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Don Hahn
5:00am I'm up with a crisp Celsius energy drink running 12 miles today. Grab a green juice, quick change and head to work. Meetings, workshops. One more Celsius. No slowing down. Working late, but obviously still meeting the girls for a little dancing.
Peter Rosenberg
Celsius live fit.
Don Hahn
Go grab a cold refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate now@celsius.com.
Peter Rosenberg
done.
Don Hahn
I'll be licking the television screen.
Peter Rosenberg
Licking it like it's ice cream con. Oh, the type of music I listen to would make you and Rosenberg, I
Allen Hahn
expect to be called ball coach. This isn't North Dakota, this is New York.
Peter Rosenberg
This is Don Han and Rosenberg.
Caller/Listener
The best threesome I've ever heard on
Peter Rosenberg
ESPN New York and streaming live on YouTube. 301 in the big city. There you go with Don Lagreca. Peter Rosenberg, I'm Allen Hahn. 800-93776 is the number. I said this last night on the post game show on msg and I just said if you never watched basketball and went to that game last night and at the end of that game I told you these are two of the better teams in the east and two of the best teams in the NBA, you would think basketball is a horrible sport. I mean, Donnie, that was an awful basketball game. Someone had to win it. Cleveland did.
Allen Hahn
We hyped up, we hyped up a hot heap of track.
Peter Rosenberg
Are you kidding me? Like we, I said, Peto said that he's like, we really hyped this thing up. And then getting two of the best
Allen Hahn
teams in the league.
Peter Rosenberg
Oh my God. Like you would think that they'd be playing for something. And it was like it was a, it was a throwaway game up in Rochester. Like it was just one of those nights that nothing was going right. Ugly basketball. And now I, I need other people to tell me what they see because I don't know anymore. This is the most mercurial team that I think I've ever been around.
Don Hahn
Well, I will say this and I believe and you guys can correct me if I'm wrong or if you disagree that I've defended this team and I believed in this team and I always talked about not same old Knicks and all that. And I do believe they're a really good team. What they continue to prove to you in a big spot is they're not a championship team. Now they may take advantage of Indiana and Boston situation with their injured players and maybe there's the feeling that the east is a little bit more wide open than it should be going into the season, but they don't play consistent enough for me to believe this team can win a championship. They just don't. You know, a no show against Detroit, a no show against Cleveland, but then they'll show up and look like the best team in the world. Like, I'll. I'll lock. Lock it. They beat the Spurs Sunday.
Allen Hahn
Lock. Lock.
Don Hahn
Because that's a game. For some reason, they'll ratchet it up, but they're just too many nights off. There's too much inconsistency to make me believe that they're going to be able to string together 16 wins and win a championship.
Allen Hahn
So are you. Are you feeling. Are you feeling last night was some level of vindication for what Stephen A. Said last week?
Don Hahn
Yeah, I mean, it's definitely added fuel now. I think he was more specific to they can't beat Detroit. Sure. What I'm saying is, yeah, now you
Allen Hahn
can't be Cleveland, but now.
Don Hahn
But. And I just think that they're just maddeningly inconsistent. Yeah, they. Too many. Like I said, they'll beat the spurs, they'll crush the Lakers like they did on national television a couple of weeks ago. But then just when you're ready to fall in love, just when you're ready to bend a knee and show them the ring and make the commitment, they do what they did last night or they do what they did against the Detroit Pistons.
Allen Hahn
So let me ask you. Let me ask question. Let me ask the question. I'm gonna ask it to both of you. Is it fair at this point to start looking at Mike Brown, or is this who the team was last year? That's.
Don Hahn
That.
Allen Hahn
That is the main question I have. Is this who they were under Tibbs? And then. And then, because this is who they were, they went and cried about it and got Tibbs up out of here.
Don Hahn
Great question.
Allen Hahn
Now they brought in someone else and they're the same group. Or is it Don that they are actually a worse team and unable to come up in big spots because of Mike Brown? Wow.
Don Hahn
It's a great question.
Peter Rosenberg
It really is a great question because that's the. The biggest change that was made is that. And Carl Anthony Towns has a great weekend. Has everybody believing that maybe he's turned the corner. He has.
Don Hahn
Goes 4.
Peter Rosenberg
4 in the first quarter. Doesn't take another shot until the second half. Takes One shot.
Don Hahn
One.
Peter Rosenberg
That's it. 29 minutes, one shot.
Allen Hahn
Well, the third quarter was 11 points, right? Yeah.
Don Hahn
So.
Peter Rosenberg
And he was playing. He was out. He was on the floor.
Allen Hahn
But when you have horrible Third quarters, if it's the NFL.
Peter Rosenberg
Well, they don't. Now that's one thing I will say in general. What happened last night? Usually they're a very good third quarter team. What happened? I don't. Like I said, what did he say?
Allen Hahn
What did they do in there?
Peter Rosenberg
I don't know. Here's his answer to what happened in the third quarter. Because honestly, it just looked like they couldn't make a shot. Again, our pace was not good at all, whether in the full court or even in the half court. I mean, they scored 23 points and we scored 11. And so, you know, there were some
Allen Hahn
things that we could have done better
Peter Rosenberg
defensively, granted, but our offense was non existent. And terms of the pace, our ability
Allen Hahn
to touch the paint, play off a
Peter Rosenberg
2 and spray the basketball, us making
Allen Hahn
quick, you know, decisions with it, whether
Peter Rosenberg
to shoot it or to drive it
Allen Hahn
or, or move it, all that stuff came to play in that third quarter for us.
Peter Rosenberg
Offensively, that, that sounds like a team that didn't have enough intensity, didn't have the right intensity to play coming out of the half. Never mind how they looked throughout the first half of that. They were 1 for 10 from 3 in that quarter. 1 for 10 from 3. They couldn't make a 3. And I've. That's the thing I worry about the most when they don't make their threes. Something affects them a different team. But the question is fair because, you know, that's the only change they've made. So there's going to be a lot of people looking at Mike Brown. Now my theory is this. And you guys can tell me if I'm crazy. The only if you're. I'm going to try to find an optimistic theory. So here it is. Tom Thibodeau drove this team night after night after night. No nights off, back to back. Nobody's resting. We're playing. We play to win tonight. We worry about tomorrow, another day.
Allen Hahn
Right.
Peter Rosenberg
Like that was always his way. Drove this team hard. And a lot of people thought in the playoffs that kind of hard driving during the regular season eventually caught up to them in the postseason. That was the theory about Tom Thibodeau. Mike Brown comes in. I don't see him driving this team.
Allen Hahn
No, no.
