Hour 3: Rick Brunson joins the show

Summary

---

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg — Hour 3: Rick Brunson Joins the Show

Date: June 17, 2026
Podcast: ESPN New York — Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg, Brandon Tierney

---

Overview

This episode revolves around the New York Knicks’ long-awaited championship, experienced through the extraordinary lens of assistant coach Rick Brunson—former Knick, proud father, and integral part of the coaching staff. The conversation dives deep into the emotional journey of Rick watching his son Jalen Brunson lead the Knicks to glory, the dynamics of father-son relationships in elite sports, the unique “Villanova connection,” and personal stories about icons like Patrick Ewing and Kobe Bryant. The episode captures both the heart and the heritage of New York basketball fandom, with plenty of laughs and candid moments.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rick Brunson’s Reflections as a Father and Coach

(Starts ~00:39)

• Father-Son Moment on the Court:
  • Rick describes the overwhelming relief, pride, and surreal feeling after the championship, seeing Jalen triumph after years of hard work (01:36).

    “Just to see him get to that mountaintop, man, what it took for him to get there was just such a relief for me, like stressful relief... It's still surreal, man. It's crazy.”
    — Rick Brunson (01:36)

• Keeping Jalen Grounded:
  • Rick and his wife focused on raising good people first, never allowing privilege to create entitlement. The original dream was simply a college scholarship, not NBA stardom (02:34).
  • Rick credits Jalen’s mother heavily for his character.

    “We just want to get a scholarship and see where it would take him... That credit goes to his mom, not me.”
    — Rick Brunson (02:34)

2. The Villanova Brotherhood

(Starts ~04:14)

• Connection with Josh Hart & Mikal Bridges:
  • Deep roots from Villanova days, watching all three players win together—first in college, now in the NBA.
  • Praises Jay Wright’s impact in teaching team-first values.

    “I think they’re the first ever to do something like that... Jay Wright has a lot to do with it. He taught those guys how to be team first.”
    — Rick Brunson (05:01)

3. On Jalen Surpassing His Father

(Starts ~06:00)

• When Did Rick Realize Jalen Was Better?
  • By age 16, Rick saw Jalen was already ahead:

    “Probably when he was like 16. He was definitely on a different trajectory than me.”
    — Rick Brunson (06:23)

  • Expresses the pride of a parent wanting their child to be better and do more:

    “I’m not jealous of it. I’m happy. I want him to accomplish more than I could ever dream of.”
    (06:31)

4. Navigating the Dual Role: Dad and Assistant Coach

(Starts ~07:09)

• Drawing Boundaries:

  • Rick never sought to be Jalen’s friend, always his father. Coaching Jalen on the Knicks was a first, requiring some adjustment (07:19).
  • Coach-player dynamic is competitive, not personal—viral moment from the Atlanta series discussed.

    “I've never been his friend. Not trying to be his friend... For him, he never crossed the line. He kept our respect to this day.”
    — Rick Brunson (07:19)

• Viral Sideline Tension – Atlanta Series:

  • Rick and Jalen clashed over turnovers in a heated sideline exchange. Rick insisted on accountability, Jalen pushed back (“Either let me coach you, or you coach your damn self!”)

    “He goes, ‘I know, I know you’re gonna tell me not to go,’ like cut me off. I just said, ‘Either you help me, either let me coach you, or you coach your damn self.’”
    — Rick Brunson (08:34)

5. The “Dad vs. Coach” Debate in High-Intensity Moments

(Starts ~09:33)

• Finals Sideline Altercation:
  • Rick sets the record straight—when Darren Fox got in Jalen’s face, Rick’s intervention was coach protocol, not ‘dad mode’:

    “We as coaches have a job...two coaches have to stay on the sideline, other coaches go down there to diffuse things... I was just trying to make sure things are cool.”
    — Rick Brunson (10:03 & 10:43)

6. Comparing Jalen’s Style

(Starts ~11:24)

• Is There a Historical Comparison?
  • Rick says Jalen is truly unique, but mentions influences like Kenny Anderson, Nick Van Exel, and especially Steve Nash (small, creative guards), but highlights Jalen’s originality (11:49–12:50).

7. Encounters with NBA Icons

Influence of Kobe Bryant:

• Jalen’s memorable run-in with Kobe as a teen, and the lasting impact of Kobe’s mentality on him (12:50–14:19):

  “Why do you play if you’re not trying to be the greatest?”
  — Kobe Bryant (as recalled by Rick, 13:41)

Patrick Ewing’s Return:

• Deep mutual admiration between the Brunson and Ewing families—they reminisce about Ewing’s selflessness during the title run and past hardships (14:19–16:24).

  “Even now, man, I don’t even think Pat realizes it’s Patrick Ewing… I just walked away, like, man, I can’t believe Patrick Ewing is happy for Jalen.”
  — Rick Brunson (15:11)

8. Celebrations and the Upcoming Parade

(Starts ~16:24)

• Celebration Experience:
  • Rick’s reaction is low-key—prefers quiet pride at home while his kids celebrate. The magnitude is still sinking in (16:33).
  • Spike Lee and Mariska Hargitay invited on the championship float; “They’re family” (17:37).

9. Personal and Emotional Moments

Alan Hahn’s Card:

• Rick thanks Alan for a touching pregame card he kept in his locker all Finals Game Five (18:34):

  “I kept that card in my locker the whole game five, man. I saved it. Meant a lot.”
  — Rick Brunson (18:38)

10. Parenting, Mental Toughness, and Legacy

(Starts ~19:55)

• Tough Love:

  • The crew discusses the value of holding kids to high standards, letting them fail, compete, and grow—essential in building character (20:07–20:43).

    “It’s okay to be tough on your kids… let them realize failure and learn from it and build and be better from it.”
    — Alan Hahn (20:10)

• Handling Media Criticism as Family:

  • How difficult it is for the Brunsons to witness harsh public and social media scrutiny, and the pride in Jalen’s ability to “quiet all the noise” (21:34).

