Loading summary
Transcript234 lines
- [00:01]
A
Mornings have a rhythm. You can hear it, feel it. And at Quaker, we fuel it with 100% whole grain oats and a good source of fiber in every bowl, helping you turn that rhythm into your soundtrack for a great day. Fuel to start whatever's next. Quaker, official sponsor of FIFA World Cup 26.
- [00:24]
B
I oh, let's go.
- [00:27]
C
I. Oh, let's go, Don.
- [00:31]
B
I had never seen holes like that before.
- [00:33]
C
Don. I'm not comfortable touching it. I'm not. No.
- [00:36]
D
And Rosenberg.
- [00:37]
B
I'm not breastfeeding. No, but I.
- [00:39]
C
That's too bad.
- [00:39]
B
This isn't North Dakota. This is New York.
- [00:42]
D
This is Don Hahn and Rosenberg.
- [00:46]
B
The best threesome I've ever heard on
- [00:48]
D
ESPN New York and streaming live on YouTube.
- [00:51]
B
3 o' clock in big city. Don, Han and Rosenberg on another gorgeous Thursday afternoon. Peter's out on assignment. Just me, Alan, and you and you until 7 o'.
- [01:04]
E
Clock.
- [01:05]
B
And how you doing, buddy? How you feeling?
- [01:09]
C
I'm feeling good. Feeling real good. That's a. That's a very important first step. No question about it. That's an impressive game. And you know, Don, we keep saying it's like. Like what will prove it. Like, each game, you're just waiting for, all right, this is it. All right, this is it. You're waiting for that. And every time I keep saying, this team's hard to kill. Like, that game was going the wrong way fast. So many different times. And yet this, this, this team. But whether it's Jalen Brunson as the closer, Josh Hart as the just rip your heart out. Rebounds. Karl Anthony Towns in his matchup with Wembanyama. There's just so many things about this team that just make you shake your head. And then when you walk away from that game, when you turn off the television, when you, you know, me walking. Walking out onto 7th Avenue after that game, and you just go like, this freaking team, they. They are on a mission. They're on a mission, Don. And all you had to do was look in Jalen Brunson's. Look at his face, look in his eyes as he left the court, walked down the tunnel. ABC's following him with the camera, and he had this stoic look on his face, just as if he's just on a mission. And there's still three more to go.
- [02:28]
B
This is a guy and a team that is playing like they've got something to prove, that they have listened to every slight, they've heard every criticism, and they're trying to stick it to everybody. That's not a nick Fan. That's the way they seem to be playing, right? Led by Brunson. Now, now, it wasn't a particularly well played game by either team. A lot of missed shots. And I text the thread during I. We may see a, we may see a playoff game here where neither team scores 100 points.
- [03:00]
C
Well, the spurs missed 100 for the
- [03:01]
B
first time in the playoffs and poor and badly. I mean, there was a lot of opportunities for both teams, but, you know, down 14 again was kind of a mini version of game one against Cleveland. Not as many points, but again, you've got to kill this team. The spurs didn't, it looked like they didn't have the legs. And I know Wemby was a little banged up. He got rolled there. I guess it was in the third quarter, right? Early in the third quarter, came back. Whether that had anything to do with just not, you know, the greatest of nights for him. But again, I think the Knicks did a tremendous job defending him and just knowing instinctively once he had to leave the game, that's where they shrunk the 14 point deficit down to nothing because now the whole paint was open and the Knicks were able to take advantage of that. But 12 straight wins, it's incredible.
- [03:51]
D
It's.
- [03:51]
B
And it's real, you know, and the Knick fans know this because they're the ones that are all confident and feel like they can't be stopped, but they are just proving everybody wrong. And, and they'll have another slight because there'll be a dog again tomorrow, you know, going into that game too. So it's just, it's all around them, the disrespect that Brunson has felt pretty much since being in Nick, you know, too small, he's gonna, he's just a robin. All, all those things. It feels like it's been vacuumed up by this team and they're using against all comers.
- [04:24]
C
It's, it's a preparation. It's, it's how they just have been. But you're so right, they had a chip on their shoulder. They were saying it this morning. I, I, you know, it's actually, you ever think about it, New York is never an underdog, but when they are, they're a gritty underdog. And it almost feels like that represents the city more than the glitz and glamour type teams. Right. Even though this is a glitz and glamour type city, it's a big, you know, wealthy city for the most part. When it comes to, you think New York City, you think, you know, big, you know, tall skyscrapers and Wall street and all that. But you don't realize that for the most part, this is a gritty, blue collar, hardworking city. And that's what this team is. And like, as much as, you know, Brunson and him fighting through what looked like painful things that happened to him early in the game, from the knee to the ankle, on top of it being physically just beaten up. Beaten up, not getting to the free throw line, not making shots, but yet there's something about the heart he's got that he doesn't give in. And that corner three he hit by getting an offensive rebound. Tap back down. One under two minutes to go. They lose that possession. Who knows how the game goes, but he makes that little extra effort play and then goes. He's 1 for 8 from 3. But Don catches the ball. Bridges finds him. He's in the corner, right in front of the spurs bench. Buries it as if he was eight for eight, not one for eight. Like that's. There's that kind of mental toughness. We always were wondering about this Nick team and always asking about, you know, when they. When they lost Hartenstein, they lost Steven Shinzo, they really aren't tough. They traded away Randle, who was a tough guy. He brought in Towns. Towns is not really known to be a tough guy. I don't know if this team really has that toughness. We kept talking about toughness with this team. Is there any question about this team's toughness now? No, there's not physical toughness you got to worry about. It's the mental toughness. You can't break them. That's where they are right now. This is the last Dragon. This is Bruce Leroy. That's who Brunson is. He's got the glow. He knows it like. And once that team realized what they can be, that's it. There's nothing else to think about. Not just go out and win. And anytime a team has them on the ropes, how are these teams not learning? You better knock them out because they will fight you to the very end. And you better have enough left in the tank if you're going to let them hang around. I was saying this as we're all watching on msg. We're all together in the green room watching the game. And it was that third quarter, down 14, and you're seeing it slip. And I kept, just saying, just keep it close, like, just, there's a young team, they just played seven game series. Just keep it close. See what happens in that fourth quarter. And sure enough, they got it to a tie score at the end of the third quarter. A good close. And now, now it's 12 minutes to glory. And they just looked like a team that had more rest. And the spurs and Wemby got tired. There was some pressure, it was a little back and forth. Wemby almost stole it. But there was just something about the mettle of this team that realized, you should have knocked us out, should have knocked us out. And that was that. That's the feeling you get now when you watch this Knick team is you, you. They are hard to kill. And I've said that many times and they continue to prove it. Right. Whether it's Brunson and his toughness, Josh Hart getting every freaking rebound, just, just game breaking rebounding that he was doing. And his hustle plays after he lived through some of the foul trouble early on. And give credit to Karl Anthony Towns.
