Hour 1: Knicks Outclassed

Summary

Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – "Hour 1: Knicks Outclassed"

Introduction

In the April 9, 2025 episode of the Don, Hahn & Rosenberg podcast titled "Hour 1: Knicks Outclassed," hosts Don LaGreca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg delve deep into the recent performance of the New York Knicks, particularly focusing on their game against the Boston Celtics. The discussion spans game analysis, team dynamics, coaching decisions, and fan expectations, providing listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the Knicks' current standing and future prospects.

Game Recap

The episode kicks off with a recap of the Knicks' recent matchup against the Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Don LaGreca expresses his disappointment with the outcome, highlighting the Knicks' inability to secure a decisive victory despite having a talented roster.

Knicks' Performance

Alan Hahn provides a critical analysis of the Knicks' performance, emphasizing that while the team is undoubtedly talented, they fall short when compared to the Celtics. He states, “We're not anywhere yet in the class of the Boston Celtics” (04:01). Hahn underscores the frustration of witnessing a talented team struggle to execute under pressure, particularly criticizing key moments where Knicks players missed crucial opportunities.

Peter Rosenberg echoes these sentiments, noting the Knicks' near misses and the Celtics' strategic gameplay. He remarks, “The Celtics are batting the bunny,” referring to their effective offensive strategies that left the Knicks scrambling (02:21). Rosenberg also appreciates the Celtics' ability to control the game tempo, which ultimately led to their victory.

Celtics' Dominance

Don LaGreca acknowledges the Celtics' superior execution, especially in the second half of the game. He points out that the Celtics played with intention and strategic foresight, contrasting this with the Knicks' more reactive approach. LaGreca mentions, “Celtics had no idea what was going on there,” referring to the chaotic inbounds play that favored the Celtics (03:59).

Coaching Decisions

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the Knicks' coaching decisions, particularly those made by head coach Tom Thibodeau. Hahn criticizes the lack of effective strategy in handling the Celtics' star player, Jayson Tatum. He questions the decision-making process during critical moments, stating, “I didn't care if the Celtics won. To be honest, I'm a fraud. I kind of was hoping the Knicks would get a win here to end the year and have something to be excited about” (06:43).

Peter Rosenberg adds to the critique by dissecting the final play where Anunoby fouled Tatum. He argues that Thibodeau should have opted to foul immediately to prevent Tatum from taking a potentially game-winning shot, highlighting a missed opportunity for strategic defense: “Anunoby should have fouled Tatum. The whole world knew that” (05:58).

Don LaGreca supports the criticism, emphasizing that such coaching missteps hinder the team's progress: “It's almost like you can see what's going to happen at the end. And it's just maddening” (05:30).

Team Building and Future Outlook

The hosts discuss the Knicks' ongoing rebuilding process, acknowledging that while the team has made significant improvements, they are still not at the level required to challenge top-tier teams like the Celtics. Don LaGreca insists, “This is year one here, guys. It's not a rebuild. It was a reset one year, and they are better than they were last year, but it's just not gonna look that way” (08:25).

Alan Hahn compares the Knicks' process to that of the Philadelphia 76ers' "Trust the Process," arguing that genuine team building involves enduring losses to grow stronger. He states, “This is a real process in sports, where you learn from losing, you grow as a team” (08:38).

The conversation extends to comparing the Knicks with other franchises like the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics, highlighting differences in team stability and front office decisions. Hahn notes, “Cleveland's roster didn't change. The coach changed. They were a really good team last year” (16:07), suggesting that continuity plays a crucial role in a team's success.

Fan Expectations and Frustrations

Don LaGreca addresses the divided sentiments among Knicks fans, where some demand immediate results and drastic changes, while others understand the importance of the rebuilding phase. He emphasizes the necessity of patience and realistic expectations: “Don't look at it as just the standings, guys. They made it to the second round last year. Gonna get balanced in the second round this year” (11:50).

Peter Rosenberg adds that frustration often stems from unrealistic expectations, with some fans wanting the team to perform beyond their current capabilities, leading to calls for firing coaches and making sweeping roster changes prematurely.

Key Quotes

• Don LaGreca (04:01): "We're not anywhere yet in the class of the Boston Celtics."

• Alan Hahn (06:43): "This is year one here, guys. It's not a rebuild. It was a reset one year, and they are better than they were last year, but it's just not gonna look that way."

• Peter Rosenberg (05:58): "Anunoby should have fouled Tatum. The whole world knew that."

• Alan Hahn (08:38): "This is a real process in sports, where you learn from losing, you grow as a team."

Conclusion

The "Knicks Outclassed" episode of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg offers a thorough critique of the Knicks' recent performance, highlighting the team's potential hindered by strategic missteps and coaching decisions. The hosts advocate for patience and a continued focus on team development, urging fans to maintain realistic expectations as the Knicks navigate their rebuilding phase. Through insightful analysis and passionate discussion, the episode underscores the complexities of transforming a talented team into championship contenders.

Transcript

[Peter Rosenberg]

McDonald's meets the Minecraft universe with one of six collectibles and your choice of a Big Mac or 10 piece McNuggets with spicy nether flame sauce. Now available with a Minecraft movie meal.

[Alan Hahn]

At participating McDonald's for a limited time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

A Minecraft movie only in theaters.

[Don LaGreca]

One day you're not gonna play football anymore. And if there's a God up above, it'll be soon.

[Alan Hahn]

Han, Huge. No, but big. Yeah. And Rosenberg.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don LaGreca]

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

[Alan Hahn]

This is Don Hahn and Rosenberg on ESPN and the ESPN New York app.

[Don LaGreca]

Oh, it's 3:00 in the big city. Don, Han, Rosenberg. Monster show today. Lots to get into. Take you up until 7:00 tonight. Then we have our Rangers pre because big, kind of not really meaningful Ranger came coming up against the Flyers at Madison Square Garden.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like you nightmare.

[Don LaGreca]

We'll get to them in a little bit. But it's the other Garden resident guys we got to get into. That was a big game last night between the Knicks and the Celtics. But before we dive in. Hello, Alan.

[Alan Hahn]

Hey, Don. Hey, Peter.

[Don LaGreca]

Hello, Peter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, how's everyone doing today?

[Don LaGreca]

Peter, Don, Don, Peter. Han.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Nice to meet you. I'm feeling, I got to tell you guys, this is, you know, how, you know it's a good sports day. I'm excited to talk sports today.

[Alan Hahn]

You are?

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right. Even me. I mean, I'm not sitting. I don't have like, wacky ideas like, oh, let's talk about, you know, top ten Punky Brewster episodes. I'm ready to talk about sports. Although I do have a great sports adjacent guest who we're going to have today if he answers his phone. And that would be the iconic Q Tip of A Tribe Called Quest coming up later on in the show.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm fired up for that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Tomorrow is. Tomorrow is Q Tip's birthday.