Peter Rosenberg
You know, I mean, he coaches him, you know, it's not like he's being, you know, sitting back, but when they have nights like this, you know, you heard him, but you heard how he's talking, you know, we didn't do this, we didn't do that. Like, okay, you told us what didn't happen, what was going on mentally with your team. You know, is this him saying this is February might look like a big game on the board, but I need this team to be healthy and strong and this is a veteran team. Veteran teams do this where they're like, man, you guys think this is a big game. You know, I'm a week off from coming back from the beach, so I'm not right yet. I'm not ready to care every single night. Is this sort of the difference in coaching? One coach is driving them every night, the other coach is like, I'll push in April, this is not the time. So you're saying to push these guys. So that's all I got?
Allen Hahn
Well, no, and the annoying part about that, it's totally reasonable. But the annoying part is that means we can't really have the Mike Brown
Don Hahn
conversation until after the playoffs or Nick conversation or I'm wrong.
Allen Hahn
You might be, but still we won't know Don til we get to the playoffs and they're more up for it.
Don Hahn
The answer is never just one thing. The one thing to defend Mike Brown is I don't think he's doing anything wrong. It's just that maybe it's not about the coach. You know, maybe, maybe Thibodeau drove them because he knew, hey, I know this group and you got to do that with them because if you don't, if you're not on them, they're going to take nights off. And obviously that bothered them and it weakened them down the stretch. And then comes Mike Brown. And you always, when you fire one coach, the next guy that comes in is supposed to be the polar opposite, right?
Peter Rosenberg
Yep.
Don Hahn
When you've got a guy like Thibodeau, you bring in a player's coach the next time around. But it's the same things happening. It's just looking different. It's not the same reasons, it's not the same breakdown. You know, they don't play as well defensively. It's a different system. So it's not really system, it's just that it's, it's about the players just deciding that they're not going to bring it every night and the same thing is starting to happen. Thibodeau's way of doing is drive them harder. Mike Brown's like, yeah, just lay off them. Come April, we'll hit the switch, we'll get on them and we'll find out to Peter's point, let's see if it works come April. I know from following sports as long as I have. When you keep flipping the switch on and off, at some point you flip it on and it doesn't come back on. You know, you short circuit things when you keep. If you go into a room, keep flicking the switch on and off, eventually the light's gonna go off.
Peter Rosenberg
Circuit. Right.
Don Hahn
You know, because you go to turn it back on. Like I said, book it. They're beating the Spurs. Book it.
Peter Rosenberg
Book it.
Allen Hahn
No, no, no. Don't say it. Don't talk about it. Go on Fanduel, and show us something.
Don Hahn
Do it.
Allen Hahn
You're. No, no, You.
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You.
Peter Rosenberg
You're booking it.
Allen Hahn
You want me, I can do it for you. My account's active. You. You want to give me the money?
Don Hahn
Lock it, lock it, lock it. Three bills. Not $100.
Allen Hahn
Three bills or 300 bills. I mean, 300 or 100.
Peter Rosenberg
Well, feel that good about it. What is. What is even the spread?
Allen Hahn
I'm gonna tell you right now.
Don Hahn
It is a. Tell me. I'm not. Tell me. I'm wrong. It's a lock. And then they'll. And then they'll. They lose to Utah in a couple of weeks. Because that's what's crazy about this team is inconsistency is one of the number one killers of championships because you got to find some consistency, and they just don't. They don't do it.
Allen Hahn
And not only that, it's one of the number one signs that a team's not a championship team. Yes, we talk about that.
Peter Rosenberg
Or they're just not connect. Like, whatever.
Allen Hahn
Something's off.
Peter Rosenberg
Something's. That's. It. It's just something's off. Because the Towns thing, that's the one that really got me. Got off to a good start. Four for four or three, whatever it was.
Don Hahn
Three.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, four for four. First quarter, you know, now, they weren't great in the first quarter, but it was all right. You were figuring, all right, they got to get some rhythm. Brunson wasn't good from start to finish. He just. He had a bad game, and all of a sudden it just. Towns didn't shoot. And that's when I think the coach thing comes in, because a lot of times the coach thing will be, hey, we're running our offense, and it's up to the player to be aggressive. But doesn't there have to be a moment after this weekend and seeing the numbers that he was able to put up and trying to get him right, that you bang a timeout in the second quarter when he hasn't shot the ball in three minutes. And you sit down and you sit right in front of him and you go, you here. You gonna play like you, you want the ball. Like, let's go. And maybe you do have to call his number. Maybe every now and then it's like, all right, I need to call his number. I need to get him on the post, and I need to get him going. And that doesn't happen. And that's so I, I, that's when I questioned the coach, like, so, so I was wondering this, what Mike Brown was going to say to that. The fact that four shots in the first half, only one in the second half, that they, they couldn't score. I'm not talking about defense because their defense held them to 49 points in the second half. I think it was 52 in the first half. Like, this was not a defensive issue. Scored 11 points in the third quarter. Like, this was a bigger issue with offense, flow and your best players not having. Remember what Shaq said to Towns. You got to be dominant every night. Brunson's gonna get all the credit all the time. Fine. But you have to be dominant for this team to win. And this was almost like a choice to just not be dominant against a team of two soft big men who also did not really have great games. So here's Mike Brown, when asked about, like, could you have gotten Towns more opportunities on offense? Yeah, I know. For, for sure. And, and, you know, we, no matter
Allen Hahn
what we did, we either turned the ball over or we had a tough shot. And so we made some play calls tonight, but we didn't generate anything from the calls that we made.
Peter Rosenberg
So he's saying, I did call place for the guy. We got nothing out of it. So that's where this team is right now, still trying to find itself, and we're almost in March. That's the frustrating thing about this team is there, and I think I've said this before, they're great and they're bad, is the widest gap of any of the contending teams, in my opinion. It's such a large gap between those two extremes of who they are that you honestly don't know from night to night, what are you going to get? Even from half to half. Like, you saw the Rockets game from half to half, you didn't know what you were going to get.
Allen Hahn
So that's a, that's a problematic thing. It is a lack of identity.
Peter Rosenberg
Hard to trust a team like this, is what you guys are saying. And I agree.
Don Hahn
And that Rocket game was kind of a microcosm of the Celtics series from last year because there was inconsistency there, too. But they found a way to fight back. And maybe they believed themselves a little bit too much. Maybe they're reading their press clippings. They believe they're a team that can play with their food because they're that good. Well, we'll see. Well, to Peter's point, we'll see come April.
Allen Hahn
Yeah.