---

Notable Quotes

• Rick Brunson on seeing Jalen win:

  “It’s just a moment, man, I’ll never forget. It’s still, to me, still surreal, man. It’s crazy.” (01:36)

• On parenting and humility:

  “That credit goes to his mom, not me.” (02:34)

• On crossing from dad to coach:

  "I've never been his friend. Not trying to be his friend. So that line will never get crossed... We were never buddy-buddy." (07:19)

• Describing Patrick Ewing’s reaction:

  “He was so selfless, man… I can’t believe Patrick Ewing is happy for Jalen.” (15:11)

• On Kobe’s advice to young Jalen:

  “Why do you play if you’re not trying to be the greatest?” (13:41)

---

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:39 — Introduction; Rick Brunson joins, hosts highlight father-son narrative.
• 01:13 — Alan Hahn asks about the emotional moment between Rick and Jalen post-championship.
• 02:34 — Discussing how Jalen stayed grounded as a pro athlete’s son.
• 03:35 — Rick’s memorable moments from the Knicks’ playoff run.
• 05:01 — The Villanova trio: Jalen, Josh, and Mikal.
• 06:23 — Realizing Jalen’s greater basketball trajectory.
• 07:09 — Balancing father and coach roles.
• 08:34 — The viral sideline argument explained.
• 09:33 — Clarifying the “dad moment” vs. coach’s duties during the Finals.
• 11:24 — Comparing Jalen’s style, referencing Nash and others.
• 12:50 — Influence of Kobe Bryant on young Jalen.
• 14:19 — Patrick Ewing’s relationship with the Brunson family and championship elation.
• 16:24 — Post-championship celebrations and inviting Spike Lee/Mariska Hargitay to the float.
• 18:34 — Emotional moment: Rick kept Alan’s card in his locker during Game Five.
• 19:55 — Crew reflects on parenting, toughness, and character.

---

Memorable Moments

• Alan Hahn’s Card to Rick: Emotional thanks, amplifying on-air camaraderie (18:34–19:05).
• Villanova Brotherhood: Rare journey of three college teammates winning NCAA and NBA championships together.
• Patrick Ewing’s Selflessness: Ewing’s joy for Jalen, despite his own heartbreak with the Knicks’ 1999 Finals.
• Candid "Dad-Coach" Tension: Honest and humorous breakdown of a viral playoff sideline moment.

---

Tone and Style

• The conversation is warm, candid, reflective, and true to New York sports radio’s mix of seriousness and humor.
• Rick Brunson is open, humble, and honest—never dodging tough questions, quick to share credit or poke fun at himself.
• The hosts blend fan excitement with real sports insight and a sense of local community.

---

This episode is a must-listen for Knicks fans, parents, Villanova alumni, and anyone who cherishes stories of perseverance, humility, and the generational legacy of New York sports.

Transcript

[Commercial Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50 page restoration block. Or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it, ready to make anything online make sense. There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required compatibility and availability. Various 18+

[Don Hahn]

this is the Don Hahn 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]

5 o' clock in the big city. Don on Rosenberg up until 7 o', clock, there were so many storylines to this championship for the Knicks. And one of the better ones was the relationship between father and son, assistant coach and star, a former Nick that was a part of a finals and didn't win. But then his son does and he's there, an assistant to see it. Just one of the great stories. And Rick Brunson is nice enough to join us here on Don on the Rosenberg. How are you, sir? Congratulations.

[Rick Brunson]

Thank you guys. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. I'm doing good.

[Alan Hahn]

Father of the year. I mean, what a Father's Day present this will be for you, right? But you, we heard from Jalen about the moment that you guys both had on the court, but I've never heard from you about this. What, what did that feel like for you? Just that moment you two had and just seconds after it was complete, what did that feel like for you?

[Rick Brunson]

I mean, just as a dad, you know, you see the fight, the struggle, the good, the bad, all, you know, for the last four years, you know, obviously he's better than me in terms of, you know, he doesn't read anything I do. So, you know, that stuff, you know, affects me as a parent. And just to see him, to get to that, that mountaintop, man, what it took for him to get there was just such a relief for me, like stressful relief. And just to make sure I was there to hug him, let him know how proud I was. It's just a moment, man, I'll never forget. It's still, to me, still surreal, man. It's crazy.

[Brandon Tierney]

What did you do, Rick, like raising him? You know, you're an NBA player obviously, right? It's a fairly charmed life for a kid growing up to a dad in the NBA. I'm sure his life was much more charmed than yours growing up. What did you guys do to Just keep him so grounded, which he clearly is.

[Rick Brunson]

Just, you know, for us, man, we want to, you know. You know, you raise your kids to be, you know, great, great people first, you know, first and foremost, chase your. Your dreams, your goals. You know, obviously, as a kid, you know, you play every sport. I'm no different than any other parent. You know, you sit there and then you cheer and you hope your son becomes, you know, for us, it was just to get a scholarship, you know, be honest with you, and no one could dream about this, playing in the NBA and playing for the New York Knicks, win the championship. Like, I'd be lying to you to say, like, this is what we plan. We just want to get a scholarship and see where we're taking, man. But we're just so proud the way he carries himself. That credit goes to his mom, not me. You know what I'm saying? But, no, it's just amazing. It's still amazing to me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's the one memory? Is there a moment. Is there something that your son did during this run that sticks out more than any other?

[Rick Brunson]

Wow. That's the question there. What I would say for me, off the top of the head, I can remember, I would say, you know, that fourth quarter in Cleveland. Excuse me, in New York against Cleveland, you know, I think we're down 20 or what have you, and just the electricity in the Garden, and he's in the middle of all that. And, I mean, I was sitting there like, what's going on here? And. But it's just so many great moments, but I mean, right now, that sticks out just because of the Garden was just electric, you know, and. And he was in the middle of it, so that was great.

[Alan Hahn]

You also, like, you've known, not just obviously, Jalen all your life, but. But you've known Josh and Mikhail because it goes back to Villanova, I thought. I don't know if you've even seen it yet, but after game two, we had Mikhail on with us on msg. And Rick, the look in his eyes was like he was possessed as he's doing this interview. Like, he. He had. He had this, like, crazy look in his eye, and he was mad at himself how he finished that game, but he had a good game, and he was just, you know, that zero. That zero. Zero mentality, all the stuff he was saying. But when you see not just obviously, Jalen doing what he's doing, but when you. Knowing Josh as long as you have and knowing Mikhail as long as you have those three guys and seeing them do this Together. That's got to be special too, right? From your perspective because you've known him for so long.