[Don LaGreca]

All right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

And Tomorrow is the 35th anniversary of their debut album. People's instinctive travels in the paths of rhythm. So. And by the way, I hope that he's a guy who's excited about the Knicks playoff situation. He's a big Knicks fan. I can't imagine he's excited to talk about the jets draft. He's basically threw in the towel last year and wanted to blow his brains out, but. So we'll talk to the tipster as well. But Alan, I watched the game last night and Allen had sent a text at some point where he goes, the Celtics are batting the bunny right and he was.

[Don LaGreca]

It was like 48, 40. Knicks at the time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, they were. It was still whatever. Obviously. The game was always close. And I watched the second half with Maya. She wasn't as dialed in as I was. She was focused on the bottle and bourbon.

[Alan Hahn]

Maya gotta get dialed in.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I said the bottom focused on the bottle.

[Don LaGreca]

Just like his dad.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Excuse me.

[Don LaGreca]

I'm sorry. Oh, my God. Wait, hold on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I've got enough vices.

[Don LaGreca]

Why are you. Why am I literally inventing a new one? I've never seen you drink a beer. I've seen. No, I've seen. You've had old fashions.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, but not a bottle.

[Don LaGreca]

It was just there. And I had close contact. And if somebody turned the radio off at the second I said it, they think they're an alcoholic.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Peter's an alcoholic. Who knew? Well, listen, life is long. I don't know where I'll land, but you nailed it, Alan. To me, as a Celtics fan who did not. I didn't care if the Celtics won. To be honest, I'm a fraud. I kind of, for the purpose of our show, was hoping the Knicks would get a win here to end the year and have. Give us something to be excited about. And it did feel like the Celtics were messing with them. Even the Tatum 3 to force OT was like. It wasn't a serious possession. He was just like, I got this. Let me just hit a little step back crossover three. I got. It was like they were messing around, Alan, and they still won, which. Which I have to imagine broke you a little bit as a dick's guy.

[Alan Hahn]

You saw the picture of the taco, the plate of tacos, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yes. Oh, yeah, sure I did. You said it was number five at the time.

[Alan Hahn]

That was number five. There was still a shell in. In the air fryer and there was still chopped meat in the frying pan.

[Don LaGreca]

Oh, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

There was nothing left at the end of the night. Like, I. I was. How many people can relate to anger eating? Like, you watch, like when you just kind of frustrate or whatever it is, and you just. It's like anxiety eating. You just sit there and you just. You know what? I'm having more. I'm having more. Like. And that's. That was me last night watching that game because it was. I believe it was the second quarter when I said the Celtics are bat and the bunny here, you know, like. Like the Knicks would go up, you know, seven or nine. Suddenly, like two threes later, you know, it's like, here we go again, back to back to two. Knicks went up 11, back to two. Like it just. They were smiling. Porzingis, boy, did he have a day. And. And that's what I kept getting this sense of. While a lot of people wanted to look at it as how competitive the Knicks were, hey, look, they had a lead after the first quarter for the first time. There was a lot of things about the game that everybody on a Knicks, on the Knicks side wanted to find reasons to feel good. And all I saw was a team that as talented as they are. And I'm on record of saying this is one of the most talented teams this franchise has seen in 50 years. Very talented team. They are not anywhere yet in the class of the Boston Celtics. They're not there now. You could say it, because the Celtics have a Runway loaded with their own ups and downs, their own pitfalls. You live through them, Peter, with them, with this current core. Then they made a big trade two years ago. I mean, Marcus Smart, a beloved player. They had to make one of those tough decisions, but it was the right thing to do to get them over the top. And I just feel like, like I said, transaction cycle. I watch this team and I'm like, they're really good, but they're not the good that needs to be that you need to beat this team. And that's what I kept feeling. And that's a frustrating place to be because it's almost like you can see what's going to happen at the end. And it's just maddening. And one last thing. Anunoby should have fouled Tatum. The whole world knew that. Yes, I was screaming it. It was echoing in my house the minute Hart. That was a beautiful inbounds play hard on the cut. Brunson finds him, takes the layup. The Celtics had no idea what was going on there. Crisscrossed them to death. Got. It's got up three. And I'm thinking, all right, 12 seconds, just foul. This team loves threes. Why would you even let them shoot at three, foul them at half court, just foul. And they wanted to play OG Anunoby wanted to play defense. Did not work out. So it just so much maddening about it. But I go back to my original point that I said months ago that everybody hated me for saying it. This is not the year. This is just not the year. They're not there yet.

[Don LaGreca]

So which is it, right? Like, you just made a very intelligent point and you've been saying it all year that they're good, they're better. It just. It's not their year. Not yet. But then you have Nick fans who want to fire the coach if they. And you've got Nick fans who are, you know, trying to still tell themselves, look, look, look what happened last night. We should have beat him. We can beat him in the best of seven series. Like, you're all over the place. I mean, I watched the team last night. Even if they had won the game, I. I was not going to allow myself to be convinced that they now have a better chance to beat the Celtics. The Celtics didn't need that game. I give them credit. Everybody played, right? All the questionable players played and played significant minutes. But you're right. They batted the bunny. They didn't need it. I give them credit that they played the players. They didn't have to. They're already locked up, too. Think they locked it up with the win, right? But they were going to lock it up anyway. So just accept the fact that it's all just like a learning process. This is year one here, guys. But some fans put them on a pedestal and want to convince themselves that we can beat the Celtics, we can win a championship with this team, and they get all in a tizzy. And then when they don't, it's going to be. They want to fire everybody. Why can't you just accept what it is? It's year one. It's not a rebuild. It was a reset one year, and they are better than they were last year, but it's just not gonna look that way. But don't look at it as just the standings, guys. They made it to the second round last year. Gonna get balanced in the second round this year. Give me a break. How's it any better? Because it is better, but it's all just part of a process. It just stinks that the two best teams in the conference are ahead of you.

[Alan Hahn]

No one wants to go through the build, right? No one wants to go through that.

[Don LaGreca]

This is a real process. What the Sixers are doing is a joke when they say trust the process. No, that's garbage. This is a true process in sports, where you learn from losing, you grow as a team. You get better. You take that knowledge and you get better the next season. That's what a real process is.

[Alan Hahn]

Of course it is. But you know what? You know what's easy about the Philadelphia process for fans?

[Don LaGreca]

Hmm?