- [08:03]
B
Yeah.
- [08:04]
C
Because he went toe to toe Wembanyama. And he basically made Wembanyama realize you might have dominated the playoffs, but you get, you played guys like, like. Chet Holmgren and you're playing like Rudy Gobert. You ain't played somebody like me yet. Like you didn't play Jokic. So you're now you're playing me. And it's different because you got to guard me. And I didn't think he was going to do that, but he did, and that wore him down. So now here's the thing. Just like the conference finals, Don, the Knicks took a game that they didn't necessarily, didn't look like necessarily was going to go their way, but this time it was on the road. You have a chance now to really step on their throat in game two because there's so much pressure on the spurs now for game two.
- [08:59]
B
Yeah.
- [09:00]
C
That is as close to a must win as you possibly can get for a young team that knows that they are. They've got their hands full with a veteran group that just is playing like they know deep down it's our time.
- [09:15]
B
And you talk about the grittiness. New York loves that. You know, there's, there's the reputation of New York being very cosmopolitan, like you said, but there's also a lunch pail to it that people really fall in love with teams like this. And even though that's the outward look of New York is, oh, it's just a cosmopolitan town.
- [09:37]
C
Right.
- [09:38]
B
But it is a gritty town. It's a lunch pail town. And when there are teams to go about it the way the Knicks did like the 86 giants did, you know, winning with defense. This was the first city that fell in love with defense.
- [09:49]
C
That's right.
- [09:49]
B
That appreciated defense.
- [09:51]
C
That's where the chant originated. Giants games.
- [09:53]
B
The proper pronunciation is defense. Whenever they talk about in the military, it's always the defense budget. It's not defense budget. It became defense. Because at Yankee Stadium, when the Giants didn't have the ball, the fans chanted. Chanted defense, defense. And then it just became a sports repronunciation of the word. And now everybody just calls it defense.
- [10:16]
C
You know, the truth.
- [10:17]
B
Appreciated that.
- [10:18]
C
The truth to that. Because I wrote this in my. In my next book, not to make that sound really pretentious, but because I looked up the origin of it because I was curious, because defense. Defense was the. Was, you know, with the two chords. That was a whole Madison Square Garden thing. And I wonder, where did it originate from? And that's when I learned about how at Yankee Stadium, because those Giant. Those Giant teams in the early 60s were just solid, great defensive teams, and the crowd loved it. So they started chanting it, wanting the defense to be out on the field. And when the Knick teams in the late 60s with Willis Reed and them boys, when they became like a defensive juggernaut, obviously a lot of Giants fans are also Knick fans. They're at the Garden. So they started doing it in the Garden. And that's when the Garden organist was, like, encouraging it by adding the courts. And so that's how it became a Garden chant. But it was totally ripped from Giants fans who did it at Yankee Stadium. But it was Giants fans who went to Nick games who brought it with them. And it's become a. It was a New York staple that then became really an NBA chant that you now hear in every arena in the league. But it is amazing that that's all. That's really where it originated in New York. But not necessarily for basketball, but for football.
- [11:32]
B
Not because we appreciate it, because defense back in the day was almost like, adjacent to special teams. Like everybody. All the stars were on the offensive side. And then next thing you know, Sam Huff's on the COVID of Time magazine. And we were the first city to really appreciate that side of the ball. And you see it in basketball now. You hear the chance in really all sports when it comes to that, because it's appreciated far more. And. And it's not just Brunson. Listen, Brunson didn't shoot well either. Nobody shot well. It was Brick City for a lot of that game. But when it needed to Be there. Brunson found it. I thought OG had some big shots. McBride, as you said, Cat, what I thought was terrific in this game. Yeah, I mean it was really just another team effort. I know Brunson's getting most of the love and rightly so because most of his points came in that fourth quarter. And that corner three was just money. That just changed everything.
- [12:27]
C
Yeah.
