Hour 3: Knicks Narratives

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Knicks Narratives (Hour 3)

Date: May 28, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Theme: Debunking Knicks Playoff Narratives, New York Sports Fandom Orders, and Legacies in Context

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Episode Overview

In this lively hour, the trio dives into the ongoing debate around the New York Knicks’ path to the NBA Finals, pushing back on national narratives that attempt to downplay the significance of their Eastern Conference run. They also passionately discuss the rankings of team allegiances among New York sports fans, explore what makes a championship "legit," and compare Jalen Brunson’s emerging legacy to that of other New York icons. The conversations are full of nostalgia, witty banter, and poignant reflections on what it means to be a die-hard in the city that never sleeps.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Star Sightings & Broadcasting Banter

[00:41–02:45]

• The hosts joke about notable sports broadcasters and discuss Sarah Jessica Parker’s public shout-out to ESPN Radio for Knicks coverage, relishing in “cool” moments where New York cultural icons engage with the team's playoff run.
  • Memorable Moment: Peter Rosenberg shares a story about seeing SJP’s Knicks enthusiasm relayed by his wife, Natalie.

“ESPN Radio is a pretty big thing that we've got within the company. It doesn't mean it was us. Although maybe she's familiar with it because she's a New York based person. But yeah, it was a cool thing to see.” – Peter Rosenberg [02:25]

2. Hierarchies of NY Sports Fandom

[02:50–13:04]

• The hosts get personal, ranking their own allegiances across multiple teams and debating the idea that fans can love all teams equally.
• Don contends every true New Yorker has a real, prioritized pecking order for their teams—claims of equal love for all are “complete fraud.”
  • The crew examines what trophies they’d trade to see a different team win, and whether firsthand experience of championships colors fandom permanently.
  • Alan admits that, as a kid, hockey and baseball were dominant influences at home but eventually, basketball took over his allegiance.
  • Peter reflects on period shifts in his sports order through life in humorous fashion.

“If you root for multiple teams, I call BS that you love them all equally. I’m sorry, one reigns supreme.” – Don La Greca [06:42]

3. Narratives: Is the Knicks’ Run “Legit”?

[14:51–19:30][23:43–27:16]

• Alan raises the “easy path narrative” plaguing the Knicks’ historic playoff run—critics claim the East was weak, and the team didn’t face true tests.
• Don passionately argues that these detractors will always move the goalposts, noting that injuries and circumstances affect every championship team's journey.
• Legitimation only truly comes from within the fanbase; external perception is beyond control.
  • Hahn and Don reference other “lucky” championship runs (2019 Raptors, 2021 Bucks, 2003 Devils) as proof that every title involves context and breaks.

“The Knick haters are going to hate. They're going to tell you when the Knicks are going down the canyon of heroes and everybody in New York's wearing a 2026 NBA Finals championship T-shirt that the path was easy. Man, don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter.” – Don La Greca [25:08]

4. Championship “Asterisks” and Historical Parallels

[25:34–29:52]

• Don and Alan deliver a tour through New York championship history, showing how naysayers can always diminish a run—whether it’s the Giants, Devils, Rangers, or Raptors.
• Every team eventually “catches a break”—so the only thing that matters is what the team does with that advantage: dominate, and the credibility takes care of itself.

“Anybody that tells you it was an easy run is just a hater. Blank.” – Don La Greca [27:14]

5. Is This Knicks Season a Success—With or Without the Title?

[30:49–33:12]

• Alan discusses being asked if this season is already a success for the Knicks. He’s emphatic: Not yet.
• The hosts agree that, despite the monumental progress, only the title will truly be fulfilling—and how the sense of disappointment or pride will depend on how (not just if) they lose.

“Obviously the only way you end up at this point feeling good is with the title. However, there’s varying degrees of bad.” – Peter Rosenberg [31:57]

6. Jalen Brunson’s Place in NY Lore

[39:06–45:37]

• A caller asks the hosts to compare a hypothetical Brunson-led title run to Eli Manning’s clutch Super Bowl legacy.
• Don and Alan note that while Eli had historically clutch moments, Brunson would be the “dragon slayer” if he ends the Knicks’ 53-year drought, seizing Messier-level status.
• Rosenberg points out that Brunson’s regular season consistency is also eclipsing what Eli did on a week-to-week basis.

“Jalen Brunson has something Eli doesn’t have, which is during the regular season, he’s also that dude night in, night out… if you look at it in a broader sense, Jalen Brunson… would be pulling up a chair right to Eli’s table.” – Peter Rosenberg [43:21]

7. Old School Basketball: The Knicks’ Style

[46:20–49:29]

• A passionate caller and Alan discuss how the Knicks play a brand of old-school, ball-movement-heavy basketball reminiscent of the 1970s Knicks, blending it with modern pace.
• Alan praises coach Mike Brown’s ability to evolve the offense with adjustments and make every player integral—calling it “beautiful basketball.”

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “If you root for multiple teams, I call BS that you love them all equally. I’m sorry, one reigns supreme.”
  – Don La Greca [06:42]
• “Anybody that tells you it was an easy run is just a hater. Blank.”
  – Don La Greca [27:14]
• “If I'm Mike Brown... there are little ways around the facility you could just be like, ‘Hey, by the way, they're saying this.’ So now we're the underdogs again. Oh, nobody thinks we’ll show you.”
  – Alan Hahn [28:42]
• “It’s Messier-territory of just slaying the dragon. That would make it a big deal, too… 53 freaking years, man. That’s a long time.”
  – Don La Greca [44:02]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:41–02:45 — Broadcast/Knicks celebrity engagement (SJP, Broderick)
• 02:50–13:04 — Personal and city-wide team loyalties, traded championships, childhood fandom stories
• 14:51–19:30; 23:43–27:16 — Deconstructing the “easy path” narrative; why fans shouldn’t care about outside perception
• 25:34–29:52 — Sweeps and asterisks: championship history lessons
• 30:49–33:12 — Is this season a “success” without a ring?
• 39:06–45:37 — Jalen Brunson vs. Eli Manning/NY clutch legacy
• 46:20–49:29 — Knicks’ throwback, pass-happy basketball; fans recognize old-school beauty

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Tone & Style

• Lively, opinionated, humorous, sometimes nostalgic.
• Heated debates are mixed with mutual respect and clear fandom, giving listeners both stats and heart.
• Occasional guest/caller interventions offer further flavor and context to the “narratives” theme.