[Alan Hahn]

Here's what's easy about it. You know you're going to lose. It's comfortable. They were cheering, losing. That's what they were doing. And they were singing the song. Trust the product. They loved it. You know why? No pressure, no expectations, no anything. No anticipation, no hope, nothing. Just tell me we're going to lose a lot. We're going to get all these draft picks, and we promise you, one day it's going to be great. Well, guess what? In Philadelphia, they're still waiting. It ain't great, right? And the guy that they. That they centered the process around basically just quit on your team. So that's the process there. This is the hard part. It's going through this. It's why I always say that. Song by New Edition can you stand the rain? Because, you know, like the good days, that's easy, right? Sunny days, everybody loves them, but can you stand this? This is the build. This is the grind. This is the time where you measure up. And you go, I was still not there yet. We still got more pieces. We still got to do some things to get there. Detroit Lions, like, you go through this, but there's so many people out there that just can't do it. They don't have it in them to get through stuff like this. If you remember the late 80s, into the early 90s, it's the same thing. It was a grind. You went from bad to good with a star, and you felt like, we're close. Then Riley shows up and he just gives you 50, 50, 60, 50. I winning every year. And you think, we're getting there, but Michael frickin Jordan was in the way, but it was there. And you were close, but you felt it. Nobody complained then about it. You just knew it was there. But. But it's Michael Jordan. You got to beat him. And they couldn't. Then he leaves the league. And there's your window, there's your shot. Nobody saw that coming. In 94, nobody knew he'd be gone, but he was. And they get to the finals, they get to game seven. And of course, we all know the kick in the can that we always get. We always get it. But it happened then. But the point is, that's the build. That's the grind. No one, I don't remember anyone back then complaining about it. They loved it. It was fun because it was winning. And they hadn't done that in 20 years. This, though, everybody wants it microwaved. Everybody wants it now instead of see it with your eyes. Everybody in New York, they all talk about how we are. We're a basketball town. We know the game. I hear from fans all the time, I know the game. If you know the game, then you know what you're Looking at, you're looking at a team that is still in the build. They're not where the Celtics are yet. Celtics went through the build. They had to go through Harding. They went to a finals loss, then they lost embarrassingly to the, to the Miami Heat. Embarrassed by them. They wanted to split up Tatum and Brown. They wanted to blow the whole thing up. You imagine if they listened to fans and did that? No, you stick with your guns. You keep building your roster because you believe you've got the core to get there. And that's what I believe about this team.

[Don LaGreca]

And that's all. When we talk about the process, it's going to hurt because your heart's in it. I think, I think the Tank crowd, they want the microwave because they don't wanna put their heart on the table and have it stomped on as you're going through it. But this is part of how you grow. There's gonna be pain, there's gonna be disappointment, there's not gonna be living up to expectations. It's all part of it. And we'll see. Cuz at some point, you know what? Now it's time to get it done. But the time is not now. And I think last night was a reminder of that. You're getting closer, but you're probably just not there yet. And the loser lament of, oh, look, we got him now. Look how well we played against them. Dude, stop. You had the chance earlier, it wasn't there. You'll build, you'll learn from it, you'll be a better team because of it. But this is all what gets to a point where you're going to be able to take that next step. It is all part of the true process in sports. And that's what you got to go through, fans. And it doesn't mean blowing it up and firing the coach and setting up high expectations. And also, you talk about intelligent basketball fans, and I think all fans of sports here in New York are pretty intelligent. Don't be so pedestrian to say, well, you gotta get past the second round, otherwise it's a failure because they went to the second round the last two years. Sometimes it doesn't look the way you think it's gonna look. Why don't you dig a little deeper instead of just saying, well, what's the Giants and Jets record gonna be? They gotta win nine wins, otherwise everybody's gonna get fired. Oh, you got to win 90 games or you got. Everybody's got to get fired. You got to get 100 points, everybody going to get fired. Why don't you look a little deeper and see what it looks like. So even if they do get bounced in the second round, Allen, and lose to a better team of the Boston Celtics, does that mean they're not on the right path? Does that mean they didn't get better from last year? Doesn't that seem like a very base kind of way to look at it? Just seeing where you finished in the standings and say see failure?

[Alan Hahn]

Because it's that. That's the simplistic way to look at it is to say if it's not beyond the second round, then it was a failure. Instead of saying wait a minute, it is the second round but they lost to the defending champions who arguably still are the best team in the league.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I would even push back on a little bit of the. They're just not there yet. I understand why it's super tempting, especially based on last night. I do understand the frustration. But guys, Alan, you know this better than better than I do. Over the course of a seven game series. Yes, in all likelihood, if they play the Celtics, we know what the result will be. But. But Don, sometimes in a series, the way that you play a team day in, day out, when, when something built is a bit different than these one off games and you also just don't know where you're going to be with a team with their health, et cetera. I'm just not quite willing, in spite of how annoying last night was, I'm not quite willing to throw this Knicks team away this year.

[Don LaGreca]

I'm just not think anybody is saying that.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't say throw it away. I'm just saying expectations for me are not that. This is it. That's all I was saying.

[Don LaGreca]

But don't sit here. See, a lot of this is based on. Tell me if I'm wrong, guys. Knick fans convinced themselves that had they beaten the Pacers last year and were healthy, that they were going to beat the Celtics. We don't know that.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, everybody says that.

[Don LaGreca]

We don't know that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I don't think they would have in fact.

[Don LaGreca]

Right. I don't think they would have either. But if you convinced yourself they would, then you look at it and go, wait a minute, we were going to beat the Celtics last year. All of a sudden we make a trade and now you're telling me we don't have a chance to beat them. Well, first of all, we don't know you would have beaten him last year. For all we know, you could have gotten swept by him.

[Alan Hahn]

You struggle beating him Last year. What are you talking about?

[Don LaGreca]

And it's also just part of. I think everybody saw the ceiling of the team last year. They made the changes. It's year one of those changes. And by the way, in a lot of the games, you got slammed by the Celtics. You didn't even have your full roster. Celtics finally figured it out. They have won a championship. And there's something to that, right? When. Because they were going through it. They were going through, how do we learn how to win? And now they've. Now they're winning and now they know how to win a championship. So it's a different. The thing that throws a wrench into it is, I think, look, Cleveland seemed to have figured it out, right? So Cleveland took that gargantuan first step.

[Alan Hahn]

Keep in mind, on Cleveland. Let me just remind everybody.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Go ahead.