[Rick Brunson]

Yeah. You know, obviously just going to all the. Going over games and obviously going to practice and watching those guys grow and the relationship that he has with them, it was special. I mean, like you said, I was there, obviously in 2016 when they won the first championship, and then 10 years later to win the NBA championship. I mean. I mean, I'm just speaking from a dad looking. I just can't imagine being those three guys, you know, Like, I think they're the first ever to do something like that to me. Like, man, I mean, a lot of that credit. I mean, listen, you know, we raised our kids the right way, but as far as teaching those guys how to play the right way, you know, I would like to say that I had a little bit do with it, but I mean, Jay Wright has a lot to do with it. You know, the way that, you know, he taught those guys how to be, you know, team player or team first. And so that, you know, Jay gets a lot of credit for that. And just the way they carry themselves, man, they represent the university great and it's just fun to watch.

[Brandon Tierney]

Rick, obviously, you were a fabulous basketball player and put together a career in the NBA, which is an incredible accomplishment. Your son is now going to be someone who we're talking about potentially a Hall of Fame career and all of these things. At what point did you know as a parent, oh, man, my son's a better ballplayer than me?

[Rick Brunson]

Probably when he was like 16, really?

[Brandon Tierney]

In. In high school, you could tell he was on a. Just. He was on a different trajectory.

[Rick Brunson]

He was definitely on a different directly than me. Like, I didn't have no one to. To, you know, be there every day, you know, working me out, teaching me how to play. So, I mean, I knew he'd be a better player than I've ever was in high school, in and in college, man. But I think that's what we do as parents. You know, you raise your kids to be better than you in every aspect of life. So, you know, that was our goal. Like, you know, you got to be better than me. And, you know, I'm not jealous of it. I'm happy. I wanted to accomplish more than I could ever dream of, man. I'm just here. I'm just here for the ride and just. Just excited about it and just watching.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Talking to Rick Brunson here on Don Hahn in Rosenberg. Rick, what was the dynamic like of dad and assistant coach

[Rick Brunson]

well, you know, for me, I've always been his father in terms of the respect. I've never been his friend. Not trying to be his friend. So that line will never get crossed. I think we had the adjustment we had to make was I never coached him, you know, at any level, Little League or anything. I've never been on the sideline, actually. Coaching him, training him, yes, but. But coach him, I never did. So that had to be. That was a little adjustment for me and him. But the dad situation, there was no adjustment. Cause I was always his dad. We never. Buddy. Buddy. I was never a fan. I was never in awe. And for him, he never crossed the line. He kept our respect to this day. And so I'm just grateful that I have someone that took what we taught him and lives by it, and hopefully he can teach that to his kids and. And continue to respect.

[Alan Hahn]

You guys did have a viral moment, though, another one. And that was. I think it was the Atlanta series where you had it out, the two of you. And afterwards, you know, Jaylen said, it's just two competitors. But now that this whole journey's over with, can you share what that was about? Because it really caught everyone's attention and it did show. There's a moment where you're a coach. There's a moment when you're dead.

[Rick Brunson]

Well, that one, I was being a coach. And so, like, again, I've always told him that wasn't the first time. And there was times in. In the four years I've coached it, he has snapped back at me. And. And I'm cool with that because, like, you know, Josh has snapped on me. Players snap at coaches. That's what it is, the emotional part of the game. But in that situation, you know, we had talked the night before the game before, he was struggling in terms of turnovers. I'm like, yo, dude, you got seven turnovers, and five of them is you just playing with the ball behind your back, you know, just kind of, hey, man, you know, you gotta be careful. And then stack game came up and he went behind his back and he tipped his and hit his foot without a bunk. And I went. And I said, hey, listen, you got. And soon as I went to say it, he goes, I know, I know you're gonna tell me not to go, like, cut me off. I just said, hey, man, either you either help me, either let me coach you, or you coach your damn self. And, you know, it was a little back and forth, but that's because he knew I was right. And, you know, and then we walked away and that was it. And he stopped going behind his back and we end up winning the series.

[Alan Hahn]

And then later on and game two, I guess in the finals, Darren Fox tries to get in his face. Ultimate stare down moment.

[Rick Brunson]

Hello.

[Alan Hahn]

And you went. You can hear us, right?

[Brandon Tierney]

Oh, no.

[Alan Hahn]

We didn't lose him, did we?

[Rick Brunson]

Yeah, no, I can't.

[Caller Janine]

No.

[Alan Hahn]

So you, you went down the sideline and I think I trying to remember which referee it was. And I give him credit for just letting it happen. It was Tony Brothers, right? You went down the sideline, but there was an altercation. That was a dad moment, wasn't it?

[Rick Brunson]

Yeah. No, I disagree. No, no. If you so. And I'm no. So, like, you have to remember one thing and I'm being truthful. This, like, I'm at the end of the day, I'm going to be scrutinized, become his father. I get it. But like in Atlanta series, I'm the first. I'm on the court with Mitchell. I'm the one to grab Mitchell Robin. Yeah. Mitchell Robinson. You know when and when Jock. The next game, when Josh or the next series, Josh gets knocked down by msg, by, by Cornett. I'm the first one on the court. And I'm explaining it because we as coaches, we have a job. Two coaches have to stay on the sideline to keep the guys from leaving the bench so they don't get suspended. And the other coaches are to go down there to diffuse things.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Rick Brunson]

So now when I walked away, they were chipping and chopping, but, like, that's the competitive firing me. I'm going to say something back, but I'm like, like, he's a grown man, but I want to go down and make sure. Like, all I saw was Jalen in. In front of their bench. Anything could happen whether he could push somebody, they could push him, and the next, you know, he suspended. So. But, you know, if you want to, if people want to say that it was a dad moment, go ahead, but I was just trying to make sure, you know, things are cool and it wasn't going to escalate. And I'm gonna stick by that.

[Alan Hahn]

I just love that you said you're not, you're not like that. Oh, we all know what you were saying there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not, you're not like that. Which was. Which is what everybody was thinking.

[Rick Brunson]

I'm cool, man. My head is calm now.

[Brandon Tierney]

Now we were having a chat the other day and we were sort of bouncing this back and forth and it was Tough to sort of land on someone. Is there anyone who you can sort of compare to your son's game? Because he's really, really unique when you think about the way he plays, style of play, undersized, not the fastest, not the strongest, but can always find his shot.

[Alan Hahn]

Did you.

[Brandon Tierney]

Did he ever remind you of anyone else's game when you watched him come along as a player?

