Hour 3: Knicks Coaching Search

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 3: Knicks Coaching Search Summary

Release Date: June 9, 2025

In this engaging episode of the Don, Hahn & Rosenberg podcast, hosts Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg delve into a mix of personal anecdotes, fan etiquette, and in-depth analysis of the New York Knicks' ongoing coaching search. The episode seamlessly transitions from heartfelt discussions about parenting and appreciation to the high-stakes world of professional basketball coaching decisions, culminating in a comparative analysis of the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals.

---

1. Parental Appreciation and Modern Etiquette

Timestamp: 01:12 – 05:02

The episode kicks off with Peter Rosenberg sharing a personal story about arranging Uber rides for his son's group of friends after a weekend getaway at a Minnesota lake house. Faced with the logistical challenge of transporting five young adults back to New York, Peter opts for an Uber SUV instead of driving himself, despite concerns about cost and the lack of a personal thank you from the group.

Notable Quotes:

• Peter Rosenberg [02:11]: "I just said, forget it. Uber got an SUV, picked them up, took them home."
• Alan Hahn [03:44]: "That is the right thing to do."

The conversation evolves into a broader discussion about the importance of expressing gratitude. Peter questions whether expecting a simple thank you is reasonable, while Alan and Don advocate for appreciating such gestures without monetary compensation. They explore the generational gap in expressing thanks and the cultural shift in how younger generations perceive acknowledgment from parents.

Notable Quotes:

• Peter Rosenberg [03:50]: "Thank you is payment enough. Am I out of line?"
• Don La Greca [05:25]: "Get a thank you card or get his number and call him, reach out to him."

The segment highlights the hosts' perspectives on maintaining traditional values of appreciation amidst evolving social norms, emphasizing that a heartfelt thank you remains a meaningful gesture.

---

2. Knicks Coaching Search

Timestamp: 26:07 – 35:28

Transitioning from personal anecdotes, Don La Greca brings the focus to the pressing issue of the New York Knicks' coaching situation. The discussion centers around the potential hiring of Jason Kidd as the next head coach and the dynamics within the Knicks' front office, particularly the influence of team owner James Dolan.

Key Points:

• Potential Candidates: The possibility of Jason Kidd stepping into the Knicks' coaching role is examined, considering his previous tenure as a player and coach in New York and his rapport with star player Jalen Brunson.
• Front Office Dynamics: The hosts speculate on the internal decision-making processes, debating whether the move to hire Kidd is a strategic attempt to appease fan demands or a genuine effort to enhance the team's performance.
• Historical Context: References to past coaching trades and the 90s Knicks era provide a backdrop for understanding current tensions and expectations.

Notable Quotes:

• Don La Greca [26:19]: "When you ask, you're going to hire them. So essentially, when the Knicks express interest, the ball will be in the Mavericks' court..."
• Peter Rosenberg [28:07]: "He's been a good coach. He's bounced around a lot."

The hosts delve into the implications of potentially replacing Tom Thibodeau, evaluating Kidd's coaching style and his ability to build a cohesive team culture. They discuss the delicate balance between honoring the existing team's dynamics and introducing new leadership to drive the Knicks towards championship contention.

Notable Quotes:

• Alan Hahn [30:11]: "How are the front office of the Knicks going to function? Worldwide is an energy around his boss."
• Don La Greca [31:20]: "He talked to the players. If it was an irrational decision and all done, why would he even bother talking to the players?"

The segment underscores the complex interplay between ownership, coaching, and player relations, highlighting the challenges the Knicks face in making decisions that satisfy both internal stakeholders and the passionate fanbase.

---

3. NBA vs. Stanley Cup Finals: A Comparative Analysis

Timestamp: 37:39 – 47:22

Shifting gears, the hosts engage in a spirited comparison between the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals. Peter Rosenberg expresses his opinion that the recent Stanley Cup games have eclipsed the NBA Finals in terms of excitement and quality, a sentiment that Don and Alan explore further.

Key Points:

• Game Quality and Engagement: Peter argues that the Stanley Cup Finals delivered more compelling and epic games compared to the NBA Finals, citing dramatic endings and standout performances.
• Fan Engagement and Ratings: The hosts discuss factors influencing viewership, such as team popularity, star players, and market size. They note that the Stanley Cup features consistently strong teams with recognizable stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, which may contribute to higher engagement.
• Broadcast and Presentation: Commentary on the broadcast quality and the role of announcers, particularly criticizing Mike Breen for his lack of enthusiasm in pivotal moments, adds another layer to the discussion.

Notable Quotes:

• Peter Rosenberg [38:09]: "The first two games of the Stanley Cup Final completely blew the NBA Finals out of the water."
• Alan Hahn [39:16]: "I didn't listen to anything you just said."

The conversation touches on the importance of storytelling and star power in maintaining high viewership and excitement levels during championship series. The hosts highlight how the presence of dynamic players and intense rivalries can make or break the appeal of a sports finale.

Notable Quotes:

• Don La Greca [43:24]: "It's all going to be about market size because they're regional sports."
• Peter Rosenberg [46:15]: "There's nothing else that draws you in."

In conclusion, the hosts ponder the sustainability of both leagues' finals in captivating audiences, considering the evolving landscape of sports entertainment and the continuous need for compelling narratives and standout talent.

---

Closing Remarks

As the episode wraps up, the hosts briefly touch upon upcoming events and encourage listeners to engage with their content across various platforms. The blend of personal stories, professional insights, and dynamic discussions exemplifies the podcast's commitment to providing listeners with a well-rounded perspective on sports and beyond.

---

Notable Overall Quotes:

• Don La Greca [24:53]: "What if I was scratching? I need to know that I'm on camera."
• Alan Hahn [35:34]: "By Mastercard International, Inc."

This episode offers a rich tapestry of conversations, balancing heartfelt personal experiences with incisive sports analysis, making it a must-listen for fans interested in both the human side of sports and the strategic decisions shaping their favorite teams.

Transcript

[Alan Hahn]

The new McCrispy strip is here. Dip approved by Ketchup, tangy barbecue, honey mustard, honey mustard, Sprite, McFlurry, Big Mac sauce. Double dipped in buffalo and ranch. More ranch and creamy chili. McCrispy strip dip now at McDonald's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don La Greca]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3.

[Peter Rosenberg]

On 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.

[Don La Greca]

Game time is brought to you by Tullamore to Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, guys.

[Alan Hahn]

That'S tally time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, you needed two breaths in that one.

[Alan Hahn]

I did. He's better than me. Shows you he's a goat.

[Don La Greca]

No locals in action tonight. Mets, Yankees, all for that.