Don Hahn
Because now you're not going to be able to take nights off. No, it's the best of seven series, and we'll see. You know, this might cost them a chance to finish it with the two seed, or are they just looking at the schedule going, I will go five and five in the gauntlet, but look how easy the rest of the schedule is going to be. And we'll be fine. We'll finish as a two seed. You don't have to worry about us falling to the four. Maybe that's the case. Whoever they play, if you decide to take nights off and you lose games you're not supposed to, that's how you lose series.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, I've told. I can tell you, these guys don't look at the schedule. Half the time you're like, oh, next week when you're here, oh, I don't. I don't even know who we play next week. Like, they don't really do that.
Don Hahn
But do they? I agree with you. But do they know this is the hard part, but then it gets easier. Maybe they don't know where.
Peter Rosenberg
Who. Right.
Don Hahn
But they've been told, hey, guys, these. These. These first 10 games coming out of the break are going to be a beast. But don't Worry, after those 10, it's, you can cruise.
Peter Rosenberg
You're going to.
Don Hahn
Could have been said.
Peter Rosenberg
You're going to hate this. But what I think this team does is they see, wait, we got three games in four nights on the road back to back, and then we go play again. So that's. Now, what was that? Four games in six nights on the road. Yeah, it's like. Like, it's almost like that. That's the part where they want to, like, they rather dial back instead of fight through it because the toughness of the schedule wears you down. And they know. One thing I know this team felt when they left last year's series against the Pacers is they felt like we did not have enough in the tank. And that's probably one of the main reasons why Tom Thibodeau is no longer the coach. And that's something that I'm wondering. And that could also come back to haunt them, because you need to be sharp when April comes. Not figuring it out, not ramping it up then. So there's. There's so much about this team we don't know. And every time they do or they win or lose, we think we know. But it is. Like I said, I'm open to anybody else's opinion on this because I watch this team every single game. And what I watched last night, I just kept shaking my head like I. Like, not. Not a single guy's. Like, I'm. No. I'm not letting this happen. Not a single guy said, wait. The Cavs. Look at the way they're playing. They are ready to be taken. We could have easily won this game. Not one guy's like, I'm not letting us lose this game.
Allen Hahn
Isn't that supposed to be the Alvarado edge?
Peter Rosenberg
He wasn't good either. That's what I mean. Like, it was a weird. Everything about it was weird. Guys like him weren't punchy enough. It just. I don't know what to make.
Don Hahn
But if this is the case. And again, the glass half full of. What you're saying is that it's a choice. It's a conscious choice to not bring it every night. So don't worry. Come April, we'll be fine, and we'll turn it back on and we'll keep it on. But what if the inconsistency is not by choice, it's just something that's in them and they can't play consistently every night, then that's something that necessarily can't be corrected. Yeah, but if you're going to tell me that they're going to turn up, then stop. We got to stop with this Big game tonight. Measuring stick. No.
Allen Hahn
Yeah, I guess not.
Peter Rosenberg
Listen, I. I can't. Because for me, as a broadcaster, you have to do it every night. Like, I'm looking at matchups like, this is a good one. This is a good one. This should be a good one. And then it's like, nope, not. Not a good one either.
Don Hahn
Well, that's what I'm saying. It should be. I mean, that's how we. Our instinct always is. You see a matchup and you don't think about when it is. You don't think if it's on national television like that. It's a good matchup today.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah.
Don Hahn
You know, throughout the years. Oh, you know, Cowboys, Giants, a good matchup. You know, Celtics, Lakers. That's a good matchup. Canadians, Maple, Leaf, that's a good matchup. But now I guess the way regular seasons are in sports, not football because there's only 17 games. But in the other sports it's, you know, who's playing the third game in four nights, who's playing in the second to back to backs, who's nursing some sort of an injury, who's load managing. It doesn't necessarily end up being a big game. And that's the shame of it.
Peter Rosenberg
Yes.
Don Hahn
I'm sorry. Knicks cabs. That's something to get excited about, right?
Allen Hahn
Yeah.
Don Hahn
Nothing else going on really. Last night. Olympics are over. Hockey still had another day off. Let me watch. Knicks Cavs big game. Right. And then you watch two teams that didn't seem like they wanted it. And that's disappointing.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, it absolutely was. And by the way, coming out of this game, so the Cavs feeling really good about life, right?
Don Hahn
Yeah.
Peter Rosenberg
And that's six and one now since the Harden trade. Six and one tied. Tied. The Knicks now for third in the East. And then this little nugget from Sham Sharania.
Allen Hahn
Oh, here we go.
Peter Rosenberg
James Harden sustained a fracture in his right thumb during the Tuesday's win over the Knicks. Undergoing further evaluations and treatment like you dream about, like just when they think they're getting it right now, they lose him. Who knows for how long, depending on what the fracture is and what kind of, you know, results it's going to need. But it's on his hand, so he can't shoot. Handle the basketball, all those things. Watch them lose him now for a little while. NBA is weird, man. 800 now we're not. 3, 7, 7, 6. Let's get some calls on this because a lot of you want to sound off. Jason. And East Windsor is going to start us off. Jason.
Caller/Listener
Gentlemen, how are we doing today?
Peter Rosenberg
Good.
Allen Hahn
Hey, bud.
Caller/Listener
So obviously Nick talk. I'm just. You guys started off by saying these big games and everything, right? I just don't think there are any big games in a regular season anymore. This coach doesn't demand them to be consistent. He doesn't demand them to give effort on a regular basis. It's different than what we're used to over the last five years with TIBs. That's why it's hard for us to figure it out. I think they're going to be fine. OG's going to get back to shooting the ball well again. He always takes a little bit of time coming out of the office. Injuries. Happens every year. I'm not worried about it.
Peter Rosenberg
No, not worried about it.
Caller/Listener
I know you guys are.
Allen Hahn
I know.
Don Hahn
I hear you guys.
Peter Rosenberg
Okay, listen, there's.
Allen Hahn
There's another angle. There's another angle to this, which is, hey, I don't have a sports talk radio shoot show to do every day. I don't need an angle to discuss it. I choose to go with. I'm a fan. I'm away for the playoffs and see how they do. I get it. It's not, that's not unreasonable.
Don Hahn
But what has this team accomplished that they can take nights off? Plus they're not even guaranteed to be a top three team. I would think any fan logically would want to try to avoid having to play Detroit in the second round. That game last night might have cost you a chance to do that.
Caller/Listener
I'm not worried about Detroit. Like, I know you. I know they're big, they're tough, blah, blah, blah.
Peter Rosenberg
I love it.
Caller/Listener
Everything they possibly can to beat the Knicks in three games. They have won at least seven different defenses at them throughout those games.
Don Hahn
Okay.
Caller/Listener
The Knicks are playing vanilla Detroit.