[Caller Lou]

Wow.

[Rick Brunson]

I don't know. I don't know who I would compare him to in terms of like, that, because I'm looking at the game that you're talking about now. I know growing up, I remember like, you know, I will haven't watched videos of like, Kenny Anderson, Nick Van Exo and Steve Nash because of their size, but their ability to score, their ability to make shots off balance. And Steve Nash is really, really big on that. You know, shooting, layups, one hand, runners. He's pretty much, I think, one of the first small guards to make all those, you know, those ridiculous shots when you're small and you got to get off quick. And so he perfected that. So. But I don't know who to compare him to. I never really thought about that. I just, you know, you just try to work and try to be the best you can be, but I don't think he really. We're really trying to compare him to play like somebody. I don't know that.

[Brandon Tierney]

And what about, like, I was watching a piece that was on Instagram the other day about the moment when he met Kobe and got the sneakers years ago and had that interaction. What can you say? What do you remember about how a young teenage Jalen reacted to that? And just general, generally the influence of Kobe on Jalen.

[Rick Brunson]

Well, the relationship with Kobe was, no, obviously growing up. He grew up in Philly. You know, I went to college in Philly and my wife played volleyball and was teammates and roommates with his older sister Sharia. So Colby will always be around at Temple. So I knew Cole and he would come play pickup with us. And so I had a good relationship with him and then obviously playing against him. So anytime I seen Kobe, he would stop in his tracks and always show love to me and my wife or whatever.

[Caller Lou]

And.

[Rick Brunson]

And it was just a situation where we were in, you know, I was working for Chicago and we were playing him on Christmas and Jalen was coming up. You know, I think he was the 9th or 10th grade. And I just wanted, you know, just, I mean, that's Kobe Bryant. Like, can you give some words of wisdom to Jalen? And I'll never Forget that. You know, why do you play if you're not trying to be the greatest? And I was like, wow. Like, that was so crazy to say you a 10th grader. But now, you know, now Jalen, people's calling, asking, can Jalen give wisdom, you know, words of wisdom to Kai? So it's just kind of unique. But, you know, you know, obviously we cherish him and we cherish his relationship, and we're fortunate enough that Jaylin can represent his brand and the Kobe brand that he represents.

[Alan Hahn]

Now with Nike, your relationship with Patrick Ewing goes obviously way back. We had Patrick on the other day. He talked about how he went on the bus in San Antonio, broke down, cried, knowing he couldn't help you guys, and, you know, knew that this might be his last chance. Like, he really revealed a lot of things to us. What is it? What did it mean for you to see him back around the team again and to see him get to enjoy that? Because I'm sure for you and the rest of the guys on that team to see that he couldn't play in that final. You have him at full health. You never know what could have happened then. So does that mean anything for you? Because he talks about you and your family, like, you guys are so special to him and bringing you guys to Jamaica and all those things. So I want to reverse it. What do you see in him that he's able to be around this?

[Rick Brunson]

I mean, even now, man, like, I don't even think Pat realized it's Patrick Ewing. Like, I mean, sometimes I say, like, yo, you know who you are. Like, you're Patrick Ewing. Like, like, he's like the idol. He's an icon, and we look up to him. And I know, me personally, I happen to be, you know, my locker was right next to his when we played together and, like, you said, went on vacation with him, but just the respect and the love that he had for, For, For Jalen and myself, man. And, man, I, I, I was telling somebody the other day, I, I seen him, like, after the game, I still come on and we gotta get a picture with the trophy. Me and you and then me and you and Jalen and then him and Jalen. But he was so excited for Jalen. And I would, I'm like, yo, this is Patrick Ewing. Like, and he was just so selfless, man. And people don't see that part of Pat. You know, people see that mean look and the way he played, the nastiness he was, man, he was so selfish, man, and so happy for Jalen. Like, and I just walked away. Like, man, I can't believe Patrick Ewing is happy for Jalen. Like, wow, this is crazy. Patrick Ewan. I just kept saying that, and, man, I got love for him. And that's my guy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Rick, the celebrations aren't over. You got the parade tomorrow. But since the win on Saturday, what are some of the cool things that have happened with your and the team?

[Rick Brunson]

For me, I'm. I'm. I'm kind of laid back, man. Like, soon as we won, I, I. We landed, and I went back to my house in Jersey, man. It was just too chaotic for me. I mean, I'm at the age now, you know, I can't be staying up all hours of the night celebrating, man, but to watch and listen to my kids enjoy and have fun. My family members calling and so happy. And then yesterday was the first time I was in or, excuse me, today was the first time I've been in the city since you won. And just walking around and people, you know, going crazy, man. It's. Man, it's just. Like I said, it's still a dream to me, man. It's just crazy.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't think you guys realize it. Maybe the parade, you'll realize it, but really, what we felt, I'm telling you, just being out seeing people, I walked out. It was 2am, 2:30am when we were done that Saturday night or Sunday morning, walked out into 7th Avenue, and just seeing just the pure joy was insane. But I need to now confirm something, because we had Spike Lee on earlier in the show, and he was very quick to tell us that you reached out to him and invited him to be on the float. Can you confirm?

[Rick Brunson]

Oh, 100%. I've been. I've been with Spike since I was in college, man. Big fan of Spike, man. Why not? I mean, come on, man. He's family, man. And we also reached out to another guest on the float. Hopefully, you know, she would. Would be there and she's confirmed she'll be there. But we. I got my fingers crossed. She's so busy. Mariska. You gotta have Mariska with us, man. She's part of the family, man. So, yeah, you didn't feel a certain

[Alan Hahn]

way when she was at a Laker playoff game?

[Brandon Tierney]

She didn't show up at a Laker playoff.

[Alan Hahn]

She was cheering. I don't know. We all felt away, like, wait, yeah, what is she doing there? I thought she's a Brunson fan.

[Rick Brunson]

No, man, we know where her heart lies. So we good with her for sure.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Rick, this has been so much fun. I know you've been busy. Congratulations to you, your son. And have fun tomorrow. I think it's gonna be quite the scene.

[Rick Brunson]

Can I. Can I end with something?

[Brandon Tierney]

Oh, please.

[Rick Brunson]

So. Really, I didn't. I've been meaning to. It's been so crazy. But I want everyone to know I got this beautiful, beautiful card from Alan.