[Alan Hahn]

I gave you all for that.

[Don La Greca]

But game three of the cup final tonight at 8 o' clock over on TNT. Tullimore Dew. The original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew or try the new Tullamore Dew Honey during today's action. Glasses up to enjoying Tullamore Dew responsibly.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Can I take that to the air, Don, you think? Yes, I think that's something that a lot of people wonder about. Generation gap. Yeah, sure, Peter. I was telling Don. So my son and his friends went to one of my oldest friends. They have a lake house in Minnesota. It's beautiful setup. And this is like a couple of years now. The group, you know, guys and girls all go together and they go out and they spend a couple of days in the lake house and they have a great time.

[Alan Hahn]

Sounds awesome.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Lake, the whole thing. And so they come home last night.

[Don La Greca]

Kind of sounds like American Pie.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's very like, I'm feeling it. It's very much right. It's one of those kind of things. And, you know, they come home late last night, fly back from Minnesota into LaGuardia. And they need a way to get home, all of them. Now I'm not. I just drove home from Boston with Cali. I'm not driving to LaGuardia now to pick up people. No, we don't have a car big enough for all of them. So we'd have to take both our cars and we're not doing it right. They had no other parents that could do it either.

[Alan Hahn]

How many kids this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was five of them. I believe that they needed rides. The other. The other two didn't. Must have had their car or something else. Whatever. Somebody picked them up. So in the end I just said, forget it. Uber got an suv, picked Them up, took them home.

[Alan Hahn]

You sent an Uber?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Yeah. You know, and that's not cheap.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So the next morning, I see. I see Zach, and, you know, he's like, I know, whatever. And I'm like, didn't get any thank yous. He's like, oh. They were all, like, telling me how, like, you didn't have to do that. And I'm like, hey, he told you that. But I'm like, you know, old school. Like, just little appreciation, you know?

[Alan Hahn]

Did you see that? You didn't see them?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't see them, no. Because they all were taken home.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So only. The only ones that came home was Zach and his girlfriend. So I just, you know, I felt like, you know, a little appreciation. It doesn't. Doesn't hurt. So I got one. I just got a text from one of his friends, Matty. He sent me a text, thank you so much. And he adorable. Says, like, how much do I owe you for my portion? I'm like, all right, that's nice. The thank you is payment enough. Am I out of line?

[Alan Hahn]

Go ahead.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Feeling like, you know, appreciation. Like when somebody says, oh, your dad didn't have to. All right, send my dad a text. Just tell him, thank you. Because it does. And I've made it clear to him in the past that means a lot to me. Just the appreciation. That's all. I don't care. I'm willing to do it. I'm thinking through, am I. Is it. Is that, like, too much, or is that traditionally, it's the right thing to do? Because I know if that was him and another parent. Did I tell him, text the parents, say thank you.

[Alan Hahn]

That is the right thing to do.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

To reach out to the parent and thank them.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

Do all the kids have your number?

[Peter Rosenberg]

But he does.

[Alan Hahn]

But then he'd be saying, hey, here's my dad's number.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thank you. I don't care about that.

[Alan Hahn]

But that is a weird spot. I would feel weird a little. I'm just trying to think from his perspective.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

Would I feel weird being him?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Take a video in the car and everybody says thank you. Like, these kids take videos of everything now.

[Alan Hahn]

But now you're so. So it's. You're. You're then kind of putting it on your son to make sure all of his friends are polite and say thank you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Nothing you're saying is wrong.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right?

[Alan Hahn]

I'm just trying to think about what would actually make sense as, like, what would. Or is it they just see you next time and say, hey, Mr. Hahn, thanks so much for the ride last time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don't know when I'd see most of them. You know what I mean? So, like I said, I just.

[Alan Hahn]

What do you think?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't want. I don't want money. I. I don't want you to have.

[Alan Hahn]

No, you want.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thank you. I just like, hey, thank you for that. Listen, I'm not really nice of you.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm not a great person to ask. My wife literally had a conversation.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thank you.

[Alan Hahn]

About how she said, you need to spend more. You need to talk to your therapist some about how much you need recognition for everything that you do. Because I am very much like, hey, Nat, I cleaned all the bottles.

[Don La Greca]

Hey.

[Alan Hahn]

Hey, Natalie, I did the blah, blah. Hey, Natalie, I wiped down the blah, blah, blah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no, no. It's not necessarily a bot.

[Alan Hahn]

So I like thank you is what I'm saying, though. I'm with you. I like a thank you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I. I don't like to me how they've done it. All right, Don. Well, the thing is, Peter's giving his side. How do you feel? I'm old school. I just feel like when it's something of that magnitude, a little appreciation is the only thing that needs to be done here.

[Don La Greca]

There's the selfishness of wanting the appreciation, but you also want to set the tone for, like, if he's not saying thank you to me, is he. Is he saying thank you to other people? Like, the one thing I say with.

[Alan Hahn]

My kids is saying it means the other kids.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah. My show right away was like, wow, thanks. Like, he texted me right away. I'll give him credit.

[Don La Greca]

Do they know all the information? Like, did they.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Don La Greca]

So they knew that because they didn't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Know how they're getting home. And he said, oh, my dad got us.

[Alan Hahn]

It's. You know what? I have something.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What do you got?

[Alan Hahn]

It's if you have any relationship with the parents.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, none.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, none, None. So I was gonna say it'd be more on the parents. Like, wow, that's so nice.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, these are. These are. These are early 20s kids. They're not. These aren't 14 year olds.

[Alan Hahn]

Your kids are all in their early. This is like early 20s.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, they're like 20, 21 year olds.

[Don La Greca]

It does feel like you're grasping. It's like there' a lack of reality in this thing. Like, I just think kids don't think they thank Zach. So I think that's. That's enough. And Zach is going to go back to his dad and say.

[Alan Hahn]

And say they all say, thank you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Appreciate it.

[Don La Greca]

If I'm one of the parents and I find. How did you get home? Oh, well, Alan, Zach's dad was able to get an Uber for, for everybody. That, that must have cost a lot of money. You know, get a thank you card or get his number and call him, reach out to him. That, that's really. Or I would probably then call Alan even if I didn't know him and say, really thanks for bailing my. My kid out. That's really, like, you want to make some sort of an effort. But I do think there's a generation of kids just the feeling.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know when I grew up, that's what it was always about. It was always about go say, you know, make sure you say things. Show appreciation. That's all it is. And it's not for doing the dishes. It's for like something of the magnitude of.

[Alan Hahn]

You got them a black. Yeah, it's like two. That's a couple hundred bucks.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, you know what this was, though. Don't I see another moment in learning how Alan Han. Psychotic. I need the drop. I got. I'm going to come up with the right production.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Why am I. Why is that psychotic?

