Hour 3: Knicks/Spurs Game 3 Preview

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg: Knicks/Spurs Game 3 Preview (Hour 3)

Date: June 9, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Theme: Anticipation for Knicks vs. Spurs Game 3, New York sports’ biggest moments, and the citywide impact of the NBA Finals on fans, media, and city culture.

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Episode Overview

Hour 3 dives deep into the anticipation and significance surrounding Game 3 of the Knicks vs. Spurs NBA Finals. The trio dissects what this moment means for New York and how it compares to other monumental events in city sports history. Interspersed are passionate listener calls on fandom, jersey choices, and the emotional journey Knicks fans are living. The hour also touches on the national perception of the Knicks, TV ratings, parallel historic teams, and New York’s collective psyche heading into a potentially unforgettable night.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Knicks vs. Spurs Game 3: Pre-Game Vibes & Fandom Dynamics

• Setting the Stage ([01:11])

  • Game 3 of the NBA Finals is about to tip-off. There's "extended pregame hosted by Pat O’Keefe at 7," immediately following the show. The excitement is palpable.
  • Alan Hahn shares, “Tonight will be the first game where I’ll be out in a place with other people…everyone’s going to be watching it.” ([03:18])

• Jersey Selection Debate ([11:41])

  • Caller Ricardo seeks advice on which Knicks jersey to wear: Alvarado (as a proud Puerto Rican-Dominican), Brunson, or Ewing. Hosts discuss the symbolism behind each.
  • Alan: "I feel Brunson...This moment’s about now." ([12:10])
  • Don advocates for Alvarado: "The Alvarado is a celebration tonight…your support for him, I think is important." ([13:02])

• Fandom 'Fraudulence' and Bandwagoning ([03:18])

  • Alan openly acknowledges his lingering Celtics loyalty but admits a growing affection for this Knicks team via his family’s influence.
  • Peter: "Once you’re a known fraud, do you just openly cheer and not think about it?"
    Don: "I think you just do you…whatever feels good."
    Alan: "Enjoy yourself at that point." ([04:31])

• Living the 'Good Old Days' in Real-Time ([20:02])

  • Alan waxing poetic: "You’re in right now—the good old days. A lot of times we don't stop and just enjoy it because…we’re so worried about winning the next game... But they were still the best of times. So right now is your best of times." ([21:02-22:52])

Comparing Great New York Sports Moments

• What Matches This Energy? ([04:35])
  • Don and Peter reflect on events like:
    • '94 Rangers Stanley Cup Game 7 ([04:35])
    • Game 6, ‘96 Yankees’ clinch ([04:59])
    • '86 Mets World Series comeback ([05:13])
    • '86 Giants NFC Championship at home: "There's nothing like going to the Super Bowl..." ([05:42])
  • Comparison to the electric, city-unifying vibe the Knicks have now.
• Cultural Pandemonium: Ali-Frazier II ([07:15])
  • Peter: “That was the center of the sports universe…all the pretty people were showing up.”
  • Alan: “[Ali-Frazier II]…Sinatra was a photographer, so yeah, he couldn’t get tickets supposedly. That’s what they say.” ([07:39])

National Perception, Ratings, and the Knicks 'Formula'

• Media Skepticism: 'Who's the Star?' ([36:26])

  • The crew laments that the media and outside country are slow to believe in the Knicks without a traditional superstar.
  • Don: “No one wants to believe what they’re seeing…This isn’t a team with a Kobe, a LeBron, a Steph...Jalen Brunson, who most of the country looks at as, he’s good, but isn’t he kind of small?" ([36:58] & [45:23])
  • Peter: "It’s very '04 Pistons-like." ([43:39])
  • Alan: “Knicks aren’t doing it with the exact NBA title formula...It’s almost like an NFL team winning a Super Bowl without a great QB.” ([43:57])

• TV Ratings: Knicks Steal America’s Attention ([29:03])

  • Alan: "Game one, 16.8 [million], 90% higher than last year...Most watched Game 1 since 2018...Peak audience of 19.6 [million]." ([30:03-31:10])
  • Perspective: NBA Finals had more viewership than most World Series openers, including Yankees-Dodgers.
  • Peter: “Even with the Yankees, every generation knows about a Yankee championship…What makes the Knicks special? It’s New York...and it never happened." ([32:31])

Listeners’ Calls: New York Identity, Overconfidence & Enjoyment

• 'Jinxes' & Overconfidence ([17:22] & [18:43])
  • David in Elizabeth: “I want to go about this with the Kobe way—job not finished. I don’t want to celebrate nothing yet until maybe after this win…Let’s just stay humble.”
  • Peter (in response): “We have no ability to change what happens on the court tonight. So if you want to have some fun, have fun…within reason.” ([19:13])
• Cultural Impact & Public Fandom ([21:02])
  • Alan recounts how Knicks fans began gathering outside MSG as soon as mediocrity ended—even “celebrating 17 and 17” after years of losing. "This was a tradition that started just because fans were like, we don't suck anymore." ([22:09])
• Knicks as the 'Final Boss' ([36:23])
  • Javier calls in declaring: "The Spurs thought they beat the final boss...the Knicks are the final boss...The Knicks are that team!" ([36:23])

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Moment's Immensity:
  Don: “Imagine the World Cup being overshadowed by the Knicks. The only way that happens is if you’re in the NBA Finals, and that’s where we are.” ([25:34])

• On Historical Parallels:
  Don: “Winning the NFC Championship at home is sort of like the send off…it’s like the local Super Bowl…It’s the one that the fans, there's no scenario in which you’re going to see that team again.” ([06:25])

• On the Knicks’ Identity:
  Alan: “This is a pocket in the franchise’s history…Right now is your best of times...These are the good old days right now.” ([21:02-22:52])

• On 'Job Not Finished' Mindset:
  David, caller: “I want to go about this with the Kobe way—job not finished. I don’t want to celebrate nothing yet…” ([17:28])

• On Defying NBA Tropes:
  Alan: “Knicks aren’t doing it with the exact NBA title formula…It’s almost like …the 04 Pistons.” ([43:39])

• On TV Ratings and Cultural Penetration:
  Don: "Viewership was higher than the opening game of 15 of the last 16 World Series, including Yankees-Dodgers." ([32:09])

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Memorable, Lighthearted Moments

• Caller Jersey Dilemma:
  Ricardo earnestly debating jersey choices, with Don finally decreeing: "The Alvarado is a celebration tonight...I think this is a big Alvarado moment for him personally. Your support for him...is important." ([13:02])