[Alan Hahn]

Cleveland's roster didn't change. The coach changed. They had a team that was already winning 40s. No, no, no, no, no, no. What I mean is. What I mean is that group has been together for a number of years. They grew up together. Like, it's not like they. They made a massive roster change. They brought in a new coach. That's all they did. And they were already on the right. They were a really good team last year. They were a good team the year before the Knicks. The Knicks took him out because the Knicks were just a tougher team. That team had to learn how to be tough. It wasn't like some. Some crazy strategy change. It was. They had to grow up. Mobley was young. He wasn't strong enough. He had to get stronger. Garland didn't know what he was supposed to do. Like, him and him and Donovan Mitchell playing together, that took time to figure out. So it. Like I said. And then, of course, there was a big move that upgraded their bench that you desperately needed on a team like that. They did not have a good enough bench. So this is. Again, there wasn't a disruption in, in. In the roster with new pieces that had to learn how to play together. They had three years to learn how to play together.

[Don LaGreca]

And good for them. It's come together for them. We'll see if they do anything in the playoffs. We don't know. We don't know what it's going to look like. I know what it looks like in Boston because we've seen them go to the final. We've seen them win a championship. We haven't seen that from Cleveland yet. So let's wait. They've had a great regular season. Let's see what happens in the postseason, but you've got it going on here, full steam ahead, but you've got like the one crowd that wants to blow everything up, the other crowd that wants to think that they're going to win the championship. I think this front office with Leon Rose has enough going on right now where I think you can say for the first time in forever that you can trust them and trust that they're moving in the right direction.

[Alan Hahn]

I wonder if they, I wonder if fans trust them.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, if you want Tibbs fired, then no, you don't. If you have unreal expectations on them and then you want to see it blown up, then you don't. But I think if you do, then I think you trust what's going on here and you'll live with the result and just hope that you take the next step next year. Because, right, Allen, there's going to be a time where you're not going to be able to sit there and honestly say, and accept not being the best, of course, but, but that don't, don't accelerate it. It's not, it's not there yet. Now, that doesn't mean that excuses them for losing in the first round.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, here's the.

[Don LaGreca]

And all. And I'm also not saying that they should go out there and get embarrassed in four games to Boston either.

[Alan Hahn]

Here's my example is the 2013 team and that was a, that was a three year build as well, right? Because they had, they had, they had made the playoffs the first time with Mello. They made the trade for Mello. They make the playoffs. Doesn't go well. Of course, it's Boston. They had a bunch of injuries. Whatever. The second year, it's still insanity stuff. They, they face the juggernaut that is the Heat. They lose in the first round. They finally get out of the first round in the third year. They have the old team. They brought in all the old guys. Rasheed Wallace, Jason Kidd, they had everybody. Kurt Thomas, they, you know, like, they, they felt like there's the team to put around. Mellow. A bunch of, you know, older, smart, hard, you know, just guys that knuckle up and play basketball and they get to the second round. But because of all the different things that happened in that run, they don't get to this conference final to face Miami. The huge mistake was made the year after that. The huge mistake was taking a swing in a trade for Andrea Barnyani, who was not a. Not at all the right fit. Just not the right fit. And it, that's when they stopped making the playoffs right from there. So it's, it's like you see it and you say, don't overreact. And then it's Phil Jackson comes in. They have a good coach in Mike Woodson and Phil Jackson won't even talk to him. I want to bring in my guy. Now your culture's gone because what, Mike Woodson's no longer there. It's, it's a dangerous place when you overreact. All I'm going to say is when I'm watching that game last night, along with the frustration, everything else, I'm also looking at it from the mind of like, okay, if I'm building a team, front office stuff. If you're in the front office, you're watching these games and you are just telling yourself we're still not there yet. We're not. We, we definitely need more and they got to figure it out. And that's why I keep using that phrase transaction cycle. I just think they, they just need another one to keep working on this roster and fine tuning it until they get a roster that they can feel like can go up against the best in the league.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, you're, you're. I hear what you're saying. I. Everything you've said makes sense. You're reasonable, you're logical, you're. You're upset. I'm, I'm sorry that the taco thing happened.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm not. It was delicious.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I will tell you, you guys were really sincere about the taco Tuesday in that house.

[Alan Hahn]

I told you, it's a real thing.

[Don LaGreca]

Nancy makes tremendous taco.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, I bet.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Underrated. Oh, I bet from Don. I mean, from. Knockers are wonderful. Yeah, it's. But it's really the end.

[Don LaGreca]

Nancy makes tremendous talk.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, I bet I just low keyed that one.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, I enjoyed that thoroughly, by the way. Let's just take a moment real quick. Obviously this makes sense to focus on the Knicks in this situation. Can I just take a moment to point out the big boy basketball that the Boston Celtics have played in the second half of the season, that's 18 and two.

[Alan Hahn]

It's something like that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, they're 20 and four since the break. Okay, 20 and four since the break. Nine, nine game road winning stre freak down the stretch like they are just a big boy basketball team.

[Alan Hahn]

They already set the franchise record for wins on the road in a season. Which when you consider Boston Celtics history, that's. Yeah, that's not, that's not nothing. No, I think they're still on Pace to break it. Was it the. The warriors that year? The 73 win warriors road record? I think they're still on pace potentially to break that. They're a great team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is a real. They are a real basketball team. The Boston Celtics. So it's interesting. I mean, push comes to shove, I. Cleveland's a great team. We all know the Celtics are the team to beat in this conference. And that's not a diss to that is on a distance to Cleveland.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And it's part of the same reason I think the Michael Malone firing is ridiculous. You got to let these big boy teams who have done this before, you've got to see where they're at when the second season starts.

[Alan Hahn]

Wait till you hear what. What's coming out of Denver.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. You have something for me? Maybe an enn. Can we discuss. Because I am. I am curious.

[Alan Hahn]

E and M. We can definitely. The stuff that. The stuff I've heard, I cannot believe it. Just. This just shows you how sometimes when ownership tries to come in and say, I know how to run a business. No, you don't. Just. Just. Just step aside.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. So good. So the story you're going to tell us is not that there's some undercover reason why it makes sense to get rid of my.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, no, no.

[Don LaGreca]

Not at all.

[Alan Hahn]

No. This actually makes it worse, not better.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Got it. Got it. So less justification.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is what you're saying?

[Alan Hahn]

Michael Malone won't be a free agent for long.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I love how. When. I love how he was so nasty about being called Mike Malone that he truly emphasized it to the point that it like Don, it switched overnight.

[Alan Hahn]

He'd correct you if you asked him a question and said Mike.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, no. He was so angry. There was the one clip. Whoever he was nasty to that one time. That was enough. And now. And by the way, it always feels forced to me. It always feels oddly forced.

[Alan Hahn]

But do you know why he wants it that way back?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because he loves the backstreet boys. I don't know.

[Alan Hahn]

No, his mother always called him Michael and that was personal to him. I know, but that's how it is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, we love moms. Moms are great. You know how I feel about moms. I think fathers are mother of Jace. I mean, moms are everything. They're number one.