[Alan Hahn]

It's not psychotic space, but how are you going to get the proper thank you? It's just such a tough spot. Like, besides your son saying it, a bunch of 22 asking for you. I mean, no, if there was one among them who was truly like, if there's someone in his group who's like, they're going to run for office one day, like they're that polite. They're. They're on point. That kid asked for the phone number.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's Matty Barnes. That's Maddie he sent me to.

[Alan Hahn]

So Maddie is the one who one day you're going to find out Mayor.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's already running his own business, by the way.

[Alan Hahn]

Exactly.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's 20. He's 21. He's running those.

[Alan Hahn]

He gets it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So he definitely gets it.

[Alan Hahn]

But. But for another 21 year old who doesn't do it, it doesn't mean they're a bad kid.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it's just an extra step. Bad kids. These are all great kids. I'm asking, am I wrong just to say to my son, like, you know, just a little appreciation, that's all.

[Alan Hahn]

No, but.

[Don La Greca]

No but there's just another. There's another darker side to it. It's unfortunate, but we live with it.

[Alan Hahn]

Go ahead.

[Don La Greca]

Is this about Alan being not in radio? Assuming that we're all like, borderline billionaires. And Alan wouldn't turn around to pick up the $200 if it dropped out of his pocket because he's got his own radio show.

[Alan Hahn]

He wouldn't even know.

[Don La Greca]

Don't even say thank you to him because he does the.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I've been doing it 20 years and I'm the guy with money.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, no, he doesn't, he doesn't believe that. He's saying that's what they think.

[Don La Greca]

That's what they think. I do get that a lot. That is especially from family members who just like when if I do something nice, they're appreciative. But I get a sense like, well, yeah, but you know, you're sitting on it. By the way, if you knew multimillion dollar contract.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Stephanie, who's Kathy Cooper?

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. She's Kathy Coupon. Draws a life to get the wallet open. Right. She even was like, yeah, yeah, let's do that. So you know, it tells you.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, it was a very nice thing to do, but sometimes in life I.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Just needed a ruling.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, I could be wrong.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You could tell me I'm wrong and I'll never do it again.

[Don La Greca]

No, you're not wrong.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Old school. When it comes to like, you know.

[Don La Greca]

Kind of on you Now I understand it now, Adam. And Staten island is on Peter's side with Alan being nuts. What's up?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that part's for sure.

[Adam]

Alan, Alan, Alan, you're wrong.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What are you wrong?

[Alan Hahn]

You don't, you don't need a thank.

[Don La Greca]

You from your kids friend.

[Adam]

That's ridiculous. Outside of your son saying thank you.

[Alan Hahn]

And then, then maybe saying to him.

[Adam]

Hey, tell your dad thanks.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, are you, you want to say moment? Yeah. No, no, I mean, what's his name is called? I. I'm Adam. You're figuring it out. This is a crazy man. You're just learning, Adam. He's a crazy man.

[Adam]

I'm assuming, I'm assuming that you didn't do it for a thank you. I'm assuming that much.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I did it so I wouldn't have to.

[Adam]

And, and you're the cool dad who.

[Alan Hahn]

Got your kid and his and his.

[Adam]

Friends a nice car to get a ride home in.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, you don't do it for the thank you. And who expects to thank you from.

[Don La Greca]

All of the friends?

[Alan Hahn]

You expect them all to find a way to thank you personally.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, Adam, this is why I asked the question. I didn't say I was right. I was just wondering.

[Don La Greca]

I think they're being easy on you. I Think they're being easy on you.

[Adam]

Right now because they care about you.

[Alan Hahn]

I, I, I only know you from.

[Adam]

Appreciating you on post Game, so I could tell you how it is. You are absolutely nuts.

[Alan Hahn]

Thank you. I love that. I love. By the way, I think we have the segment.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

I think is, Is Alan nuts?

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Might be just be the same.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And he tells us sponsored by nuts.com.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Or we are planters. No. Or what you call it that you peanut shoe.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

We get, we get the golden peanut shoe going again.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let's get on that.

[Alan Hahn]

But yeah, I think Don's onto something too. People assume that you're in entertainment. You just pick up the tab all the time. And that can get old. And you're like, hey, I'm doing okay, but let's all relax. I can't pick up every tab. The other day when I was in la, I was having dinner with Dipperstein and my buddy, the last professional broadcaster, Sam Roberts, and aw, wrestling star mjf. Either one or drive a Dodge Stratus. I drive a Dodge Stratus. And we went to mjf. Really wanted to go on the roller coaster at the pier in Santa Monica.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

And we had some dinner and he's, he's like a roller coaster guy. And I love roller coasters. But I got, I'll be honest, I just had some Chilean sea bass margaritas.

[Don La Greca]

You didn't see it again?

[Alan Hahn]

I was like, I don't know if post sea bass margaritas. No, I can tell, but I'm doing it. No, I did it.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, you did it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I did it. Wow.

[Alan Hahn]

We took the walk. We went down there and we walk up to the window and it's 20, 25 at the Santa Monica Pier, which is like a, it's, it's, it's Coney island to Jace.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay. How much do you think they charge to just you could you pay, you're paying just for that ride. Just for that ticket. Just. And it's, it's, it's to be. The ride is confirmed. Cyclone Jace. It's not as good as the Cyclone. Does not have the drop of the Cyclone. Cyclone Adjace. What do you think they were charging per.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That seems high.

[Alan Hahn]

That's for one. That's, that's, that's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm gonna go 10 bucks.

[Alan Hahn]

17.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, so I wasn't that far.

[Alan Hahn]

You weren't that far.

[Don La Greca]

Went over.

[Alan Hahn]

But that's 70 bucks for four people to ride a ride. Anyways. Max, who has an exorbitant contract with aew said, hey, this is my thing. I got it. And I think my response was literally, you're goddamn right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You'Re rich now. I don't know. When you're on the road with them, you don't get per diem, right? Like, that's not part of your.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no. If I, if I, if I was like having dinner, if I had dinner by myself, I might bill it to them.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You could.

[Alan Hahn]

But if I'm going. Yeah, but if I'm going out to.

[Peter Rosenberg]

A nice dinner, Don. You know, you know, the whole per diem, like, you get there with the Rangers. So if you meet, if you're out, like let's say Chicago, and there's a friend of yours lives in Chicago and you go out to dinner, you cover that, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, because it's like how much per diem you get.

[Don La Greca]

I don't think that's public.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, but enough.

[Alan Hahn]

It's enough to cover a friend.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, are you kidding? Yeah, yeah, it's pretty good.