Peter Rosenberg
That is true. Yeah. That, that. We've talked about that, Jason. And thank you. Jason's got the optimism. He knows that Mike Brown doesn't run. Please. Not running plays. He's not showing his hand against Detroit. And Detroit is just playing all out because they just, they just want to kill.
Don Hahn
That's the narrative that Nick fans like to have. These games don't matter to us.
Peter Rosenberg
This is, this is copy.
Don Hahn
I keep looking. I still haven't won a championship since 73, you know, and I heard the same talk when they beat the Celtics last year. Oh, we're going to beat the Pacers. And then you don't beat the Pacers.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah.
Don Hahn
You know, at some point it ends up rearing its ugly head. That's why I said this same team will go out there and end up beating the spurs, you know, because they can do that. That's what's so maddening. And it's the same with the playoffs. Everybody and their mother thought they're cruising.
Peter Rosenberg
Yep.
Don Hahn
To the final and they're gonna beat
Peter Rosenberg
the Pacers and they blew a 10 point lead.
Don Hahn
Well, you know the same thing where they were facing the Heat. Remember Michael K on his show? I guarantee the Knicks are gone because, oh, you're gonna beat the Heat. No. And you didn't beat the Heat. You know, that's the inconsistency of this team. So, yeah, maybe Detroit is no concern. Maybe Detroit is everything the Cavaliers were last year. A great regular season team. And it won't happen in the Postseason. But maybe it'll be the Celtics that knock you out. Or maybe it'll be somebody you're not expecting to knock you out. Toronto. So you're not concerned about Detroit. So it sounds like he's just waiting for Spurs, Thunder, a team that has not gone to an NBA final since 1999. He's locking it down. Spurs, Thunder, final. He's not concerned. All right, I'll believe it. Okay, well, good for you. I wish I could be that optimistic about everything.
Peter Rosenberg
Same.
Don Hahn
You know what?
Peter Rosenberg
I wish I could too. But as Spike Lee always says, orange and blue skies for some people. That's what they see. I mean, listen, hey, I hope you're right.
Allen Hahn
I think I put some good money on dispersed under Western Conference final, though.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, we need that.
Allen Hahn
But that would be.
Peter Rosenberg
We need that.
Don Hahn
That would be fun. I love Nick fans.
Allen Hahn
Although Houston would be fun too, if they somehow getting to see KD going to give it a shot with.
Don Hahn
But the talk sometimes, and I love it. I love the optimism. I do. But you know, you're not like talking about the Golden State warriors dynasty here. You know, we're talking about a team that went to the third round for the first time in 25 years. I know now you're lying. No concern. Oh, it's all. And I agree. Alan agreed, too. They play vanilla. Detroit wants the game. You have not won a quarter against Detroit this year. Not a quarter.
Allen Hahn
That's. That's. Some would say last year you got
Don Hahn
dominated by the Celtics and took a game to overtime and actually won five of the 17 quarters in this series. You've lost all 12 quarters.
Allen Hahn
It's not great. Real quick, we got a break and we have much more calls to get to. We're excited to talk to all of you. Man, when you look at the west, they're just so much. The west is so much more intriguing.
Peter Rosenberg
It always is. It always, always is.
Allen Hahn
I mean, just looking, you look at the top five teams, every team is either great, filled with stars, or both.
Peter Rosenberg
Yes.
Allen Hahn
And then outside of the top five, you still have the Lakers, the Warriors
Peter Rosenberg
and like other intriguing teams.
Allen Hahn
It's just crazy.
Peter Rosenberg
Brand names all over the place.
Allen Hahn
The only true brand name like team in the east is. Is in terms of what they're built of is kind of the Celtics.
Peter Rosenberg
Yep.
Allen Hahn
Everybody else is kind of like they're a couple good players.
Don Hahn
All the players are out there.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, all the players.
Don Hahn
Tatum out of the east, right?
Allen Hahn
Yeah. And Brown. You got to include Brown in that conversation.
Peter Rosenberg
You take those two out.
Allen Hahn
Right, Right.
Peter Rosenberg
Tatum and Halliburton are out right now. So there's two less stars.
Allen Hahn
Yes. Oh, sorry.
Peter Rosenberg
You're taking them out of the equation. And it's just. You're right again. Casual sports fan who doesn't really follow the NBA could name way more players in the west than they could in the East. That's the reality. But all you got to do is just win the east and there's your next step. But the Knicks right now looking like a team that again, they're. They're great and they're bad, are so far apart. It's. They could get to the finals. They could also be out in the first round. What's the issue that you see?
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Don Hahn
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Allen Hahn
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Don Hahn
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Peter Rosenberg
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Don Hahn
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Peter Rosenberg
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Don Hahn
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Peter Rosenberg
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Caller/Listener
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Don Hahn
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Peter Rosenberg
for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg Podcast.
Allen Hahn
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
Peter Rosenberg
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. What are the Knicks? What are they? I keep like I can give you stats and tell you going into last night's game, in the last 15 games, they and the Cavs, the only two teams in the league that had 12 wins, 12 and three. The Knicks had the number one defense in the NBA in that stretch of games. Like I can give you all these things that make it sound like this is a really good team. And I've been trying to say that every time we really go doom and gloom, but here I am. I'm testifying right now. You can watch our postgame show MSG, go to YouTube. Our first segment is there. Me, Wally, Bill, Monica, and all of us unbelievably perplexed, all of us trying to figure it out. Like, what the hell was that?
Allen Hahn
Let me ask you a question.
Peter Rosenberg
And that's what we're trying to ask everybody. 800-919-3776 ton of calls. We're going to get to them momentarily right now.
Allen Hahn
Don, real quick. Don, my, my best line maybe I've ever had in the history of the show history of the show about quarterbacks, about finding a quarterback on a team. Do you remember what the line was? No if you don't know.
Peter Rosenberg
Oh, I knew it. Oh, yeah.
Allen Hahn
If you don't have the answer, that's your answer.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, right.
Allen Hahn
Do you start thinking that about this team?
Peter Rosenberg
That's the problem is you should know what they are.
Allen Hahn
So is this what they are?
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, that's the thing is, are they a championship team? That doesn't look like it. It doesn't look like it. It doesn't mean they can't do it. It just doesn't look like it. I think that's the right answer. Bill and South Hold. Bill, what do you got for us?
Caller/Listener
Hey, what's going on, guys? How you doing?
Peter Rosenberg
Good.
Caller/Listener
Good. Yeah, I'm with you guys. I was watching the game last night and I was just like, what am I even watching at this point? I mean, if you can't get up for a game like that where you're battling for playoff positioning, I know it's a regular season, but like, against a conference rival, I mean, when can you get up?
Peter Rosenberg
Right?
