Hour 3: Knicks Anticipation

Summary

Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 3: Knicks Anticipation

Release Date: May 27, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Episode Title: Hour 3: Knicks Anticipation
Description: Join ESPN New York’s Don La Greca, sportswriter Alan Hahn, and Hip Hop and WWE personality Peter Rosenberg as they delve into New York sports, with a special focus on the Knicks' playoff journey.

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1. Series Overview and Current Standings

The episode kicks off with a detailed analysis of the Knicks' ongoing playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. Don La Greca outlines the current state of the series, emphasizing the high stakes and unpredictable nature of the games.

• Don La Greca [00:35]: "The Knicks came back from 20 points down to win a game. Cat goes off with 20 points in the fourth quarter and we got ourselves a series."

He highlights the Pacers' historical performance in game three scenarios, noting their struggles with back-to-back losses in the postseason since last year. The Knicks are now aiming to level the series with a crucial win in Indiana, a challenging endeavor given the Pacers' strong home performance.

2. Key Strategies and Player Performances

Alan Hahn delves into specific aspects that could influence tonight's game, focusing on the Pacers' three-point shooting and the impact of key players.

• Alan Hahn [02:11]: "The Pacers have had bad game threes previously in the previous two series after taking two leads..."

He points out the Pacers' poor three-point shooting in game three ([02:38] "5 for 25"), contrasting it with their impressive performance in game fours where they shot nearly 48% from downtown. This inconsistency could be pivotal in tonight's matchup.

Tyrese Halliburton's Influence

Hahn discusses Tyrese Halliburton's fluctuating performance and his father’s recent return to the arena, which could add emotional weight to Halliburton's game.

• Alan Hahn [03:34]: "His father has been allowed back in the arena... they're going to show him celebrating."

Don La Greca speculates on how this personal dynamic might motivate Halliburton, potentially igniting his performance further.

Aaron Neesmith's Ankle Injury

The discussion shifts to Aaron Neesmith’s ankle injury, which is listed as questionable for tonight's game.

• Alan Hahn [03:34]: "He injured it in the second half of game three. He got hurt on a drive and he rolled it bad. It's a right ankle that had he had injured earlier in the season, so it's a re-injury."

Hahn underscores the significance of Neesmith's defensive role against Jalen Brunson, suggesting that his condition could greatly influence the Knicks' defensive strategy.

Carl Anthony Towns vs. Miles Turner

Hahn emphasizes the importance of Carl Anthony Towns' matchup against Miles Turner, advocating for the Knicks to prioritize feeding Towns to leverage his offensive capabilities, which in turn could enhance his defensive performance.

• Alan Hahn [07:22]: "They have that matchup they're going to own in this series, especially if the Pacers keep playing him one on one with Miles Turner."

3. Coaching Strategies and Criticisms

The hosts engage in a robust debate about the coaching prowess of Tom Thibodeau. While some callers and fans criticize Thibodeau for his minutes management, Hahn defends his approach by highlighting his team's conditioning and readiness for the playoffs.

• Caller [37:22]: "The Knicks starters have played 2,000 more minutes than the Indiana Pacer starters... you don't think by game five, six, that difference is going to show itself?"

Alan Hahn's Defense:

• Alan Hahn [18:00]: "The whole idea is they have been built up for this and that. They've been okay. But they’re telling us they've trained this season so that they don't break down at this time of year."

Hahn compares minutes management in the NBA to pitcher usage in baseball, arguing that Thibodeau's strategy is about conditioning and preparing his players to handle the rigors of the postseason.

Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg's Take:

They reinforce Hahn's points, suggesting that criticism of Thibodeau often stems from fan frustration rather than objective analysis of his coaching effectiveness.

• Don La Greca [33:20]: "He is the first coach in 25 years to lead a team to the conference final. They are a perennial playoff team. So why exactly are we having a conversation about how bad a coach he is?"

4. Fan Interaction and Caller Insights

Throughout the episode, callers share their perspectives on the Knicks' strategies, player performances, and coaching methods.

Caller on Tyrese Halliburton's Minutes:

• Caller [15:09]: "I think he does this to try to shorten the game and give his guys a breather."

Alan Hahn responds by explaining the balance between resting key players and maintaining game flow.

Caller on Coach Thibodeau’s Style:

• Caller [28:39]: "He has a lot too long a leash for his favorite players... He gets outcoached in at least three different seasons in the playoffs."

The hosts counter these criticisms by highlighting Thibodeau's achievements and the broader team dynamics, emphasizing that fan criticisms are often biased and overlook the team's hard work and successes.

5. Mental Health Awareness

In addition to sports discussions, the hosts dedicate time to Mental Health Awareness Month, promoting resources and encouraging listeners to seek support.

• Peter Rosenberg [37:22]: "May is Mental Health Awareness month so I'm encouraging everyone to take care of your well being and break the stigma."

6. Conclusion and Upcoming Events

The episode wraps up with announcements about upcoming games, media coverage, and promotional events, ensuring listeners are informed about where to catch future matches and related content.

• Don La Greca [42:13]: "It's all happening right here on 880 ESPN New York and ESPN New York app."

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Notable Quotes:

• Don La Greca [00:35]: "The Knicks came back from 20 points down to win a game. Cat goes off with 20 points in the fourth quarter and we got ourselves a series."
• Alan Hahn [02:38]: "Did the Knicks figure something out to take away those threes or the Pacers? Maybe a little too passive."
• Don La Greca [03:35]: "Players always say this, it's the playoffs. Why would I need more motivation?"
• Don La Greca [33:20]: "He is the first coach in 25 years to lead a team to the conference final. They are a perennial playoff team. So why exactly are we having a conversation about how bad a coach he is?"
• Peter Rosenberg [37:22]: "May is Mental Health Awareness month so I'm encouraging everyone to take care of your well being and break the stigma."

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Key Takeaways:

• Knicks' Resilience: The Knicks have demonstrated remarkable resilience by overcoming significant deficits, signaling strong team morale and determination.
• Strategic Focus: Emphasis on defensive strategies, particularly limiting Pacers' three-point effectiveness, and leveraging key players like Carl Anthony Towns.
• Coaching Debate: A heated discussion on Thibodeau’s coaching style highlights the balance between fan expectations and objective team performance analysis.
• Player Health: Monitoring of Aaron Neesmith’s ankle injury and its potential impact on defensive strategies against Jalen Brunson.
• Fan Engagement: Active listener participation provides diverse viewpoints, enriching the conversation around team dynamics and strategies.
• Mental Health Advocacy: The hosts prioritize mental health, encouraging listeners to seek support and break down associated stigmas.