[Alan Hahn]

Really?

[Peter Rosenberg]

NBA is pretty good. I don't want any chill. But anyway, NBA is pretty good.

[Alan Hahn]

Really?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Per day.

[Alan Hahn]

So you're saying I should be looking for when I get my eighth Rosenberg job. The next one sounds like MSG should be.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It should be an NBA gig.

[Alan Hahn]

An NBA gig, really?

[Peter Rosenberg]

But no, but, but.

[Don La Greca]

So it's a league thing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, it's a league mandated league.

[Don La Greca]

I mean, it's the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You don't put in an expense, you just get. It's like, it's like ahead of like, you just get it. But who gives it back in the day? How do they give it? Give you an envelope with cash in it.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, that was great. I mean, they'd be walking down the aisle just handing out envelopes of cash.

[Alan Hahn]

That's how they used to do it, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

To the casino.

[Alan Hahn]

And now what do they do? It just hits your bank account.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah, you do. Like, you, you submit like 150 smackers. I'm not saying a word. I'm just saying that you go out.

[Alan Hahn]

And there's nothing but 150 smackers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You should cover it. It's the right thing to do. It's the right thing to do.

[Alan Hahn]

By the way. I just want to be clear too. Every restaurant on earth right now, that's like nicer than Chi Chi's. Okay? A celebration of food. Every restaurant that's just like one notch up. Like, it's nice, right? You can't get out if it's two people eating for under a hundred.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, no, no chance.

[Alan Hahn]

And by the way, if the restaurant's kind of nice. 200. You're expecting to drop 200 bucks?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'll say this for those in Huntington, Mateos, you can do it.

[Alan Hahn]

Mateo's. You can get out. For how much?

[Don La Greca]

Oh, is that where we went?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Where do we go in Huntington? No, this is Huntington.

[Don La Greca]

Where do we go? You and I, we were in Farmingdale.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You and I, Ty, where did we go?

[Alan Hahn]

I wasn't there. It was after the live. It was after the live show that I didn't. I wasn't there.

[Don La Greca]

The super bowl show.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm so confused. I didn't know that was a different place. And by the way, they loved that we were there.

[Don La Greca]

Okay, that was good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That was in Rockville Center. I forgot the name, but it was a great spot. No, this is Mateo's in Huntington. And I'm telling you, it's my favorite spot. Stephanie and I go there a ton. And I'm only saying it because they're so good to me. You can get out with for two, eat well under 100.

[Don La Greca]

That's pretty.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And it's. And it's really like.

[Alan Hahn]

That's very.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not Olive Garden. It's. It's good.

[Alan Hahn]

Drinks make it brutal. I mean, if you that that now that's the story.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You don't drink, you get a glass of wine. That's it. But a little more than that. Forget it.

[Don La Greca]

Danny on Long island, you're on the ESPN deal.

[Alan Hahn]

Speaking of which.

[Adam]

Speaking of which. I don't know what that means, but Peter, by the way, I wasn't inferring anyone. Anyone west of the Hudson river can't make pizza. I like pizza in all types, all styles. I could eat a Tree tavern pizza at 10 o' clock at night watching a Met game and enjoy it out of my freezer.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But.

[Adam]

So I think it took it 12 step too far. But I wasn't inferring. And no one in the world knows how to make pizz. Going to dive into this comment.

[Alan Hahn]

The speaking of which really quick. The speaking of which was because we were just talking about food on Long.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Island the other day.

[Adam]

Okay, I'm going to dive into the Han incident here because me and alan in the 21st century. Okay, so. So I know that. First of all, I'm a little shocked. Now we have a bunch of 21 year old kids that Correct. Getting off a plane.

[Alan Hahn]

That's right.

[Adam]

There was no previous discussion as to what the next step.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Why are you surprised by that? They fly by the seat of their pants doing everything. They're like, we'll figure it out when we get there kind of stuff. And it always ends up being, dad, can you do this? It always ended up being that.

[Adam]

Yeah, right. But there's other parents that somebody would have stepped up and said they were talking and this was your. Is this your. This is their trip or your house? How did that work?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's my friend's lake house in Minnesota.

[Adam]

So you threw the whole thing for these kids? Parents couldn't make sure there was an Uber.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I did not do this. My son did it with my friend, who he's known since he's been born.

[Alan Hahn]

But it's an Allen Hahn connection.

[Adam]

It was a Hahn connection.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. It was a family friend. Right. It was our.

[Alan Hahn]

I see what you're saying, Danny. Couldn't someone else have stepped up?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Actually, I. I was told this. There was another set. There was another set of parents for one of the kids who he asked and they said they can't do it. It was a Sunday night. I'm like, how? What do you mean you can't do it? I just refused to do it.

[Alan Hahn]

I like that part.

[Adam]

As a parent, if I found out the next. As a parent, if I found out the next day how they got home, I would get your phone number and personally thank you, not the kid, for arranging that trip home for my kid. And I'd be an app as a. As a. Now listen, when I was 21 years old, I was a. I was a beat cop at times square. So 21 years old now is almost.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Ridiculous to what we are.

[Alan Hahn]

You were hanging out with Mike Tyson in Times Square.

[Adam]

I mean, I mean, how. My son's 21 years old. They have their own Uber's accounts. They have their own Uber accounts. Take care of it yourself, boys.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, well, that's.

[Alan Hahn]

That's. You know what, Danny? That's the part I was going to say. They were kind of scared they couldn't do a split Uber situation.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, no, man. I just. They all seem lost and I.

[Don La Greca]

It worked out very well. They worked out the way they worked out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But anyway, you can't come and get us. You can't come. And I'm like, no, it's Sunday night. We're going to LaGuardia.

[Alan Hahn]

Sad.

[Adam]

I would like to call out one baseball play over the weekend if I could. Forget the sports, then.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What do you got?

[Adam]

Pete Alonso rumbling around third. I believe it was Saturday night. Head first slide into home, which, first of all, I'm about to have an aneurysm thinking Here's a 250 pound man sliding head first with his hands into the catcher's gear. The season is about to end. He does a doop dee doo with his left arm, pirouettes on his hip to get a little bit of an angle and touches the play with his right hand. And the umpire in absolutely perfect position did not assume well, the ball was here first. So this guy is going to be out. He waited. He had a perfect view. He saw it. And when they said safe me, the announcers, everyone in the western hemisphere said oh no, he was out. So good. Congratulations umpire. That's the way you make a call. Proper position. You don't assume. Well done.

[Don La Greca]

Well that was good Danny. Be well.

[Alan Hahn]

You all right Danny?