[Don LaGreca]

The opinion isn't going to age well for you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I knew it wouldn't. I knew at the time it wouldn't. Wouldn't age well. But listen, moms. No, it's not that. Dads can't sometimes be Treated like dads can definitely be treated like their number one, for sure. But at the end of the day, I don't know.

[Alan Hahn]

I have a mug that says number one Dad. I don't know what you're talking about.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But it doesn't say number one parent in the household. It says number one dad. You're in the top slot for men in that house. It's you. You're number one. But anyways, I hear that. But, like, even Michael K, for example, Michael K is Michael. He doesn't correct people on the mic.

[Don LaGreca]

Like, he tried to make it a thing. If you remember back in the day, like, I asked him, when people call you Mike, I'm gonna interrupt the interview and say, no, it's Michael. He's like, no, no, no, don't do that. I thought it would have been funny.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wait, Apparently I have audio of him correcting someone. You know that.

[Don LaGreca]

Really?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Cassidy Hubbard, the Nuggets, Mike Malone, and coach Michael Malone. Oh, I think you meant Michael Cash.

[Alan Hahn]

I thought you meant the Cassidy one. Jake said that. I thought he meant Michael Cage.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, the Cassidy one. I remember that was the one that. That was the one that did. And like, by the way, dude, like, I get it. What your mom called you is a big deal, but not everyone's your mom. Like, it's just. That's not.

[Don LaGreca]

Or not everybody's gonna get it. It's a natural thing to do. Don't. Now, if you want to take her aside later on or if you want to let people know at the introductory press conference, I go by Michael. But if somebody just says Mike, don't correct. I don't even correct people when they call me Dom. And that's the wrong name.

[Alan Hahn]

It's not even the right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I legitimately get Peter, Pete Rosenberg, and Rose. People up call me Rose or Rosie. Take them all.

[Alan Hahn]

Whatever.

[Don LaGreca]

Really?

[Peter Rosenberg]

All of them. I take them all. Whatever. Whatever makes you feel good, man. I'm not here to be a jerk.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, all right. So earlier I. Because somebody decided they were going to demand my opinion on Twitter, which I've tried to make it clear I don't do that much anymore because I don't like to give it away for free when we have a show for this. So I just made it clear that we have our wonderful radio show. We are on till 7pm Were you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Able to tell them where we were on the air?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, Well, I just said ESPN New York, because the app we know like 1050 and then eventually 880 on certain days, thanks to the Mets.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Definitely feeling like 1050 so far.

[Alan Hahn]

Feeling like 1050 right now. But we are on the app. Yeah, but I just said you could call in and debate me and all that stuff. Like you can find me there every day. You know, I'm not going to deal with an app that has limitations and algorithms. So that's what I'm putting out there for the world. I mean, you want to discuss this if you were, you know, you were almost happy the Knicks lost last night, don't you, deep down in your soul, some of you felt good because it, it's like good. I can get, I can get Han tomorrow on this and show him at his coaches his coat, right? Did you see the inbounds play like this? Just this. I know it's coming. So fellas, I'm, I'm, I'm ready for it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let's do it.

[Alan Hahn]

I got the lightsaber ready to go and let's take them on. If you like true crime stories, listen to this one.

[Don LaGreca]

But as you listen, put yourself in the place of this IT manager because he never dreamed this would happen at his company on his watch. He came in on a Monday and tried to log in and couldn't a ransom pop up. Informed him that company data, customer files.

[Alan Hahn]

Bank accounts, apar, everything was being held for ransom.

[Don LaGreca]

And if they didn't pay $250,000 in.

[Alan Hahn]

Bitcoin no less, all of it would be wiped. Nearly a third of mid sized American.

[Don LaGreca]

Companies got hit by data breach last year and that number is going up.

[Alan Hahn]

It's your choice.

[Don LaGreca]

Trust your current cybersecurity infrastructure like he did or outsource protecting your precious data with the leading managed security services provider in the US Thrive. It all starts with a comprehensive Thrive cyber risk assessment. Thrive security analysts identify security gaps and deliver proactive solutions to help keep your.

[Alan Hahn]

Network healthy and protected. It's not a matter of if, it's when. Are you ready?

[Don LaGreca]

Get your no obligations, security recommendations and consultation. Your business relies on it.

[Alan Hahn]

Visit ThriveNextGen.com ESPN that's ThriveNextGen.com ESPN TaxAct knows you probably don't need help filing.

[Don LaGreca]

Taxes, but if you get stuck, we.

[Alan Hahn]

Have live experts, experts you can talk to. And who knows, you could hit it off and become long term tax friends. Staying up late at night talking about deductions, refunds, personal exemptions. Heck, you could even fall in love and create a little dependent of your own one day. Or they could just answer your filing questions. Tax act. Let's get them over with.

[Don LaGreca]

Wow, this house is cute.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But can I really get in the.

[Don LaGreca]

Game in this economy. I do have savings and I am responsible.

[Alan Hahn]

Ish.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I should bury it.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm being wild.

[Don LaGreca]

But what if I'm not being wild, though?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Could I actually Score a kick off your home buying journey with Zillow's new buyability tool? It makes it easy to find out what you can afford so you can.

[Alan Hahn]

Get off the bench and onto the playing field with confidence. Check your buyability only on Zillow. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan Hahn]

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

[Don LaGreca]

See? Alan mentions it. Jacob turns it around. I have no use for this music. These are prophetic words, but I don't know why he would even have it at the top of your mind.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You have no use for any R b or like 80s sounding this kind of.

[Don LaGreca]

Who is this again?

[Peter Rosenberg]

New Edition.

[Alan Hahn]

New Edition.

[Don LaGreca]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No edition for 80s. No. No need for no.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no. Don. Don prefers no Edition.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. No, not new addition.

[Don LaGreca]

There's some stuff. Boys to Men had some good stuff.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's 90s.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, that's a spin off.

[Don LaGreca]

That's the spin off then. I like the spin off.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

Wow.

[Don LaGreca]

No, but some songs will hit. I, Don McGregor from 80s Jersey, New Jersey, going to be listening to New Edition. And again, it's not some sort of a protest. It's just that that's. That wasn't. They didn't have me in mind when they. When they produced that music.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, just that one song is a little slow. They had some other good ones. I don't know if he'd like Candy.

[Don LaGreca]

Girl, but I've heard that you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You have to know.

[Don LaGreca]

No, I know the songs, so I know to turn off the station.

[Alan Hahn]

Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Really? You hate. You hate. You hate Candy Girl, too? Well, it's not about hating Candy Girl.

[Don LaGreca]

I know that feels good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Come on. That one feels good.

[Don LaGreca]

Doesn't feel good to me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What about if it isn't Love?