• Rosenberg on Young Fans:
  “We want [Don] to get home, wake up in the middle of the night to go pee and go, oh, wait, the Yankees…” ([03:08])

• On Overpaying for Finals Tickets:
  Peter quips about Asman paying out-of-pocket: “It might cost his kids’ college fund!”
  Alan: "But he doesn't have kids yet." ([40:50])

• MSG "Court" Under Penn Station:
  Don describes fans taking pictures on a temporary basketball court laid under Penn Station to amplify citywide Finals spirit. "They put down another version of the court. So fans…walking from Penn to the Garden…it's super cool!" ([42:09])

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Important Timestamps

• Game 3 Preview and Setting the Table: [01:11 – 04:23]
• Fandom Confessions & Jersey Talk: [03:18, 11:41 – 13:34]
• Greatest NY Sports Moments Debate: [04:35 – 08:55]
• Media Skepticism & 'Formula' for Champs: [36:26 – 45:14]
• Emotional Perspective on the Knicks Run: [20:01 – 22:57]
• TV Ratings & National Spotlight: [29:03 – 33:03]
• Caller Highlights (NJ/NYC Represent, optimism, skepticism, joy): [11:41, 17:22, 34:43, 36:23, 46:18]

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Summary

This episode captures New York at a sports fever pitch—where NBA Finals energy eclipses even the World Cup buzz. The hosts dissect not only the tactics and storylines but zero in on what this run means to fans' hearts and the city's psyche. They compare the Knicks’ journey to historic moments and teams, continuously circling back to the uniquely united spirit of this basketball-crazed moment.

The trio, with enthusiastic callers chiming in, urge fans to revel in the moment—without being shackled by superstitions or expectations about “needing a superstar.” In their eyes, and the eyes of listeners, the Knicks' improbable climb to this stage is already cementing a new set of ‘good old days’ for the city's next generation of sports lovers.

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For New Listeners

If you missed the live show, this hour delivers a vibrant blend of nostalgia, city pride, fan engagement, and a critical eye toward how “the rest of the country” views this underdog Knicks Finals run. It’s a celebration of the moment, an ode to collective joy, and a portrait of New York at its sports-loving, emotionally candid best.

Transcript

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[Don Hahn]

This is the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

Game time is brought to you by Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey News. When it's game time, guys.

[Alan Hahn]

Hey. Sorry. Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no, it's true.

[Don Hahn]

What are we doing here?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, they got something going on.

[Don Hahn]

What is going on with that?

[Alan Hahn]

There's something happening.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There's like. It's like little famous highlights from doing the Tullamore do that they've. They're doing. This is a new thing.

[Alan Hahn]

But you're saying they should stop.

[Don Hahn]

We're just going to do a new thing right in the middle of the biggest run we've been part of.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm not feeling it, but listen, maybe they are.

[Don Hahn]

Don't love it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Nick. Spurs game three. That's right. Coverage immediately following us on 880 with an extended pregame hosted by Pat O' Keefe at 7. The Yankees start a series with the Guardians in Cleveland at 6:40.

[Don Hahn]

I'll be locked in.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Visit the Suns at 7. Tullamore. Dude, the original triple distilled triple blood. Did a triple cast, but sure they grab a Telemore do or try the new Telemore do. Honey, during today's action.

[Don Hahn]

Glasses, honestly, I will be following the Yankees game.

[Alan Hahn]

It's whatever. Sure you will.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, I will.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, come on.

[Caller Javier]

Stop.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Stop yourself. If you.

[Alan Hahn]

If you do more than one check at the end of the night to say who won, you're a fraud.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There is nothing even thinking he's being that guy. Yeah, he is. It's not Thursday because I will tell you, as engaged as I am as a kid and now with the Mets, NFL Sunday sometime at around like 3:15, I'll be like, oh man, I. The Mets are playing. I check the school. Like there's just certain times where it's like as big as a fan as you are, I got something bigger is going on.

[Alan Hahn]

I got good news for you about this coming NFL season. That won't cross your mind once you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, probably not. But Alan, he'll go in with the best of intentions. I gotta go check on the Yankees. And at some point, going into the fourth quarter, somebody might say Yankees or. Oh, yeah, let me check.

[Don Hahn]

I don't know. I see. You guys don't know me well at all, do you? If I don't like what I'm seeing on the court. Oh, he'll do. That is like, I get the distraction.

[Alan Hahn]

It's like when we get a. I'll

[Don Hahn]

just say, I'll put the game on the phone and I'll know this.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, it's like when.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

It's like when he gets a phone call. It's very true. I've seen that from you. It's like when he gets. When we get a phone call. That really angers Allen.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

He just basically takes his headphones off and pushes his chair back.

[Don Hahn]

That's it.

[Alan Hahn]

That, that's, that's what he'll do. But I, I got a feeling tonight.

[Don Hahn]

My passive aggressive way of.

[Alan Hahn]

If the Knicks were down, like 20, and he wasn't even impressed with their competitive spirit, like, it just. They somehow laid an egg that makes no sense. And I could see it happen.

[Don Hahn]

I'm watching every pitch, and he's watching every pitch. Every pitch.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We don't, we don't want that to.

[Alan Hahn]

And I, I don't want to happen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We want him to get home, like, wake up in the middle of the night to go pee and go, oh, wait, the Yankees.

[Alan Hahn]

The Yankees. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's what we want tonight.

[Don Hahn]

How'd they do?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right?

[Don Hahn]

Do that? All right, that's fair.

[Alan Hahn]

I gotta tell you guys, tonight will be the first game where I will be out in a place with other people.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, wow.

[Alan Hahn]

And, and everyone's gonna be watching it. And like, so, so let me ask you a question. We've talked for a long time about my Knicks fraudulence. Right. There's no. And I think we came to a healthy understanding that you're a fraud. Yeah, well, that was part of it.

[Don Hahn]

It's not even healthy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's just. No, no, no.

[Alan Hahn]

But very matter of fact, I'm a fraud. And also, I'm not leaving the Celtics. I'm not announcing I'm a Knicks. That's not happening. I'm not going to be that big a fraud. But I, But I have a fondness for this team. My, my, My wife is a fan of the team. My daughter's now, as you see, wearing the Jalen Brunson shirt she's in. I'm giving her the Knicks. Go ahead, it's yours. By the way, her shirt from last year, she's very early at the bandwagon. We had to wait for it to fit but now it's there. But like when I'm out tonight, we already established I'm a fraud but I'm obviously going to be publicly cheering for them. When I'm at a party for the Knicks. I'm not going to be pretending to be an objective journalist who's like well I'm officially a Celtics man. Like you know I'm going to be clapping like at that point you're just is. Does it not matter? Once you're a known fraud, do you just openly cheer and not think about it?