- [12:27]
B
But it was a complete team effort. I still would be careful of, you know, continuing to fall behind. They have to worry about the rest of the Cleveland series because they just took care of business. But it was kind of that typical game one Knicks hadn't played in a while. You know, Spurs, a lot of the younger guys never been in this situation before. I think the spurs are going to counter punch, but at this point, guys embrace the madness. I know most Knick fans have, but this is, this is a terrific basketball team. They just are. And the pushback a little bit, I guess talking about their grid and you've got to kill them. Maybe teams just can't kill them because maybe the Knicks are just better. I know the regular season didn't dictate that and I know there has been moments, we talked about it yesterday in the regular season and even that series against Atlanta where, you know, typical Knicks, what's wrong with them? Why are they going to blow this? But if you take out the history and just look at this 12 game winning streak, they're just better now we'll see. There's still potentially six more games to play in the series and the minimum of three more where we could be proven wrong and the spurs can rise back up. And I expect that we'll hear from them at some point. But it's embrace the madness, people. This team is as advertised, they are one of, if not the best teams in the NBA. And this run is just absolutely ridiculous. 12 straight wins, 11 of the 12 in double digits. And the fact that they were able to do that one of them in overtime and the game last night, that was pretty much in doubt for a lot of that fourth quarter and yet still the better team late to be able to still win by double digits.
- [14:04]
C
11 incredible straight points to end the game down one. And it is amazing that it did end. 10 point win, double digit win because they, they've now extended their own NBA record. No team has ever done this. Seven straight road wins in the playoffs, all by double figures.
- [14:27]
B
Nice.
- [14:28]
C
Again, winning games in a row in the playoffs. Okay. Winning seven in a row on the road in the playoffs by double digits. That's Unheard of. And so you can't now say weak East. Can't do it. Can't do it. Because you just took on the best team in the west and you won on their home court despite 48 minutes a long time. It clearly, it's a long time. And this team just has that kind of, again, that toughness about him. Now there's a story that's brewing that is, is one of these things is if you notice Jalen Brunson during the game, along with being he was really pissed off about early in the game, he was getting manhandled and he got Harrison Barnes flopped into his knee because they're going to say sham. It pushed him. Shamet didn't really shove him enough to make him fall. Barnes was trying to draw a foul. It was off the ball. It was like a little kind of like push, like a screen. And Barnes throws himself down on the floor to try to draw a foul and he, he lands into Brunson's knee. Now, I imagine everybody listening, probably all of us collectively held our breath like, no, no, no, no, this can't, we can't have this happen. Like, not, not a game. One first goal. We can't get out of the first quarter and. And the star player is going to have this terrible knee injury. He's limping. He asks out of the game. So he goes out. Then he gets stepped on his ankle, gets stepped on the other foot. Now he's a mess. All that stuff was the beginning. He was frustrated with some of the officiating. But later in the game he was doing a lot of pointing and talking. He had this look on his face like he was pissed off. And I'm like, what? Something got him pissed off. And then we're starting to see that. There was a couple of people courtside and Chris Haynes had the first story. Ian Begley had corroborated it. He has more on it. And I'm trying to get more information during the show. I'm going to see what I can get. But apparently two people courtside, spurs fans were jawing with Brunson. Now, I've seen him talk to fans all the time on the road. People call him a flopper. They'll still make fun of him. And he actually in Toronto one time after a game was over when he lit up the Raptors and he went over and shook the guy's hand and he kind of teased him and said, you know, I really wasn't into the game until you started trash talking me. It got me fired up. So I appreciate it. But there was something different about this trash talk that Brunson was receiving courtside in San Antonio because it felt like the face he was making was if it was very personal. And the NBA is looking into it. And this, there's a video circulating, you can see it's a man and a woman. And the fact that Brunson after the game went over again to them. And Scott Foster, the official stepped in between and tried to tell him, don't do this. Then Jose Alvarado came over and grabbed him. A couple of play, like you could tell there was something personal happening there. And Brunson was livid. So that's something to keep an eye on. And also just seeing that also could have lit a fire under Brunson to say, there's no freaking way I'm losing this game. Think about what these people said to me.
- [17:44]
B
You know, if the NBA is investigating it, it's not, you know, hey, Brunson, your mom wears combat boots, right?
- [17:49]
C
Yeah.
- [17:49]
E
Right?
- [17:50]
D
No, no, no.
- [17:50]
B
Obviously something, a line was crossed and you know, I want to get into that too, especially the Yo Yo. The ran on the court late in the game too. And reports are accomplished. He has been obviously banned from every NBA arena for life. But I don't think he was there for basketball anyway. Just looking at, you know, he was looking to get his 15 minutes and that was accomplished. Should have been tackled. But just like the New Jersey Devils bring intensity on the ice, Viking pest control brings that same level of protection to your home. And I know because I use Viking at my own place. The season may be over, but pests are always in play. So it's time to lock in your off season defense. As the pest control provider and proud partner of the devils, Viking delivers 45 years of trusted experience to keep ants, cockroaches, stinging insects, rodents, mosquitoes and more out of your zone. Their local team builds a personalized game plan that actually works. And when you bundle pest control with mosquito services, you score big savings. One call, one company. Total peace of mind. Visit vikingpest.com protecting your home inside and out. So that certainly is a story. And you hate to hear and see things like that. Just because you paid a bunch of money to sit courtside does not give you the right to say whatever you want. These yo yo's running on the court. He's got the phone in his hand. Dude, you're nobody. Okay, let's get that straight. You're nobody. If that's what you have to resort to do to get People to pay attention to you. You have no talent. You have no life. You are nothing. And if you think that that now makes you somebody, it makes you even lesser of a person. So I hope they throw the book at this kid. And I hope, if certain things were said that are out of line, that they also get the book thrown at them. It's amazing how pompous and arrogant people can be when they've got a certain level of access that they think they can do whatever the hell they want to do. I know these athletes make a lot of money and they live a life of privilege as well, but they should be allowed to go about their business and do their job without having to hear things or. Or have, you know, be threatened in the way, you know, somebody runs onto the court. You don't know. You don't know what this idiot's gonna do.
- [19:57]
C
No, no.
- [19:58]
B
You know, and nobody should have to go through that. And usually is they move the camera away because everybody knows the reason they're doing is to get the attention. But for whatever reason, you know, ABC kept the camera on him, so he got what he was looking for. And that's the shame of this, Allen, because him not being able to go into an NBA arena again, I don't think he's gonna care.