This episode offers an in-depth look into the Knicks' playoff aspirations, blending strategic analysis with passionate fan interaction, all while addressing broader topics like mental health and coaching philosophies. Whether you're a die-hard Knicks fan or new to the team's journey, this discussion provides valuable insights into what lies ahead for the squad.

Transcript

[Alan Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Alan Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Alan Hahn]

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[Don La Greca]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

[Don La Greca]

Tune in tonight at 7pm for the next pregame show brought to you by Infinity Experience the infinity lineup at your local retailer today. That'll be on 1050. So the lay of the land is this. If you're listening to us on 880, switch over to 1050 at 6:30. Will continue with the Knicks coverage to 7 and then Pat O' Keefe will take you up at the tip. And then at 880 we're going to be going to the Mets and the White Sox. Mets took two out of three for the Dodgers. They won yesterday. They struggled but did beat Chicago 2 to 1 on a walk off sacrifice fly by Lindor. So that's where we're at. But again, you download the app, you can get into these great contests and then you can listen to us without any interruption whatsoever. So make sure you do that. But what a crazy weekend of the down of losing game two to the up of again, third time these playoffs. The Knicks came back from 20 points down to win a game. Cat goes off with 20 points in the fourth quarter and we got ourselves a series. And if the Knicks can find a way to win tonight, which is going to be tough, it's in Indy. Indy has not lost back to back games in the postseason since last year. They've been very good at home and this has been the theme. They lose game three of the series in the playoffs. They did it the previous two and then they come back and they win big in Game 4. And the Knicks are going to try to avoid that and try to come back home with an even series. And I think trying to predict what's going to happen guys tonight is folly considering what we've seen the first three who saw any of this coming. I'm expecting more theatrics. The rest of the way, including tonight.

[Alan Hahn]

Now, I'll give you a couple of things that I'm looking for tonight. The first one is going to be what you just mentioned, that the fact that the Pacers have had bad game threes previously in the previous two series after taking two O leads and they all sent around one stat. They shoot the ball poorly from three in game three on Sunday night, they were 5 for 25. They came into the game shooting 42% in the series from three. And the three is a big part of what they do. Not nearly as much as Boston, but it's still a big number.

[Don La Greca]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

But I've looked in the game fours in the prior two series, they shot lights out from downtown almost 48%. Like they just were one. One game they made 15 threes. The other one, they made 18 threes. So they not only shot a high percentage, they also shot a ton of them. I would watch that in this game tonight. Did the Knicks figure something out to take away those threes or the Pacers? Maybe a little too passive. That's one thing I'm going to watch. The other thing I'm going to watch is Tyrese Halliburton after his big shot at the end of game one to force overtime. And he made a lot of big plays late in that game. Well, he did have 11 assists in Game 2. He didn't play great in Game 2, didn't shoot the ball great in Game 3. He did not shoot the ball well at all and had a very minimal impact in the second half. And he didn't play a ton either, which was odd. His father has been allowed back in the arena.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, boy.

[Alan Hahn]

He was banned for after the first round, in the first round because he went on the court, because he used to have courtside seats. When on the court, confronted Giannis Denokounmpo after the Pacers won, he's holding up a towel in his face and he's mocking him. And Giannis didn't like it at all and called it out. And the league said, okay, he's not allowed in the arena and he's not allowed in the road arena. So he didn't come. He didn't come to New York, at least didn't come to the arena in New York. But for some reason, as Shams reported after game three that his. So now John Halliburton will be allowed in the arena tonight for Game 4. Now, he's not allowed courtside, but he will be allowed in a suite. I guarantee you TNT is going to cut to him like it's, you know, Taylor Swift at a Chiefs game. And every time Halliburton does something they're going to show him, then they're going to show him celebrating. And I wonder, first of all, it's family. You know, Tyrese Halliburton is going to feel a certain way, a little extra something, whatever it is that he might have. You think he's already going to have motivation. Players always say this, it's the playoffs. Why would I need more motivation? But we all know emotions do run a different way. And maybe, just maybe it's the thing that sparks him. I don't love that they decided to do this in the middle of the series, but okay, this is what they decided to do. So I'm watching that. And the last thing I'm also keeping an eye on is the Aaron Neesmith ankle injury. He is listed as questionable. Rick Carlisle said it'll probably be a game time decision. He injured it in the second half of game three. He got hurt on a drive and he rolled it bad. It's a right ankle that had he had injured earlier in the season. So it's a re injury. He taped it up, came back in the game, didn't really look the same. Now he's his defense on Brunson has been vital. How does he even look? I'd be shocked if he doesn't play because it's the playoffs. It's this deep in the playoffs. Everybody's going to give it a go. But what condition it's in could change everything when it comes to how they defend Jalen Brunson. So those are things to me that I'm watching. And then one last thing would be Carl Anthony Towns and do the Knicks realize that they've got that that's the matchup they're going to own in this series, especially if the Pacers keep playing him one on one with Miles Turner. The Knicks should prioritize feeding Cat early in these games and getting him going because I'll tell you what, when he shoots the ball well, he's suddenly not a defensive liability. It's as if his offense helps him become a better defensive player. So those are all the things that are on the table for those again. 800-9193776 I know people always want to say what are you looking for tonight? What are you seeing tonight? Those are four things on my on my priority list that I'm looking at tonight. We're curious to see what you're looking for as well.

[Don La Greca]

The one I'm least concerned about is Halliburton's dad being there. He's not going to be on the court. He's going to be up in the suite and even they show him on tnt, he's not going to know. I don't know if they'll show him on the Jumbotron. They only show him on the Jumbotron if something's going well.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Don La Greca]

I don't know what his relationship with his dad. I mean, for all I know they're very close. No, but I'm saying as far as. Was he embarrassed by what happened? Does he want him back?

[Alan Hahn]

He did publicly apologize, yes.

[Don La Greca]

But, you know, we all listen. We all love our dads. There were times our parents embarrassed us. My dad used to go to all my games, but he never made a point to be known that, you know, embarrassed me.

[Alan Hahn]

But you know, Don, it's like one more thing that's sort of like you want to get the crowd going more because everybody in Indiana thinks like this was some injustice and they were like free. John Halliburton, he got, if you don't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Remember, by the way, he basically squared up on the court with Giannis, with.