[Don Hahn]

I think you just do you just whatever feels good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

At that point you've declared your fraud. That's the declaration. So lean into it.

[Alan Hahn]

Enjoy yourself at that point.

[Don Hahn]

Unabashed froth. But you're, you're going to enjoy every minute.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Peter asked just off the top of my head and you guys can agree or disagree and Alan, I go back longer with the New York history than Peter but when you talk about like the biggest event in New York. Right. So obviously Alan mentioned the 94 game 7 Stanley cup was a, was a big deal. Vancouver trying to come back with three one down. Rangers trying to end a 54 year drought. Crazy.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. That game. That's what I mean by in that

[Peter Rosenberg]

building Yankees I guess you go to game 696 where a clinching game and you remember Wade Boggs riding on the horse and all that. That was a big deal in game seven of the 86 World Series.

[Don Hahn]

Oh my God. Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That was a big deal too with the Mets coming back down three two

[Don Hahn]

Shay was the epicenter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was great.

[Don Hahn]

There was a lot, there was a lot of attention on that. Yeah in that those six and game six and seven especially. But that whole, that couple of days there was no more intensity, no more all eyes on it. But without social media, obviously the only way you knew it was big was by watching on tv.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm going to tell you one, that wasn't the last game but I still

[Don Hahn]

would put it on the list wasn't the last game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And that would be the 86 championship game against the Redskins at Giants Stadium. For the Giants, the championship game. And the reason I put that on the list is, and you guys could disagree, there's nothing like going to the Super Bowl. It's just something about going to the super bowl. And for years there was no Super Bowl. So when the Giants went to the championship game against Washington. It was 30 years since the last time they played the championship game and that was in 56 or last time they won a championship game in 56. And so it had been 30 years since they had won. And there's just something about advancing to the super bowl and the two weeks

[Alan Hahn]

leading into nothing bigger than about that.

[Don Hahn]

Winning the NFC championship at home is sort of like the send off.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Where it's the celebration.

[Alan Hahn]

It's like the local Super Bowl. It's. It's the one that the fans.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There's no scenario in which you're going to see that team again.

[Alan Hahn]

You remember I told you guys, sorry to be that guy, but I told you guys. When the commanders made the championship game two years ago. The reason I couldn't believe it is because my memories of them being great when I was a kid, the Super Bowls were cool, but Super Bowls are weird. I. The memories that I hold the tightest were the Minnesota Vikings championship game and the Falcons championship game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

When the Giants won that game and it was a windy day and, and all the confetti and the toilet paper. People like, like it just it really. And Jim Burt jumped into the stands like you can't have that after you win a Super bowl. Cuz the Pasadena, 3,000 miles away from all the only people that are there are like millionaires.

[Alan Hahn]

3,000 millionaires. How about this? Let me put cetera.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right.

[Alan Hahn]

Let me. Not to play the Richard of it all, but can this compete with Ali Frazier too?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, it's a different thing because now that's national, but I just need pandemonium wise. Yeah, that is a big.

[Don Hahn]

I was thinking more team sports, so.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But no, but I think that that was the center of the sports universe. Like all the pretty people that were showing up.

[Alan Hahn]

Sinatra was a photographer, so yeah, he couldn't get tickets supposedly. That's what they say.

[Don Hahn]

He got a media critic.

[Alan Hahn]

The list here, according AI of celebrities was Woody Allen, Dustin Hoffman, Barbara Streisand, Diana Ross, Sammy Davis Jr. By the way, if Sammy Davis Jr. Has tickets, he can't bring Woody. I mean he can't bring Frank Sinatra.

[Don Hahn]

I thought Frank wanted to take the.

[Alan Hahn]

I think, I feel like, I think

[Peter Rosenberg]

that's just an urban legend.

[Don Hahn]

Of course it is.

[Alan Hahn]

Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Hugh Hefner, George Foreman, Clyde Frazier and the Apollo 14 astronauts. Ted Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So it's a, it's a solid crowd. I'm not the biggest boxing guy anymore. Boy, would I love to see boxing be that again where there was a fight that had that kind Glamour. It has been.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Over 30 years. You have to go back to like the Tyson to where the world cared about a heavyweight bout.

[Don Hahn]

So true.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And. Or any bout for that matter where people were like.

[Alan Hahn]

Or at least the world including America. Cuz now like Europe has cared about Anthony Joshua fights but America doesn't care about Anthony Joshua.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's like we were leading. Never in my life as a. As a sports radio host has boxing been like the lead story of the day. And we're talking about it and taking phone calls on it. Unless there's some controversy or death.

[Alan Hahn]

What years were your sports phone years?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well Sportsphone definitely it was still happening but I'm saying I didn't start hosting shows of the Fan until like the late 90s, almost 2000 I think was the first time. It was gone by then. But the big. The last big fight I was at the Fan waiting to do the overnight Saturday into Sunday. Tony Page was. Was the perfect person to be the host. You remember Tony Page was the night that Tyson bit Holyfield's ear.

[Alan Hahn]

I was in June 97.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. So that, that. But that was the last time that like the whole world. Tony opened his show with that fight.

[Alan Hahn]

Well CNN opened that night with that fight.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The whole world not sure what. Unless he like bit somebody to death, it's probably not the opening of. Of your show. One bite wouldn't even be enough. So.

[Alan Hahn]

That's such a great point.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's just great. But one last thing before we go to the phone call. It's such a special night and we're all hoping that Wednesday could even be more special. I was thinking about this and even though it's not technically in New York because it'd be East Rutherford. How do you think it would hit if the super bowl were here and it involved the local. Like when we had the super bowl here and it was Seattle versus Denver. What if the Giants and Jets were in that game? How crazy would those two weeks be here in New York? And how crazy would the lead up to that as as opposed to. Then again the building's not in New York but just you know that parties,

[Don Hahn]

special things everybody be in Manhattan. Yes, everything would happen in Manhattan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It would as radio row would be

[Don Hahn]

there as it did for that super.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Remember all that stuff was at the convention center.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They were at the Javits that for some reason we were Brian park.

[Don Hahn]

And remember of course the smart thing they did was the NBA schedule. They an epic superstar game on Saturday night. I think it was Knicks, Miami Heat.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right. And the NHL did the outdoor games. Yankee Stadium. So it was like. It was like. Was it Wednesday?

[Don Hahn]

It was the Wednesday.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thursday, right? It was. Was it Wednesday?

[Alan Hahn]

Saturn.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was Wednesday.

[Alan Hahn]

Saturday, Saturday.