- [20:19]
C
No. Because I don't think he's an NBA fan.
- [20:20]
B
But he got what he wanted. What he was looking to accomplish, he got. So whatever the fine is, whatever the penalty is, it's all going to be worth it to him because he got 30 seconds of fame that he could never claim with talent or hard work, because he's nothing. And he accomplished what he set out to do. And that's what sucks. And it emboldens other people to do the same.
- [20:41]
C
Exactly.
- [20:42]
B
So being banned from arenas or getting a $500 fine or even spending a night in jail, to me, not enough. You're trespassing, you're stealing a moment, you're causing chaos. And I wish there was something a lot more to where they would think twice about ever doing that again. But right now there's a whole herd of people are like, boy, I can't get my way to get my chance to do that. I'm never going to accomplish anything in my life. It'll be worth the fine. It'll be worth the ban. It'll be worth getting hassled for 24 hours. That's what stinks. God, I could have kept it for that guy Thursday, but you brought it up now. And, yeah, it just infuriates me. It does.
- [21:20]
C
Yeah. But that was such a weird moment and handled the. Handled properly. And I found it interesting that when many of us smiled and yet when the selfie. Because obviously the. The guy was definitely live. Whatever. He. He wasn't. You know, he didn't take a picture. He went live. So he already knew people were watching on his stream.
- [21:40]
B
Yeah, no, he got everything. Matter of fact, he might even gotten more than he did. But he didn't.
- [21:44]
C
But the one thing he didn't get was Wembanyama in the picture.
- [21:47]
B
Yeah, but.
- [21:48]
C
Because he was too tall.
- [21:49]
B
But he's getting talked about. It's just. But do you know his name?
- [21:53]
C
Nobody knows his name. Do you know his name?
- [21:55]
B
Some idiot.
- [21:56]
C
Who cares.
- [21:56]
B
Somebody. The people that know him. They're all laughing right now. Which. Which kind of stinks. But Jalen did speak today, and he talked about the interaction with the fans that Alan was talking about.
- [22:08]
C
Jalen. I think it looked like there was a bit of an interaction with a fan at the end of the game yesterday. Was. Was something said that, you know, maybe crossed the line or.
- [22:16]
B
I'm all good about talking about that.
- [22:19]
C
Yeah.
- [22:19]
B
The NBA probably told him he can't
- [22:22]
C
because now there's investigation.
- [22:25]
B
All you need to know.
- [22:26]
C
Yeah. If he says anything, you know, like that. He can't. He's got to, like, now leave it up to the investigation. They'll do what they got to do and that's it.
- [22:34]
B
But no, this was not. Hey, Brunson, you stink.
- [22:37]
C
Oh, it's way beyond that.
- [22:39]
B
And. And that gotta be. And that. That makes you sick too. Because. Because if it's. If it's the incident that they're talking about with the pictures, I mean, you're talking. There's kids there. You know what I mean? It looks like, as you said, it's a man and a woman, but in the shot, there are. There are like young kids.
- [22:57]
C
Yeah. Well, you know, even if you think people care about that stuff.
- [23:01]
B
Yeah. It might be their kids.
- [23:03]
C
I don't know. Yeah, it could be.
- [23:05]
B
But it just. I don't. I don't. I don't want the moment ruined by all this garbage because that's.
- [23:10]
C
I'm surprised. Like, the only thing is, like, Scott Foster not having those fans removed. That's the part. Like, he must not have heard anything to have that because a lot of times you, like, Russell Westbrook has done this several times. If somebody's saying things to him that he deems, you know, offensive enough, he. He can instruct. He can actually ask it's an NBA rule.
- [23:32]
B
Right.
- [23:32]
C
But you can ask to have fans removed.
- [23:34]
B
But two things, you know, Jalen's got other things on his mind at that particular point. It's game one of the NBA Finals. And the other thing is he probably would not want to admit this because it's horrible was probably said to him. He's probably using it as fuel.
- [23:46]
C
You know, I'm telling you, keep talking to me.
- [23:50]
B
See what happens.
- [23:50]
C
He had a look on his eye, right.
- [23:52]
B
And I think that kind of really drives him.
- [23:56]
C
Yeah.
- [23:57]
B
I'm telling you all these people to say that, you know, athletes, they don't pay attention to this. They do. And they try to use it as fuel whenever they can. A big show today. It's Thursday, so we got the literally big that guy Thursday at a little bit later on in the show. But we're going to maneuver some things because Jason Williams is joining us coming up at 4 o'. Clock. So little J. Will Shaq is joining us at 4:30. The diesel, Neil Shaq diesel.
- [24:22]
C
Right.
- [24:24]
B
At 5:30, Damian Woody by request on social media. He wanted to D. Wood was talking about the game. Somebody suggested you should go on Donna Rosenberg. He's like, okay. And Anthony being the producer that he is, he's our guy and he's gonna be joining us coming up at 5:30. Enn at 6. And I can't think of a better show to go full frontal than today. So we're with you. Right.
- [24:47]
C
We want everybody part of this. You know, Don, you remember the caller we had who called in and was and kept saying Mike Woodson instead of Mike Brown.
- [24:55]
B
Yeah.
- [24:56]
C
Ran into him on the street.
- [24:57]
B
Oh, you did? What are the odds that that's crazy
- [25:00]
C
came up to me and he was like, yeah, I'm the guy. And, and then he was talking all about like he said there was a waiting list for the watch party last night. He said he was like 29,000 on the list.
- [25:12]
B
Oh wow.