[Alan Hahn]

One of the stars of the league.

[Don La Greca]

And when you see something like that happen, no matter how much you love your dad, how great the relationship is, that's impossible. So him being back into the building, he might not want to say it to his dad because I'm sure his dad desperately wants to be there. But I don't think it works as a positive or negative. I don't know.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Don La Greca]

You know, you might be right. It might be something that affects him.

[Alan Hahn]

He's emotional, but I don't know if.

[Don La Greca]

That'S a good thing or a bad thing. It might affect him to. I want to show off in front of my dad. I'm proud of he's there. Or is it going to be, you know, it's become now another storyline I just don't need in this pivotal game for. So it's, it's interesting stuff but, but the injuries and the threes, it's just been such a fun series.

[Alan Hahn]

It has been. Now did you. Because you know how we do go. We are on that roller coaster, right. This is, this is the euphoria and anxiety. We've been riding it since really before the playoffs began with this team and we have gone through all of it after seeing another 20 point comeback. I mean if there was ever a time let go of the rope, wouldn't it have been three minutes to go? Second quarter you're down 02 in the series. They're smoking you again. It's a 20 point deficit. The building's going nuts. You go down three. Oh, we know the series is over. There are teams that might have let go of the rope. They might have started pointing fingers, maybe start barking at each other, maybe start getting mad. All the Nick players talked about was how on the bench they just kept saying, stay in this thing. And in the locker room at halftime, the message continued to be, keep fighting, Keep fighting, keep digging, support of each other. You're gonna get your shot. You're great. You're gonna be great. They all said that they never, ever let go. Does it tell you anything about them? Does it give you any added confidence about this team and what they have really accomplished so far and what they could still do?

[Don La Greca]

I think it's an easy thing to motivate because they've done it. What gives you more confidence, Alan, than to knowing you've done it?

[Alan Hahn]

Confidence comes from demonstrated performance.

[Don La Greca]

And they've back, you know, multiple times against Boston, the NBA. We've seen how many now, six teams come back from 20, from 20 when there was like five in, in the previous 20 years, whatever the four years. But like in how many series during that period of time?

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don La Greca]

Is just incredible that why would you give up? Like, why, why would any Nick fan. I love these things. Oh, I shut the TV off. Like, why would you? Yeah, I mean, I'm watching that game. I, I didn't feel good. And we've got the text thread going. We were all good, but never a moment did I think to turn it off or to say there's no shot. Because I've seen it multiple times against a really good team in Boston.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Don La Greca]

Now, I wasn't confident that it was going to happen, but I was confident they were going to make it a game. And once you make it a game, hasn't this team shown you that in a close game that they're going to find a way to win Now? I don't think they should dance there again like they did in Boston and fall behind 20 again tonight.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Don La Greca]

You're going to run out of tricks, Peter. Have they been paying attention to what they've been doing?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, that, that's why when Allen just asked the question, did I learn anything? No, I didn't. I already knew everything. I, I, I.

[Alan Hahn]

So you already believe that they were a mentally tough team?

[Peter Rosenberg]

You already believe that this is the.

[Alan Hahn]

Team that's going to let go of the rope?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hundred percent knew they had the metal to come back. The question was, would they? After the dunk made it 20, the first moment I believed they could do what they do is the 50 run to end the half to cut it to 13.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you get it to 13 at the half, and that's a manageable number. We all 13 in the NBA when we were growing up, guys, that's a five point lead from. For our childhood. So 13, you go, all right, they got a chance. Then they get it to 10 to end the third quarter. You feel really good about it. And then all of a sudden, halfway through the fourth, you realize, oh, they're doing that. It's winnable. Yeah, but, but, but also what was impressive at the end to me was we can say whatever we want about the changes that were needed to be made throughout the game for defensive purposes or just because Brunson had foul trouble. But in the end, it was your two guys. It was Cat and Brunson at the end. They sealed the game.

[Alan Hahn]

He made the toughest shot, that step runner. The Brunson runner was a tough shot. And then the free throws were clutch free throws.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then the Cat stepped back three. And that combination of those possessions. Yeah, that's the. Oh, oh, oh, oh. And we can never forget the rebound about Josh Hart risking his life for that last rebound. That's just Josh Hart doing what he does. A complete. You go back and look at it, the man's hands are above the rim, how high he gets up and just doing what he does.

[Don La Greca]

So I just feel like these games are, no matter what the score is going to be, that at the end, it's going to be one or two possession game. And let's see what happens even game two, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Like, Brunson had a three that could have tied it. He'd take it too early, whatever, but he stepped into a three and missed it.

[Don La Greca]

Just. That's crazy the way the NBA is, the Knicks don't give up. The Pacers, we've seen that they don't give up. Now, did. Did the Pacers get caught up? Because, like, after that dunk, the building's crazy Now. Now, there should have been a reminder at the half because they, the Knicks were able to cut it to 13 at the half, so it wasn't like things exploded from there, but it was.

[Alan Hahn]

The lineup that had them messed up. It was. It was the fact that Tibbs, whether he was forced to or whether he planned to, it depends on who you asked. But he put out a lineup at one point that had A bunch of perimeter defenders who were taking away that point of attack pick and roll that the Pacers had been shredding the Knicks with. And it took them out of everything. It messed them up. And that's something. That is why I would say also, if you're Tom Thibodeau and you watch the film, you're like, all right, well, we need to keep doing this. We need to keep playing eight or nine guys. It's got to happen. Find a way to have a defensive lineup out there to just mess up. Mess them up enough that they lose their rhythm, take them out of whatever they are that they think they can get into, because they have been picking apart the Knicks starting five.

[Don La Greca]

All right, how you feeling about this? 1-800-919-3776. Chauncey and Westwood, you get the 5:00 hour started here on Don Han Rosenberg. What's up?