[Caller Ricardo]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because it was Wednesday. Islanders, Rangers, and then Saturday was Devils.

[Don Hahn]

You know, Zach. Zach skated on the ice there.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Don Hahn]

You can see. It's a great picture I have of him, of course, with the. With the facade behind him, sitting. Standing on the ice.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That was cool.

[Don Hahn]

Crazy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But. Oldest day I ever remember was that Wednesday game against the Island.

[Don Hahn]

But. But yeah, like, I think it would be if. As long as the Giants. I think it has to be the Giants first of all.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Or what? But the jets being in the super bowl for the first time in 50 years, that'd be a big deal, I guess.

[Don Hahn]

But I still think the Giants have a bigger fan base, which would create a bigger buzz. And then if the Giants also were like, the best defense. Like if they were the 86 giants. Right. If you had that team. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So if the 86 Giant and the super bowl was a Giant stadium.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, my God.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. But that. This is the level we're talking about. It's pretty awesome.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

1-800-919-3776. Let's go to Ricardo in Cliffside Park. You're on ESPN New York, gentlemen.

[Caller Ricardo]

Every time I listen to you guys, I always just love the energy and waiting on the phone so long. It's worth it. Thank you again. Let's go. Next. Before I just have one question before I get to my next statement. I want to pick couple jerseys. Either my Alvarado jersey. I'm Puerto Rican Dominican, so I should wear it to represent. I haven't gotten my towns yet. Or my Brunson jersey or the Patrick Ewing jersey. What jersey should I wear tonight for game three?

[Alan Hahn]

I. I feel Brunson don't. I mean, Alvarado's cute. It's cool. But Brunson, respectfully, it's not Ewing. I'm sorry, it's not. This moment's about now.

[Caller Ricardo]

That's fine. So should I do white or blue?

[Don Hahn]

Ricardo, did you say. You say you're Puerto Rican and Dominican like Santiago?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes, sir. Okay.

[Don Hahn]

You have an Alvarado jersey.

[Caller Ricardo]

When he. When I heard that he was on the team, his jerseys. Like, when I heard about the trade, his jerseys weren't even on sale yet. I had the jersey made, you know.

[Don Hahn]

So you have made.

[Caller Ricardo]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

You have them?

[Caller Ricardo]

Yes, I do.

[Don Hahn]

Is it white or blue?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Blue.

[Caller Ricardo]

All right.

[Don Hahn]

What do you have a white jersey?

[Caller Ricardo]

I do, but not Alvarado. I have the Brunson white and a Brunson blue.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Where are the Alvarado? Dude, don't. You went and bought it.

[Don Hahn]

The Alvarado is a celebrate. Is a celebration tonight. The Nick bench has outplayed the spurs bench in the first two games. Benches always play better at home. So you would imagine Alvarado in that. I think this is a big Alvarado moment for him personally. Your support for him, I think is important.

[Caller Ricardo]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, I think. Ricardo, thank you for the phone call. I think that's the way to go. Brunson, you know me, Brunson jersey, everybody.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. But the Alvarado one is a good vibe. Knicks in white for these two games. Spurs in black. As it ought to be.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's the way it ought to be, right?

[Don Hahn]

As it ought to be.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I love the traditional jerseys. I didn't like the wearing the. The. The white jerseys in game. What was it?

[Caller Javier]

Game.

[Don Hahn]

It was game one that they reversed game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. Game two was back to Nor.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That made. That makes more sense to me now. Peter had asked earlier, is there any comparison to Cat, a guy that had one foot out the door and now will become a forever player if they win. Rich in Belleville wants to chime in on that. You're on espn, New York. What's up, Rich?

[Caller Ricardo]

What's going on there, fellas?

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's up?

[Caller Ricardo]

Hey, so, yeah, that point that Pete made, that was the first thing I thought about was Eli Manning. Because Eli, remember the year before the 2007 Super bowl, everybody wanted him out. They were saying he was a bust. You know, the kid just didn't have it, you know, comparing to his brother. And, you know, so that whole year, even that playoff run, no one really expected the Giants to obviously make it. But for. For Eli to not only get that one in and also win the super bowl, that changed the narrative for him.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, it's interesting.

[Caller Ricardo]

That's the way I see it for. For. For cats.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, it's not. It's not. Apples to apples. And Rich, thank you for the phone call. Those are the two names that I thought of when Peter brought it up was Eli and a Rod. How their image completely changed. But I'm sorry, they weren't looking to get out of the Eli Manning business. They took him in the first round. When they went to the playoffs in 2007, that was three straight years ago into the playoffs, they were not looking to get away from Eli. People were wondering if Eli was worth the trade.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So that from that standpoint, I agree Same thing with Alex Rodriguez. He was winning MVPs. They weren't looking to get rid of Alex, but his image changed because of the championship. What Peter is asking is, who's gone? Let's face it, if they lost to Atlanta in five games, like, it felt like after they lost game three, Cat's gone.

[Don Hahn]

No, you'd be.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's out.

[Don Hahn]

You'd be learning Greek, right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And Giannis is in. And it's a completely different vibe. He was gone and now might become a forever Nick if they win the title. I don't think there's another comparison, like, yeah, change your image. But gone, who was gone. Who was out the door that now all of a sudden might have his jersey hanging up?

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know.

[Don Hahn]

Back in my brain on this one.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't think it's possible.

[Don Hahn]

Can't think of anyone in modern history.

[Alan Hahn]

Of course, there could be a local.

[Don Hahn]

Aren't many championships really to go through.

[Alan Hahn]

There could be.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There could.

[Alan Hahn]

I know there could be a team elsewhere. Over the last 30 years of one of the major sports where we're not thinking of the storylines that the local coverage in New York, because we're seeing it from our.

[Don Hahn]

You're right.

[Alan Hahn]

So.

[Don Hahn]

But it really is somebody.

[Alan Hahn]

And then. And then again, let's wait and see what happens. But if they win, guys, I do want us to get back on the air, whether it's Thursday or next week or whenever it happens, and have the conversation about where Cat now sits.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, I can tell you I'm not going to say it now, but you have a.

[Alan Hahn]

You have an idea.

[Don Hahn]

I know exactly if this is complete.

[Alan Hahn]

And does he need the mvp? Does he need the mvp, too?

[Don Hahn]

I don't think so.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay. Just. He's done enough just being what he's been.

[Peter Rosenberg]

If.

[Don Hahn]

If this gets completed. Yeah, I. I have. I actually, it was a great. It was a great conversation that I had on a different group chat of mine, and I said, this is a great radio conversation for after this gets done, and I'll set it up for you guys when hopefully we. We are in the. The afterglow of the first championship. New York is celebrated in 15 years.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right.