- [25:14]
C
I'm like, what? And he said it got down to 600. He had a chance to buy and when he went to click on was already too late. Sold out.
- [25:23]
B
Crazy.
- [25:24]
C
So it's that it's been that kind of thing. So yeah, he, he was fired up there. He's very excited about talking to us. And, and I'm sure he'd be listening today. So yes, huge show. We want you be part of the conversation. 800-919-3776.
- [25:35]
F
As well as you know, managing maintenance, repair and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge. Granger has your back. From professional grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop
- [26:06]
A
by the Stanley Cup Final on ABC is more than a quest for the Cup. It's 134 years of putting it all on the line and the heaviest 35 pounds ever lifted. It's broken curses and broken hearts, but for those chasing it, it's everything. The only question is, who will take it? You just have to watch the Stanley Cup Final presented by GEICO on ABC and the ESPN app.
- [26:38]
D
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [26:41]
B
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
- [26:43]
D
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcast.
- [26:48]
B
Best Walking back from Stout Allan, I'm not sure which way you took, but I took 7th Avenue. You probably did too. Yeah, I might have been a little ahead of you. I was just so thrown off by just the amount of people in front of Madison Square Garden for a game that's not being played there. I've never seen it.
- [27:10]
C
Did you see the video I sent that? I said there's no game in the building.
- [27:14]
B
I know, it was a sea of
- [27:16]
C
humanity from 35th street all the way to 30th Street.
- [27:21]
B
And listen, I'm catching it at 7, so it's an hour and a half before tip, so I can imagine what it was like by the time he got into the 8 o' clock hour. And the other thing too. And I want to stress this because sometimes it gets a bad rap because the Watch party was taken away and then it was brought back. And you know, the unruliness of fans after wins. Sometimes they couldn't have been nicer. I mean, it was a ton of people, happy people, but they, they were happy. But.
- [27:50]
C
Well, there's a lot of 420 in the air, so everybody's happy.
- [27:53]
B
No, I, I get that. I get that. But it's really no, in that area, it's really no different than any fair point other day.
- [27:59]
C
It's just any other day, you know
- [28:01]
B
that you're running into people and it's not. It was so organized and it was really nice. And again, they're in the NBA Finals. It's game one is there's, there's no reason to be upset or angry, but like people, it was a beautiful day, fired up. So this has just been, this has just been so much fun, so incredible, especially for a fan base that, that deserves it, you know, right up there with, you know, Jet fans here in the New York metropolitan area waited, you
- [28:26]
C
know, so long and Mets fans too.
- [28:28]
B
Mets fans too.
- [28:29]
C
People that have been in that die hard and that care. But, but as we've said that the Knicks are really a unifier unlike any other team in the city. And that's, that's what I think is really what stands out to me is it just feel. Because, you know, I saw a lot of, A lot, you know, while people were having, you know, Nick's stuff on. And it's amazing how many T shirts, by the way, are being sold on the streets. Nick's. Nick, Steve. You know, certainly not, not officially licensed, but still, it's there.
- [28:58]
B
I saw a really nice hat for 10 bucks. I didn't buy it, but. No, but I can't get that in a store for 10 bucks, I tell you.
- [29:04]
C
How about the guys, too, as you walk by, what size? What size? They don't even say that you want to buy a shirt. What size? What size? What size? That's all they're asking. But you also see mixed in, Mets hats, Yankee hats, right? Like all mixed in. So it really is amazing how it is kind of a bringing everyone together kind of moment. And it is, it is definitely something that's going to make, you know, and Winthrop said this last night in the text thread. It might have been the smartest thing I've ever seen him say. He said that. That now, like the win last night now makes Mondays, game three already one of the group. Like it just now. It makes that a celebratory night, regardless.
- [29:43]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [29:44]
C
Because the worst you'll be is one one. You know, it's a little like you're a little. There's a little anxiety there. But one one, you know, you're feeling like you get two at home, you
- [29:56]
B
got the series in hand and it's. And if they were to win tomorrow and they're up 2 0, and that's. Forget about it.
- [30:02]
C
And then, by the way, that's on the table. I want to remind everybody, I'm sure we'll get the audio at some point. But I saw what de' Aaron Fox was saying today about the game plan for game two, and just to paraphrase, he basically said, make someone else other than Brunson shoot The ball. And I thought. Did you not watch the Cav series?
- [30:23]
B
Exactly.
- [30:23]
C
Because the Cav series went this way. Game one, not a good game. Not a good Brunson game. Come back. Brunson goes crazy in closing time, and the Knicks steal a win. You know what happened in Game 2? The Cavs said the same thing. We're going to trap and double and make sure Brunson can't get shots off. And all Jalen Brunson did was get 14 assists. And the Knicks won going away.
- [30:45]
B
That's right.
- [30:46]
C
You know, the series was over after that.
- [30:48]
B
You don't get an assist unless somebody scores off that pass. 14 assists, that's. That's at least 28 points, if not more.
- [30:53]
C
But he was glad. He was happy to pass the ball.
- [30:56]
B
Yeah, okay.
- [30:56]
C
Oh, you guys are going to double me. All right. Let somebody else be, because I got guys that can beat you.
- [31:01]
B
You know, we were talking about just how the Knicks hit different than any other run in the city. You know, I was thinking about this, and I think I came up with the.
- [31:12]
C
With.
- [31:12]
B
The best way to put it is that, you know, whenever you see, like the Montreal Canadiens, they had watch parties and it's a mob. It's nuts. They. They sold out the Bell center to watch it on the Jumbotron. And when you ask, like, why. Why is it so big? Because it's. It's part of their culture. The Montreal Canadiens are part of the city's culture.
- [31:30]
C
Yes.