[Caller]

What's up, guys? I'm high for hyped for game four tonight. So I love Brunson. I'm not going to kill him like I've been here in the last 48 hours. But one minor critique I'll give him is for whatever reason, I think he does this to try to shorten the game and give his guys a breather. But he waits seven and a half seconds, full court press or not. He waits seven and a half seconds to cross half court every time. And there's times where I'm like, is he gonna get an 8 second? Because he cuts it really close if there's press or not. I don't know. I think that's just to shorten the game a bit. That's just always what I thought. But when you look at Game 6 versus Boston, nobody scored over 25 points. It's not, you know, Brunson's capable of having a bad game and they still win. We just saw last game. So if everyone steps up, that's the key. It's intense defense. Just make your shots. It's really as simple as that. Brunson averaged 39 and a half points in game one and two. They lost. He didn't shoot well. Last game, they won. So the team's got to click. Bottom line.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Thank you, Chauncey. I think one thing to say about when he walks it up, you know, they're picking up like three quarter court and that's tiresome to do. And so sometimes what you want to do is say, okay, you're going to pick me up three quarter court. I'm not going to make it easy for you, I'm gonna make you guard me the whole way up. And so see how much you can handle it without yourself getting tired, because eventually you're gonna want to stand up because your legs are gonna get tired. And I do think sometimes you overthink stuff like that.

[Don La Greca]

Steve, in the car, you're on. Don Hanna Roseberg.

[Caller]

Hi, guys. How are you doing? Love the show. Just one thing before I get to my OG Point is that I just love that we're about to hit June, and we're talking about the Knicks, and we all have anxiety tonight, and it's not weight. We're sitting on every.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, it's June. It's almost June. You're talking about the Knicks, and it's not about like a new coach hire or what lottery pick you're hoping to get or. Yeah, yeah.

[Caller]

It's incredible. Now, last thing about OG in the fourth quarter when he shut down Nismis with that block.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Caller]

So just to help me out here, I don't. Was he playing elite defense the whole entire game or. That's where he picked up and he got to knee Smith. Because there are times even in the Boston series where he completely shut down everyone. He was up in their face, energetic and. And all over. And then there are some times where he's a little less energetic. But when it came to the nice Smith block, I mean, that was vintage O.G.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Caller]

Thank you, guys.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, Steve.

[Don La Greca]

Steve, good luck tonight.

[Alan Hahn]

He was a lot better defensively in that game. Siakam didn't dominate as much, although he shot the ball. Well, I think with OG which is what a lot of players, when it's winning time, he just takes it up a notch. And there were some win in time moments there, and he took it up a notch.

[Don La Greca]

Lavelle and Yonkers, you're on ESPN New York.

[Caller]

What's going on? Gentlemen, this is the. This is the minutes police. You have the right to remain silent. Allen the Menace police are calling.

[Alan Hahn]

It's my show.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Lavelle.

[Caller]

I got some numbers for you, okay? Straight out the precinct. Okay, now listen, you're. We all respect your basketball acumen, Alan, but I'm going to run some numbers by you. Now, I'm very always clear about how I feel about Thibodeau. It's not even just about minutes. I don't think he's that great of a coach, but I'm not even going to talk about that right now because he's our coach for now. And if we win a championship with him, he could coach the team, literally until he, he keels over on the, on the court side. I'll love him forever if he wins. But this is some numbers that I. That I find. You tell me this does not matter. The Knicks, up to this point, the Knicks starters have played 2,000 more minutes than the Indiana Pacer starters. That's half a season worth of games. That's 42 games worth more on their body, their knees, their ligaments and everything. You don't think by game five, six, that difference is going to show itself?

[Alan Hahn]

Honestly, that's what Carlisle is banking on. And yet here they are in the same exact place as the Pacers in a series that has a scoring margin of an average of what, four and a half points. So. And by the way, one of their starters is the first one hurt in the series.

[Caller]

But check it out last year.

[Alan Hahn]

So would you say though, Lavelle. Lavelle, Yeah. I gave you your chance. I have allowed to. I'm allowed to rebut.

[Caller]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes. Could you argue like Lavelle, do you work out?

[Caller]

I'm going to lie and say yes.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Caller]

I used to.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, anyway, so you used to see, you understand how working. Working out.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Right. The whole idea is, of course is to fatigue your body so that it gets stronger. Right. That's the idea of working out. As you fatigue your body, it gets stronger. Right. So the thinking with the Knicks and with Thibodeau and with Brunson and with Hart and all of the players is that they are conditioned for this time. They're conditioned for it because they've played those minutes. They're built up for it. What a lot of.

[Caller]

I got one more rebuttal before you hang up.

[Alan Hahn]

Ok?

[Don La Greca]

Ok.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm not hanging up.

[Caller]

All right.

[Alan Hahn]

The minutes police feels they always. They go with the scared technique of, well, you'll break down. The body breaks down when it's not in condition. You build up the body, you make it stronger so it can handle this. And then when you have off days, you rest on the off days, not in the game days. And that's been the approach Tibbs in the old days. And this was what was the negative and this is the criticism. That's fair. He would run three hour practice like Jeff Van Gundy used to do. You can't do that. So he learned, all right, I play my guys a lot. I got to give them the rest on the off days. So they rest on the off days. So the whole idea is they have been built up for this and that. If you ask Josh Hart he talks about it all the time. We've been built up for this all season.

[Caller]

All right, but here's my rebuttal. I don't think that's a good illustration. I think, think about running the New York City Marathon. You can't run out the starting gate full speed and expect.

[Alan Hahn]

Wait, wait. You're training for the marathon? But you tried the marathon? One race. No, it's not a marathon. No, it's not. Lovel. They're not playing every day, every game. A marathon is one race. You train for a marathon so you can get through it. So the marathon, if you're calling the marathon the playoffs, the regular season is the train first.

[Don La Greca]

I told you, these guys are waiting. They're just waiting.

[Alan Hahn]

Am I not making sense? What I am telling you is what.

[Don La Greca]

The players, they don't want to hear.

[Alan Hahn]

And the whole staff. And by the way, let me also point out the Knicks medical staff was named medical staff of the year in the NBA this year.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Probably because they're keeping these guys alive.

[Don La Greca]

Alan.

[Alan Hahn]

But it's honestly like, I'm trying to explain it for those who feel like breaking down and they're fearing the breakdown. And I'm saying. But they're telling us they've trained this season so that they don't break down at this time of year.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But the reason I think it's a silly argument from Lavelle today is that you already got a win and they.

[Alan Hahn]

Should have won game one.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, no, no, no. But what I mean is the people, the minutes police got a win yesterday in the sense that you go see there is used to you going deeper in the bench. I wish Tibbs would go deeper on the bench. It can be really useful. But don't make the argument it's fatigue when you're down 2:1 in a series that's separated by a few points and you haven't lost. Now, the one game, guys, where I saw Jalen Brunson looked fatigued, by the way, is the game that he played, 38 minutes. They've been fine. It just. It Don. It's not presenting the argument they want.