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, fantastic song.

[Peter Rosenberg]

If it is in love. So why.

[Don LaGreca]

Why is it bad? Why is it bad that I say that? That's not for me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not. No one said it's bad. We're just pushing.

[Don LaGreca]

You know?

[Alan Hahn]

I told you.

[Don LaGreca]

You don't say. You know, that reminds me of the. Of the Slayer song Necrophilia. And then you guys will look at me like I've got 17 heads and that. That's okay. But doesn't that explain that we're just from different worlds. When it comes to that music, I cross over all the time and just leave me. I'm as eclectic as anyone.

[Alan Hahn]

There's no wrong music takes.

[Don LaGreca]

There's no wrong music.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Except for some of Allen's covers that he liked. Besides that. No, I agree with me, but what. Who Some of Alan's covers but one.

[Don LaGreca]

No, but it is very subjective. But it's nothing wrong to just say that's just not Don.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How about this? How about this? I am not a big fan of 80s R&B. Love 70s R&B love 90s R&B. There are a couple 80s ones, but like the big tinny sounding sort of New Edition Ralph Tres Vint. Like Bobby Brown. I like Bobby Brown A little later. But like I'm not so even me. I'm not a huge fan of 80s R&B.

[Don LaGreca]

Wyatt all day.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, you love Barry.

[Alan Hahn]

But you're saying R and B. I think of like Jeffrey Osborne, James Ingram.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's leading into adult. No, no, that's 80s adult contemporary.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah, that's AC Baby.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You.

[Don LaGreca]

That's. That's me.

[Alan Hahn]

That.

[Don LaGreca]

The yacht rock now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So now you're hitting. Now you're hitting Don again. Now Don likes On the wings of love.

[Don LaGreca]

Only the two of us together fly.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you like the adult contemporary? Oh yeah, Loved it.

[Alan Hahn]

See, I feel. I always thought that was really R B.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How about Billy Ocean, Caribbean Queen? Where?

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah, he clearly says Caribbean Queen.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

What do you trying to be that guy?

[Peter Rosenberg]

But that's how I would pronounce the word.

[Don LaGreca]

So I know what he's saying.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know, but like when I read it. When I read it, I don't. I just go, Caribbean Queen, Queen.

[Don LaGreca]

There's a few. There's a few Billy Oceans. What's it. Suddenly that's my favorite Billy Ocean.

[Alan Hahn]

Suddenly he's the only good.

[Don LaGreca]

Suddenly you're in love.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Get out of my dreams, get into my car.

[Alan Hahn]

Awful song.

[Don LaGreca]

That's obviously that song not aged well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Why you mean it's like a re.

[Alan Hahn]

Pink Cadillac. Prostitutes.

[Don LaGreca]

What are you doing?

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, swing by.

[Don LaGreca]

Get into my car, will you swing them by. Get in my car.

[Alan Hahn]

You know what that suggest?

[Don LaGreca]

Were you buying drugs?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is that what I'm licensed to drive for? God.

[Alan Hahn]

Out of my dreams right into my car. That's right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It didn't. He didn't say get off of the street and get into my car.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, that. That's pretty much it though.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Get off of the corner and into my car. He didn't say that.

[Alan Hahn]

It's Pretty Woman.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah, you get into my car.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Who, me?

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah, you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

By the way, these. These kids working here don't know what the hell.

[Don LaGreca]

I didn't notice Civil War either. Then I went to school. This is class for you.

[Alan Hahn]

Why was that never covered by a heavy metal band? I mean, really, that would be an amazing heavy metal song.

[Don LaGreca]

I don't know who produced that, but, like, here's an idea. Just try to be like a tough.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Guy, but, you know. But they put him probably in a bad spot. It was the title track from License to Drive. So they're like, here's what we're thinking.

[Don LaGreca]

Even when you got it, they knew nobody was going to say it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I saw the movie.

[Don LaGreca]

But you don't like it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I was at things. I was 10. I don't know how I felt about it. But good news for anyone who's interested in stock market. That's up today. Okay. Just letting you know it's all coming together, at least for today. So it moved a little for you? Oh, did it move? I don't know if it moved for me, but I know there are people who get feel the movement today.

[Alan Hahn]

People are feeling it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. I don't know how they'll feel tomorrow.

[Don LaGreca]

Donald Trump was telling you, trust the process.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's too bad. It's too bad. In basketball. You can't say we're announcing a 90 reprieve. Everything's going to be good for the next 90 days. But that's how it works in the stock market, apparently.

[Alan Hahn]

Four nothing. Yankees, top of the ninth, two outs.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, you want to see? Let's see if some of these people. Let's see if they want to get into it with the Alan Hahn of it all. Let's hear from Dan in Saratoga. Hey, Dan.

[D]

Hey, what's up, guys? How you doing?

[Alan Hahn]

Hey, Dan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, buddy.

[D]

Hey, Peter. I'm in your board. I'm actually a newly minted father myself.

[Don LaGreca]

Oh, congratulations.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Congrats, buddy. Boy or girl?

[D]

A little boy. He was born. I'm a huge Knicks fan. So he was actually born Saturday on the 5th. And actually in the labor room, we were. She was. My wife was giving labor and I was watching Knicks Hawks.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Beautiful.

[Alan Hahn]

Like you dream about. Did you name him Jalen?

[D]

Oh, no, it's Lorenzo. The little guy in boy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Really?

[Alan Hahn]

Are you a big.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Are you a big fan of Mc Ren.

[D]

I am, actually. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, I knew it.

[Don LaGreca]

Or the Chargers. Right. Lorenzo Neal Or Lorenzo.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Or the great Lorenzo Neal?

[D]

Yeah. Yeah, that's what I was thinking about.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, it was between Ladanian. It was between Ladanian and Lorenzo. And you went, Lorenzo.

[Alan Hahn]

I get it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. What do you got, Dan?

[D]

Yeah, so I'm the Knicks man. I called a few weeks ago. I just pile on Mikel Bridges. I feel bad, but him not paying attention, dropping that pass, I mean, I can really. I think that caught this game yesterday. And that just adds to the thing I was alluding to before. I don't think he can handle the pressure. I think the lights are a little too bright here for New York. That's just my opinion. Probably wrong. But I. And again, I know they're not big picks, but five draft picks, I mean, I don't care. I mean, that's just way overpaid. I just. I want to ship them off yesterday. I'm over. I'm over him, man. It sucks, but it is what it is with me.