[Caller Lou]

Han, man.

[Rick Brunson]

Before the game. And. And I kept that card in my locker the whole game. Five, man. So I just want to let you know I appreciate it. I read it. I still got it. I saved it. And it meant a lot to man for the words that you said to me in that card, man. So I really, really appreciate you, man. Thank you.

[Brandon Tierney]

Wow. Well, now we got to find out what happened. We knew nothing about this.

[Rick Brunson]

Right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I think it's between the boys.

[Rick Brunson]

Hey, let's leave it there. It's a beautiful car. It's a special moment. We're gonna leave it right there.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow.

[Alan Hahn]

So I just so thrilled for you, though.

[Brandon Tierney]

That's awesome, man. And by the way, enjoy Father's Day, man. You did good.

[Rick Brunson]

You did good. I appreciate you guys. Thank you, man.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Cheers. That's Rick Brunson. That was some great stuff. Really good stuff. But what a classy guy we work

[Brandon Tierney]

with, giving a car. We don't know what the car said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's not our business.

[Alan Hahn]

Funny, I thought he said car. And I'm like, no, that's Princeton Jeep.

[Brandon Tierney]

Well, I was gonna say. I don't think Alan did that. I think that was your work. But, yeah. Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Card.

[Alan Hahn]

But.

[Brandon Tierney]

And I met.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And I.

[Brandon Tierney]

And for the record, I. You know, saying. Happy Father's Day. I met his daughter the other day, too. Did a great job both times.

[Alan Hahn]

Erica. Yeah.

[Brandon Tierney]

Yeah. They really killed it as parents.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, Absolutely. They're gonna do a book. They have to, you know, that's a book.

[Brandon Tierney]

How to get your undersized son into the NBA.

[Rick Brunson]

Oh.

[Alan Hahn]

Just.

[Brandon Tierney]

Just how to have class Children.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, just. But seriously, like, you saw those videos. He was. They were tough on him. Yeah, but it's the right kind of tough. It's okay to be tough on your kids. It's okay to challenge your kids. It's okay to let them realize failure and learn from it and build and be better from it. Right. All these things. Like, you can't protect them from any of that stuff. And you also can't tell them what they can't do. Limitations. That doesn't happen for someone like us. You can't do that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Alan Hahn]

You gotta let them dream. You can't be afraid of it. Well, what if they don't reach that dream? What if they fail? But along the way they're gonna learn something that's gonna. That's gonna enrich them, Right? And that's all the things that they did here. It just so happened to work into something phenomenal.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, whenever you see a class act, a good guy, they said this about Jeter all the time. All you have to do is look at the parents. The parents most of the time are largely responsible for how that kid turns out. And you can see that he, he was reared. Well, you can get spoiled when you're the son of an NBA player, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Why are you laughing?

[Brandon Tierney]

Because don't sees the word reared. And all I can think of is the drop of he was reared by his wife or his mother. That's all I could think about.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I was trying to give like a really serious.

[Brandon Tierney]

I know that's not what it shows.

[Alan Hahn]

And then you, you brought reared one word. It's all it took.

[Brandon Tierney]

And I don't even remember how about.

[Alan Hahn]

But also, how about when he said that the stuff that he sees online affects him as a parent? Think about how tough that is that you're. You have to read. Like, because clearly you go on social media, you see this stuff and they're talking about your kid and you've seen the stuff people have said about him, the doubts they've had about him. Right? Things that people have said. When he signed, what Stephen A. You know, Stephen A had had a little bit of a. Of a moment there on, on first take when he wasn't happy about the signing. Now clearly he's a lot happier about it now. But, you know, there was a lot of things that were being said, and as a parent, you got to sit there and just listen to it. What are you going to do? It's tough, you know, but then to watch him quiet, all the noise, it's.

[Brandon Tierney]

It's amazing.

[Alan Hahn]

Beautiful.

[Brandon Tierney]

It's also amazing is the opportunity you have on FanDuel because FanDuel's changing the game. Sometimes your player gets subbed off and then your bet goes with them, but not anymore with FanDuel. Super sub. If your player subbed out, your bet stays in. That's right. If your player leaves the match, your bet continues on with the substitute. So you're still in it until the final whistle. Visit FanDuel.com local to get started now. Let there be goals this summer on FanDuel. 21/physically present New York for help with a gambling problem. Call 8, 7, 7, open wire text open wide 467-369.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now, I want to remind everybody tomorrow we're going to be at stout starting at 3:00'.

[Alan Hahn]

Clock.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So if you're going to the parade, you want someplace to go out and have some fun, maybe you park your car over by the Garden, or maybe you're going to take Penn Station home. Swing by Stout, 35th between 7th and 8th Avenue will be there from 3 to 6 because the Mets have an early game against the Phillies tomorrow. We'll have some special guests. We'll have a lot of fun. So come on. Swing by stout tomorrow at 3 o'. Clock.

[Brandon Tierney]

Need parts fast. O'Reilly Auto Parts as fast need them now. We've got now no matter what you need, we have thousands of professional parts people doing their part to make sure you have it. We're O'Reilly fast. Just one part that makes O'Reilly stand apart. The professional parts people.

[Rick Brunson]

Oh, oh, oh.

[Brandon Tierney]

O'Reilly Auto Parts.

[Commercial Announcer 2]

From first call to final invoice, Servicetitan

[Commercial Announcer 3]

is the only integrated intelligence that automates your entire workflow.

[Brandon Tierney]

Built for visionaries ready to stop operating

[Commercial Announcer 3]

and start automating their success. AI for the trades.

[Commercial Announcer 4]

As you know, managing maintenance, repair and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back. From professional grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Granger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Brandon Tierney]

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]

Rick was unbelievable.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He was terrible.

[Brandon Tierney]

He brought it.

[Alan Hahn]

If you missed it, check it. We're gonna have the podcast out.

[Brandon Tierney]

You don't want to miss that.

[Alan Hahn]

He was really good. Just telling all the stories behind the scenes that you want to hear.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, he was terrific and it was a lot of fun. But when I see this championship, guys and listen, I'm a lifer here, soon to be celebrating 25 years here. Do you know how long we went when I was doing the case show where the Knicks were a rumor? We did get brought up when they fired a coach. They got brought up when they hired Isaiah Thomas. They got brought up you know, when Ewing's number was retired and when he eventually was traded, they came up whenever there was like a news story, but they were just not a part of the conversation. I started here in 2001. So the Yankees were in the World Series against the Diamondbacks. And. And then, you know, that was the

[Alan Hahn]

end of their playoff run. So the station, what was the first day of the station?