[Don La Greca]

It to present, but. But it is in the sense he gave himself away during that call when he said, I don't think Tibbs is a good coach. So he's already convinced himself Tibbs is not the man. So really, when you look at his body of work, the only thing you can go after if you're trying to support he's not a good coach is the stupid minutes. So you are wasting your breath you're making perfect sense. He doesn't want to hear it.

[Alan Hahn]

I just want to make sure I've.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Been for whatever reason, that he is a bad coach and there are people who don't like him.

[Don La Greca]

You're not going to convince these people. It's like the Yankee fans who hate Boone. The one thing about New York that could be irritating but also show you just how passionate the fans are, once they get their hooks in something, they're not going to let it go. But tell me they're convinced that somebody is something.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, they never.

[Don La Greca]

How much evidence you stock up against them. You're not going to.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's Buck, it's Coughlin, it's now Tibbs. But. But here's the thing. How much better did you believe this Knicks team was going to be than beating the Celtics and being down 2:1 in the conference finals? How much further were they supposed to be at this moment?

[Alan Hahn]

Being up to one, up to one, up three.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, up to one.

[Alan Hahn]

That's up to one. So one game, because that first game was the one that you're like, man.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you believe they should be up to one instead of down to it. And even that you were all saying, all those people who felt that way, they believed for sure, with assurance the Knicks were going to knock off the Celtics in the second round to do it.

[Don La Greca]

No, but they were convinced that they were going to make easy work of the Pacers. So that adds the fuel.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Guess what? The Pacers aren't who most of you.

[Don La Greca]

Thought they are really good. They get their hooks in something. So it was, oh, this is going to be an easy series. They should be able to wipe the floor with the Pacers. They don't. It just becomes further.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And that's on all of us, honestly, the entire local media. And when I say local, it kind of extends to national media because so much of it's based here. Like when I was on first take, all everywhere. Nixon six. Nixon five, Nixon six. We all do it. We get hyped up. They're the team we watch every day. I think all of us slept a little bit on this Pacers team, but the reality is here, guys, they're a very good team. Now, they'd probably get wiped if they get to OKC in the final, but they're a very good team.

[Don La Greca]

1-800-919-3776, 6 o' clock. It's CNN. It's all happening here on 8 80, ESPN New York and the ESPN New York app.

[Alan Hahn]

Hey, it's Alan Hunt here to Tell you about my friends at Bath Fitter. So as I've told you, they've remodeled the bath in our home. My wife Stephanie's so excited about this because we updated a bath that's down by our pool. Converted this old tub that nobody used into this gorgeous shower. So now we use it in the summer. The pool's open and we are using this shower. You get out of the pool, you wash off the chlorine. It's great for guests and when the kids have sleepovers as well. A Bath Fitter consultant took us through the process with their free and home consultation. You just pick any style and the color as well as all the specifics, accessories, everything that like Stephanie wanted, she literally got. Bedford worked fast, delivered the highest quality work. I got to tell you, it took two days. That was it. In and out. You didn't even know they were there. Clean. It was gorgeous. No delay. Bath Fitter. By the way, if you're wondering, it's permanent. A permanent solution. A one piece seamless wall for a watertight fit. And the best part, it's a lifetime guarantee. You can trust the Bath Fitter team like we did. They've been in business for 40 years with millions of happy customers. So we have the best savings of the season for you. For a limited time, you can save up to $750 on a complete Bath Fitter system. So hurry. This offer expires May 31st. Start designing your bath like we did. Visit bathfitter.com for more details.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is an ad by BetterHelp for Mental Health Awareness Month. BetterHelp surveyed 1600 people across 23 countries for its first ever State of Stigma report and found that while 75% of people believe it's wise to seek support, only 27% of Americans are in therapy. When people hesitate to get help, it doesn't just affect them. It impacts families, workplaces and entire communities. Let's encourage everyone to take care of their well being and break the stigma. The world is better when people are healthy and happy. With over 35,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. It's convenient, too. You can join a session with the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life. Plus switch therapists at any time. We're all better with help. 72% of BetterHelp members report a reduction in symptoms. Visit betterhelp.com timeout to get 10% off your first month of therapy. That's betterhelp.com timeout.

[Don La Greca]

This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Knowing you could be saving money for the things you really want is a great feeling. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle, bundle and save with the personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state. This episode is brought to you by Amazon Prime. From streaming to shopping, prime helps you get more out of your passions. So whether you're a fan of true crime or prefer a nail biting novel from time to time, with services like.

[Alan Hahn]

Prime Video, Amazon Music, and fast free.

[Don La Greca]

Delivery, prime makes it easy to get more out of whatever you're into or getting into. Visit Amazon.comprime to learn more.

[Alan Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan Hahn]

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

[Don La Greca]

That's Fans, get ready to roll with DTHRO and Rothenberg for the third annual pregame party. It all happens on Thursday, June 12th. Come join Rick and Dave Live at Publicans and that is going to be in Manhasset from 6 to 10am for your ultimate pregame party. Then ride the train with them from Manhasset Station to Citi Field. The fun starts going in the lot E at 11:30 right up to first pitch when the Mets take on the Nationals. It's all brought to you by Yingling. Traditional Lager Legends stand the test of time and Tullamore do. Because when it's game time, it's Tully time. The Mets getting out front of what's supposed to be inclement weather tomorrow night. They're moving their first pitch from 710 to 110 tomorrow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Perfect if you have kids in school.

[Don La Greca]

So if you got tickets, then you're going to have to go to an afternoon game. I'm sure they're going to be able to redeem people who can't for a voucher for another game. I don't know that officially, but usually that's what they do. But that game's been moved to 110 so that means we'll probably start the show tomorrow on 1050 and then convert over to 880 and take you up until 7 o' clock. So you do get bonus or you get to 7 o' clock. Don Hunter Rosenberg. But we'll probably have to start on 1050 with the Mets game being at 110 against the White Sox, but everything looks okay for tonight. Take you up until 6:30, then we'll be over on 10:50 from 6:30 to 7 leading up into the Knicks Pacers game four. Let's go back to the busy phones at 1-800-919-3776. Brian's in Princeton, you're on. Don Hanna, Rosenberg. What's up, Brian?