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Summary Takeaway

This hour of "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg" is a masterclass in New York sports talk: debunking tired narratives, honoring fan passion, and never losing sight of why these teams—and their moments—matter so much to the city. Whether debating the Knicks’ place in history, fighting off naysayers, or comparing heroes past and present, the hosts invite listeners to embrace the ride, ignore the haters, and appreciate the rare magic of a title run—however it’s achieved.

Transcript

[Alan Hahn]

So good, so good, so good.

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[Podcast Host]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don LaGreca]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Podcast Host]

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

[Alan Hahn]

May 28 Thunder at Spur Marquest. Trapeze, PJ and PJ. I thought it was. I thought it was Dave Pash.

[Don LaGreca]

That's on me as a Jersey guy. I love PJ going back to his scene hall days. All right.

[Alan Hahn]

He's a gem.

[Don LaGreca]

He's another gem. And he was on with Grassa on Saturday. Great spot. Like, so you get those two together. That's money.

[Alan Hahn]

So you got Cash and Burke did the Eastern Conference. But why I didn't know that is because we had Tyler Murray and Monica McNutt locally, of course.

[Don LaGreca]

But Nelson Mark cast the shirt.

[Alan Hahn]

It's on me.

[Guest or Caller]

So Sarah Jessica Parker could have told you.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes. Apparently she was tuning in nationally, which is great and good. Shout out to ESPN Radio for our coverage.

[Don LaGreca]

So what was. What was that about? I. I saw the text and I did running.

[Alan Hahn]

Running about and needed to get an update on the score. And I think. I believe she went to the app or something like that. Right. She went to the espn.

[Guest or Caller]

It looked like she was on the ESPN app.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Guest or Caller]

And she went to the ESPN Radio coverage of Nick's Cavs.

[Alan Hahn]

There you go. And that.

[Don LaGreca]

That's on another. Her and Matthew were out and about. Isn't Matthew Broderick an X fan?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think he was. I think they used to come.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. You don't see him much.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think him and SJP used to enjoy.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah, but it was funny.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Natalie saw. I'm a Sarah Jessica Parker fan. I saw Natalie post Saturday. Natalie showed me Sarah Jessica Parker's post.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And she was excited because Natalie. I'm not saying Natalie doesn't pay attention to what we do. I think she does and she cares.

[Caller or Listener]

She.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But the distinction for her between seeing her shout out ESPN Radio and ESPN

[Don LaGreca]

New York, that's not nothing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know that she was fully locked in. So she showed it to me, like, ooh, she's shouting on ESPN Radio. And I was like, oh, that's nice. ESPN Radio. Is a pretty big thing that we've got within the company. It doesn't mean it was us. Although maybe she's familiar with it because she's a New York based person. But yeah, it was a cool thing to see. Either way.

[Alan Hahn]

Broderick's more Mets, Right? He's definitely big Mets. Like he's at games. That's his thing, I believe.

[Don LaGreca]

Right. Well, you could be. You could have other things. Of course you can, because there was. I will back Dave up on this. Even though I ripped him into that guy that he. I guess they were talking in the morning about, like, would you sacrifice a Giants championship to see the Knicks win?

[Alan Hahn]

He's.

[Don LaGreca]

No, I'm a bigger Giant fan than a Knick fan. Nothing wrong with that. I mean, if you're a fan of multiple teams, I call complete fraud. That you say you love them all equally. No, no, no. There's an order. There's a pecking order. Now usually the game, they don't overlap with importance. Right. Like there. You could be a big Met fan. I'm sorry, if you're watching the Mets over the NBA Finals, you're not that big of a Knick fan.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don LaGreca]

So I don't. You could be a bigger Met fan than a Knick fan and still watch the Knicks over a Mets regular season game.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don LaGreca]

But it's like Michael would always argue if you got two kids that you like what, you love one more than the other. I don't. I don't agree with that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think that's a psych.

[Alan Hahn]

You love them the equally thing you love differently.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, but it still ends up being an equal number. Like you still love them. Yes, but I am, you know, put the. Put the devil thing aside because of the fact that I'm calling their games. But like, I'll add it. When I was growing up, I was a die hard Giant Devil Met fan, which means.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, so those are my three teams. You have four Super Bowls in your lifetime. Yes. And you have three Stanley Cups.

[Don LaGreca]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Don LaGreca]

And one World Series.

[Alan Hahn]

Would you give one of the Super Bowls or cups for a Met World Series? Yes or no?

[Don LaGreca]

No. Because the metric Mets are.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Would.

[Don LaGreca]

Were clearly third.

[Alan Hahn]

They're distant even today, not a single distance.

[Don LaGreca]

Strong.

[Alan Hahn]

But today, would you do that?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Today is different, right?

[Don LaGreca]

No, I'm not taking away anything to apply it to another one because again. All right, so they have an extra one. But I didn't have the experience be like downloaded into my brain.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Here's the better ass, though.

[Don LaGreca]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Here's to me, the point. The reason Dave is a yo yo is Dave, for example, the Giants, he would rather the Giants win the next 10, then the Giants win nine and the Knicks win one.

[Alan Hahn]

That sounds about right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And to me, while I have, you know, a big gap maybe between the commanders and anything else, if I got to the point where it's like, all right, they're winning every year, I wouldn't mind taking one ring front. He would. Only it's not even close. The other teams don't even really register at all.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, that's what it comes across. If you were to say. If he was to say that, I think he would. I think he said then you would have to say the Knicks are just somebody that he kind of roots for.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don LaGreca]

Like, but I don't think better way

[Alan Hahn]

to do it is this for the rest of your life. Right. Again, he has Dave seen four Super Bowls for the rest of your life. You don't see another super bowl win by the Giants, but you will get a World Series for the Mets, a championship for the Mets and for the rest of your life. Are you buying that because you have these. Like, for me, he's never taken the experience of your teams winning versus the ones that don't. Like, if you told me I'm never going to see another Yankee World Series the rest of my life, but I will see a Jet super bowl and a Knicks NBA championship. Done.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You take it done.

[Don LaGreca]

Now. I think.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't think he does.

