe creatures whose only passion was to shop, and not at all as the serious sports fans, which many of us are.”
  — [28:42]

• Peter Rosenberg Models Modern Apology:

  “...if it struck a tone with someone, it doesn’t matter really what my intention was. It matters how it hit her.”
  — [33:18]

• Alan Hahn Distills the Knicks’ Challenge:

  “...this run, this year is going to be excruciating...the end might be fun, but I think Journey is going to be excruciating because of the teams you’re going to have to beat.”
  — [18:07]

Key Timestamps

• 02:07–07:59: Knicks playoff broadcast moves to Amazon Prime; implications for fans
• 08:32–11:00: Knicks’ season journey and playoff context
• 12:26–18:07: Playoff matchup: Knicks-Hawks, fans’ apprehension, and ‘iron sharpens iron’ debate
• 19:09–22:36: Is playoff stress fun? Expectations and fan psychology
• 27:56–33:36: Roxanne’s call and lively discussion on gender stereotypes in fan culture
• 34:48–37:20: Clarifying “fears” of the Hawks and the roots of playoff confidence/concern
• 48:02–51:10: Did Atlanta try to get the Knicks? “Picking” your first-round opponent and revenge talk
• 53:14–54:12: Coaching credit debate: Tibbs vs. Mike Brown

Tone & Style Notes

• Energetic and playful, with banter, self-deprecation, and NY sports bravado.
• Candid listener interaction, especially around themes of fan identity and gender.
• Honest about the mixed emotions of Knicks fandom—hope, dread, nostalgia, and expectation.
• Passionate, informal, and at times lightly confrontational—reflecting true NY sports radio spirit.

This episode is essential for any Knicks fan navigating the new world of playoff streaming, hungry for smart, honest playoff talk, and eager to see themselves—and be recognized—in the passionate, neurotic world of NY fandom.