[Caller]

Hi, Don. Thanks so much for taking my call. I love the show guys. Great job as always. Don, I wanted to call out for a second. You had mentioned that the Tibbs haters don't like Tibbs because of the minutes thing. The only thing I wanted to point out is I think the Knicks fans reasonable gripes against Tibbs are a few things. One is he has a lot too long a leash for his favorite players. Right. Hart Bridges. I'm especially referring to when he let Randle like be like a little brat on the court last season, the season before and didn't do anything about it, I would say. We've also seen Tibbs get out coached in at least three different seasons in the playoffs, right? You've got the ones, the ones versus Spoestra. And we've seen games against Carlisle where he gets out coached. And I would also say that I've never seen a team have so few offensive sets like the Knicks do. So many of their sets seem to be just give the ball to Jalen and let him dribble for 19 seconds and then go figure it out. They don't seem to have a plan of attack on offense.

[Don La Greca]

Well, Brian, I'm gonna let Alan address all the things that you were complaining about. But the guy called up and said he's the minute policeman. All right, so the guys that are talking about the minutes, that's their go to. They don't like Tibbs. If they didn't like Tibbs for all the reasons that you said, well then maybe there could be a conversation agree or disagree. But the ones that go after him for the minutes, they've got their hooks in. Now Alan, you're going to dissect what he said if you want, but he is the first coach in 25 years to lead a team to the conference final. They are a perennial playoff team. So why exactly are we having a conversation about how bad a coach he is? Because why?

[Alan Hahn]

Because it's New York and he hasn't won yet.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You can't forget that.

[Alan Hahn]

And he has to win a championship.

[Don La Greca]

But he's wanted a better clip.

[Alan Hahn]

That calls is. Is the Those are. That's the men from Nick's Twitter that hates tips. So what happens is you get a couple of people who start this stuff and people read it and they read it as gospel because they want to feel something. And being out coached by Rick Carlisle last year, they lost game seven when they had no one left. They won a game five at home to take a 3, 2 series lead. There was no OG Anunoby. Hart was banged up. It was a heroic effort by the team. But he got out coached. Apparently once he ran out of players and the Spolster series, that was a game six that they had possession, a chance to win the game that could have forced a Game 7. And even Jalen Brunson admits he should have passed the ball in that play, but he shouldn't have. I should say. I think he was trying to get the ball to Randall. That was. Whatever that play was. It was. That was. It lived with him all off season because he was mad at himself because the play was there. So like that. And by the way, it's Eric Spoelster like you're talking about. Oh, you're going up against Carlisle and Spolster. He's a great coaches. You know, these. These are tough chess match battles. And yet you almost forced a game 7. One situation with a lesser talented team and the other one, you had no one left. I'm telling you, Don, I don't, I don't. I stopped trying to argue with these people because as you guys have just said on the previous one, their claws are in this. They're never going to let go. They just will continue to believe that this is a bad basketball coach. Yet when you ask anyone in the league other than Jeff Teague, who must have an axe to grind with tips. Jeff Teague's a former NBA player that played for in Minnesota that has a big podcast. He has a podcast and he just. Nothing but. Just crap on tips. Just. And it feeds into those who need content. But I'm telling you, fellow coaches, they recognize what this guy is. And I can refer everybody back to Brunson and what he says about him. And if you're doing just a little bit of work, you know, this is not a guy that's on the hot seat at all. You can have criticism of him. And I have. There's been games where I've said, you know what? Shouldn't have done that. Every coach, nobody's infallible, Everybody makes mistakes. Carlisle was getting killed for what happened in Game 3 in Indiana. He's getting killed for It. But that's just what happens. There are some fans. This is the only way they know how to fan. They don't fan any other way other than I don't like the coach. I don't trust him. I don't think he's any good. That means that you've hated every Knicks coach. You hated Jeff Van Gundy. Don't tell me that you didn't hate Jeff Van Gundy. If you can't stand Tibbs.

[Don La Greca]

No, but same coach. But that doesn't matter. Like what I said before is they had an impression of him when they hired him that they're just not going to let go because of what happened.

[Alan Hahn]

Two and a half years.

[Don La Greca]

So it doesn't matter. You're throwing logic in basketball and X's and O's. They didn't like him. And they're going to find anything to not like him because they're not going to be reversed by it unless they turn around and win a championship. And maybe that won't even be enough. Who knows? The one series I would say that was a bad loss. I did think the Miami loss was bad. I thought they were the better team. And then Butler got hurt. Remember, he wasn't 100%. And they still let it slip through their fingers. It's going to happen. Okay. But since then they've bounced back nicely. You know, almost probably go to the conference final last year if not for the injuries. They're in the conference final here still with a chance to win the series. Bouncing back after two brutal losses at home. But you're convinced otherwise. It happens with the Rangers. It happens with all teams. Yeah, I fight it with the Rangers. There were people that didn't like the hire of Laviolette.

[Alan Hahn]

Boone takes it though. Boone every year.

[Don La Greca]

And they took a bow when Laviolette got fired. The Yankee fans with Boone. I got friends who hate Mendoza, believe it or not. What I got a buddy of mine. Every time they lose a game, Mendoza.

[Alan Hahn]

Mendoza's fault. There are people. I really do think there are people in the world that don't like authority. They don't really like people that have like that be all end all leadership. And so they're always the first to blame. It's like the corporation failed cuz the CEO sucks. Not because the workers aren't working well or the plan or whatever it is. There's always. It's just. You have to go to the top and blame the guy in charge.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But that's. But that's usually.

[Alan Hahn]

That's human nature.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But. And by the way, I think it's usually the right way to approach things. If a place is chronically failing. Usually the common thread. Exactly.

[Alan Hahn]

Failing is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The common thread is usually at the top.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

In fact, I would say.

[Alan Hahn]

And that's when you're failing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But now. But no. In the case of the Knicks, there have been times when that has been true.

[Alan Hahn]

Not being as good as you want it to be a different thing than.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Failing outright failing and going all the.

[Don La Greca]

Way to the top.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But guess what? The top has now decided to do things differently. They've brought in a group that really knows what they're doing. And guess what? They're not failing. They're succeeding. So you're treating them like as if there's some failure happening when all they've done so far in this current regime is go the right direction and now get themselves three wins from a final.

[Alan Hahn]

He's a bad coach, but he's third on the all time wins list. But in franchise history.