[Don LaGreca]

Another way to ask that. This is what I would ask Dave, and I think I know the answer are you're a Knick fan and you want to see the Knicks win the title. But if I tell you the Knicks are going to win the title, the first in your lifetime, because I don't think he was alive in 73. First in your lifetime. Knicks win a championship, but the Mets are. The Giants are going to go 2 and 15. They're going to have just a miserable season. I think he would say, no, I want the Knicks to lose. I don't want to do that. And I'm cool with that in the sense that clearly he's more of a Giant.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You got to own it.

[Don LaGreca]

You know, you could still be a Knick fan and a Met fan, but you're. You'd have to admit you're die hard. You're not. They're not the same level. But I do think if you root for multiple teams, I call bs that you love them all equally. I'm sorry, one reign supreme. One is a Little more than the other.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You want to know the unfortunate part for Dave is that no matter what happens, if the Knicks lose the championship or they win the championship, I still think the Giants are going to have a really bad year. So you might as well enjoy the next champion. Well, you might as well pull for

[Don LaGreca]

now, I have to say this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Go ahead.

[Don LaGreca]

He is a Giant fan, Met fan, Nick fan, Ranger fan, and a yo, yo. We all know how passionate he is about the Giants. Not even a question. Right. I have seen firsthand him watch the Mets in the playoffs in 2015 when they went to the World Series. He completely engaged the whole rocking back and forth. Paisley, he was in it. He was into it.

[Alan Hahn]

The. Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

When the Rangers went.

[Alan Hahn]

He was on at night back then. Yes, then.

[Don LaGreca]

And I saw it because what I was doing, I was doing Ranger stuff and we would be there together.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

And I'd see it. And I also. When the Rangers made their run to the Stanley Cup Final, he was in the suite, like, living and dying. Like, Ruko was laughing at him because he was like, literally falling down after they. I think when Dominic Moore scored the goal, like he. I've seen him completely engage the Rangers. I have no evidence of his Nick fandom at all. None. Now, that doesn't mean there isn't any, but I've got evidence on the other three. I've got none on Knicks.

[Alan Hahn]

Has he been to any of the playoff games? Yes, he was.

[Don LaGreca]

He did. I think he took Ben to one of the playoff games against the Cavs.

[Alan Hahn]

Picture of him and Shams in the suite.

[Don LaGreca]

But I don't. I don't whether he was, like, living and dying like he did with the Rangers in the suite. So again, I'm not calling him out, but if I had to bet, I'd say it goes this way. It goes Giants with a bullet. Then there's a gap. And I would say it's Mets, Rangers, Knicks.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that's probably right.

[Don LaGreca]

Maybe Rangers over Mets. But I think Knicks are a lot of Mets. Well, there's a lot of Mets to talk about because they play a lot.

[Alan Hahn]

Show a lot. Tons of Mets on that show.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, that also helps because Rick's a Met fan.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Don LaGreca]

I think that I, I would say of the teams that, that.

[Alan Hahn]

See, I would argue Rick roots for.

[Don LaGreca]

I think the Mets might be one.

[Alan Hahn]

Mets and jets are very close. Like he's. And he played for the Islanders. But I don't think it's this. I think for him because it's a fan thing. I think for Rick, I Might say Mets over Jets. I might be wrong, but he, I know that he is an insane like at the insane levels of fandom for those two.

[Don LaGreca]

But I would say, and he can correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure they're going to talk about us on the show tomorrow morning, that Knicks are

[Alan Hahn]

for him and that's fine.

[Don LaGreca]

But again, I have no problem with that. First of all, to be a fan of all four, it's hard to do. That's hard to do.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

Because usually there's no. Like, usually you're a hockey fan or basketball fan because the seasons are the same time. So it's like really hard. But I. You're a fan of four. But clearly the commanders are one. It's not even close. And then what would you go Commanders 1. Who would be 2?

[Peter Rosenberg]

See that this is, this is sort of, it's fascinating where I'm at now in my, at this stage of my life.

[Guest or Caller]

All his favorite baseball teams, all his favorite basketball team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don't do that, don't do that.

[Guest or Caller]

All his favorite hockey team. When Islanders give you the entire store.

[Don LaGreca]

But forget, forget about now because now everything's a childhood.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You want a childhood childhood.

[Don LaGreca]

You were a die hard. It was Redskins, Celtics. Penguins.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Don LaGreca]

Oh, it was, I guess Baltimore. Yeah. So what order would you put it

[Peter Rosenberg]

would have been 15 year old Redskin Celtics. The order you just said Redskin, Celtics, Penguins. Okay, but, but here's the thing you have to understand. The Penguins now sort of like Alan's Yankee point, they've won in every era of my life. When I was a kid, I was in Pittsburgh when they won the first one that night. I remember driving around Pittsburgh that night, it was amazing. Then they won the next year. Then you take a gap, I become a young adult, they get sid, they win again. Then their gap win again, win again. So it's five in my lifetime.

[Don LaGreca]

So the truth is in different periods of your life.

[Peter Rosenberg]

In different periods of my life with two iconic superstars. So the Celtics were actually a much longer dry spell. Cause by the time I started rooting for them, it was post 86.

[Don LaGreca]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And now they've won two though in those last 18 years, which as an adult feels like a lot.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

So you were 15 year old, 15 year old me. So we're talking about 1986, Knicks, Islanders, Yankees.

[Alan Hahn]

1980, 1986 now.

[Don LaGreca]

So I'm not giving the order, I'm giving the teams.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, okay.

[Don LaGreca]

So it was Yankees, Jets, Islanders, Knicks.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don LaGreca]

Those are your teams.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So Yankees got to be one then.

[Don LaGreca]

So this is 1986.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He hasn't seen anything.

[Alan Hahn]

This is eighth grade.

[Don LaGreca]

Eighth grade, I would say because it's 86. Islanders go to the final. 83 go and win their fourth straight. They're in the final in 84. They're still good in 85 and 86. I would say Islanders. Don't, don't, don't. I'll give it to you.

[Alan Hahn]

Go ahead.

[Don LaGreca]

I'd say it was Islanders.

[Peter Rosenberg]

See? What about Jets?

[Don LaGreca]

Jets is still like Islanders, Knicks, Yankees. Can't be Islanders, Islanders, Knicks, Yankees, Jets.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm going to make a guess now. He said Islanders, Knicks, Yankees, Jets.