[Don La Greca]

Sound like the end?

[Alan Hahn]

Was that the end?

[Don La Greca]

We'll find out if he calls tomorrow. 1-800-919-377-6. ENN's coming up at 6:00. Got Knicks on the board, Dodgers on the board. So much to get into here until 7:00. And Dan Grass are right here on 880 ESPN New York and the ESPN.

[Alan Hahn]

New York app FanDuel is the best place to find all of your favorite player props for the NBA Finals. And now you can make the smarter play with new performance trends. Want to check a player's consistency during the playoffs? Or maybe they've been flirting with potential triple double. Get the latest stats right inside the app and see who's heating up. And after the tip off, you can combine live prop bets into a same game parlay for a chance to win big. If you don't already have FanDuel, it's not too late to get in on the action. You'll get started with $200 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. So just visit FanDuel.com Peter to join today. Make every moment more with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA 21 and over in fizzly President New York first online real money wager only $5 first deposit required. Bonus issue does not withdrawal bonus bets that expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See [e-mail] for help with a gambling problem, call 877-8-OpenY or text OPENY 467-369. 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 better help members report a reduction in symptoms. Visit betterhelp.com timeout to get 10% off your first month of therapy. That's betterhelp.com timeout.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Does it ever feel like you're a marketing professional just speaking into the void? Well, with LinkedIn ads you can know you're reaching the right decision makers. You can even target buyers by job title, industry, company seniority, skills. Wait, did I say job title yet? Get started today and see how you can avoid the void and reach the right buyers with LinkedIn ads. We'll even give you a $100 credit.

[Alan Hahn]

On your next campaign.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Get started at LinkedIn.com results terms and conditions apply.

[Don La Greca]

If you've shopped online, chances are you've bought from a business powered by Shopify. You know that purple Shop pay button you see at checkout? The one that makes buying so incredibly easy? That's Shopify. And there's a reason so many businesses sell with it. Because Shopify makes it incredibly easy to start and run your business. Shopify is the commerce platform behind 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started. Shopify gives you a leg up with hundreds of beautiful, ready to go templates to express your brand style and forget about the code. Tackle all those important tasks in one place, from inventory to payments to analytics and more. Spread your brand's word with built in marketing and email tools to find and keep new customers. And did I mention that iconic Purple Shop pay button that's used by millions of businesses around the world? It's why Shopify has the best converting checkout on the planet. Your customers already love it. If you want to see less carts being abandoned, it's time for you to head over to Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.comnetwork. go to shopify.comnetwork shopify.comnetwork.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan 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.

[Alan Hahn]

Your podcasts.

[Don La Greca]

Met fans, get ready to roll with DPA Tron Rothenberg for the third annual pregame party. It all happens this Thursday, June 12th. Come join Rick and Dave live at Publicans in Manhasset from 6 to 10am for the ultimate pregame party. Then ride the train with them to Manhassett Station to Citi Field. And by the way, when you get to Citi Field, guess who's gonna be there. Michael K. The fun keeps going in lot e, starting at 11:30, right up the first pitch when the Nationals dream about the Nationals. I can't believe they haven't put Michael in the copy.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, one, two, three, let's be good.

[Don La Greca]

It's all brought to you by Yingling. Traditional lager Legends stand the test of time. London Jewelers and Tullamore do. Because when it's game time.

[Alan Hahn]

Guess what, though? Guess what, though, what? Because of the efforting and hard work of our crafty executive producer, Anthony Pusick, and I'll say I played some role in just trying to nag everyone humanly possible in the company. As of this very moment, we are being recorded on the cameras for potential video.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What?

[Alan Hahn]

Yes. Right now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm nervous now.

[Alan Hahn]

Like, we could have this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't like being on camera.

[Alan Hahn]

We could have this be a video about being on video right now.

[Don La Greca]

Right now.

[Alan Hahn]

It's happening.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Show about nothing now.

[Alan Hahn]

Were you able, Anthony, to get a shot of me that doesn't have Don's head in the shot as I'm currently looking at it? No, no, Don's head is in the shot.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don's head is still in the shot. Head moves in the middle.

[Alan Hahn]

Where do I need to go there?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think pan left. No, I think he needs to go to this chair.

[Alan Hahn]

Either.

[Don La Greca]

That too.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, yeah, that's the only way.

[Don La Greca]

And we could.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We could tighten your shot, but it's.

[Don La Greca]

Gonna look a little grainy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I thought.

[Alan Hahn]

I thought Anthony figured out a way to do it.

[Don La Greca]

And I'm not like that. Crazy in the way. I'm just sitting here.

[Alan Hahn]

No, you're not doing anything, Don. It's just where you're sitting. I'm not blaming you, my friend.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So he thinks now if I stood up, it'd be an eclipse.

[Alan Hahn]

That's right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I think you're probably better.

[Alan Hahn]

How's it. How's Allen shot?

[Don La Greca]

Alan shot has Got better. Better over the show. At first, he was hiding behind the mic.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I didn't know we were on camera. I mean, I was laying back. I mean, I'm just looking at it.

[Alan Hahn]

You got to come direct us, guys.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it'd be nice to know that the camera was on Anthony Scorsese.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's put Go to work here.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What if I was scratching? I need to know that I'm on camera.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. I've had my finger up my nose half the show.

[Don La Greca]

Well, they're taping it, so I. If it's something, you know, that they won't put it out there unless it's somebody that wants.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, he's bringing in Brownshire. Here comes the crack staff. Looking like he wandered in from a fish festival. He's got his crunchy shirt on as.

[Don La Greca]

High as a kite. He levitated into the room.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now it's like Pig pen with the cloud around him. Only it's not dirt.

[Don La Greca]

No, it's not dirt.

[Alan Hahn]

By the way. By the way, to any. No one's at the station, of course, but anyone was here, I'd want you to know we were joking.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

It's just making fun of him.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Are we, though?

[Don La Greca]

Well, no, we are.

[Alan Hahn]

I hope.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, you don't know.

[Alan Hahn]

I. I hope because he has a job that's kind of about being artistic. Right.

[Don La Greca]

Like, he's creative.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

So I have no problem if he wants. And listen, when you work at a company where Chris Mad Dog Russo just goes on the air, talks about popping edibles, are we really even worried about anything anymore?

[Peter Rosenberg]

And if you are, if your headquarters are based in soho, Think about it. You know what I mean? It's a party, by the way. Technically, we are so. Just saying.

[Alan Hahn]

I saw you. I didn't push back very far.