[Peter Rosenberg]

September 3, 2001.

[Alan Hahn]

Right. So they already. That was their. They, they. They will not have seen the playoffs for another three years.

[Rick Brunson]

And.

[Alan Hahn]

And then they get swept and then won't see the playoffs for another seven years.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. And so I think one of the first Nick remotes we did was going into that Boston series. So what year were that they got swept? You know, otherwise it was like, yeah, again, when they hired a coach, you know, they hire Brown. We did a show at the Play by Play. God, I missed that place. Awesome. Did you ever get to go to the Play by Play, Peter?

[Brandon Tierney]

No, I don't think it was.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was a sports bar in the guard. So I'm trying to remember because it's changed so much. So when you entered through the breezeway and you went up the sbs, it

[Alan Hahn]

was there, right there.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you know what I'm talking about. If you enter through 7th Avenue, right. You walk into the Garden and then there's that escalator that'll take you up to the elevators to go to the suites. Yep, right there was the Play by Play. So it was a sports bar in, in the Garden and it would stay open for what, maybe an hour, hour and a half after the games. Sometimes you occasionally might see an assistant coach or somebody that might be.

[Alan Hahn]

You get done with the post game show. You go right there, you got a little touch.

[Brandon Tierney]

When was it there till good spot.

[Alan Hahn]

When they did the transformation of the building.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, Reimagination. It was done. It was. So all these memories come flooding back like. So when we got the rights to the Knicks and Rangers, the Knicks got the head start because they had a season. The Rangers didn't because we were in the lockout. And so when the Rangers started back up again in 05, what they did, I was hired to do the pre and post with the Rangers. Brandon Tierney was hired to do the pre and post with the Knicks. And what they had after the game, after, we would do the 30 minute postgame, we would go into the Play by play and we would do a Show after. After MSG's postgame was over. If it was a Ranger game, I would do a show from the play by play on msg. And then Brandon would do one after a nick game. We'd get guests. Not like, not big time, maybe if there was an alum, remember Glenn Anderson was there one time. We'd always get the maven, you know, on. And then it was, it was so cool. Like that was like my introduction to the Garden and stuff. And I'm like thinking about that, like how far they've come. They were like a non story. They were a punchline to now they're on top of the world, man. And we got the Knicks and Rangers, like I said, 0405 season. So that's over 20 years that we've been a part of that. And also I get sentimental as we're getting close to the 25th anniversary of this radio station. The Knicks are the first team to win a title that we were a rights holder of. We started out the station. We were. You ready for this, young fans? When we started the station, we were the flagship station for New York Islanders hockey and army football.

[Brandon Tierney]

Okay, that's, that's something.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And there's something there. Army didn't come close to winning a national championship. No, we were just excited. The Islanders made the playoffs at that point. Three straight years.

[Alan Hahn]

Fun days.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, they were fun, you know, and since then, you know, we've had the Rangers come close going to the Stanley cup final in 2014, but they fell short losing in five games there. And you know, the Knicks didn't win in the Jets. We had the jets for 16 years. They went to a couple of championship games back, but never one, you know, so we're like, God. And we finally got it and it's just, it's, it's pretty cool. It's pretty cool the relationship we have and hope to continue as well. 1-800-919-3776, want to hear from you. Let's go back to the busy phones and let's talk to Janine in Colonia. You're on espn, New York. What's going on?

[Caller Janine]

Hey, guys, how's it going?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Good.

[Caller Janine]

Big, big Nick fan. I, I, in, in my personal fandom, I'm very, very fortunate. Seen Yankees, World Series, seeing Giants, Super Bowls, but this was, this was different. I mean, there was just nothing like their whole. It's almost, it's almost like, like losing really, truly wasn't even an option. It's like sometimes Brunson looked like he was, he was playing in someone's backyard. He was just like, I'm just going, I'm just going to do it. So it's really awesome. And so the fact that, that we kind of like the unprecedented thing of if you win the cup, you don't win the. The finals.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Caller Janine]

The other, the other thing. Did you guys talk about the 4020 thing?

[Alan Hahn]

No, I was going to bring. That's a very good point. That's the Phil Jackson. For those who don't know, Jeanne, he's talking about the. The Phil Jackson thing theory that if you win 40 games before you lose 20, the majority of the time those teams are the true contenders for a championship. The Knicks, as we did this earlier in the year, just missed it, right? Knicks didn't do that. They missed it. I think by. I think they got to. To 20 losses at the. At 30. 38 wins, I think. Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Something like that.

[Caller Lou]

And.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And the Bucks didn't do it either.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Was that the other team?

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That 20, 21 buck the team trend.

[Alan Hahn]

But yeah.

[Caller Janine]

Okay, because when, because, because when, Alan, when you were talking about that, whenever that was. That was. It was around that time, I mean, I was like, you know, I was buying in. I'm like, it's like, that's it. I said, we're screwed now. You know, So I figured. But yeah, yeah, but it was. I mean, it was awesome. And the fact that it's kind of like a Phil Jackson, they're actually also another reason.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't mean to cut you off. Want to update? Yeah, it was actually 34 and 20. That's.

[Caller Janine]

Wow.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, it's not close. 34 and 20.

[Caller Janine]

Yeah, I didn't think it was that far off.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I thought it was a little bit close. I knew they weren't like, there it was off the table, but I didn't know it was six off.

[Alan Hahn]

But they had had their swoon right after the NBA Cup. Swoon. Right. And that got them to 25 and 18. Then they ended up winning eight in a row. Remember, they smoked the Nets. They won, beat the nets by like 60.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

And then they went on this tear and then they. So they got to 33 and 18. All right, so you got a shot. And then they once again started fumbling around, and next thing you know, there they were at 20 losses. You're going to see five wins.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I believe you're going to see a lot of NBA trends go by the wayside here.