[Alan Hahn]

Where are you going?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm going, I'm going. Yankees, Islanders, Jets, Knicks,

[Alan Hahn]

Islanders. Okay, Yankees.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay,

[Alan Hahn]

86. That Jet Team was good. So jets, then Knicks.

[Don LaGreca]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

Because the Knicks weren't very good. I was just starting basketball, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're just getting into.

[Alan Hahn]

I was playing hockey like I wasn't playing basketball. I just was getting into basketball as a player. And I was watching more because of cbs. Celtics, Lakers, and the Yankees were good. So I didn't know the Knicks that well. Then I got to know the Bernard King stuff, right? And then I got compelled, but it wasn't enough yet. And then of course, they drafted Patrick Ewing. And then I realized, okay, this guy's special. And then I'm. Now I'm in. Patino becomes I'm in. Okay.

[Don LaGreca]

So it fluctuated for sure.

[Alan Hahn]

So for me, the really beginning for me was like the bomb squad teams. I was in high school then I was playing high school basketball and I was like, now I'm.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now.

[Alan Hahn]

The Knicks vaulted to number one.

[Don LaGreca]

Giants were always number one for me. I didn't get into hockey until I was until like the mid-80s. Oh, yeah, the Devils were God awful. So it would be, for me, it would have been Giants, Mets, Devils.

[Alan Hahn]

Makes sense.

[Don LaGreca]

And then the Devils leapfrogged. Once I started really getting into hockey, the Devils were right there with the Giants.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, it was, it was the influences in the home. Baseball and hockey were the two biggest sports, you know.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, you know, you didn't have what we have today. Go, go to the tablet and find out. I'd wheel out the black and white TV and go upstairs if I didn't want to watch what my dad was watching. Otherwise, if I wanted to watch it in color and not have to wait for my black and white TV to warm up, I'd have to put it on. It would take like 10 minutes for it to warm up and turn on

[Alan Hahn]

Donny because My parents were Rangers and Mets fans. I watched on a black and white 15 inch TV, a ton of Yankee games on picks and a lot of road. We didn't get sports channel, they wouldn't pay for it. So the only games I got to see was on WOR Islanders road games on that same little TV on my parents bedroom. That's how I consumed sports back then because they wouldn't put it on.

[Don LaGreca]

Well yeah, it's the influence because again 18 year old Don LaGreck in 1986, Monday Giants, Redskins on Monday Night Football, Game 7 Mets, Red Sox, Game 7 Mets, Red Sox. My dad wheeled out the black and white tv. Oh you're like Giants, Redskins was on color tv.

[Ian Fitzsimmons]

Wow.

[Don LaGreca]

The Mets got the black and white tv.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right.

[Don LaGreca]

And I'm screaming at my dad, it's game seven of the World Series. It's like it's my house. Luckily the game went way longer than the football and I was able to put, you know, the championship on the color tv. That got set in his ways.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's go back to that conversation though involving that we had before because you got red hot about this and it was something that I texted Dave about early this morning, driving in listening to their show and they had a spirited conversation about it. And you seem to really have an opinion, a strong opinion on it. I'm curious to see that our listeners have one too in this market because I don't think anybody outside the market understands is the idea that all I've been hearing narrative wise from those who are trying to pick away at the nick run. 11 straight wins, all by like 20 points a game. A dominant run through the east is, you know what? They had an easy, the east was so weak, the Knicks just had it easy. They didn't have to play the one or two seed. They beat up on bad teams. So this, this doesn't mean anything. This is a weak East. And so as I'm hearing this, you, you can try to argue it doesn't matter because people have this opinion. They don't want to give the Knicks any credence as what could be a. This is a historic run. And all everybody says is one of the best 11 game runs. And I said no, it is literally the best. But no one wants to admit that. Okay, fine. So with that in mind, I say do you want as a fan to say, you know, what the hell it Thunder win tonight, Give me them. Because beating them turns that narrative off now, takes the asterisks away. Now it's hey, they knocked off the defending champs, the best team in the NBA to win this title. So the easy road, take that away now because this is now quote unquote legitimate. Do you feel that way or not?

[Don LaGreca]

I will answer that as soon as Peter gives us more on fanduel.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, and I have thoughts on this as well because I think it's. I respect the question and also I think it's Yo Yo Bumchuck at the same time. But here's your daily reminder to check in because every day during the NBA playoffs, FanDuel serving up a happy hour. We're talking special drops you don't want to miss, profit boosts, bonus bets and more. Check for a new reward every single day of the NBA playoffs. And don't miss your shot to get a little extra out of the action. Head to FanDuel.com local to get started. You can already bet on game one of the NBA finals. No matter the Knicks opponent 21 plus physically present New York opt in required rewards are not withdrawable. Restrictions apply including bonus and token expiration leg requirements, max wager amount. For help with a gambling problem. Call 8778-OPENY or text OPENY 467-369 now don, I do have to keep in mind we're going to get the bets in next week when I'm gone.

[Don LaGreca]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Going to make sure about that.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I have to be honest with you. By the way, I dropped my first episode of my Validate Me podcast.

[Don LaGreca]

Okay cool.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So anyone who's interested in hearing the deepest darkest parts of my life and maybe relate to some of it, go find validate me on YouTube and wherever you find podcasts. But since the name of the episode is rigorous honesty, I have to be rigorously honest with you both. Am I going to be watching these games live? Is Natalie going to go full go New York, Go New York go. And are we going to stay up while Traveling with a 16 month old? Are Natalie and I going to quietly at 2:30am Six hours.

[Don LaGreca]

Oh wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And it's not a 7:30 tip.

[Alan Hahn]

Not a 7pm Tip. This is going to be about 8:40ish. I'm hearing tip off. 8:30 is when the game broadcast begins. But you know at CSPN ABC we

[Peter Rosenberg]

so we're talking about a 240 non chance.

[Alan Hahn]

We're looking at.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what I don't really like

[Guest or Caller]

it's 2:40 in the morning.

[Don LaGreca]

He's right. He's right.

[Guest or Caller]

It's not a knock on you. This is not reasonable because here's the

[Peter Rosenberg]

thing if it was a bit later and we could wake up at five to watch the second half, like that's like maybe in play.

[Alan Hahn]

This is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know, I know.

[Alan Hahn]

Your boy's getting zero sleep in the next 10 days.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's dead in the middle though, guys. Like, how am I gonna do it?