[Don La Greca]

Just letting you know we were talking about the Knicks. And you know all this why? Tibbs. Who's responsible for Tibbs being gone? But now the focus has to be who's gonna be the next head coach.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Now, Ian Begley from SNY was on Barton Carlin this afternoon. How likely is it? The kd? No, that's. That's a different one.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sorry, Wendy.

[Don La Greca]

I'm sorry. Latest on the kid and the Knicks. There's mutual intrigue on both sides. And also, I know there's this whole thing about asking for permission. You don't ask for permission to hire another team's coach. When you ask, you're going to hire them. So essentially, when the Knicks express interest, the ball will be in the Mavericks court, and they have three options, as I see it. One, they can just say, no, thank you very much, Jason. We'll see you in the fall. Look forward to the season. Look forward to Cooper Flagg. They can try to make Jason Kidd have zero interest in the Knicks, possibly with the new contract they did just give them an extension last year. Or they can negotiate a trade. And we have seen a handful of trades of coaches over the last 15 to 18 years, including Jason Kidd being traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Milwaukee Bucks for two second round picks 11 years ago. So it's not like Jason Kidd hasn't been in this situation before.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Enough second round picks to throw.

[Don La Greca]

So there's enough assets.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sure.

[Don La Greca]

Now our friend Perk Kendrick Perkins was on SportsCenter said the Knicks have to try for Jason. Kidding.

[Alan Hahn]

And again, if you're going to fire Coach Thibodeau, right, a guy that's helped build that culture and the energy and.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Brought that energy back to New York, then you have to go after a.

[Don La Greca]

Coach like Jason Kidd.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right? Think about this.

[Alan Hahn]

Jason Kidd is a coach that he coached Jalen Brunson. So he know what Jalen Brunson likes, Right? Jalen Brunson is familiar with him. And you have to bring someone that's in there that's going to be neutral, that's going to hold guys accountable and also that's respected.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's respected, no question. I, I, he's, look, as a player, Jason Kidd was one of the smartest players you'll ever see. He's been a good coach. He's bounced around a lot.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I, and anybody that says he doesn't really know New York, you're, he was only here during the best years the Nets have ever had as an NBA franchise. And I know it was New Jersey, but I mean, it's still like he's in the market, like he knows the market. He did spend, you know, one season playing for the Knicks, you remember, in 2013. I wouldn't put too much stock in that. But, you know, he does know the organization, he knows the market very, very well. He knows Brunson. And it does also make you wonder if it's not just him, Right. That the Knicks would be chasing down. Because as you mentioned, he did move from Brooklyn to Milwaukee, which is, which we know he coached a certain somebody that might be soon requesting a trade.

[Don La Greca]

So Giannis, it's all part of, that's the big swing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

If you're gonna, if you're gonna go for it. That's part of going for it is it not get me the guy who can coach these guys. Get me the other star to put with my star, and let's go get this damn ring. I think that's. That's the vibe I'm getting out of this organization.

[Don La Greca]

I don't think they're not. Listen, I know Kid dragged Dallas to the finals last year.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Don La Greca]

But they. They were disposed of pretty quickly against Boston, as I, you know, thought the Knicks would. Against the Thunder if they had beaten the Pacers. Right, but that would tell me that you're checking a couple of boxes. You're not saying we're a coach away, We're a significant player away. And in order to get that player, we had to make a coaching change that I think would appease a lot of people. Let's go to Drew in Brooklyn. You're on espn. What's up, Drew?

[Alan Hahn]

Drew, can you hear me?

[Don La Greca]

Oh, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You got me.

[Don La Greca]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay, so my question is this. And it's finally to Alan. All right, the front office. The front office of the Knicks, how are they going to function? Worldwide is an enron around his boss.

[Adam]

By whispering in his boss's ear to.

[Alan Hahn]

Get rid of his best friend. The front office. How do you know that? Is gonna have camps on each side. How's that gonna work? Why are you assuming that he whispered into his boss's ear to get his best friend fired?

[Peter Rosenberg]

The boss talked to the players to get it straight from them.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, the line's bad, but thanks.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, but.

[Alan Hahn]

But so is the point.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, again, you're. Look, this is New York, and a lot of fans love to create the drama out of, like, they fictionalize reality. And so fictionalizing reality is what he's doing there. It's end. Around. Right around Rose, which. That. That's not accurate, but it does sound really exciting. Right. It's dry. It's dramatic. And then to say that he whispered in the ear to make the boss fire the coach. The boss heard it and said, all right, let me hear it from the players. If you're telling me this is how the players feel, let me hear it from them. And then he heard it from them, and he went, all right, you're right.

[Don La Greca]

And that's what you're supposed to do. That's doing your due diligence.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Now the reports are gonna make it say World Wide west gets in his ear. Dolan then. Then fires tips. That's not what happened. No, we have no idea when the conversation took place. It might have happened last year.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He might have been in his ear for, like, Three years.

[Don La Greca]

It might have been in his ear for a long time. And then finally, after they have a disappointing showing in game six and a disappointing show overall against the Pacers, Dolan's like, okay, let's see, maybe there's something to this. Let's bring in the players, let's talk to them. He actually did his due diligence. Now, I understand that Jim Dolan doesn't have the greatest reputation with fans, and it's very easy to believe that he flew off the handle, was irrational. And it's typical Dolan. And you take what Allen and I say with a grain of salt because we both work over at msg. So you think that.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I think you're both apologize for.

[Don La Greca]

Going, but don't think that. And listen, I don't blame you, all right? Although Michael, who had no skin in the game, also had the same opinion over the last couple of years. But whatever. The point is, is that he talked to the players. If it was an irrational decision and all done, why would he even bother talking to the players? Just would have done it. But he obviously was gaining information. So you've got Leon Rose, who's firmly in Tibbs corner, but it sounds like Roll Wide west wasn't, sounds like the players weren't. And it also sounds like maybe Dolan wasn't maybe the biggest fan or felt like something had to happen. So it sounds like Leon Rose was overruled. It was a conversation that took place not moments after Game 6, but had been going on for quite a while. And guess who else was having that conversation? Every Knick fan that after every two game losing streak, after every bad loss, after every time they got crushed by Boston, OKC or Cleveland was saying the same thing. Maybe we need a new coach, maybe he can't take us to the promised land. So let's not pretend like, is it an amazing conversation for a while.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's amazing to me how much that's flipped. How I felt like all year I had to fight off all the people that kept saying tibbs gotta go. Right? That was always the Tibbs. How many times I would even see on my timeline, like anytime something nix is posted, doesn't matter, tibbs gotta go. Like just. It was almost overwhelming how many times I had to see that. And I couldn't believe, like this many people really believe this guy's a bad coach, all he does is win. And now that, now that it happened, there are people outraged that it happened. And I'm thinking, wait a minute, where were all you people when I was trying to, like, defend the guy because all he does is win. And now all the people that said that he should go, I don't hear from.