[Don Hahn]

So we have to wait, but it's a great conversation, man.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let's go to David and Elizabeth. You're on. Don on. And Rosenberg.

[Caller Ricardo]

Hey, what's going on, fellas? How you guys doing? You guys doing good?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Good, man.

[Don Hahn]

I feel great.

[Caller Ricardo]

Awesome. I do as well. So, look, I want to say a few things as far as tonight with the whole Trump thing. The thing I don't like about it is this that he's making everything, you know, congested and like moving around because I do a lot of deliveries New York and I don't know, it just makes it a lot more difficult because, you know, they're beefing up, you know, NYPD and all that good stuff. So I think that's the burden. I'm not saying he can't come and enjoy himself and enjoy the game because everybody should be entitled to enjoy the game. Also, I want to say this is, you know, you guys being somewhat in my window of fandom, like, you know, like the way we fanned. I. I want to go about this with the Kobe way job not finished. I don't want to celebrate nothing yet until maybe after this win. Hopefully, you know, because like, that'll almost seal the deal. But at this moment, let's just stay humble. Let's still, you know, be competitive, right? You know, I' ma cheer our Knicks on. But, you know, I just want to be real humble about it and you know, get to enjoy hopefully getting to the mountaintop because I was born in 86, I see my Mets win, Joe Namath won for us, and I didn't get to see that. So I at least want to enjoy this. So that's what I gotta say real quick before you guys let me go. My bad. So I want to say this to Rosenberg radio. Hey, Rosenberg, Trump's coming to the game. You know who else I heard is coming to the game? Who's that? Freddie Kitchen. I had a coming to New York City.

[Alan Hahn]

No, they disrespected him. No tickets for.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, they let him go. He's never. He might not cover back to New York ever again.

[Alan Hahn]

That's right. He's disgusted by the place.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I heard Rick talking about this in the morning. Rick dpatro, of course, from dpo, TRO and Rothenberg. Like, I mean, it might have been, I don't know, it might have been David who called about the fans being too overconfident, celebrating too early. And Rick kind of threw cold water all over that from a player's perspective. And you've been kind of hinted about it too.

[Don Hahn]

I'm telling you, we do not have

[Peter Rosenberg]

anything to do with the outcome. All right, thank you. Nobody is going to blame you if you start celebrating too early. It's a bad look. I'm sure people will jump you. But as much as we get into juju and on and jinxes, thank you. We don't have anything. And as long as the Team doesn't pay attention to that and stays focused. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. I don't like to do it. I don't like to touch the money. But let's be honest, we have no ability to change what happens on the court tonight. So if you want to have some fun, have fun, then have fun. Within reason. But still.

[Don Hahn]

Well, of course, I mean, climbing on the lamppost wasn't a smart idea. Getting up onto the marquee is probably not a thing you want to do. But no, only betting.

[Alan Hahn]

And by the way, only betting. And I am betting them again.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So don't you worry.

[Alan Hahn]

I haven't placed it yet.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Even concerned about it.

[Alan Hahn]

I haven't, you know where I'm going.

[Don Hahn]

But. But what I've been trying to say throughout this whole run, and I think I've been saying this not just recently, but I've been saying it for a while, is that, like, you're in right now. The good old days. You're in. You're in it right now. And a lot of times we don't stop and just enjoy it because the anxiety of the next game, because that's what it always is. It's just so worried about winning the next game, you don't stop and realize, you know what? This has been a hell of a run. Not just this year, but for four years, right? Since that guy signed here. And everybody said, who the hell is Jalen Brunson? And then you realize, like, this is exactly the star you needed. And you didn't even know he was he. Nobody knew what he was, but he fit, right? And this has turned into something that this is a pocket in the franchise's history that for some of you, that when we old heads talk 90s, you roll your eyes like, I never saw that. Or some people say, you guys talk about those years like they were great and they never won a championship. They always ended in heartbreak. Yeah, but. Yeah, but they were still the best of times. And so right now is your best of times. Right now is what you're going to be talking about and what you hope it is, is those who are old enough to see the 70s that end in a championship. But it's important to know that these are. These are the good old days right now. And so it's okay if you want to celebrate them. Every single win, celebrate it like it's important because it could be the last one you don't know. And I thought it was great that someone, I forget who it was, did a video because those who think that all this celebrating outside the Garden only happened when the playoffs started and they were winning playoffs. No, after Covid, they were still a bad team. Then Leon Rose came in. He brought in Tom Thibodeau. That first year, the first time, I remember. And I saw it outside our window, seeing crowds gather outside the arena. Not big, of course, but still enough that they were celebrating. They got to 517 and 17 that season and the fans were like, we haven't been 507 years. So I'm not joking.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow.

[Don Hahn]

And it was just this happiness about, hey, we don't suck anymore. Right. Then it was clinched the playoffs, a little more of a crowd I started gathering outside. Then they won game two against Atlanta and that's when things got silly. It's the KD thing that happened, the side talk stuff that happened. And that's when the bad reputation began. But this was a tradition that started just because fans were like, we don't suck anymore.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. And we haven't been outside.

[Don Hahn]

And now we're outside because it's Covid. But. But honestly, that's the beginning of the genesis of it. And now you're in this, this new generation of good old days that we'll be talking about years from now. Remember when? So enjoy every single one of them, including tonight.

[Peter Rosenberg]

1-800-919-3776 to take more of your phone calls, Peter's back at the seat for Ian.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, you bet your ace.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Take it up until 7 o' clock and then it's Nick spurs on ESPN

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Caller Ricardo]

Oh, oh, oh.

[Peter Rosenberg]

O'Reilly

[Don Hahn]

Auto Parts. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Alan Hahn]

So it's so funny. I, I would normally, like I said earlier, at this point, I'd already be starting to think about the World cup and Team usa and it's just obviously we are just so wound up with this Knicks thing. It's, it's simply incredible.

[Don Hahn]

Imagine the World cup being overshadowed by the Knicks. The only way that happens is if you're in the NBA Finals and that's where we are.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, it will be interesting because it hasn't happened. I hadn't started yet, so from a hype machine, I don't live in the soccer world to know what the conversation would be. And I've done a couple of World Cups since I've been on this air and we never did anything leading into it. We might talk about it once it started. So, but I don't know, once they, once they kick off, what's it going to be like if this series is still going on and they're in the USA's playing games?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. Remember, game five would be Saturday in San Antonio.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So if there's a game five now, now it's underway, that'll be interesting. I don't think anything's going to overshadow the Knicks, but how much does it get into the zeitgeist of what's going on? I'm not sure. I'm not a soccer fan to know. Like I said, we always were in the dead of summer with nothing going on.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Except baseball. And it was too early to get overly excited so we were able to work in. But it. And the last time I was the USA was in 94. And I remember I was at Sports Phone and we actually had a special line dedicated to the World cup and then had another line in Spanish and we hired somebody that spoke Spanish to do a line for it. And it was a big deal.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, hold on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So What?