- [31:31]
B
And that's hard to do in New York because you got so many multiple teams and so much else going on. But the Knicks, I think, come the closest to that, that it's part of the city's culture. Basketball is part of the city's culture. The Knicks are part of the city's culture, more so than any other team, because of the multiple teams like we talked about. There's so many Met fans, they're more Yankee fans, but there's so many Met fans. There's more Giant fans, but there's so many Jet fans. And I think there's something to playing in the heart of Manhattan. Right. The epicenter of New York. Yeah, it's a. It's really the perfect storm. So I think, again, I don't want to get into competitions with other teams in New York because I think all the teams are important to New York in different ways. But why this seems to be hitting different than any other run that we've seen in recent vintage is, I think because of that, I think the Knicks are closest to the New York culture. That everybody can get. Rally around it and be behind it right there. Like that crowd of people, they're on 7th Avenue. They're a stone's throw away from Times Square.
- [32:37]
C
Yeah, it's a good point.
- [32:38]
B
Which is like the center of everything.
- [32:40]
C
Yeah, it really is.
- [32:41]
B
So it's not the Bronx, it's not Flushing, it's not East Rutherford. Right. It's not Uniondale.
- [32:48]
C
Right. Those are the. Right. Those are the outskirts. Right. The outer layers of Manhattan. But the heart, the heart and soul, I mean, it's the crossroads of the world. It's Times Square. And so you're right there at Penn Station. Everything's right there. So it does. Location does factor in. But I also think the sport itself and the fact that there really isn't a true rival to the franchise like the others that you've mentioned, I do think there's something special unifying that, that it's, it is certainly a unifier, but it also helps that it's a team that you. I mean, Don, I know you're not a die hard basketball guy, but even you've got to be like, this team's fun to watch. Like this, this team is. Well, it's toughness they're passing, the way they play, the humility these guys talk with. There's no, like, there's no, there's no nozzles on this team.
- [33:42]
B
They're all like guys. They all have terrific stories. They play like a team. Let's, let's also face something here about the NBA. All right? You might disagree, but I always looked at the NBA as a sport that. An individual sport that's wrapped around team play because it always seems to be about the superstar. So it's not tennis, it's not NASCAR, it's not golf, but come on, when LeBron James is playing, it's about him, right? And there's everybody else.
- [34:07]
C
Name brands.
- [34:08]
B
Brunson is the star, I guess, because he's so clutch. But like, last night's a perfect example. Everybody contributed in their own way and they work and they gel as a team. And Brunson's just as comfortable going out there and scoring 30 points and hitting the game winning shot as he is dishing the ball off to somebody else for the game winning shot. That's rare in this sport, you know, and so it's not just about one guy. It's about an entire team in a league, in a sport that sometimes gets away from team play and more about individuality. So the Knicks have really bucked that trend too. There's a lot to like about that. They're kind of anti NBA, right? In the sense of that it's team play. They're not known for tanking, they're not known for throwing games away, trusting the process. They built the team the right way. I mean, they kind of bucked the trend of how a lot of NBA teams build. And they're not the only one, but they're the one that we care about the most. And they're really showing three wins away from winning it all.
- [35:08]
C
And a great example too of, again, it's amazing how a player's reputation and perception can change when you put him in a different culture and let that culture change him. And the great example is there's Karl Anthony Towns in a huddle. They had a mic'd up, right? He was mic'd up for the game and the Knicks were struggling offensively and you know, the game was getting away from him a little bit. Remember that was that 20 to three run. The spurs went on early on. They took a 10 point lead. And he's talking to the huddle and he's going, we gotta just stay locked in defensively, stay with the defense. Our offense will come around. It always does. Car Anthony Townsend is the voice of reason with like. Like, it was almost like, you remember when Frank the Tank gave like this intelligent answer in old school and he's like, what happened? I just blacked out. Yeah, right. For Townsend, they just turn around and go, wait, what did I just say? I just blocked that like, because it was like, wait a minute, like, that's not the car Anthony Townsend everybody thinks he is. Or maybe that's the guy. He was, you know, a little goofy. Says, you know, says some funny stuff. Not really somebody you would see as a vocal, mature, strong voiced leader. But in that moment, all eyes were on him. And when he delivered that to. And it was very succinct and very simple, but him saying that sounding like a coach, that's when you're like, these guys are at another level. Yeah, like all of them are another level.
- [36:43]
B
On the court, off the court, saying all the right things. Let's get some calls in because again, J. Will's gonna join us at 4, Shaq at 4:30.
- [36:50]
C
Yep.
- [36:50]
B
Let's start it off with Paul in Dallas. You're on. Donjon Rosenberg.
- [36:55]
G
Gentlemen, how are we doing today?
- [36:56]
B
Good, how are you?
- [36:57]
C
Good, good.
- [36:59]
G
I love everything I saw yesterday, but that's not why I'm calling. Guys have both been married for quite some time. I in the process of Getting married, buying a house, planning a wedding. I live in Dallas, and I'm very tempted to pull the trigger on getting tickets for game two, But I've got to convince the missus I've been a little bit of a hypocrite, telling her, hey, you know, keep. Keep full with spending. You know, we don't need to buy the bags. We don't need this, we don't need that. How do I go about this in girl method?
- [37:31]
C
Honestly, Paul, good luck.
- [37:33]
B
As somebody that's happily married for 20 years, I think. I think you got to take the L. Yeah.
- [37:44]
G
What if I ask for forgiveness later?
- [37:47]
C
Yeah, no, you could ask. But I think what you got to do, though. See, here's how it works. You gotta. You know, you're gonna have to give to get here. So there's got to be something that's important there, that's special to her, that you've been kind of holding out or not really into. It's almost got to be like. Like you just decided, you know what? Let's get this. And then as you do that, you're like, oh, I'm going to the game. What do you mean, you go to the game? I bought those tickets. You know what I mean? Like, what is she gonna say? You gotta give to get here?