[Don La Greca]

Where are they? I know, because the problem is, is that that vocal minority exists now. Do I know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think people like drama better.

[Don La Greca]

Well, of course they do.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They just want the drama of.

[Don La Greca]

And also, there's going to be people who think it feels like it's much easier to blame the coach than it is to say our team's not good enough because I can just replace the coach, get a better coach. We're going to win. Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, and that's the other thing. Usually. Now, again, I don't think this is Leon Rose, but I do think there are people in the front office that help build a team. And when the coach says, I can't play these guys off the bench, they're not good. What do you mean they're not good? I got you these guys.

[Don La Greca]

And they're proven to be better than.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is what they can do. And so that becomes a disconnect, which happened a lot in the 90s. We all love the 90s Knicks, but I'm telling you, the Dave check, it's Pat Riley, the Ernie Grunfeld, Jeff Van Gundy that was always going on, the push and pull and the pointing fingers. That tale is old as time always went on.

[Don La Greca]

Yep. And you know, all decisions are now collaborative in all sports. So, you know, this is kind of the way that it goes down. But somebody has to have the final say, and the guy eating the $30 million should have a major say in it. With a Venmo debit card, you can Venmo more than just your friends. You can use your balance in so many ways. You can Venmo everything.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Need gas?

[Don La Greca]

You can Venmo this.

[Alan Hahn]

How about snacks?

[Peter Rosenberg]

You can Venmo that.

[Don La Greca]

Your favorite band's merch. You can Venmo this or their next show. You can Venmo that. Visit Venmo Me Debit to learn more.

[Alan Hahn]

You can Venmo this or you can Venmo that.

[Don La Greca]

You can Venmo this or you can Venmo that. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp bank and a pursuant to license.

[Alan Hahn]

By Mastercard International, Inc. Card may be used everywhere.

[Don La Greca]

Mastercard is accepted.

[Alan Hahn]

Venmo purchase restrictions apply this Father's Day at Lowe's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Score free gifts for the greatest dad. Right now, get a free select Dewalt Craftsman or Kobalt tool with purchase of a select battery kit. Plus get a free Werner 2 foot aluminum ladder when you buy an 8 foot fiberglass ladder, shop these deals and more this Father's Day at Lowe's. We help you save valid through 615 while supplies last selection of areas by location when you're on the go and.

[Don La Greca]

It'S time to refresh your energy, grab an ice cold Celsius where zero sugar, seven essential vitamins and proven ingredients meet pure refreshment. Unlike traditional energy drinks, each sip of.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Celsius is a perfect balance of flavor and function.

[Don La Greca]

So whether you're hitting the gym, the office or your next adventure, grab a.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Celsius at your local retailer or visit.

[Don La Greca]

Celsius.com to learn more.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want.

[Alan Hahn]

Just subscribe to us wherever you want.

[Don La Greca]

Get your podcasts the ESPN New York Beach Bash is back Friday, June 27th at Bar A in Lake Como, New Jersey. Head down to the Jersey Shore and join the Michael K Show and Don Hahn and Rosenberg live starting at 1pm and an appearance from DP, Rotherberg, Bart and Carlin. Plus more. We'll have plenty of giveaways for fans in attendance and music from Suit and Mai Tai and Overboard. It's all brought to you by Yingling Traditional Lager Deep Eddie Vodka Chauffeur Hoffer Spike.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, sure, he's a future story.

[Don La Greca]

That's right, Chauffeur Hoffer, Wild Fork Meat and Seafood Market and the New Jersey lottery must be 21 years of age or older to enter. Enn's come up at the top of the hour.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We've got another Stanley Cup Final game tonight. You do Game three. This now series moves to Florida. I am of the opinion that the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final completely blew the NBA Finals out of the water. I don't care what the ratings are going to say. Like the games in comparison, those first two games in Edmonton felt like a championship round of its sport.

[Don La Greca]

These are the two best teams going at it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It had an epic feel to it, obviously. It had incredible plays. It had, you know, wild endings. Everything you're looking for. The end of Game one was a crazy ending. The fact that the pacers led by 0.3 seconds the entire game is an insane stat, right? But was the game great? Like, was there something compelling about it? The shot he made was okay. It was compelling. Big deal. Mike Breen didn't even say bang. You know that, right? On the, on the, on the, on Halliburton's game winning shot in game one. He didn't say bang. He said puts it in now he saves bang for threes. And it be. It was a huge controversy. He got called out for not saying bang by all the Pacer fans.

[Alan Hahn]

No way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. And he ended up having. Actually I think he said bang on Halliburton's first three. Said I owe it to him because he's a classy guy. But it was even that shot.

[Alan Hahn]

What are we doing? What are we doing? People have to call it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Trust me. He unnecessarily criticized for not and then.

[Alan Hahn]

But I also might want to come.

[Peter Rosenberg]

At him like a shot that you would say bang. He made the shot.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, it was an amazing shot, but.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It wasn't 17 footer.

[Alan Hahn]

No. With the game winner.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know, but it wasn't like.

[Alan Hahn]

It's still. It was, but it doesn't require itself.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Was a big deal. He made it. But yeah, he got criticized on the same thing.

[Alan Hahn]

Hold on. But at the same time, I'm tempted now to maybe come after Breen as well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Why?

[Don La Greca]

Wow.

[Alan Hahn]

Does he have a hard and fast rule that bang is only for threes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it's been his thing.

[Alan Hahn]

Only for threes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's been his thing.

[Alan Hahn]

Did you know that?

[Don La Greca]

I did not realize. I thought it was for big shots.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, it was.

[Don La Greca]

It's not the one in NBA Finals game generally threes. Well, now it's generally.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no, no, I'm sorry. I'm saying generally. It has. It's. It's every time he said bang, it's. I would almost guess every single one has been a three. I think you're probably because that's the one from downtown.

[Don La Greca]

Bang.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like that's what he does. But this just happened to be like not a three. And he didn't. He didn't say bang.

[Don La Greca]

So.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But anyways, that's game one. Game two almost went according to script, did it not? Yeah. Home team Thunder, best team in the league, responds to blowing the lead and just basically smoked them from the second quarter on. They just absolutely just boat raised him right. And it just didn't. The crowd in Oklahoma City's great.

[Alan Hahn]

No, it wasn't good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But did like.

[Alan Hahn]

Is the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is it. Does it feel epic?

[Don La Greca]

Well, here's. Here's what else.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think it's missing something now.