[Alan Hahn]

Because of parody.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because of parody. Eight straight different champions. The whole 40, 20 thing, home court advantage. And unfortunately, what comes with that is it devalues the regular season. Right. Like, the Knicks were A three seed. They didn't have to win their division. They didn't have to be a 1 seed. So you wonder, does that now make, I don't want to say the regular season irrelevant, but in some ways it kind of just. There should be less panic, right? There should be less sense of urgency, of, oh, this is a big game tonight and it's December. I guess that's the negative part of not this run, but of just parody in general, that we've bucked all those trends, that the best teams in the regular season don't have to be in the conversation necessarily of being champions. Even the Knicks, who are favored to win the conference, still only finished third.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, but you're still seeing the best teams winning. I mean, the Thunder won last year. They had 60 wins. Like you're still, you're still getting that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, but, you know, but you're not. But the Pacers weren't the best team in the East, I don't think.

[Alan Hahn]

No, they had a great second half

[Peter Rosenberg]

and they came within a one game,

[Alan Hahn]

but they were, they were a team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They were really good in the second half.

[Alan Hahn]

They just clicked. I mean, Wendy used to say they are a contender hiding in plain sight because no one saw them as such because they were lower in the standing. So they had a bad start, but once they got healthy, they suddenly clicked. You know, Boston the year before that, they were 60 when they were a great team, like Denver, not so much, but you know, they had the mvp. So I still think it's upper echelon, but I think you're right as far as the mid season panic, I think can start to go away with the way we handle the regular season.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, can you dig yourself a hole you're not going to get out of?

[Alan Hahn]

Sure, absolutely.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But this whole, oh my God, we're going into February and a team's the five seed or the six seed and all because, remember, we were having conversations. If the Knicks aren't careful, they could have dropped to the six. We were having that conversation. It'll never be remembered. It'll never be, you know, brought back up again. But that's what happens.

[Brandon Tierney]

So as we analyze so much about what could happen, how much would change. It seems like such a distant memory. I remember.

[Alan Hahn]

You forget, at the trade deadline, the Bucks were waiting for the Knicks to call.

[Brandon Tierney]

Oh, yeah. And I remember about.

[Alan Hahn]

And we debated it, should they maybe

[Brandon Tierney]

like 10, 15 games left? 15 games left. I remember Ballard hitting me up and I brought up his point on the air. They had blown a game and he was sort of like, we, like, we have to be honest about who Mike Brown is. Like, this is who this team is.

[Commercial Announcer 3]

This is.

[Brandon Tierney]

They do the same things every time. They make you start believing. Then all of a sudden they disappear. This is just who they are. And there are a lot of fans who'd really kind of reached their wit's end at different points this season. To think about what happens after game three against Atlanta, It's. It's right.

[Rick Brunson]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Even like you said, Atlanta, 2, 2, 1.

[Alan Hahn]

But it shows you championship what you're talking about. Though, Don does show you the example of what Tom Thibodeau always said. Tom Thibodeau wasn't about where we are in December and where we are in January. He didn't care. He played to win every single game. But he wasn't like, we need to win 60. He wasn't about that. He was. His whole thing was, we have to be playing our best at the end of the season. And to his credit, if you look at his March in Aprils, the Knicks always had strong runs into the postseason. And that's when they were playing their best. So that's really, to me, the new formula of the NBA. You're a team getting out of the gate's nice. Make it just give you a little bit of space. But really what matters most is what you do. If in March and April, you're now really starting to hit your stride. That's when you can become that dangerous team in the postseason.

[Brandon Tierney]

By the way, the best game of the World Cup I think is taking place right now. I know you guys are.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I've been watching. Where is.

[Brandon Tierney]

But England's up 32 on Croatia.

[Alan Hahn]

Where are we playing this game?

[Brandon Tierney]

Where is this game, guys?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know. You think they'd put it up there?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Dallas. It says it doesn't look.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah, now you say Dallas. I'm like, yeah, that kind of looks.

[Brandon Tierney]

Not at. And t. Just Dallas. Well, they can't say TNT because if they didn't pay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Brandon Tierney]

I think Sofi paid.

[Rick Brunson]

Yeah.

[Brandon Tierney]

Because it's built in. They couldn't copy Jerry world. I imagine so. Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

They put. They put grass in Jerry everywhere. Did you hear about the complaints about the grass in my life?

[Brandon Tierney]

No.

[Alan Hahn]

Hilarious.

[Brandon Tierney]

Wait, what?

[Alan Hahn]

Players hate it sucks.

[Brandon Tierney]

The soccer players hated it.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Brandon Tierney]

So even when they put grass down in MetLife, it sucks.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Brandon Tierney]

So it's just. It's just the actual space itself sucks.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They spent billion dollars on something that is best defined as sucking. MetLife sucks. I'm sorry for the amount of money that they spent. And I know the excuse of, well, you know, the jets and the.

[Alan Hahn]

That has nothing to do with it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, they. They had no imagination whatsoever. You go to Minnesota, you go to Dallas, you go to Atlanta. These are gorgeous stadiums that you could be proud of. Now, at the end of the day, so what they're gonna. If the good team's good, they're gonna fill the building and then tickets, all that stuff. But you want something to be proud of.

[Brandon Tierney]

That is d. Go. Like last summer, I went. We went to Beyonce. Like, you just want to go to a concert. There's no. I went to Kendrick, too. There's no vibe outside. It's. You pull up and you're like, where are we?

[Alan Hahn]

What is this? Your wind? It's like you're getting windburn. Because it's just the wind gusting across. It's flat and ugly.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, unfortunately, there's not. The problem is you're building a stadium that hardly gets used. Right? We use an arena, concerts, everything, you know. But you got football teams. Occasionally, Princeton Ski Shop comes in, takes it over for a week, and then the Rolling Stones come back, like something like that.

[Brandon Tierney]

No, I'm not even talking about the

[Peter Rosenberg]

location and how difficult it is to get out. I'm just talking about the building itself. Yes. The concourses are wider and they've got different, better suites and all that stuff. And it fits more people, and maybe there's better sight lines. But I'm just talking about the way it looks. Looks like a big Venetian blind.

[Brandon Tierney]

It does. It's awful.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, it doesn't have any personality whatsoever.

[Brandon Tierney]

It's dead last in the NFL. Well, NFL's in.

[Commercial Announcer 4]

Sure.

[Brandon Tierney]

I've been to everywhere.

[Alan Hahn]

Number 32 in the league that I don't. 31.

[Brandon Tierney]

So I don't. I don't know.

[Alan Hahn]

Or 30, because. So.