Caller/Listener
It's just like really, really uninspired play. And I think it's just taking the lead from the head coach. I mean, Thibodeau would will them. And I was kind of fed up with Thibodeau myself after the playoffs last year. And I thought it was a fireable offense, the way he coached and the way that he played his roster. But when they hired Mike Brown, I was just like, that's it. That's the end right there. Like, that's going to be the nail in the coffin for this team because he's an awful coach, in my opinion. And I just. I'm not seeing how they're going to be able to flip the switch heading into the playoffs and all of a sudden become this, you know, powerhouse team. And I think it's like, these are the games where you need to test yourself. And if Mike Brown isn't going to test his own team, when's it going to happen?
Peter Rosenberg
It's a great question. And I think there have been moments this season he has pushed him. He has tested them. There are moments this season where they have flipped the switch. We have seen it in a lot of games. But that last night, and I'll add this, the atmosphere in that building, like that's normally a loud building in Cleveland. Very loud, and their team has been on a roll. You'd think that place would be raucous. Loud, it seemed on tv. Anybody watching last night, correct me if I'm wrong, but we had it on in the studio and it just didn't Sound like there was, like, this intensity, right? So I asked Tyler Murray, the great radio voice of the Knicks, right?
Allen Hahn
Fantastic.
Peter Rosenberg
And I just text him. I go, how's the building? He's like, it's a little quiet. So the whole mood, the whole thing, like, if I'm in Cleveland doing Cleveland radio, I'd be wondering about the Cavs right now. I would say, like, yeah, they won, but that. That was garbage, that game. They were terrible in that game. They won because the Knicks were awful. But, you know, and now you lost Harden for who knows how long, so. But anyway, the loss is the loss, and that's what we're trying to figure out is what is this team? Paul in Florida, you're up next, Paul.
Caller/Listener
Hey, guys. Love the show. How are you today?
Don Hahn
Good, good.
Peter Rosenberg
Trying to figure it out. Paul, help us out.
Caller/Listener
My opinion on it is that they're one of those teams that they have the skill all over the place, but they don't seem to have the toughness. Not just physical, but mental. The Detroit game, for me, was the most startling part, was when they went in the paint. They scored, whether they were jumpers or to the hoop. But when they settled for the threes, they just weren't dropping. And you could just see it. Every time they came down, they just launch a 3, launch a 3. Almost like what Boston did against us in the. In the playoffs last year, but they were scoring in the paint, so it would be one thing if you couldn't do it in there, but they can. They're just not willing to take the hits in there. Almost like you had on your old show. You had the Rocky Bob over there. Are you willing to take the hits and keep moving forward?
Peter Rosenberg
Right? They're not.
Don Hahn
They.
Caller/Listener
They're not. And so will they develop that in a playoff series? That's. That's like our only hope. Or like what the other caller said, that Mike Brown's playing chess, not showing anything till we get to the playoffs. But I think they're that team. They're a good team, skilled team. But the toughness it gets to takes to get through three, four rounds. I just don't think they have it.
Peter Rosenberg
I mean, that's. Go ahead, Donnie. That feels like a common theme here, doesn't it?
Don Hahn
The positive is from that last caller who said that just, everything will be fine come April. They'll turn it on. They weren't showing anything against Detroit. They don't want to tip their hand. But the other is that they can't do it. They can't play consistently so maybe it is just a flip of the switch and they'll be fine. But I just. I don't feel. I don't figure that they've accomplished enough to play. That's. Usually teams that have won championships, they get bored in a regular season. Like the Florida Panthers in the regular season. They didn't win the division last year. I think they finished in third. It didn't matter to them because they know that they could do it. Does this team know they can do it when they've never done it?
Peter Rosenberg
Right. How can you.
Allen Hahn
You can't. You can't say you can switch. You've never turned the switch on.
Don Hahn
It's convenient too, right, Peter, that. Oh, we'll turn it off against Cleveland. We'll turn it off against Detroit. Are you turning it off or like, hey, I don't want to really turn it on and then get beat by 10, so let's just put 10. Would it just be vanilla? Let's not try. So we could also fall back on the bat. We don't want to tip our hand.
Peter Rosenberg
How do we really.
Don Hahn
It is. I don't think we can beat him anyway.
Peter Rosenberg
How do we feel about the fact, though, that when the threes don't drop for them, it's almost like it just, like the blood stops flowing and they just. You know what happens when the blood.
Don Hahn
But. But that's the league, right? But especially for them, because in all these bad losses, like just the numbers against Detroit and Cleveland. Ugly.
Peter Rosenberg
Well, remember, they did win the first
Don Hahn
two against Cleveland, but last night and then against Detroit. Yeah, yeah, they beat Cleveland already.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah.
Don Hahn
But now this version of Cleveland, which seems to be better. I don't want to be duped again.
Peter Rosenberg
I don't want to give Cleveland credit. I'm telling you, this is. This was not about Cleveland last night. That's what. See, to me, that's what alarmed me. See, Donnie, if. If Cleveland came out and just ran them off the court and I'm like, oh, my God, with Harden, like, with. With Schroeder and Ellis, like, their bench is different now. Harden's just changed their offense. This team's scary. Like, I would be the first to say we got a new team to worry about. Look, I watched Cleveland. I'm like, damn. Like, this ain't it. Like, they were just as sloppy, just as kind of uninspired. Evan Mobley was on a. He was on a minutes restriction, but, man, he was all like, just another reason soft, you know, like, it was not anything that blew me away. Harden didn't shoot it. Great. Donovan Mitchell had numbers but he didn't shoot it great. It's just they made plays when they needed to make plays and one ended up winning the game going away in that third quarter. But I'm telling you this felt more about the Knicks. I think that's what disturbed me more because I felt like the game was there to be had if they wanted it. And it didn't look like they either wanted it or care enough to fight for it. And I can't understand why Griffin and Connecticut wants to take on that optimistic caller we had just a minute ago. Griff,
Caller/Listener
I'm not, I'm just. My point is if this Nick team decides to just and just just have their fun little oh no big deal type games every single time in the regular season, well, you are two, two games away in the lost column from being tied for falling to the fifth seed where you won't have home field advantage in the first round at all. So I'm just saying that that's another point. It also did the Bucks a couple years ago Allen decide that they didn't want to play that last regular season game that all their starters because they want to play the Pacers. That was the team they wanted to play and how that work out?
Peter Rosenberg
Not good.
Allen Hahn
Griff?
Caller/Listener
Yeah, I don't think you just go into it saying that's the team I want. I just don't think you need to do that. So to me they need to start figuring out more consistently before they get to the playoffs because I don't think you want to go into into the playoffs being an inconsistent roller coasting team.