[Alan Hahn]

I'm being like, you're gonna have to watch it back. Yeah, you're gonna be an app. Very easy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But in the. You think, you think in the morning, first thing we do, we get up. No phones.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, that's to me not. But then I know our group chat's gonna be.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no, I won't be. You know me, I might just leave the group chat.

[Don LaGreca]

Last time you went away, Peter has left it out.

[Alan Hahn]

You did leave the chat.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But, but if I, it's. If I go, if I open up the computer, the question is, will I be able to like get to the game without seeing. Without seeing anything? No. Is the hardest. That's like non chance.

[Don LaGreca]

Just once you get to the computer to watch the game.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, you go to the app.

[Don LaGreca]

You're going to go to the app.

[Alan Hahn]

The score is going to be all over headline. You're not going to Brunson drops 40.

[Don LaGreca]

You're going to have to wake up, accept the score and then watch. Rewatch the game knowing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Or do you like to watch like the long, the 15 minute highlight.

[Guest or Caller]

If you wake up and there's an orange and blue sky, then you know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's even in Italy.

[Alan Hahn]

Italy.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah, it's. The Pope already gave a thumbs up.

[Caller or Listener]

We're good.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, we do. We know this story. Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what I'm going to say when I'm in Italy, by the way, you're hungry.

[Don LaGreca]

Tea.

[Alan Hahn]

You want to send the kid for budget.

[Guest or Caller]

I thought you were going to play God bless.

[Alan Hahn]

To be honest. They have budget fresh.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know if they have budget.

[Alan Hahn]

So the Pope as we know, went to Villanova.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right.

[Alan Hahn]

And because of it, Spike Lee visited the Pope, had the opportunity to meet him in Jersey.

[Don LaGreca]

He showed that to me when I saw the Second I saw him more recently at the time during the Atlanta series. When I saw him, he showed me the jersey. He's like, you Catholic? I said, I'm Catholic adjacent. And then he said, well, I don't think it's sad, it's just the reality.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're not a Jays, you're Catholic. You're non practicing.

[Don LaGreca]

No, I'm Russian Orthodox.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, he is actually.

[Don LaGreca]

Which is Catholic. Ajace. I didn't know that, you know what?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I forgot.

[Don LaGreca]

Confirmed. But I'm not going to get into that with Spike. I just said yes, we all have. Because if I said no, he probably wouldn't have showed me the jersey. Like, we get to step in.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, yeah, I have Easter at a different time. It's a whole thing. Not gonna get into this style.

[Alan Hahn]

Anyways, so there was a fan at the Vatican as he's going by on the Pope mobile and the fan just yells out, go, Nix. And as the Pope's waving, he stopped. And he thumbs up to the fan. As the fan, he lost his money. He had a Knicks shirt on. He's going crazy. And that's almost like a blessing. So what if I let the Pope comes to it?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I was gonna say no. No, I was gonna say, what if I managed to go watch the game with the Pope? I mean, why can't I when I'm in Rome?

[Don LaGreca]

You gotta be watching. Let me ask you this. I still have to answer Alan's question, but we'll do that when we get back.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, we waited too long.

[Don LaGreca]

What? What would command more security? The Pope at the Garden or Trump at the Garden?

[Alan Hahn]

Can you imagine if both came?

[Don LaGreca]

If both came to be playing in the empty building? Right. Honestly, they would have to tell the fans, listen, we're gonna, you know, unfortunately, we're not gonna let any fans in the building.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't think they'd be in the same spot.

[Don LaGreca]

Trump will be on one side, not the Boba be on the other side. It'll be like a Covid game. Like there's nobody in the building. It's the NBA Finals and a bubble.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hope they enjoy it.

[Caller or Listener]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. I doubt he's coming to a game. He's got more important things to get to, like helping people.

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[Podcast Host]

to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Host]

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

[Don LaGreca]

All right, so Alan was asking about do you root for the Thunder tonight? Now that's the matchup. Knicks. Thunder. Knicks beat the Thunder, the defending NBA champions. And then that would squelch the narrative that the Knicks had an easy path because they defeated the champions. Well, a couple of things at play. Number one, I'm sorry, beating the spurs should also squelch the easy path because the spurs would be the favorite, the spurs would have home court advantage and the spurs have the best player in the sport. And the other thing that I need to say is because I went through this because there are tons of Cowboy fans in New York, right? And one of my best friends is a Cowboy fan, John Stark. John Stark. Not John Starks. John Stark is his name. No s at the end. And my brother David. So when the Giants beat the Bills In Super Bowl 25, it's all, well, the only reason you won that game is Norwood missed a field goal. Like, who cares what you think? Who cares what you think? But he did miss the Nick fan. The Nick hater is going to say the path was easy no matter who they beat in the Finals, spurs or Thunder. And I'm going to tell you why. Because the Thunder beat up. So they'll use that. Well, the Thunder weren't healthy. And also the Knicks caught the break because they got eight days off. And even if the Thunder win tonight, they had less of a break because the. Because the path was so easy. They got so much rest before the conference final, so much rest before the NBA Finals, that they had an advantage. The point I'm trying to make is the Knick haters are going to hate. And if they want, they're going to tell you when there's. When the Knicks are going down the canyon of heroes and everybody in New York's wearing a 2026 NBA Finals championship T shirt that the path was easy. Man, don't worry about it. It doesn't matter. The path might have been easy, but they pulverized the three teams that they played on their way to this.

[Alan Hahn]

Historically pulverized.

[Don LaGreca]

And every team catches a break. Let me ask you, was the Giants fourth Super bowl, the second win over the Patriots? Was that Fugazi? Was that. Was that an easy path? I'm going to remind you why it might have been looked at.

[Alan Hahn]

Tell me.

[Don LaGreca]

Because the Niners beat the Saints. I'm telling you as a Giant fan, the Giants were not going into the Superdome and beating the Saints in the championship game weren't going to do it. That was a bad matchup for them. They would not have beaten the Saints, but the 49ers beat the Saints. The Giants were able to go to candlestick and beat a 49er team that was a lesser team than the Saints and a better matchup. Does that mean the Giants championship was cheap? No. They played who they played and they won the championship. Okay. That's just the way it goes. Was the Devil's last cup cheap because they played the Ducks?

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, they beat the best team in the league in the Ottawa Senators in the conference final, but they got the Ducks, who were like a seven seed. Was the Rangers cup cheap because they played the Canucks? The Canucks were a seven seed in the Stanley cup final. They weren't playing the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were a better team, but the Leafs got upended by Vancouver. Should they have to apologize for that?