- [38:21]
B
Yes. And it's gonna hurt.
- [38:22]
C
And it's gotta hurt how bad you want it. That's all I'm saying. How bad you want it?
- [38:25]
H
Yeah.
- [38:26]
B
How bad you want.
- [38:27]
G
I appreciate it, gentlemen. I'll keep you posted on how that turns out.
- [38:30]
C
I'd love to hear.
- [38:30]
B
All I'm saying is, I know this is important. It's game two. He's in Dallas. San Antonio is not that far away.
- [38:35]
C
No, no, but just.
- [38:36]
B
It's the start of what you're hoping is going to be the rest of your life. You don't want to start it off.
- [38:40]
C
Oh, no.
- [38:40]
B
On the wrong foot. And I just. I. Honestly, with the information he gave me, I think he's just got to take the L. You can't be sitting there hemming and hawing about what you're spending on the wedding, and then all of a sudden, you know, dropping however much money you're going to be dropping on tickets to game two, Right? That's tough, man. But, hey, you know her better than we do. But generic fiance. I'm not dancing that. They call them bridezillas for a reason, right?
- [39:06]
D
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [39:10]
B
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
- [39:11]
D
Catch the show on demand. Whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
- [39:19]
B
Knicks Fan Join us for a live broadcast Tomorrow at Stout NYC, two blocks from the Garden at 215 West 35th street before Game 2 of the NBA Finals. We're gonna be breaking it all down for you, talking matchups and getting you ready for tip off. Don Hannah Rosenberg, live at stout NYC starting at 3pm Had a great time yesterday so we figured we'd do it again and the place was packed and now with a win under our belts, I think it's going to be even better tomorrow. And we'll be get down there.
- [39:49]
C
Let's remind everybody to get down there early because when you and I were done last night, the line to get into Stout went all the way down 35th Street. So you want to get there early. We're there at three.
- [40:02]
B
If you can get in there early, you're in.
- [40:04]
C
I mean, come on, it's a Friday. Your boss knows the Knicks are in the playoffs. You know what I mean? Like they come down, meet us there, we're there. Come hang out with us and you don't have to worry about waiting on a line to get into one of the best bars to watch a game.
- [40:18]
B
Yep. So it's on 35th between 7th and 8th Avenue and we're looking forward to seeing you at 3 upstairs. So when you get in there, go upstairs. That's where the broadcast is going to be from 3 to 7. Let's get back to the busy phone calls and let's talk to Christina in West Babylon. You're on. Don Hannah Rosenberg hi, good afternoon.
- [40:39]
I
John Allen, It's a pleasure. Longtime listener, big fans.
- [40:43]
B
Thanks for joining us.
- [40:43]
I
Rooting real hard this, of course. Thank you. Rooting hard for this Knicks run, this Knicks team. Been a fan Since I was 9 years old, my dad taking me to my first game and ever since then that's what it is. But just a moment because me and my family are rooting with a little bit of a heavy heart. My son Christian, who was a big fan of my 11 year old son. Unfortunately we lost him last July due to cancer.
- [41:06]
B
I'm sorry.
- [41:08]
I
So I appreciate that. But I'm calling to say how much that this run means to these fans. Not just me who lost my son too soon, but this is generational. Right? How many decades have we waited for this and just want to empathize and shout out and have a moment to those fans who have special fans from above pushing this team along as well. We went through last year's Run, fortunately fell a little short, so we're rooting real hard this time to finish the job. This team personifies this town with these grits and these comebacks, and so bring it home, guys. And so it's just a real great time for the city. And just. Just like I said, a moment for. For those fans that have gone and the fans that are still here with. With them in their hearts. So thanks. Nick's. Go, Nick.
- [41:54]
C
Share with me. Share with me your son's name.
- [41:57]
I
Christian. Christian Gabriel.
- [42:00]
C
You know what I like to feel. I like to feel like Christian's part of this. You know what I mean? Like, that's. That's what you feel is. You feel like that's. That's the spirit. Because this team's special, you know, and so it needs that kind of spirit in it. So that's how. That's how I want you to feel.
- [42:15]
B
Yeah. Well, thank you for sharing. Good luck.
- [42:19]
C
That's wonderful.
- [42:20]
I
Thank you. I appreciate your time. Shout out to Michael and Peter. He loved listening, too. He knew them. He knew all you by name.
- [42:26]
B
That is all that is. That is so awesome. And that's what you think about, right? All the people. If this does happen, you think about the people that. That rooted for him, that. That they are here for it because it's generational and it's about family and it's about all that. That. That's what you feel good about.
- [42:44]
C
I was thinking. I was thinking about Al Truig.
- [42:46]
B
Yeah.
- [42:47]
C
Last night.
- [42:47]
B
How could you not?
- [42:48]
C
And just like, how, you know, he. He was there in 94. Like, he, you know, he was part of all that stuff. But, you know, they didn't win. They didn't have a chance to win.
- [42:57]
B
And Al was like, you see that? A real professional. Great at what he did. But he also wore his heart on his sleeve.
- [43:04]
C
Yes, he did.
- [43:05]
B
He loved the team and the world to him. Real, real quick. Just an Al Trawig story. I did one game where I did the pre and post for the Knicks. I always did Rangers, but they were shorthanded. It was on a Saturday night. It was during Linsanity. The Knicks were in Minnesota to take on the T Wolves, and they were shorthanded, so they asked me to do it. So I went to the studio and I did it from. From the New York studios. And Al was calling the game from Minnesota. And, you know, the fans were excited. The building was packed and they were getting into it. And Al. Al says, oh, the fans really making a lot of noise here in Minnesota. Not as Loud as it would be if it was in Madison Square Garden and they were Knick fans, but still not a bad effort by the fans here in Minnesota. He had to get that digging because he loved the Rangers, he loved the Knicks, like so he was one of those rare guys like, listen, you got to put it aside your fan. But he had the ability of kind of showing you, hey, I'm doing my job, but I'm also one of you.