Peter Rosenberg
And that's what they have been since basically since winning that NBA Cup. That's really what they have been. Thanks Griff. And they also by the way next week start actually. I'm sorry, starting? Yeah, starting next week. The week from Friday they go on a west coast trip. Perfect out 5 games on the road. And you know that again if you want to talk to my fatigue and everything else it happened.
Don Hahn
I think you did it again.
Peter Rosenberg
What'd I do?
Don Hahn
We went Southern accent.
Peter Rosenberg
Which word did I do it?
Don Hahn
I think. Again.
Allen Hahn
Not bad again.
Peter Rosenberg
Again.
Don Hahn
Go back and check.
Peter Rosenberg
Oh no. Did it just slip here?
Don Hahn
Peter.
Allen Hahn
I'm trying to find.
Peter Rosenberg
Peter was on the phone.
Allen Hahn
Yeah, I was looking at my phone. I'm trying to find where the. That's the half bad.
Don Hahn
Where do we have.
Peter Rosenberg
That's half not half bad.
Don Hahn
Anybody else here at Jacob Anthony?
Peter Rosenberg
No one's paying attention.
Don Hahn
I missed it.
Peter Rosenberg
I got everybody's office.
Caller/Listener
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Don Hahn
We're doing a hell of a show here.
Peter Rosenberg
They checked.
Don Hahn
I gotta be honest with you. I don't know how good a show it is when we lost one host and our producer.
Allen Hahn
Yeah, 40 are on board, but I
Peter Rosenberg
didn't know the show started. Anthony's producing another show while producing this show.
Don Hahn
I mean, I know that. I know we're not an 880 yet, but come on, man. But we're not on 880.
Peter Rosenberg
He was that bad. Testament to our listeners that you didn't know that we weren't on 880.
Don Hahn
Wow.
Allen Hahn
I didn't know we weren't on 880.
Peter Rosenberg
How about that?
Don Hahn
So do we have. Do we have. Can we go back?
Allen Hahn
We'll find it.
Peter Rosenberg
I don't remember saying it was on the word. Well, yeah, we have to wait till we go back in a break.
Don Hahn
I'll grab it.
Allen Hahn
What word was it, Don, that he said?
Peter Rosenberg
I believe it was a game again.
Allen Hahn
I'm here with my family again.
Peter Rosenberg
This is happening. I don't know.
Don Hahn
I've known Alan for 25 years. I don't. This is new. This is.
Allen Hahn
It's unfortunate. I think it's a new thing.
Peter Rosenberg
You know what it is, is there's a lot of times I try to fight. The Long island accent always creeps out.
Allen Hahn
So you're compensating.
Peter Rosenberg
I'm almost like maybe I'm overcompensating.
Allen Hahn
Yeah. What's the opposite of a Long island accent?
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, it's Georgia.
Allen Hahn
Yeah, Georgia.
Peter Rosenberg
Let's take Rich in Brooklyn to help us out here. Rich?
Caller/Listener
Yes.
Peter Rosenberg
How are you? Good.
Caller/Listener
Let me tell you, I. I listened to your show yesterday, and I didn't listen to the Knick game because I was listening to other things that are going on in the world. But the Knicks were inconsistent from what, the little bits and snubs that I've heard. And the Knicks are not always inconsistent. They're always inconsistent because I listen to radio. I'm a radio guy. I am not a TV guy. I have a tv. I'm totally blind. And some of these announcers, even, you know, when Allen Hahn tries to do stuff on radio, I don't think, you know, you're different on TV and radio. You are.
Peter Rosenberg
How so?
Caller/Listener
Well, at least because you're not descriptive enough on radio.
Allen Hahn
Not descriptive. But he doesn't call games.
Peter Rosenberg
I don't. I don't call games.
Caller/Listener
You do color.
Peter Rosenberg
You do analysts on TV on tv.
Caller/Listener
But sometimes you do stuff on radio.
Peter Rosenberg
I think that's Wally. You hear? I'm. I don't. I, I rarely do tv, national.
Allen Hahn
Does national radio.
Peter Rosenberg
If you, if you happen to listen to the game Saturday on national. Espn now. I did that one.
Caller/Listener
No, I didn't hear.
Peter Rosenberg
No, I don't do play by play. So I don't, I don't. It's not descriptive.
Allen Hahn
He doesn't do describe it.
Peter Rosenberg
That's okay. It's fine.
Caller/Listener
Monica. Monica, you know, you know, I've heard Monica McNutt.
Peter Rosenberg
Yep. She's great.
Caller/Listener
I love Tyler Murray.
Peter Rosenberg
Yep, he's great.
Allen Hahn
There you go.
Caller/Listener
Who I really don't like who because to me they're not descriptive.
Peter Rosenberg
Wait.
Allen Hahn
Oh, you don't like.
Peter Rosenberg
Wait, you don't like them.
Allen Hahn
Oh, this is.
Caller/Listener
Monica tries she and that. But the problem is.
Allen Hahn
Here we go.
Caller/Listener
Nobody. No, no. And I'm not going to criticize because if I criticize, they go to say I'm racist. No, I am not racist.
Peter Rosenberg
You're listening off to a bad start.
Don Hahn
A white guy and an African American woman.
Allen Hahn
You don't like either of them. You've been. You just have bad taste in radio.
Caller/Listener
But the point is she doesn't. It's a different culture.
Don Hahn
Oh boy. Oh, now, now it's getting. Listen, he gave him some rope he hung himself with. That's all.
Allen Hahn
I mean, happens, right? I give him a little rope. Give me, give me that rope over.
Don Hahn
Just wrapped it around his head.
Peter Rosenberg
I really was hoping because he said he's blind. Like so obviously for him what he's hearing is critical to the information. And so I was hoping he'd have something pretty profound.
Allen Hahn
You know what the profound lesson you learned is that blind people can somehow be racist. It's almost like a Dave Chappelle skit. Because why are we going into culture? There's nothing about culture to talk about with Tyler and Monica.
Don Hahn
Okay?
Allen Hahn
Either you like the way they call the basketball game or you don't. Am I wrong?
Peter Rosenberg
I'm going to guess that he just. He didn't like it. But what's weird is that just something like that somehow I'm not descriptive enough and I'm not even on that broadcast.
Don Hahn
I just like I haven't done a game this year. Last weekend. Well, but hold on.
Allen Hahn
He's blind, not deaf. Right. How does he not hear? How does he hear Allen in the wrong places?
Peter Rosenberg
I don't know.
Allen Hahn
It's not like he's confusing your face. It's just the sound.
Peter Rosenberg
And also just for the play by play guy does the description knows this
Allen Hahn
better of course Color guy. Are you simply there to add information?