[Alan Hahn]

You know what it's missing?

[Peter Rosenberg]

The logos on the floor.

[Alan Hahn]

It's in missing interesting like characters.

[Don La Greca]

The thing is, is that. All right, we're not going to compare. We're just talking about the audiences Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Hockey fans and basketball fans and the energy because like the ratings are down for both and the markets and it doesn't help. You know TNT is not getting anything from Edmonton because it's up in Canada. I'm sure the North American ratings are good but if you're a hockey fan you are getting a rematch of last year's seven game series epic. You've got huge names a lot of guys that played in the four nations which got tremendous ratings so there's recognizable names. It's Connor McDavid, it's. It's Leon Draisaitl Florida Panthers are playing in their third consecutive Stanley cup final so if you're a hockey fan you can relate to these teams and you know what you're watching.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

If you're a big basketball fan I mean how much do you really know about okc? You know them, you've probably seen a few games you don't have an intimate knowledge of them. It's not like they've been making runs year after year after year it's just their first time in the final since a completely different team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Back in 2011.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don La Greca]

Or 2012 and now you've got the Pacers who Nick fans even admitted didn't really know because they all thought the Knicks were going to walk all over him like they knew Halliburton because of what Wally said a couple of years ago and all that but you don't have forever teams that recognizable to the average basketball fan to the average hockey fan is the third year in a row with Florida and it's ebbing to the second consecutive year and who doesn't know Connor McDavid and Leon Dreisaitle if.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You'Re a hockey fan and I so that's why there's more I also think the fact that McDav in the first two games has been other world and.

[Don La Greca]

The games have been and I'm not telling you it wasn't like oh they both went to overtime so they had to be great games amazing epic games with epic plays edge your seat action two consecutive games. I mean so if this continues the way it's going so listen ratings going to go manipulated oh I don't care about the ratings again baseball is going to hang on the rim because of their great start with the ratings being high and attendance is up. Sure but when you've saturated us with Dodgers Mets plus 7 games are ready to start the season not going to play again you already had Yankee Dodger rematch the Cubs are good third biggest television market Dodgers are good, second biggest television market. Mets and Yankees both good, first television market.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And what are we getting Sunday? Dodgers, Giants, Dodgers, Giants.

[Don La Greca]

And those are two top 10 markets playing each other. So they've really saturated Fox and ESPN with great big market matchups.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Why were the NBA, the NHL final playoffs down? No Rangers, no Bruins, no Blackhawks. The Kings were out in the first round. Like, so it's all going to be about market size because they're regional sports.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And no Crosby, no Ovechkin, no.

[Don La Greca]

Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, like some recognizable names and stuff.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Okc, Their first finals in a decade. Pacers, their first final in how.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And again Pacers have. The Pacers have been a great story. They've had great comeback wins. Their ultimate clutch. Halliburton's got a certain thing about him that you either love him or you hate him.

[Alan Hahn]

People are starting to care about him.

[Peter Rosenberg]

A lot, you know, but. But I'm saying, like, they. They're them. And then the. The Thunder only have the MVP in the league, and they have an incredible team that all season long has been a fun team to watch. But as you said, Don, this is when you get to the championship round, you are not trying to draw in your customers. You already have them. You're trying to bring in new customers, and new customers come in when there's something to watch. When you give them a reason that you give them something that they feel like, oh, I want to see, I'll check in on that. I need to see that. And I don't think there's any sizzle right now that goes beyond the basketball of it. And again, if you're a basketball fan, you see it.

[Don La Greca]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But other than that, there's nothing else that draws you in. And on top of it, I don't know what it is. I don't think it's the broadcast, essentially. I think there's something about what I'm watching that I'm sitting there watching and feeling like this feels like a second round game. It still feels like a playoff game. Well, but it does. It have a epic, big stage, finals feel to it. Maybe it will if we get to a game six or once we get to a clinching part of it, but.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know why.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It just feels like a second round game right now. Am I wrong to say that?

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And yet the Stanley Cup Final, I have no doubt in my mind that this is for Lord Stanley's Cup.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. And just the way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know.

[Don La Greca]

I can't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I can't put my Finger on. Why that's how I feel.

[Don La Greca]

But both are even at a game apiece, so that can change as the series goes on. And if it looks like we might have six or seven games, I think that the NBA can, can salvage it once they're. Once we get a little bit of a personality to. It usually takes a couple of games for a series to gain that personality. Well, you had the great final of the finish in game one. Blowout. Pedestrian kind of blowout. Nothing to a game two.

[Alan Hahn]

That's the thing. Game two took you so back down to earth. It made you go, oh, one was an aberration. It's going to be four one. But let the Pacers somehow win game three. And now your series may have a personality, but you also would need it to be a good game. You can't just have, as we've seen, blowout after blowout doesn't make a great.

[Don La Greca]

And again, I'm not going to kill the Knicks for not being as good as they think they are. But that's the difference between the Knicks and the Thunder. A championship team and a team that gets bounced earlier is that, that's how the Knicks should have responded in game two after their miserable game one loss.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Don La Greca]

You're at home, you know, lay the. Destroy them, even the series and instead they lose that game too. And then that was pretty much it. So it's one thing. Listen, did the Thunder lose in embarrassing fashion the way the Knicks did blow in a big lead? No. But in their building they got silenced by Halliburton and they came right back and smacked the Pacers around. Knicks didn't do that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're right about that. Quickly though, you. Of the guy who was tired of the Chiefs. Right. And all that stuff and it all. You can do that in the NFL, find new people, new teams. In the NBA with no LeBron, no Steph Curry like you got to be careful. There is no next fakes of the league. There is no next guy. At least not yet. Maybe this will all develop over time. Maybe the Thunder will be that team. But this is the example of what I mean when you start losing those traditional stars and faces that people all know.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, because that, that, that doesn't matter market size. Then you have a marketable, marketable players, a marketable name. Now listen, Halliburton has hit some big shots. He's not on. He's not on the level of the guy you're talking about.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's not a superstar.

[Don La Greca]

No, he's not a superstar. He's a star, but a star that a lot of people aren't acknowledging or don't care about.

[Alan Hahn]

I think I'll say this. I've been monitoring the way some casual, more casual fans I know have talked about him. He's definitely becoming a player people care about. He couldn't be a superstar unless like they won a championship and he was the reason.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

But again, he'd be a superstar.

[Peter Rosenberg]

When you say people care about, it's again, basketball fan wise. I'm talking about the non traditional customers that show up only this time of year.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're getting a literal like, what's this guy about? Who's this?

[Don La Greca]

And they're just discovering him. And that can, that can certainly change for sure.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, but I just want to know it's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.