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Don LaGreca]

I mean, there's always. If you really hate, you could always come up with something to say why that championship doesn't mean anything. Because of this, that and the other thing. Tell them to stuff it. It shouldn't even be a narrative. But if you want to play that game. What do you do with an inferior opponent? You embarrass them. That's exactly what the Knicks did. And if the Knicks beat the spurs or the Thunder, there'll be a dog. They'll be at home court disadvantage. Anybody that tells you that it was an easy run is just a hater. Blank.

[Alan Hahn]

Em, can I tell you that I think this is great? Here's why. Because it continues to give the Knicks fuel. Because the thing that everybody always fears is that what happens with the Knicks is they just don't handle prosperity well. Everybody tells you how great you are. Oh, now you're the favorite. Everybody's expecting you to win. And this only just keeps reminding them. See, nobody, nobody. Even with all you've done, there's still people that are going to say it's not that impressive. And that to me, if I'm Mike Brown, little hints of it, you don't bring it up. You don't talk about it as if it's an important topic. This is not something you address in a meeting. But there are little ways around the facility that you could just be like, hey, by the way, this. They're saying this. Hey, by the way. And I'll point out there's other times just in NBA history that you can find reasons why a championship lesser value. Great example. The Raptors Championship in 2019, as amazing as of a run that is, which included a crazy bounce for Kawhi to beat the Sixers. Right? They go to the finals. They were heavy underdogs, heavy. How did they win? Because Kevin Durant popped his Achilles and Klay Thompson blew out his knee. That's how they won. They won because two critical players on a dynasty team were taken out of the equation. And the Raptors had enough to win that. So there's that. How about the 21? Giannis led Milwaukee Bucks. They were done. Kevin Durant hit a shot that should have killed that series in the second

[Don LaGreca]

round against the Nets.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, yeah, but his foot was on the line. So because they went to overtime, they won that game and now they survive, they go on and they don't play anybody great in the conference final. You know, they played the Atlanta Hawks, who just got on a toot, as you would say, and got to the finals. They didn't belong there. And so the Hawks beat them in six, got to the finals. Who'd they play? Phoenix Suns. And they won a championship. So, like you can make the argument that what was that run? You got lucky. The guy that you were dead. That's why the whole thing sucks was on the line.

[Don LaGreca]

That's why the whole thing. Exactly.

[Alan Hahn]

But, but I, like I said, that's why I agree that this is stupid narrative. But people are gonna do it. But I, I have no problem with it because I would want this to burn in that locker room and make them go like, okay, okay, so now we're under. Oh, nobody thinks will show you. We'll show you. I love this.

[Don LaGreca]

The only thing that would bother me as bad as it would be to lose to the Thunder of the Spurs. What makes it worse for me will be the narrative of the easy trip will make people not appreciate the run that they're on right now. And the reason I say that is, and I know it's a lesser team, less popular. Nobody remembers The Nets winning nine straight in 2003, going to the NBA Finals. Nobody remembers that they had the two sweeps going in. Won nine straight playoff games. They lost.

[Alan Hahn]

That was the second one, right?

[Don LaGreca]

The second one against the Spurs.

[Alan Hahn]

And so that should have been a. They already went to the finals year before. They're burning through the east again and they're going back to the finals again for a second trip, which usually means you're going to win it. But in back to back years they ran into generational teams.

[Don LaGreca]

And now Knick fans will cherish this run. No matter what happens in the final agreement, the rest of the league is not going to remember, not care. And that's the shame of it. Look, that's just the reality.

[Alan Hahn]

I was asked this morning for get up. We didn't really get into it, but it was a question asked in the email they usually sent out the night before.

[Don LaGreca]

They're busy talking to Peter.

[Alan Hahn]

And it was, it was simply this. Is this already a successful season for the Knicks? And you know what my answer is? No. Did they advance the cause? Yes. But I think perspective changes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It does.

[Alan Hahn]

And I believe that that group there would be this sense of all that has to has to end. It just feels like destiny. It has to end a title.

[Don LaGreca]

But I need to see what it looks like if you go to the finals and get swept, it's going to feel like you know what you got as far as you thought you're going to get that would feel like a disappointment and a failure in a way. If you play seven hard games, lose game seven and overtime on the road. I got a hard time looking at the season as not being a success. You went to the finals for the first time in 27 years. You pushed a team that you were a Dog to.

[Alan Hahn]

But that's my point. It is technically, but I don't think that you won't feel that way and for years to come.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, obviously the only way you end up at this point feeling good is with the title.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

However, there's varying degrees of bad. So to Don's point, you lose in seven, but everyone's upset about it.

[Alan Hahn]

It hurts, you're crushed.

[Peter Rosenberg]

However, there's no changes to make. This is what the team is. You get swept.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

Now all of a sudden it's hard. To Allen's point, they never went on a major run during the playoffs last year. But nobody cares that the Pacers lost in seven. They lost in seven. It's another team that lost in the finals. They pushed the Thunder to seven games.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

They were one game away from winning a title. Like I'm sure in Indiana they, they appreciate that. But outside of that, just, I, another team that 4, 7, what does it matter? I, I, they lost. I need to see what it looks

[Alan Hahn]

like for a whole year. Yeah, they're getting him back for next season.

[Don LaGreca]

Who knows if they're ever going to

[Alan Hahn]

different looking team because they don't have Miles Turner now they have Zubots. It's a different team. Will they really be the same? It's a whole year. You've already forgotten, kind of.

[Don LaGreca]

And the same thing can happen to the Knicks. Right. The, the Celtics are going to retool. Halliburton's coming back. Detroit's going to get, maybe get stronger. Orlando's one of those teams that they might be taking the next step.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen, that's why I'm saying let's not

[Don LaGreca]

even talk about, let's not talk it into existence.

[Alan Hahn]

I am not. I, I told you, I told you how I feel. I don't care who they play because I think they're beating whoever it is.

[Don LaGreca]

Let's go to Anthony and Douglas and you're on espn. New York. What's up, man? Anthony,

[Caller or Listener]

what's going on, fellas?