[Don La Greca]

Crazy.

[Alan Hahn]

We all bad coach, though. Well, he's going to be third. I should say he's fourth. But he's like, you know, on the verge.

[Don La Greca]

As a talk show host, we've all had opinions and we root to be right. I don't want my opinions to be wrong.

[Alan Hahn]

Good point.

[Don La Greca]

And I think because of podcasts and the callers and social media, everybody is a talk show host and they all have their opinions and they root to be right. And sometimes I think they actually root to be right to the detriment of the team that they root for, which is so bizarre. So they didn't like the Boone hire. They're gonna hammer Boone and then it'll be a celebration when Boone gets fired and when the Yankees are awful because they ended up being right. You hear when something actually happens that a caller said, they're the first to call up and say, I told you. Yep, I told you this was going to happen. I told you that was a bad hire. And I get it. I want to be right, too. I don't say things and want to be wrong. I root to be right, but not at the expense of the teams that I root for, you know, and. But I think that's what it comes down to. They got their hooks and tips from the beginning and there's no change in anybody's mind about it. Let's go to. How about Sammy in the car? You're on espn, New York. Hey, Sami. All right. Problem. We'll continue with your calls. Coming up next. 377-6-6, it's Don Hahn. And Rosenberg take you up until 6:30 on 880 and then convert over to 1050 till 7 for Knicks and the Pacers right here on 880 ESPN New York and the ESPN New York app.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well guys, May is Mental Health Awareness month so I'm encouraging everyone to take care of your well being and break the stigma because the world is better when people are healthy and happy. Mental health awareness is growing, but there's still progress to be made. 26% of Americans who participated in a recent survey say they've avoided seeking mental health support due to fear of judgment. All right, I personally know what that's like and I know what it's like to speak out about seeking treatment. And yeah, at first people were a bit judgmental. But over time people have learned to understand the value of getting help. And BetterHelp has over 10 years of experience matching people with the right therapists from their diverse network of more than 30,000 licensed therapists with a wide range of specialties. BetterHelp is fully online making therapy affordable and convenient, serving over 5 million people worldwide. Easily switch therapists at any time at no extra cost. We're all better with help. Visit betterhelp.com timeout to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com timeout.

[Alan Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Alan Hahn]

Save valid through 528 mulch offer excludes Alaska and Hawaii select majority varies by location while supplies last. Seelows.com for more details.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Alan Hahn]

But anyone can get the same Premium.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Alan Hahn]

So do like I did and have.

[Peter Rosenberg]

One of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail].

[Alan Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Alan Hahn]

Required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and extra feeful [e-mail] race the rudders. Race the sails.

[Don La Greca]

Race the sails.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Captain, an unidentified ship is approaching.

[Alan Hahn]

Over. Roger, wait. Is that an enterprise sales solution? Reach Sales professionals, not professional sailors. With LinkedIn ads, you can target the right people by industry, job title and more. We'll even give you a $100 credit.

[Peter Rosenberg]

On your next campaign.

[Alan Hahn]

Get started today at LinkedIn.com results.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Terms and conditions apply.

[Alan Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan Hahn]

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is it the Jizza anniversary? No. God Blood.

[Don La Greca]

Game Time is brought to you by Tell Mordew Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, you couldn't keep up.

[Alan Hahn]

Could have done it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Show me something.

[Don La Greca]

Hi driver John Stratus.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not a night.

[Don La Greca]

It's probably time. I really think the one at the Garden was longer.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not as good though. The audio's not as good.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know that the audio was.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I'm telling you. I don't know why.

[Don La Greca]

Usually good with this. So I'm gonna.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, there's, there's music playing or something. Something made it not as good.

[Don La Greca]

The Knicks looked even up their Eastern Conference final series with the with coverage immediately following us on 1050 at 7. The Mets continue their series with the White Sox. Coverage starts at 6:30 right here on 880. And the Liberty are in action. So are the Yankees Tullamore due. The original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast matured Iris whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore due and try the new Tullamore Dew Honey during today's action. Glasses up to enjoy responsibly.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm going to have some tonight when I head on over.

[Alan Hahn]

Read that for me because it's awkward if I read it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, I'm going to enjoy some Tully tonight over at Jake's Dilemma. Some greats and near greats are going to come hang out. So if you want to take in the game. I'm excited to get to watch a game with the people. And also our friends at MSG Networks are back tonight with our long pre and post game shows for Game 4 between the Knicks and the Paces. Of course, tune in at 7 for the pregame show with Alan. That's right, Alan Hahn right here. Wally Zerbiak and Bill Peto. And then come on back to MSG Networks right after the final buzzer. That's one hour pre and post game shows on MSG Networks tonight and for every game of the Knicks playoff run. And.

[Don La Greca]

It'S, it's a lot.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's a major Commitment to play.

[Don La Greca]

But that's the reason it sounds.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it sounds fine. You're fine. But it's too. Really?

[Don La Greca]

Who has that kind of time?

[Peter Rosenberg]

But no, that's the thing. We have a show to do, for God's sake.

[Don La Greca]

That's the.

[Alan Hahn]

We'd have to go to a break right after the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's too much. But no, he knew it was a lot. He was listening, going, this is going on too long.

[Don La Greca]

I'm impressed.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And by the way, the funny thing is the people there, because that was outside of the Garden at the fan Plaza, they had no idea we were doing. Because most of the people there were not listeners. They were just, you know, Knicks fans who happened to be there. So Don starts screaming, it's Holly time. They got no clue why this lunatic who looks like Santa Claus is screaming like this. And then as it goes on at the end, they start getting on board because he's such a raging, raving lunatic that by the end, you could send some real camaraderie with the people. That's what makes it special.

[Don La Greca]

I just. I just saw this. It's getting a little disgusting.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, no.

[Don La Greca]

This is like the second time in a week the WNBA has had to send out.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I saw this.

[Don La Greca]

A statement about some racist comments during a WNBA game involving the fever. I mean, this. This is ridiculous.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, what happened now?

[Don La Greca]

Well, what happened?

[Alan Hahn]

So. So there was. So was it against the sky? Yes, against. With. Of course, Angel Reese is involved.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That was from.