- [44:07]
C
Yeah.
- [44:07]
B
And you do that very well as well.
- [44:09]
C
So that's the delicate balance. But, but for him, like, you know, how he would feel watching this, you know. Yeah, that's, that's, that's what I keep thinking about. I keep going back to that. So that, that story that she shared, that, that hit me.
- [44:23]
B
But as we continue with the phone calls at 1-800-919-3776, Anthony Pusick has something to tell you.
- [44:31]
J
Thank you very much, Don New York, Don Allen, everybody. You need to hear this. This summer, all lines lead to Champs Sports Fan Central Station. A soccer pop up shop open right in the heart of the city. 125 West 33rd Street. This is the soccer destination in New York. Jerseys for every national team you ride with. Usa, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and way, way more, all under one roof. If you want to gear up, rep your country and feel the energy of the city Champs Sports fan Central Station. 125 West 33rd Street. That's where you need to be. It's right around the corner. Guys. In the midst of this Knicks run and the finals, you're gonna have the World cup here in New York and New Jersey. It's gonna be a crazy time, a crazy summer here in New York.
- [45:13]
B
It is gonna be nuts. Thank you, Anthony. Let's go to Pat in Maine. You're on, Don. Hannah Rosenberg.
- [45:19]
H
Hey guys, sorry. I was on actually on yesterday and I jump off, I coached my kids baseball team and I didn't have the time, so sorry about that.
- [45:26]
B
That's way more important.
- [45:27]
C
Understandable.
- [45:30]
H
No, I appreciate it, but I got two things. One of them is kind of a, maybe a hot take that's getting a little cooler by the second one. I think if you, there's a table for, full of, you know, killers in sports like Jalen Brunson's like knocking on the door of that room, you know, in the, in the near future here. He's just, he, every time you need something from him, he seems to just give it to you. And how many people in, you know, sports history have given you that?
- [45:59]
C
So you're going history. Yeah. I was wondering if you were going current or history.
- [46:03]
B
History.
- [46:04]
C
Because. All right, if we're going with that, like, I love this. Give me. So off the top of your head then. I'm sorry, the caller's name slipped my mind. Pat, give me one that comes to mind for you. Right, Right away. Go all time killer. Who?
- [46:20]
H
I mean, it's, it's Tiger Jordan. You know, Brady, they're individual sports. You know what I mean?
- [46:25]
C
So. Yeah, okay. Yeah.
- [46:28]
H
Serena, you know that it's just like that.
- [46:31]
C
They have that, they have that Tiger blood, right? Yeah, yeah.
- [46:35]
H
Like when Tigers, Tigers cleats are click clacking down the, you know, the, the hallway to the locker room there you're
- [46:41]
B
like, oh, crap, you know, what are
- [46:43]
H
we going to do today for this guy? It's just he's, he's knocking on the door to sit down at that table.
- [46:49]
B
Well, what's, you know what's amazing, Pat, to me, what I think even makes it better. And you guys might disagree. You just named all the people that he mentioned were megastars. Megastars, best at their sport. Yeah, listen, we all love Jalen. He's never going to be in the list of the best players in the NBA.
- [47:07]
C
Well, he, the, I think the best he did was, was he finished fourth in MVP voting or fifth.
- [47:12]
B
But nobody's ever going to confuse him as the best player in the NBA. But to be able to do that, hey, Michael Jordan being a killer. Michael Jordan just being Michael. Right. He was always the best player on the court until he got to Washington. Right. You know, saying like Tiger was head and shoulders above everybody. Of course he was a killer. He was just doing what Tiger does.
- [47:32]
C
Yeah.
- [47:32]
B
You know, Jalen is kind of going maybe beyond where he plays his because again, overall, not the greatest game for him, but boy, when it mattered, when they, when it was needed, he was unstoppable for the, for that, you know, that little eight minute span of the fourth quarter, he was completely unstoppable. And that makes him, you know, pretty, pretty special. Let's jump into Socrates, let him know
- [47:56]
E
you went to the restroom.
- [47:57]
B
Whoa, whoa. What's up?
- [47:58]
C
Okay. He's in the restroom.
- [48:01]
B
So. All right.
- [48:02]
C
Oh, hey. Yeah, well, you're in the.
- [48:04]
B
My bad. I'm at work. I'm at work right here.
- [48:07]
C
All right.
- [48:08]
E
Hey.
- [48:10]
B
So working on some.
- [48:13]
E
You already know.
- [48:14]
H
Come on.
- [48:14]
E
You already know. I wanted to say about this team, as everyone prior to me has said, it's like the true grit and spirit of New York. And then another thing about us New Yorkers, a lot of, a lot of people think of us as basketball snobs. Like, we, like we're know it all is about basketball. But it's the one sport, like you guys said, that unifies the city, but that everyone is very passionate about because everybody can go in the backyard, they can go in their driveway, they can go anywhere and play basketball. And we're so into it, we'll even shovel a basketball court during the winter just to play and bring up. You know what I mean,
- [48:59]
B
Socrates. It's like they call it the city game, right? Where you can go to different areas and play, play. It just. It's really a perfect storm for why this team is so popular. Let you get back to the bathroom.
- [49:10]
D
Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.
- [49:14]
C
I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know it's good.
- [49:16]
D
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.