[Caller]

City is on the brink. Let's go. Go Knicks. So I had a point. You guys kind of ran by it and Bart was kind of getting on my nerves earlier because he kind of wants to root for the Knicks now that, that Detroit has been eliminated. And man, we, we can't hear that for somebody who's rooting for us. So I guess I'll give him a pass because I, I do love him. But yeah, I, I feel like we got the, the opponents that won are the harder opponents and we took care of business and that we dominated. We were unstoppable. And I feel like we had no choice. So like you guys said, those are the haters. I'm gonna try to pay them no mind. But my second little point was that you guys brought up Eddie Murphy before. And the funny side of things, like, it kind of reminded me of the scene from Harlem Knights when he got into a fight with one of the women and he ended up bringing out a gun and everything. But I don't know if he ended up seeing that movie.

[Don LaGreca]

Oh, I know that movie.

[Caller]

Well, that is.

[Don LaGreca]

That is an absolute great movie. So it's funny. I kind of just threw Eddie Murphy out as just a quick line. But, you know, all of a sudden people start thinking about, of course, you know, Harlem nights. You know, just real quick, before we go to break, we got tons of phones to get to, and there's no last call crew until the 6:00 hour because we're taking up until 7:00'. Clock.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, you bet there is.

[Don LaGreca]

I saw this on social media. The. The ass in the jackpot. Remember that? With the, with Collins, the meds, when Syndergaard throughout the Dodgers, that whole thing.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

Ten years ago today, because it was the year after they go to the World Series, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Oh, my God.

[Don LaGreca]

Where's the time go, man? I told you. Decade ago.

[Alan Hahn]

Telling you. We all know this.

[Caller or Listener]

You're right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Allen's rights, his best take on the

[Alan Hahn]

other side of COVID time has gone where 30 seconds or 30 minutes is now 60 seconds or 60 minutes.

[Don LaGreca]

And the fact that.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm sorry, the other way around, you

[Peter Rosenberg]

know what you mean?

[Alan Hahn]

I mean reverse it. Reverse.

[Don LaGreca]

That's his penalties. A helmet.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right. It happens. But your point, but Your point is

[Alan Hahn]

60 minutes is now 30 minutes. It's just too fast. Time is flying by. We're in fast forward. We're stuck in fast forward.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, it's also because, you know, the two years of COVID was in those 10 years. So it's like, I don't know what

[Alan Hahn]

happened, and they just disappeared now.

[Don LaGreca]

Just crazy.

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[Podcast Host]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Host]

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

[Don LaGreca]

Get back to the Busy phones at 1-800-919-3776. Let's talk to Dan in Saratoga. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Dan?

[Caller or Listener]

Hey, guys, how you doing?

[Don LaGreca]

Good, how are you?

[Caller or Listener]

Good. Hey, so you were talking about.

[Caller]

I'm a big obviously Knicks fan and Giants fan. I called in the other day and

[Caller or Listener]

I want to paint this picture for you guys.

[Caller]

Let's say the Knicks go, go up

[Caller or Listener]

against Oklahoma City and we beat them, win the championship. Brunson, status quo, you know, 25 to 30 points a game, whatever brilliant wins the MVP. Where would you stack this run for? Just Jalen Brunson up against eli Manning

[Caller]

back in 07 and maybe even 2011. Now generalized basically like clutch players. You know, Brunson super clutch and Eli's clutch.

[Caller or Listener]

Who would you rather, who do you think's more clutch if that happens?

[Don LaGreca]

Well, it's.

[Alan Hahn]

Eli was cold, man, he was cold.

[Don LaGreca]

I mean just to win a Super bowl, to do something. We have seen basketball players even in New York like how clutch Clyde was, you know, that win everybody talks about, you know, his performance.

[Alan Hahn]

Of all the moments, isn't that pass, both of them. The one to Manningham was an unbelievable throw. Aren't those the most clutch moment, Alan,

[Don LaGreca]

you can count on one hand game winning touchdown drives in the super bowl when you needed a touchdown. Like the Joe Montana against Cincinnati had two. Right.

[Alan Hahn]

But I'm saying even just in New York overall sports, Nystrom's goal is a clutch goal. Messier. What he. Like there's clutch moments like that. I understand Matteo, but like think about it.

[Don LaGreca]

I listen, I'm biased because you know how I feel about the Giants.

[Alan Hahn]

Like the Larrit's home run. But this is the win the damn game. The one game. The. This is like a game seven.

[Don LaGreca]

The only difference is Brunson would be slaying a dragon. Right?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

Like if they beat the Thunder and he's clutch and come up with a big moment.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don LaGreca]

He ended the drought of 53 years. Like that's a big deal. But we're talking about that, that 07 Super Bowl, a game winning drive when you needed the touchdown. Like I said, the Montana against Cincinnati, they were down three. He scored the touchdown to win the game. But a field goal would have tied the game. Like they were down 4. He needed a touchdown. It's all right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But how about this.

[Don LaGreca]

It's a great conversation. It's a perfect team. Yeah. A team that didn't lose.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But there's a couple things.

[Alan Hahn]

Eli's moment was okay, if you're having

[Peter Rosenberg]

just a clutch conversation, clutch alone. It will take more for Brunson to get there because Eli's clutch gene is so incredible. But if you look at it in a broader sense, Jalen Brunson has something Eli doesn't have, which is during the regular season, he's also that dude night in, night out. We all know there were weeks during Eli's best years, with the exception that one year where he really went off most seasons it was week to week with Eli was good. He was good. He wasn't Jalen.

[Don LaGreca]

But you know, you know what's funny? We know that because we watch him all the time. The rest of the NBA be like, they don't notice Bronson.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. You don't think all year though.

[Don LaGreca]

I don't think. I don't. I don't. During the regular season, he's looked upon as a superstar. Now we watch him every day. So we look at him and we hold him up to a higher regard.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm telling you, my jaw drops with some of the stuff.

[Don LaGreca]

You would say that he is underappreciated around the league. Of course he is. Right.

[Alan Hahn]

He's underrated. Under. I think there's a lot of players who just see him as, yeah, he's really good. But this run has opened a lot of eyes.

[Don LaGreca]

I believe that Brunson is a better regular season player than Eli was. I do think that Eli's pedestrian regular season numbers are exaggerated.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's.

[Don LaGreca]

He had some, you know, 4,000 yard season.

[Alan Hahn]

He had really not forget his last. How many years is what really cost?