[Alan Hahn]

They played again and there was accusations of the first time racist comments towards their players and all that stuff from the crowd at Gainbridge in Indiana. And so the. The league and did an investigation into it and found nothing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

They talked to people courtside, they talked to fans, staff, everybody. And that was around. And no one heard anything of the light. Yeah, that's what I saw. The league then said, kind of said like, so. So it's. This investigation's closed moving forward. And I think a lot of what you're getting now are people who are saying that when this first came out, it was on every talk show. It was talked about. It was a big deal that no one will say this part now that it was all, you know.

[Don La Greca]

Well, that's why I wanted to bring it up, because false alarm. But listen, I'm sure that there are things that go on. I'm not trying to deny that. But, you know, it's like, enough is enough already.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So wait, was there. So there's. What's the.

[Don La Greca]

But. But.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, the news is that there Was nothing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, the news. There was nothing.

[Don La Greca]

Alan's point is. And the reason I wanted to bring up is because when it first came out, it's all anybody talked about. But then the statement that nothing happened, that doesn't get talked about.

[Alan Hahn]

Nope.

[Don La Greca]

So I just thought it should be at least brought up.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But also, it was a weird.

[Alan Hahn]

You did. I thought it'd be an ENN vehicle.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was a weird one, though, too, because even at the time that it happened, there was no information on it. So I don't know. I can't. I don't know how everybody else viewed those things, but I always sort of viewed it from the lens of this doesn't feel like there's a lot of here. But listen, guys, get used to it. Everything related to Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese is gonna be filled with this stuff. And the question I have is, it's bird magic. But was it. But were people saying was racial stuff a thing during that conversation?

[Alan Hahn]

In Boston?

[Peter Rosenberg]

In Boston.

[Alan Hahn]

But again, there was no social media. And so a lot of it was just all hearsay and talked about, but not. And maybe written in books, but none of it really became what it is today, because today it's like living.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's right out there in the moment.

[Alan Hahn]

And in the moment and the emotions and it draws you in, and it's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, not only that, it's put into your.

[Alan Hahn]

For you, like, as if this is what I want to look at.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And they were used to it too. So, like, the sad part is, at that time, those Lakers players who grew up playing high school ball and would go play teams in different places, they'd probably all heard bad things. So as a society was like, well, yeah, and.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, and it's like, yeah, it's Boston.

[Alan Hahn]

You got to live with it.

[Don La Greca]

Exactly. Whereas now there was no investing, no statement.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don La Greca]

Hey, you know, toughen up.

[Alan Hahn]

Right, Right. People. That's what they do there.

[Don La Greca]

But people.

[Peter Rosenberg]

People are. People are really the worst, though, too. Like, you know, and. And obviously people last week speculating on the relationship between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark when behind the scenes, at least all appearances are they're just regular basketball rivals. Doesn't appear there's anything particular.

[Alan Hahn]

But you know what? Here's the problem. While that in its own should be a compelling rivalry because there are two really good players that play two very different style of games and played in.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The same time and are.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, and all that stuff, it should be compelling. It's. This is a spicier thing because it involves casuals. It involves people who aren't really sports fans.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

And it draws them in. And for the wnba, like, think about this. So she's going to miss two weeks, right. With this, the injury, Caitlyn.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

On the resale market. The Fever tickets, by the way, they've sold every arena out, down 71% because she's not playing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

She is a draw. It's undeniable, and there's nothing you can say about it. She's a draw. She's a great player who's also a draw. It's good for the league, but it's also what comes with it is the surface people that are there for just.

[Peter Rosenberg]

To say this all her. Right.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

It's a good thing and it's a bad thing.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes. Yes.

[Don La Greca]

She's not going to live forever and there's gonna be time. She's gonna be out, but, you know, trying to generate whatever you can. I saw that. So I figured I would just throw.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

No, it's 1-800-919-3776. Let's go to Rich in Rockville Center. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Rich?

[Caller]

So I actually was gonna ask about, would you. What lineup would you start the game One first, Game three lineup. But I kind of want to go to the minutes police because they lambast everyone for playing every minute, like during basketball games. But you want like every NFL lineman, deploy every snap together. You want every stud NHL defenseman to play like 30 minutes a game. Like, is this just an NBA thing or is this.

[Alan Hahn]

It's a great point, Rich, because it's so true. What do coaches always say about an offensive line that struggles? Well, they don't really get a lot of time together because, you know, guys are missing time or not in a lineup or some guys can't practice. Right. But I got to shout out a guy named Adam on Twitter who said this when we talked about the conditioning earlier. He said it's the same reason why pitchers get hurt, because they're conditioned for 100 pitches or less. Al lighter could throw 150, no problem. Like, there was just a time where you were conditioned for it and you're not anymore. And I think in the NBA, there's just become this thing that, you know, they're protecting players from injury by not having them play a lot. And I coincidentally, there's more injuries than.

[Don La Greca]

Ever before right now, if there was. But I guess the comp would be if there was a team where their manager wanted their pitchers to exceed 100 pitches, wanted their pitchers to go beyond six innings, go right to go three, four times through the order. And you started to see there was a history where those pitchers weren't available late in the season or in the postseason because they got hurt. I guess it's a similar situation there. The comp, and it's going back a long way is Billy Martin. When he was the manager of the Oakland A's, he wore his pitchers out, right? Remember they had Kingman. I remember all the different pictures they had. They were all on the COVID of Sports Illustrated and like, they all wore down and the A's couldn't get over the hump. It was like similar to that. Now I'm going back, you know, 40 plus years ago. But it's that. That idea. But no, no, nobody does that. Nobody's bucked that trend. Alan. Nolan Ryan tried to do it in Texas. I need my pitchers to pitch more. But, you know, that didn't seem to work. Guys just seem to get hurt no matter what. But it seems like everybody has followed suit. This is like everybody in the NBA doing load management. The Knicks are the one team that bucks that trend. We don't see that in baseball. It seems like everybody's doing the analytics. Everybody's. You know, the way they're trading most of These pitchers, like deGrom, you get all excited. DeGrom's pitching again. It's same like with the Mets. He'll go six innings, lights out, and then you're back to the bullpen.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don La Greca]

That's not. That's not fun to me.

[Alan Hahn]

No, but that's the way they do it.

[Don La Greca]

And. And what happens? The grom ended up still getting hurt. Anyway. These pictures, the job of rules. Guess what happened? Job.

[Alan Hahn]

I got hurt. Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

All right. Enn's coming up next. It's all happening right here on 880 ESPN New York and ESPN New York app.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Alan Hahn]

For listening to the Don Hahn 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.