Peter Rosenberg
What you saw, like what else is going on in the game and you, you have to get in and get out real quick because it's radio. But we learned our lesson today.
Allen Hahn
On the upside, I just dropped one of my all time best tweets. You guys go check it out during the break. I think it's something everyone can agree
Peter Rosenberg
on and we're going to see if I once again dipped into a southern accent and maybe I should just stick
Allen Hahn
to it and maybe it wasn't bad,
Peter Rosenberg
maybe it wasn't half bad. Out five games on the road and you know that there it is. On the road.
Don Hahn
On the road. Peter, what is going on
Allen Hahn
the road again?
Peter Rosenberg
On the road. More your calls coming up. When was the last time you felt
Allen Hahn
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Allen Hahn
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Peter Rosenberg
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Allen Hahn
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Peter Rosenberg
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
Allen Hahn
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
Peter Rosenberg
Catch the show on end whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. I think this is probably this voice right here, Willie. I think that might be my natural voice and I just didn't know it because I grew up in the wrong region. It's almost like that's I. I fall to it. Well, apparently out five games on the road again, if you want to talk to my fatigue and everything else.
Allen Hahn
Was there more?
Peter Rosenberg
There was more.
Don Hahn
Weird that it kicks in the way that it does.
Allen Hahn
Let's listen in full. Let's listen in full because he keeps going.
Peter Rosenberg
Let's listen here. Out five games on the road. And you know that again, if you want to start fatigue and everything else.
Allen Hahn
Oh, so you were right.
Peter Rosenberg
He caught it right away.
Don Hahn
It was on.
Peter Rosenberg
If he was that bad, you know it was. That was five games on the road.
Allen Hahn
And can I just get five games on the row? Can I? That's what I need right there.
Don Hahn
I'm sorry I jumped it, but I was just so surprised.
Allen Hahn
No, well, listen, I got to come up with a good name for Southern. Huh?
Peter Rosenberg
I got problems now.
Don Hahn
If. If you had told me, what would it be?
Allen Hahn
And I'm working on it.
Don Hahn
You know, Alan, you know, grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, until he was 12. Yeah, I'd say. Okay, maybe that, you know, it does kind of creep out. No, no, no, that's not the case. You're Long Island.
Peter Rosenberg
I grew up in the armpit of Long Island. In the bosom of Long Island.
Allen Hahn
That's right.
Peter Rosenberg
That's where I grew up.
Don Hahn
Well, bosom's better than armpit, probably, but
Peter Rosenberg
it depends on the neighborhood in just
Don Hahn
about every way, every angle.
Allen Hahn
I belong firmly with bosom over armpit.
Peter Rosenberg
I don't know what you would consider bosom or armpit when it can sit can when it has to do with where I lived. It all depends on Era.
Don Hahn
But, well, bosom suggests that it's like in the. In the.
Peter Rosenberg
I think I live in the bosom now.
Don Hahn
A really, really.
Peter Rosenberg
I live in a very tony area of Long Island.
Don Hahn
It's not a great place.
Peter Rosenberg
No armpits were. I think I was there.
Allen Hahn
Is it Don. It's when. It's when Alan Han turns into Alan Jackson. You know what I mean?
Peter Rosenberg
Five games down the road,
Allen Hahn
me, Alan Han, and your New York Knickerbockers come take you up and down the road. Can't. I can't wait till we get down to Houston play, then go play the Mavericks.
Peter Rosenberg
Spurs gonna play that basketball.
Allen Hahn
You got to be excited when they head down to Texas. That's when you're at home.
Peter Rosenberg
Oh, please. You kidding me?
Allen Hahn
You know, got Hawks game in there. Yeah, hell, you know, but really just the Texas run.
Peter Rosenberg
Atlanta play the Hawks, go to Charlotte,
Allen Hahn
play them Hornets here,
Peter Rosenberg
Get her done
Allen Hahn
a lot in the last 10 minutes.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah.
Allen Hahn
Allen became Trans Regional, which I didn't even know was a thing.
Peter Rosenberg
I don't know if I'm comfortable with that.
Allen Hahn
He's Trans Regional. He can instantly become Southern. And then we had to have a. Out of the blue, a blind man declare I'm not racist before then sounding like he was about to go on a racist.
Peter Rosenberg
I felt bad for him because I think he was trying to make a point, but he was just so worried about being judged.
Allen Hahn
He just made no sense that you do it to yourself the second. The second you go, I'm no racist. But then, you know, the next thing.
Peter Rosenberg
But, you know, culture.
Don Hahn
What?
Allen Hahn
No, no, sir. We were fine with you. We weren't even. We were listening. Now, listen, he had questionable. Apparently he has questionable taste in radio. He. He doesn't like Tyler and Monica, which.
Don Hahn
Not descriptive enough. And listen, if you're blind, I got to listen to what you have to say.
Allen Hahn
Yeah, I guess. I guess you're right. You know, in the sense that you. Whatever is not descriptive enough for you is whatever you say. I don't think that's a culture issue, but that's just whatever your style is. I consider Tyler to be pretty damn descriptive when I listen to him.
Peter Rosenberg
I actually think he's phenomenal.
Allen Hahn
I think he's phenomenal. But again, I'm not blind, so I'm, you know, I don't know, your experience. But then he. They said that he's also called a couple of days ago complaining because he wants more Mets broadcasts on the air, so he doesn't want to hear our show either. Apparently, he'd rather have met spring training games.
Peter Rosenberg
But aren't the Mets playing right now?
Allen Hahn
That's a great point.
Peter Rosenberg
He was upset that yesterday they were playing and we weren't covering.
Allen Hahn
But today they're playing and he's what listening to us on the app.
Peter Rosenberg
I don't know what's going on.
Don Hahn
There's a lot.
Allen Hahn
I'll tell you what's going on. A lot.
Peter Rosenberg
A lot lots. And Jamal and Stanford wants to stand in up for Monica and Tyler.
Allen Hahn
Here we go.
Peter Rosenberg
Jamal.
Caller/Listener
Good afternoon boys. First time, very long time. Huge down the Greco fan. Peter. Love you, boss. Let me tell you, I am a MSC mix radio listener to at like many others. I'm sure now when Tyler first came out because again I go back job questioning like man, will this chemistry work as you. You guys took took the word out of my mouth. Tyler is phenomenal from punchlines, his jokes, his chemistry with Monica. I mean I love Monica, but Tyler and Monica, they. They need to be paired together more sometimes. I. I think them not broadcasting a game messes with the mojo of the Knicks. But that's a cat.
Allen Hahn
Wow.
Peter Rosenberg
You know, they did call the game together.
Caller/Listener
Fellas.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, I agree. Jamal. I agree. Jamal.