[Don LaGreca]

Well, they talk about he's only 500 because, you know, the Giants were a joke and they were terrible, terrible teams. Terribly coached, yes, and all that. But the one thing that Brunson would have if he can win the title is that again, you're slaying a dragon.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Don LaGreca]

Giants hadn't won a Super bowl since 1990, but they were in a Super bowl in 2000. Like the Knicks have not been to a final in 27 years. They have not won in 53 years.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But would you agree one Jalen Brunson, Knicks championship this year. And in terms of New York greatness, Jalen Brunson and the way that he's going to be revered Pantheon Brunson would be no. And specifically, I think he'd be pulling up A chair right to Eli's table.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's where he'd be sitting.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, again, because you got to go. Modern era. As much as I know that everybody hates this, so those. Those, you know, the. The 27 Yankees and that whole run, the Yogi Berra era and all that stuff, even the. Or even the 70s championships, because it just feels like, faded. It feels a long time ago. So we go 50 years, half a century.

[Don LaGreca]

But. But the reason, like. But the one thing about the longevity of the last championship, that's what you talk about. Like, Messier.

[Alan Hahn]

Like.

[Don LaGreca]

Like Messier's performance was great. He didn't win the Con Smythe in the postseason.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Don LaGreca]

Brian Leach did. Yeah. But he won for the first time in 54 years, and they haven't won since. Right.

[Alan Hahn]

He was the leader of that.

[Don LaGreca]

Brunson would be. It would like Messier territory of just slaying the dragon. That. That would make it a big deal, too. Like, as great as the performance at Eli. And to Peter's point, from the clutch standpoint, he might win the argument, but he didn't have the weight of no. No championship. Like I said, Phil might have felt it in. In 86. Because they hadn't won in 30 years. We're talking 53 freaking years, man. That's a long time. Like, you're literally talking about again, you'd have to be in your 60s the last time you could say that you've seen a championship. And even then, you were just a kid. Like, it's. Honestly, this is. No, I honestly don't know the answer. Will there be anybody in the building for game three covering this series that covered 73?

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Don LaGreca]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Don LaGreca]

It'd be impossible, right?

[Alan Hahn]

No, I'm just off top my head. I mean, the only person in the building that even, like, you could say remotely connected would have been Clyde, because he played nigga.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know.

[Don LaGreca]

But there's not a writer, there's not a commentator.

[Alan Hahn]

But I. I can't even think of anything.

[Don LaGreca]

You would have to have Marv calling Marv replacing Breen. That would be the equivalent.

[Alan Hahn]

Would Marv attend the game?

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah. And you're talking about. You got to be in your 80s. I mean, that's how long ago it was. I mean, it's crazy time.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, it is crazy time, but with Xfinity, Don, it's not crazy. You can already, you know, you already enjoy ESPN as part of your TV lineup with live games and daily sports coverage and expert analysis. And now the ESPN Unlimited plan is available. At no additional cost. Who doesn't love that? Giving you access to additional ESPN content in the ESPN app, on demand programming and originals to Explore. So visit xfinity.com your subscriptions to activate the ESPN Unlimited access. Then start watching in the ESPN app. More from ESPN all in One place.

[Don LaGreca]

Let's go to Mike and Hawthorne. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, buddy?

[Caller or Listener]

Hey, guys. How you doing? Don? How's everybody doing?

[Don LaGreca]

Hello. How are you?

[Caller or Listener]

It's funny. It's funny when you're on hold, how many gift things slide through. The only thing I can say that was a. I think a better throw than Eli's was Roethlisberger in the back of the end zone. I forget who caught it. That was. That was an unbelievable throw.

[Don LaGreca]

But to Holmes, Antonio.

[Alan Hahn]

Holmes, Antonio.

[Caller or Listener]

Oh, my God. That was. That was an unbelievable laser and a catch. Great catch, too. But I wanted to talk. You had me laughing, Don. Talking about John and my sister went to school with him and talk about your dad. I remember your dad working. Working at the Red Duck and watching games. And Hawthorne growing up was just like, incredible. You had to pick your pad to pick your poison. But I wanted to talk to Alan a little bit about. About hoops. I'm a hoops junkie. And what I. What I love about the Knicks, what they're doing, they're almost playing old school, Princeton style, filling lanes 1, 3 and 5, nobody state, never. If you don't have the ball, you stay out of lane three. Except now you go to the corner and the guys shoot. And then when the guy turns his back on a double team, they're. They're patient. And the offside guard is flying to the middle of the court and stealing. It's just. It's 1973 basketball. It's, you know, I'm 63 years old. I was a little kid when that all was going on. But that's how we. That's how we learned basketball. And, you know, I love it. I love the athleticism. I've watched basketball my whole life. But the Knicks, what they're doing is they're taking. They're taking that. That pick and roll that screen ball away, screen away. And they've taken to another level where if, you know, they. If the three screens the four and this and the four is not open, he goes and screens the two and the guy goes back door for layup. Beautiful basketball.

[Alan Hahn]

You have to.

[Caller or Listener]

Beautiful basketball.

[Alan Hahn]

Defensively, you have to be on your toes. You. You've got to just always be locked in and you could see even teams that thought they took it away because there was a, there was a point in the Cav series in Game one where it looked like, oh, they, they scouted this well. They, they know what's going to happen. And it took one halftime adjustment and the Knicks switched things and then it became Jalen. Just looked at everybody going, all right,

[Don LaGreca]

get the hell out of the way.

[Alan Hahn]

I'll just go one on one. They have bad defenders. I'll just kill him. And that happened. And then the rest of the series, the Cavs couldn't do anything about it. They couldn't. So they were able to then see, here's what they're doing to stop it. It has so many options. And that's what I remember hearing Mike Brown, during that long break between the series, he almost sounded excited, but tried to control it when he was asked about the offense that they found in the Atlanta series and how they built off it in the Sixers series. And he's like, you know, if we get a training camp, there's a lot more we can add to this. We just don't have the time to put that stuff in. But this offense, he's like, next year this thing's going to be even bigger. And that's exciting to hear about. So what you like and what you're talking about is a team that went from being very heavily reliant on one player and now it becomes all five players feel part of it. And when you have that, it's amazing how much harder guys play defensively and get after loose balls and rebounds.

[Podcast Host]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't want to know how the

[Alan Hahn]

sausage is made, but I just want to know it's good.

[Podcast Host]

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.

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