[Alan Hahn]

So at 94 we had the World Cup. We had the Knicks in the finals,

[Don Hahn]

Rangers in the cup final.

[Alan Hahn]

So we had the Rangers too. So you can't match that. And then you had O.J. so we're still two events short here.

[Don Hahn]

Oh man.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I don't remember.

[Don Hahn]

Feels like something's got to happen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It felt like I. I can't speak for O.J. but I. I feel like the NBA and the Stanley cup final were over when the World cup started.

[Alan Hahn]

No, it should be right around the same.

[Don Hahn]

Wasn't there. I believe. Wasn't that all part of that. That June.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that day.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. Wasn't. Was in that documentary. Wasn't there a World cup thing that happened?

[Alan Hahn]

I think World cup was already underway.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm. I'm not going to apologize because obviously if my memory doesn't think about the World cup then it wasn't a thing. Thing until. Until the end. Until the Rangers.

[Don Hahn]

But I believe something happened World cup that day because something happened US Open. There was like a million things happening

[Alan Hahn]

all at once this weekend.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's.

[Alan Hahn]

It's Thursdays, Mexico, Russia, three o' clock on Fox Korea. Check like you dream about or.

[Don Hahn]

Or check you throw out the record book.

[Alan Hahn]

They can't make it, by the way. They can't make up their mind of what the name of the country. I don't know. They don't want to call Czechoslovakia. It's Czech Republic. I think it's Czechia.

[Caller Javier]

That.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that. That's FS1 and 10 o' clock on. On Friday like you dream about on Thursday, Friday, Canada and BiH is the abbreviation anyone? I had to look it up.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So until. You know.

[Alan Hahn]

I know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Does it make sense once you know

[Alan Hahn]

that it makes sense. The B and the H makes sense, certainly.

[Caller Ricardo]

But

[Peter Rosenberg]

what? I don't know.

[Alan Hahn]

Bosnia, Herzkovina.

[Don Hahn]

Oh sure. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know the Bosnia part.

[Don Hahn]

And then go to bnh.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's like Turks and Caicos.

[Alan Hahn]

It's like yeah, too much cake.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like too much cake. What's the other one?

[Alan Hahn]

That's what you got to look out for.

[Don Hahn]

The problem is they needed more Turks, need more Turkish.

[Alan Hahn]

And then of course, usa, Paraguay, Friday night after our broadcast. Nine o'. Clock.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Tremendous.

[Alan Hahn]

That will be the Fox View vehicle. Wonder what kind of number that drives. We haven't talked a lot. So what were the ratings like for games one and two of the finals?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, game one, 16.8. 90 higher than game one last year. 90.

[Peter Rosenberg]

90, 90. Think about that. 90. So again, I'm not great, but it

[Don Hahn]

top out at 17.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So it topped out at 17. So 16.8. So let's say 17. Yeah, I think it topped.

[Don Hahn]

So last year topped out at 19. I think the average was 6, 16.

[Alan Hahn]

So last year was like, like no one watched. It was 8 million.

[Don Hahn]

No, probably lower.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you're talking about the 90 means what's 10% of 17?

[Don Hahn]

90%.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So only 1.7 people. Yeah. Watched a million people watch game one of Pacers.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, no. I think your math is wrong.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, how could my math be wrong?

[Don Hahn]

That's what they said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

If it was 90% higher than Game 1 last year, then that means it's 10% of what the rating was this year. Right?

[Alan Hahn]

Are you sure that's what that means? That's what I'm ask.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I don't what it means. I don't.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay, so let me, let me, let me explain. So here's, here's what it means.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right.

[Alan Hahn]

100%, right? Let's say last year 15 million people watched it and this year 100, you had 100% higher it would be.

[Commercial Announcer]

Or.

[Alan Hahn]

Sorry, you said 90 higher.

[Peter Rosenberg]

90 then I think it's

[Alan Hahn]

90 on top of that. So it's not that it's literally a tenth of it. It's that it's nearly double it. Does that make sense? So it's like 8 million watched last year, not 1.7 million. Is that right, Anthony? Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right.

[Don Hahn]

So.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, sorry.

[Alan Hahn]

So 100 really means like double the game.

[Don Hahn]

Game one again, average, nearly 17, up 90 when compared to last season's finals. Game one. Most watched game one since 2018. And that was the LeBron James, Steph Curry vehicle. Peak audience of 19.6. It would have been the. It was the most watched finals game one ever on abc. And the most watch finals game.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, last year. Last year was almost 9 million down. So I'm right. It's about double.

[Don Hahn]

So most watched finals game Overall since Game 6, 2019, when Toronto won their title and that's.

[Alan Hahn]

That was a clincher.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But most of all.

[Don Hahn]

So you're talking about six years, seven years.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We're doing pretty good as a company, so. Yeah, because, you know, game one of the Stanley Cup Final, which is Vegas, Carolina, not a particularly sexy.

[Don Hahn]

So how about this one?

[Peter Rosenberg]

4.4.8 for game one, 4.7 for game two. I don't know what, what Saturn with Saturday nights would have.

[Don Hahn]

Gotta find that. But listen to this one. This is the one I never saw. What do you think of this, Don? The viewership numbers from game one of this NBA final is higher than the opening game of 15 of the last 16 World Series, including the 2024 series opening Jupiter between the Yankees and Dodgers. That's hard to believe, isn't it? Yeah, that one got 15.2. Well, you're getting on average.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, basketball is bigger than, than baseball, period.

[Don Hahn]

Because I heard arguments that it was not.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, that's incorrect. And, and, and, and you still have

[Don Hahn]

Dodgers and you still have a New

[Alan Hahn]

York team in it. Right.

[Don Hahn]

But again, Yankees, Dodgers, Game 1. Didn't have that same anticipation, though, that you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because at the end of. Ohtani and at the end of the day.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. Ohtani as well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I was thinking about this with the Yankees. Right. Even though it's been a long time, 2009, every generation knows about a Yankee championship. Right. Because they never go more than 15, pretty much 16 years without winning. Going, going to the World Series. Right. So that's got to take some of the shine off of it. Right. Like what makes the Knicks special? It's New York. It's a huge team and it never happened. They're playing Wemby, who's a big star. And like, literally you're talking to your kids and your kids, kids that never seen this. Right. What about 53 years?