Allen Hahn
Jamal. Is he still there?
Peter Rosenberg
No. Thank you.
Allen Hahn
I wanted to ask why he's not a Don. Not an Al Hahn fan.
Don Hahn
Don.
Allen Hahn
Peter.
Caller/Listener
Thank you, Alan.
Peter Rosenberg
I hope you make the team.
Allen Hahn
I.
Peter Rosenberg
Because he said working on it.
Don Hahn
Don.
Allen Hahn
I'm a huge fan.
Peter Rosenberg
Yep.
Allen Hahn
Peter.
Peter Rosenberg
Love you.
Allen Hahn
Love you, boss. Something like that.
Peter Rosenberg
And then.
Allen Hahn
And then he just moved on. So I was.
Peter Rosenberg
Yep. You know what? It happens. I'm just curious. I'm just here so I don't get fined. Justin in Massapequa. Justin, Hi.
Caller/Listener
I'm optimistic about the Knicks and my dad always tells me to hustle until the last whistle.
Allen Hahn
That's right.
Caller/Listener
If I was Mike Brown, I'd be lashing into those guys. That effort last night from the Knicks would not slide well with me if I was the head coach. I'd be lashing into them after last night.
Peter Rosenberg
You're right, Justin. And you know what? Here's something interesting. They have two days off before their next game. Wonder what kind of what that practice is going to feel like when they land in Milwaukee. Thank you, Justin, for the call. And speaking of landing, Monica McNutt is going to join us next. She does each week, but they are in transit right now. So she will be checking in once they have officially touched down and she is able to call in. So that's of course coming up and we'll see what she thinks of the criticism of the show. Never mind of the call, never mind the accent. I think she's heard me say crazy.
Allen Hahn
Not half bad.
Peter Rosenberg
Not half bad. Out five games on the road.
Allen Hahn
I love it.
Peter Rosenberg
Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. 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 from 30 for 30 podcasts.
Caller/Listener
Did you say someone got shot?
Allen Hahn
Brian Patta, senior defense offensive lineman from Miami gunned down.
Peter Rosenberg
The key to this case. It's Brian.
Allen Hahn
An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing with somebody.
Caller/Listener
This might be a hit. You want the truth?
Peter Rosenberg
They just want a conviction.
Don Hahn
Being placed under arrest. We had a killer amongst us.
Allen Hahn
Murder at the U. Listen now.
This episode wrestles with the big, hot-button question surrounding the New York Knicks: Who are they, really? Hosts Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg, fresh off an ugly Knicks loss to the Cavaliers, dissect the team’s maddening inconsistency, the differences in coaching philosophies post-Tom Thibodeau, and the perennial anxiety of Knicks fandom. Are the Knicks a legit championship contender, or just another team that teases and frustrates? Through caller insights, sharp banter, and trademark self-deprecating humor, the crew debates what it will take for the Knicks to get over the hump—or even just figure out what they’re all about.
Ugly Cleveland Loss and What It Means
"If you never watched basketball and went to that game last night...you would think basketball is a horrible sport." (00:44, Allen Hahn)
Championship Ceiling or Pretender?
"What they continue to prove to you in a big spot is they're not a championship team...they don't play consistent enough for me to believe this team can win a championship." (01:58, Don Hahn)
"I'll lock. Lock it. They beat the Spurs Sunday." (02:46, Don Hahn)
"Because that's a game, for some reason, they'll ratchet it up." (02:48, Don Hahn)
Are Coaching Changes Making a Difference?
"Is it fair at this point to start looking at Mike Brown, or is this who the team was last year?" (03:41, Allen Hahn)
Player Motivation vs. Coach's Style
"One coach is driving them every night, the other coach is like, I'll push in April, this is not the time." (06:48, Peter Rosenberg)
"When you keep flipping the switch on and off, at some point...the light's gonna go off." (09:16, Don Hahn)
Towns' Absence and Offense Stalls
"4 in the first quarter. Doesn't take another shot until the second half...29 minutes, one shot." (04:30, Peter Rosenberg)
Coaching Accountability
"Doesn't there have to be a moment after this weekend...that you bang a timeout in the second quarter when he hasn't shot...and go, you here. You gonna play like you, you want the ball. Like, let's go?" (10:29, Peter Rosenberg)
"We made some play calls tonight, but we didn't generate anything from the calls that we made." (12:28, Mike Brown via Allen Hahn)
Veteran 'Cruise Control'?
"But what if the inconsistency is not by choice, it's just something that's in them and they can't play consistently every night, then that's something that necessarily can't be corrected." (16:38, Don Hahn)
Fan Frustration & Expectations
Caller #1 (Jason, East Windsor):
Host Rebuttal:
"But what has this team accomplished that they can take nights off? Plus they're not even guaranteed to be a top three team." (19:57, Allen Hahn)
General Theme:
"If you don't know the answer, that's your answer." (28:29, Allen Hahn)
"Are you willing to take the hits and keep moving forward?... they're not." (32:05, Caller)
"You do color...on TV." (39:22, Caller)
Hosts riff on culture, taste, and what listeners demand from broadcasts.
"Allen became Trans Regional, which I didn't even know was a thing." (47:07, Allen Hahn)
On Inconsistency:
"Inconsistency is one of the number one killers of championships because you got to find some consistency, and they just don't." (09:48, Don Hahn)
On Team Mentality:
"Just when you're ready to bend a knee and show them the ring and make the commitment, they do what they did last night or they do what they did against the Detroit Pistons." (03:17, Don Hahn)
On Coaching Styles:
"Tom Thibodeau drove this team night after night after night. No nights off, back to back. Nobody's resting...Mike Brown comes in. I don't see him driving this team." (06:27–06:48, Peter Rosenberg)
On 'Switch-Flipping':
"When you keep flipping the switch on and off, at some point...the light's gonna go off." (09:16, Don Hahn)
On Team Identity:
"They're great and they're bad is the widest gap of any of the contending teams, in my opinion." (13:13, Peter Rosenberg)
On Fan Cynicism:
"I keep looking. I still haven't won a championship since '73." (20:50, Don Hahn)
This episode is a focused, honest (and very New York) therapy session for Knicks fans. The takeaways? The Knicks veer wildly between brilliance and ineptitude, giving fans whiplash. Coaching changes haven't solved the underlying issues—if anything, they may be accentuating the team’s lack of intensity and unclear identity. The core question, voiced explicitly and implicitly throughout the hour: if we're still asking what are the Knicks by late February, isn't that itself the answer? Despite all, fans and hosts still hold onto hope April will bring out a team with purpose—but for now, the Knicks remain New York’s most compelling sports puzzle.