[Alan Hahn]

I'll be honest with you, Dan. It's going to lead to an off season where they got like, guys, I've told you this before. Like, he is due an extension that they could give him starting this summer, and I think he's anticipating it because he turned down the opportunity to have an extension before the season started for lesser money. And we're talking about $150 million. And so as an organization, what do you do? You can't say, well, we gotta give them the money because we just gave up five draft picks. You can't look at it like that. You gotta look at it with analytic eyes and say, does this really fit? Is this really the. Was this what we thought it would be? And go from there. Like, I don't think you have to feel compelled that if deep down you're like, I don't think it's the right fit that you have to give him the money. I think you have to make that decision. And I don't think it's a given. He's played well at times, but as Dan said, there's been times where you've watched him and you just kind of wondered, like, where did he go? Why did he disappear that play. I don't know what would have happened there because Cat gave him a hot potato. I didn't love that. The whole thing. That did not work out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, they were, like, so sure on commentary that he took his eye off of it.

[Alan Hahn]

That's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was too close to him. It actually wasn't a great decision on the pass for Cat.

[Alan Hahn]

Exactly. But why are you going to the corner when he's right there at the break like you're too close? Like, nothing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was bad offense it was just all together. That was. That was just bad offense. Yeah, I agree. Let's go to Santiago in Middletown. Hey, Santiago.

[D]

Hey, how's it going?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Great, buddy.

[D]

I agree with Alan. I don't think he. I don't agree with people calling for Tibbs job, but just going on that point where he was talking about OG fouling and that last play, I think that has to do more with Thibodeau because he's never been one to want to foul on that last play. And he always wants to team to play defense at some point. Even let's say. Let's say this is game seven in the playoffs. Why not just take the foul?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, they should have after the game. OG said it right away. Yes, I should have fouled there. He said it twice, in fact.

[D]

Tim, that's more of an OG thing or more.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, no, no, no. Thibodeau was given the opportunity to say he should have fouled. And Thibodeau was careful not to criticize OG publicly. But I can. I could tell you that he, he did acknowledge though, like, yeah, you want to foul there, but he was giving OG outs, explaining after the game that, well, Tatum is coming at you full speed. They're in transition. Like if you foul him at the wrong time and he's pulling up, they're going to give him three shots at the free throw line. So you don't want to do that. Like there, there was this sense of. It was kind of chaotic and so it's easy for us to say, yes, he should have fouled. If it was an inbounds play, you foul immediately on the catch. But he was dribbling the ball up the floor and he was at top speed a lot harder to do because once you lean into foul, all he's got to do is raise up and they could give him the three. So that's that. I think that's what Tibbs was trying to do is give. Give Anunoby the out. But everybody understood that the right thing to do was just to immediately foul the foul. Just. Just don't let him even get a shot of. Tackle him if you had to.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But aggressive.

[Don LaGreca]

That's right. You just, you don't want to get caught in that situation where if I foul them and it's in the act of shooting, if you're aggressive and know what you're going to do immediately, that shouldn't be an issue.

[Alan Hahn]

That, that. That's the problem is, I think in that moment a team that generally has some pretty smart players on it just did not have a smart moment. It's as simple as that. Like, anybody on the court could have just ran him down.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now, what we haven't heard from, though, this entire segment, in case you're wondering, is anyone calling up, though, you know, as Allen sort of speculated, I don't think he's wrong. I just think they're gutless and it's kind of celebrating the loss. Just thinking. I just wanted the proof because I want Tibbs out. I wonder how much of it is a loud, dumb social media thing and not really a conversation that true fans are having because we have multiple calls here, one of which is a Tibbs critical call. But we'll see after the break whether in fact Corey thinks that he wants him out or whether he just has criticism. So. But Alan, weren't you just telling me you deeply wanted to talk to me about baths?

[Alan Hahn]

Yes, because it is Alan Hahn here. I want to tell you about my friends at Bath Fitter. In fact, Bath Fitter has a lot of friends here at the station, but they're going to remodel a bath now in my home. And my wife Stephanie is very excited about this because we're updating a bath that is in our. In our basement walkout, we have a pool that we put in last summer and we found that everybody wants to use the bathroom down there. And that bathroom is old. It's like it's from the 90s. It's. We never did anything. We moved in the house 10 years ago and it's kind of embarrassing to have people use this. So we said we've gotta, we gotta take care of this. The bath itself is disgusting. So we have a Bath Fitter consultant coming in and taking us through the process with their free in home consultation to pick out the style and color as well as all the specifics and accessories to update the bath customized the way Stephanie wants it. Bath Fitter works fast, delivers the highest quality work without delay. Batfitter is a permanent solution. A one piece seamless wall for a watertight fit and a lifetime guarantee. You can trust the Bath Fitter team like we are, as they have been in business for 40 years with millions of happy customers. And right now, you could save up to $500 and start designing your bath like we are. Visit bathfitter.com for more details. There is only one Bath Fitter. Lowe's knows how to help pros save. That's why the new Mylo's pro rewards program lets you unlock exclusive member deals on the things you need every day on The Plus Milo's Pro Rewards members can get volume discounts on eligible orders through a quote of $2,000 or more. Join for free today. Lowes we help you save exclusions. More terms and restrictions apply. Programs subject to terms, conditions. Details@lowe's.com Terms subject to change.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey there, travelers.

[Don LaGreca]

Kaley Cuoco here.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sorry to interrupt your music great artist, BT Dubs, but wouldn't you rather be there to hear it live?

[Don LaGreca]

With Priceline, you can get out of.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Don LaGreca]

They've got mov millions of travel deals.

[Peter Rosenberg]

To get you to that festival, gig, rave, sound bath, or sonic experience you've been dreaming of. Download the Priceline app today and you.

[Don LaGreca]

Can save up to 60% off hotels and up to 50% off flights.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So don't just dream about that trip.

[Don LaGreca]

Book it with Priceline.

[Alan Hahn]

Got your happy price, Priceline. Push it real good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

At gnc, Nutrition's not a department. It's a whole freaking store. Get better fuel for Big to sculpt that revenge body and have you feeling like you're ready to push it.

[Alan Hahn]

GNC spent 90 years perfecting nutrition and.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Protein that literally tastes like cake. So you can look like cake. You got goals, you got results.

[Don LaGreca]

It's GNC, baby.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Visit yourGNC or gnc.com.

[Alan Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan Hahn]

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not. I like it better than I remember.

[Alan Hahn]

It's terrible.

[Don LaGreca]

It's kind of got that, you know, biodome feel, too. Like, biodome's not a good movie, but every time it's on, I watch it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, like, you don't. You're not turning that off, are you?

[Don LaGreca]

I'm not turning it off.

[Peter Rosenberg]

See, I love you, but.

[Don LaGreca]

I love you, but I just. It's. It's good. You got to play the beginning, though, for people don't know. Here's the. I don't know what they were thinking.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let me hear it.