[Don Hahn]

But what about also the argument that Mets, Yankees are 70, 30, so you're still going to get no 100%. It's, it's almost like 95. So you might get a majority of people in New York. Not a majority, but a large portion of people in New York who are like, I'm not watching that. I hate the Dodgers and I don't like the Yankees.

[Alan Hahn]

That's a fact.

[Don Hahn]

You're going to get 30.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're going to get.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Your baseball fan base saying, I'm not even watching.

[Alan Hahn]

Whereas the entire city's behind the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know there's not a lot of them, but that doesn't mean I can't feel bad for them. Like, I, I Feel bad for a Netflix. I mean, they're getting demolished. We keep talking about. There's not. There's none of you there. You just threw out 100%, which isn't true, but it's damn close. They're having watch parties in Brooklyn.

[Alan Hahn]

Of course.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean. No, no.

[Don Hahn]

The only place.

[Alan Hahn]

The only place that the Nets, I think, could truly argue to have a hard home is in North Jersey. Like, I'm sorry, Brooklyn still.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Knicks, they're having. That's got a sting. If you're. If you have an apartment outside of a place that's got a watch party for the next thing and you're a net. A Nets fan. It's tough. I know there's not a lot of them, but I can still feel bad

[Alan Hahn]

for them because I think you're right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I totally do.

[Alan Hahn]

Joe Leo, no question.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I do know Net fans, so it is kind. I just. Listen, it's not that big of a story. It's just that you never say that with any. Even with the Rangers, you still say are the devil fans and Islanders fans. So there's like two. Right? You know, that could take at least a chunk out of it. And obviously the jets and the Mets could take a chunk out of the Yankees and the Giants.

[Alan Hahn]

But nothing's like this, though.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it's. It's just nothing. Nothing like it. All right, get to you at 1-800-919-3776. Let's talk to Javier and Queen. Johnny is there he is.

[Caller Javier]

What's going on, boys? Thanks for taking the call, Peter. I'm glad you're back because now we can have a serious talk about Nicks Housen. Did Danhausen have any. Anything to say about the series to you? I know you didn't watch a game together. The Knick.

[Alan Hahn]

There's a. There's a clip of me and Danhausen on the ESPN New York Instagram page. I ran into Danhausen in Rome and he is still living up his. His moment here uncursing the Knicks as one of the fans here has his New York Knicks you are cursed shirt. But, yeah, he's. I will tell you, he's. He's amazed by the entire thing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, he's getting.

[Caller Javier]

And just to back up Alan before.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, he is.

[Caller Javier]

Yeah. Just to back up what Alan was saying before. I was at a game back in November. It might have been against the Nets. It was right before the elections, Mom. Donnie was there with Mero and we were going crazy outside of the Garden for a game in November. My friend is actually in the meme with mom Donnie of the Go New York, go. Like, like it's been a scene all season. But listen, this is what's, this is what's happened in this series. The spurs thought that they beat the final boss. They thought that they beat OKC and they thought they became the final boss. The Knicks are the final boss. And what I'll tell you what I told Ty. Ty thought that they were gonna, the Knicks were gonna have to play okc, that OKC was a juggernaut. I said they don't have to beat the juggernaut. The Knicks are the juggernaut. We people just don't believe what they're seeing right before their eyes. The Knicks are that team and oh man, if they do it on Wednesday, I don't know what I'll say to you guys. I hope I get a pass if

[Peter Rosenberg]

I curse just one team time.

[Don Hahn]

We're going to need a dump button on that day. It is interesting though what Javi says here because there is sort of the, and, and Brian Windhorst has really pushed back a lot of this nationally, like on a lot of the shows because he's kind of getting tired of the notion, right, that like no one is want, no one wants to believe what they're seeing, right? Because again, as I go back to it, this isn't a team that has a Kobe Bryant or LeBron James or Steph Curry on it, right? This is not a Giannis team or a Kawhi team, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

Like this is a team that has guys that everybody's hesitant to label a star in the NBA. And so because of it, stuff that they're doing, you're trying to reason by saying, oh, it's got to be the other team. The Hawks were too young. The Sixers are a mess. The Cavs are soft now, the spurs are just too young. You know what I mean? Like, and I think, and so somebody like Javi is and, and Wendy, Wendy said this, he's like, enough. This team is a really good team full of killers. They had, they know how to win and it's coming at the right time and people need to start respecting it. And I think the problem is though, I think a lot of people have a hard time just buying into it because it doesn't have an all time great that we can think of anyway playing on its team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

1-800-919-3776 I'll answer what Alan just said. 6 o' clock enn 7 o'. Clock. Pat O' Keefe with pregame of Nick spurs game three here on ESPN New York.

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

Jake Asman is here, our colleague who said that if he if you're coming to Stout, best way is to enter through 8th Avenue. You don't have any problems. So come by, hang out with us. I guess if you're not going to the game, if you're going to the game, you better get to the Garden if you want to try to get in there for tip.

[Alan Hahn]

Jake. Jake's going to the game as well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Yes. And he's here.

[Alan Hahn]

Went out of pocket, by the way. Went out of pocket.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, I know.

[Alan Hahn]

Copped himself a tip.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think the quote, and I don't hope you don't mind I'm going to quote you that it might cost his kids college fund.

[Alan Hahn]

But I just, it was just a dent. Just a little dentaroo.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Do you have kids?

[Caller Ricardo]

Well, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, he doesn't have kids yet.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, so it's a hypothetical.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, it's, it's, it's just, you know, it's just, it's just Pope. Yeah. Young Jalen Brunson Asmon one day.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, is he married?

[Alan Hahn]

No, he's not married.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So what are we worried about?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, he's still trying to plan a life for himself.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now you're touching the money, right? Like I got a chance to go to a Nick game, a forever moment, but I'm not gonna go. Cuz one day I might get married and have kids and I want them to go to college.

[Alan Hahn]

No, it's bird in the hand.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're right.

[Alan Hahn]

You gotta, you gotta do it in front of you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And you're exceptionally talented person, you're gonna make money hand over fist. Hand over fist and you're gonna look back and go, I could have, I could have went to game three at the Garden. I didn't. And look at all this money I'm sitting on. I actually have a couch made of money, you see.

[Don Hahn]

All right, so I, I'll describe it for those on radio.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sure. So even people on YouTube because they can't see your.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, that's true. As, as everybody knows, at Madison, at Penn Station, there's an underneath that used to be where the cabs used to go underneath. Right. But now it's blocked off, so you're just walking underneath. And normally that's like just this dark, dank, you know.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Hell hole.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, basically.

[Don Hahn]

But they put down another version of the court. So fans, when they're walking down.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That is awesome.

[Don Hahn]

They're coming up from Penn Station to go up to the Garden. It's kind of cool, right? Super cool. It hasn't looked that nice since I think the building is in 1968, by the way.

[Alan Hahn]

They should leave it there.

[Don Hahn]

I, I agree, but that's Pretty sweet.

[Caller Ricardo]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's funny because they got kids taking

[Don Hahn]

pictures, like, as if they're at center court.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's awesome. I remember. I love that. I remember, like, because they closed at 911 because it's directly under the building.

[Don Hahn]

That's when they. That's when they closed it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But it's right, you know, right between Penn Station and the Garden underneath, and cabs would go through there. And I remember seeing it open when I started working in ESPN because that's where it was was at 2 Penn Plaza, and I'd walk through there all the time for the week before 9 11, because we started on September 3rd, and then by September 11th, it was all closed off. So I got to see it for, like, eight days. And. But that's pretty cool. So hopefully maybe you love that, Alan. They'll tweet that out or send it on social media.

[Don Hahn]

I'm gonna go walk over there, take a picture of it. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

1-800-919-3776 to answer your question, I think the media, when they're making predictions, there's a formula to winning a championship. Right? You gotta have a star, and then you gotta have the Robin. Right? The Batman and the Robin.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I guess the Knicks have that now in Brunson and Cat. Although you could say overall, who's Batman and who's Robin? Right now feels like Brunson is Batman, considering how big he's playing for this team right now. But they're kind of. I would think. We don't think it that way because we look at Brunson as a star, we look at Cat as a star OG Emerging close to stardom. Rest of the country probably looks at this as the old the 04 pistons.

[Don Hahn]

That's exactly it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, and, and, and that's fine. That's the, that's the exception to the rule. Right. Every once in a while, a team wins. That isn't the exact formula. The Knicks aren't doing it with the exact NBA title formula. It's almost like an. An NFL team winning a Super bowl without a great quarterback. Yeah, they're. They're Baltimore ravings in.

[Don Hahn]

Right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, that. And, and there still one day could be a team that wins a Super bowl that doesn't have a superstar quarter quarterback. And if they do, that'll buck the trend. But you know, that team will go all the way until the clock zeroes out of the super bowl with people not believing because it goes against type.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Knicks are going against type. That's why people don't believe it.

[Don Hahn]

That's true. And think about all the, all the teams in recent, in recent years. This is now eight years. They'll be a new champion.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

All of them had a star. When you go back, obviously Tatum and Brown is a great, great example. Right. Obviously. Steph Curry, LeBron James we've mentioned a million times, like these guys have all been at. Kawhi has been there. Giannis has been there to win it all. I mean, in the finals that year with, with Tatum and Brown, when they won their championship, was Luka Doncic on the other side. Right. So it's always a, a superstar level player that happens to be there. Last year was, I mean, Shay Gilgis Alexander was the MVP of the league. So that didn't surprise anyone either, because at least you had the MVP of the league. This finals doesn't have the MVP of the league nor a former MVP of the league. It has Wembanyama, who everybody believes is gonna be the next superstar. And then it has Jalen Brunson, who most of the country like looks at him as, he's good, but isn't he kind of small? And there really isn't a lot of sizzle about it, like, you know, mean what I mean.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

And so I just feel like that's why what you said is so, is so accurate. Those outside of this area that follow the team closely and has seen the growth of this team and what they've become, it's hard for anyone else because they're like, well, who's their star? Who's the guy that we see on all the commercials? Who's there? Who, who's the guy that has the charisma? And they're really, they don't have that. And it's very 04 pistons like.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And they're still going to, you said it last week, they're still going to stick to the four formula. They're going to make the spurs the favorite next year or the Thunder are going to be back.

[Don Hahn]

I guarantee you the spurs will be

[Peter Rosenberg]

the favorite for next year. So it's not that they don't believe. It's just like, well, the Knicks buck the trend. Are they going to be able to buck it again?

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Until we start to see more teams do it the next way and then that'll become the trend and that'll become the way things are done.

[Don Hahn]

It's so anti New York too.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Because most teams, again, it's about the stars and all that stuff. And the Knicks didn't chase stars to build this team. And instead they built a team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let's go to Steve and California. California, you're on. Don on the Rosenberg.

[Caller Ricardo]

Hey, good day, mates. Always a pleasure speaking with you. It's really exciting because I'm thinking about how when in 69, when the Mets went Miracle Mets won the World Series, it's like the whole city was united by behind them in a way that never before because the games were all during the day. So like in school, I remember them wheeling TVs into classes so that the kids could watch TV because they knew there was nothing else they were thinking about other than the Mets. So this is the closest I've seen. Of course, back then they didn't have all the media and everything.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, yeah.

[Caller Ricardo]

Over the past week, over the past week or so we've been talking and I, I told Alan that I believe that the Knicks walk onto the court knowing they're the better team. And Alan said he believes it, that they do that, but that they won't say that.

[Caller Javier]

They know it.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Caller Ricardo]

I believe they're at the point where when they walk on the court, they know that if they execute, they're the better team. There's always the chance that they're. They won't say, but. But it's. They've gotten to the point you're going to throw this at her. And this goes to what you were just saying about not necessarily needing a star. Whoever sets up, whoever's got the matchup advantage, that's who they're going to feed. And they figured out how to defend as a team. And you know something, they may not squeak, but they're winning this series.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Caller Ricardo]

I'm just really excited.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And we got to run because we got enn. But real quick, like when that met team. I remember Bob Murphy being interviewed about the six. It's the Miracle Mets. There were the Miracle Mets because it came out of nowhere. But they won 100 games in the regular season. They swept the Braves. They beat the Orioles in five, like. But it was the miracle, because it wasn't.

[Don Hahn]

They were so bad. Seven years, seven years earlier, they were the worst team in baseball.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But in, in that little 69 bubble. Listen, they were the best team in baseball and they proved it.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers. You can't reason with the sun. Trust us, we've tried.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This summer, it's time to put that

[Don Hahn]

angry ball of fire on mute. Columbia's Omnishade technology is engineered to protect

[Peter Rosenberg]

you from the sun's harsh rays that can burn and damage your skin.

[Don Hahn]

The sun is relentless, but so is our gear. Level up your [e-mail] to spend more time outside and less time slathering on aloe lotion. You're welcome, Columbia. Engineered for whatever.