[Alan Hahn]

There's such an 80s sound.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, everything about it is 80s. Dude, I'm back. I'm eight years old. Yeah, he pulled her off the corner. I hear what you're saying.

[Don LaGreca]

It didn't sound like an ask. It was like, a demand.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, this is. This is borderline like. Like, almost abduction. No, no, I think the beginning of this song is. Is abduction. Hey, get into my.

[Peter Rosenberg]

By the way, it's a great point. This is like what you play for your kids. To make sure they never make this mistake.

[Alan Hahn]

If somebody pulls up and says, hey, you get into my car, you run.

[Don LaGreca]

In evolution, right, of the human being. If you go back to the caveman time, if you believe that we just, we clubbed women and dragged them by their hair into a cave.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, that's documented.

[Don LaGreca]

We up until to that point of that song, we moved like an evolutionary inch. Since then to now, miles, like literally thousands of years. We barely moved when it came to that. And now we just opened our eyes and said, what are we doing? This is not the way we should treat people.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There's gotta be a better way. There's gotta be a better way.

[Don LaGreca]

So the walk from that song to cavemen was a walk around the corner.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Well, think about Don.

[Don LaGreca]

From that moment to today is like walking across the planet.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is why the truth is, I'm not gonna get too deep here. The reason there's been such a cultural reckoning over the last like eight years or so is cuz basically from CAVEMAN Times to 1980, basically nothing changed. I mean, we've been making up a of ground over the last 50, up until Don. Up until the mid-80s, insane things are happening. People are blowing cigarette smoke right in their kid's face. I mean, your kid doesn't need a seatbelt. Just throw him in the bag.

[Don LaGreca]

There might have been a moment, I can't confirm this, that I might have had to hold my dad's lit cigarette as he was loading something into the trunk.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh my God.

[Don LaGreca]

It's possible.

[Alan Hahn]

Absolutely it's possible.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, what did he say? He just said, don't burn yourself, right?

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah, don't. Yeah. You know, I don't think there was like sat down and was like a big class on how not to burn yourself. He just said, don't burn yourself, right?

[Alan Hahn]

No, if you. No, it was really because again, my grandmother, like wouldn't even say that. She would just call you stupid because you burned yourself. Oh yeah, like that's all that was.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, three year old, why would you burn yourself with a cigarette? That's a stupid thing to do, right?

[Alan Hahn]

That's not very smart. You know that thing's lit, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Meanwhile, the child, the three year old, if they were a genius, would go, excuse me, grandma. I could argue that between us, the less smart decision was handing a three year old a cigarette. As you're questioning me, by the way.

[Alan Hahn]

Spaces loaded, two outs for Devin Williams. Yankees are up for nothing. But, you know, nothing can be easy. Ah, boy, just wanted to, just threw it out There, because listen, Devin Williams, you know, he's anxiety level for me these days, right at the top.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Devin Williams is Devin Williams right now.

[Alan Hahn]

He's Devin Williams.

[Don LaGreca]

Maybe if he was cleanly shaven, this would have never happened.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm living with that. I'm telling you right now, you shave those beards, you just watch. You watch those strikeouts piled up, saves, save after save. Mo Rivera, he didn't have. Did he have a bid? He didn't have a beard.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He didn't have a beard. Look at him.

[Alan Hahn]

Mo didn't have a bid.

[Peter Rosenberg]

By the way, we do a radio show on 880 that's currently on 1050, and we work in a radio station in which we are not able to physically see on television the Yankees or Mets game. Now, I am fortunately. Fortunately, they have the Chargers Bengals game from earlier this year, Sunday Night Football, which I recall was a humdinger, I believe in the end, it ends up being a shootout between Herbert and Burrow. So I'm into it. I got the Masters on the other tv, not to mention I'm seeing the stocks go up. And then, of course, we have. On the fourth screen, we have the soap opera that traumatized Alan last week when the makeout session.

[Alan Hahn]

God, I'm not there.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Although, no, you wouldn't hate what's on the screen right now. What do you think? Don't. I think he'd be okay with it. He'd be okay with it this moment. All right, let's. Cory wants to talk to Alan here. Cory in Long beach on Tibbs. What do you got, Cory? Let me try it again. What do you got, Corey? Cory, you son of a.

[Don LaGreca]

What's going on?

[Alan Hahn]

Corey, don't break my call screen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm trying. Alan. I don't think. If I click. Pushing the index finger. Can't break it, can it? All right, there we go. We got. Hey, Cory, how we doing?

[D]

How are we doing? So I have a question. I know that football is definitely not the same as basketball, but let's just compare a couple of notes here. Any penalties or any stupid mistakes on the field, everybody always blames the coach. It's coaching, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's coaching.

[D]

Anything outside of the locker room, you know, coming out from halftime, you go down, you know, eight. Nothing in to start out the third quarter, you know, that's. You know, that's coaching. Why does Tibbs get immunity here?

[Alan Hahn]

When does he get immunity? Third quarter is the coach's quarter. I've said that for years.

[D]

Well, I'm just saying you're. You Know, a lot of people are calling for Tibbs. I think it's very justified. I don't think there's anybody out there.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That is better and more suited to coach than Tibs, which is obviously the conundrum here.

[D]

But. But it's, it's head scratching, the not fouling Tatum, the mistakes on the floor, the third quarter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, it's like a whole mishmash.

[D]

Of just coaching snafus here that are going on, and it's just so tough to take.

[Alan Hahn]

As a Knicks fan, it is. I can't, I can't argue with you, Corey, about the frustration of, you know, when there's a low IQ play, when it looks like nobody knew what to do. How did Sam Houser get left wide open for a layup in overtime? How does that even happen on an inbounds play? And if you watch it back, because I'm psychotic and I do that, it. That wasn't coaching. That was two players talking before the ball was inbounded, and they. Neither one of them were looking at the ball, realizing the official had handed the ball for the inbound. Is that. How does a coach, other than screaming, go guard your man. Like, like, what else do you want? Like, that's. So there's, There are times where you can see it and say, well, that's not coaching. That's just, that's. That's two players just, just having a brain fart. But, but, but I will say again, the fouling thing, they usually have a code word, red, green, whatever it is, you yell it out, and that means foul. And I'm just. That's what I need to know. Was that being yelled from the sideline and all the players would have heard it because I don't know why everybody just ball watched there and no one thought, like, I'm taking him out. We can't let him get a shot off. It's Jason Tatum. He was on fire all game. No way am I letting him take a three. We're up three. Just take him out. And no one thought to do it. That's the question that, that I, I'm seeking to, to get answers from, because that's the only thing that bothered me. Well, that's the main thing that bothered me, coaching wise, about that game. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, but I just want to know. It's good. 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.