[Brandon Tierney]

But here it's dead last. I'd rather go to the Rock. I'd rather go to ubs. I'd rather go to msg. I'd rather go to Yankee Stadium. I'd rather go to Citi Field, of course.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I gotta say. Where would you upgrade? Yeah, every upgrade. I'm not a particular fan of Yankee Stadium, per se. I think Citi Field is better. My feeling. But it's a better experience than the old Yankee Stadium.

[Brandon Tierney]

It just is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's newer. It's a bigger Concord. I'm just saying that, like. And. But, you know, the Rock destroys. The metal lands. UBS destroys. Nassau Coliseum, maybe five standpoints. But they upgraded. I'm sure there's certain people that say, yeah, sure, they upgraded at MetLife compared to giant Stadium, but the average fan, you're not getting any better. Better of an experience.

[Alan Hahn]

Here's your question. Because the, the Cup, World cup championship is at that stadium. If these guys are saying this, this, this field sucks. Inconsistent bounces, the grass too dry, like, there's a lot of complaints about it. Does the World cup go like, you know, Kansas City, like, that looked beautiful?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't.

[Alan Hahn]

They had to make a lot of renovations. Louisiana. Do you just say, we got to move it?

[Peter Rosenberg]

How do you do that? The people that bought, you know, the spent thousands of dollars.

[Alan Hahn]

How do you play the biggest game in the world?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know.

[Brandon Tierney]

They'll say they're going to work on it. They'll say, hey, we're going to get in there and work on it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How is there less than zero that I care what FIFA has to say? They're all just in it for the cash anyway. What do they care? These players could all die on the field. As long as they cash their checks, they don't care. Do you think they care about competition or anything?

[Brandon Tierney]

I'll tell you what. NFL, FIFA, FIFA is kind of the, hold my beer of greedy leagues.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's.

[Brandon Tierney]

It's amazing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They make, they make the NC and

[Brandon Tierney]

that said Church and that's right. It's so true. And by the. And just like the NCAA tournament, this tournament, in spite of the best intentions of the people to ruin it, the game is just so good and the fans are just so passionate that you end up enjoying it because it's just a great tour. It's my one of the great tournaments in all sports. But no, FIFA's the worst cluster.

[Commercial Announcer 2]

Only here for La Quinta by Windham. Summer mornings move fast, whether you're heading to the job site or catching the first pitch. But not every hotel makes it easy to start your day right. At La Quinta by Wyndham, you can wake up to a free bright side breakfast, including hot waffles, fresh fruit, eggs, yogurt and more. It's the kind of lineup that helps you knock your morning out of the park. And while you're at it, book your next work [e-mail] to earn Wyndham rewards points with your qualified stay tonight La Quinta. Tomorrow you shine. Terms and conditions apply.

[Commercial Announcer 3]

In today's world, planning ahead isn't always top of mind, but not having life insurance can leave families facing difficult financial uncertainty during already emotional times. In Many cases, loved ones are left managing expenses, debts or long term obligations without a clear plan in place. Life insurance is one of those ways to help provide financial security and support when it's needed most. That's where Ethos comes in. Ethos makes getting life insurance fast and easy and it's 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and even get same day coverage. There's no medical exam, you just answer a few simple health questions online. And coverage options are flexible with up to $3 million available and some policies starting at around $30 a month. Ethos has also earned strong customer feedback with a 4.8 out of 5 star rating on Trustpilot based on more than 3,000 reviews. Help protect your family with life insurance through Ethos. Get your instant free [e-mail] sports that's e t h o s.com sports application times and rates may vary. I'm pretty confident talking into a mic. Hey, I'm doing it right now. But home projects. I second guess everything. Is that noise normal? Is that water damage? And who should I even call? That's where thumbtack comes in. Upload a photo or a voice note and their AI powered search helps diagnose the issue and match you with the right top rated local pro. Instead of guessing or searching for hours, you get clarity and can hire the right pro with confidence. For your next home project, try thumbtack. They know homes. Hire the right pro today.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Brandon Tierney]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Brandon Tierney]

It's so interesting. I just have so little knowledge of the early and I, I did like how that sounds.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's so incredible how everything changed. That would be a good top five bands that completely changed into something unrecognizable from how they started. Like the Beachies. There's that and then there's nights on Broadway to Stay Alive. Stay alive. Right, right. That's completely different band.

[Brandon Tierney]

I know. And Staying Alive was so, you know, I'm not saying it's not a guilty pleasure, but it's so like bad, you know, good slash bad that it really taints. Like I. I did not think the Bee Gees were good until probably like the 2000s.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I appreciate it.

[Brandon Tierney]

Well, I just thought. No, I just thought of. I only thought of staying alive and

[Alan Hahn]

you thought it was corny.

[Brandon Tierney]

And I get corny. I didn't know that was The. I didn't know that they had all this really good.

[Alan Hahn]

The nights on, bro.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And here's what makes it insane. Nothing changed. Usually when there's. All right, we changed lead singers or something catastrophic happened to the band. Like when Pink Floyd changed. They lost their lead singer. Van Halen. They changed their lead singer. You can't take David Lee Roth out and replace him with Sammy Hagar and not change the sound. Right, but it's the same three guys. They never change.

[Alan Hahn]

They just decided to do something different.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's really. It's. It's.

[Brandon Tierney]

It's.

[Alan Hahn]

When have you ever seen that?

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I don't.

[Alan Hahn]

A band that just changes a genre, complete change of genre.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know that they say the Beatles did with sergeant Pepper, but it wasn't like this.

[Don Hahn]

Not like that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not like that. Game time is brought to you by Tully Mordu Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, guys, it's telly time. That's right, it's telly time. It's Tully time. The Mets beat The Reds today nine to one. Yankees continue their series. The White Sox at 7:05. And the Liberty will visit the sky. All right, the sky.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's see if you can do it. Come on, sky, give it a shot.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I should know the sky.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I should know this guy, too.

[Brandon Tierney]

I'll give you a hint. Something else is happening there today. There's actually a big event there. And maybe it didn't make your radar, but there's a big event happening there today.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you're saying there's a World cup game there. I know they're playing in Kansas City. I know they're playing in Dallas. It's not the Dallas sky, is it?

[Brandon Tierney]

I didn't say it was a World cup game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What else is going on?

[Brandon Tierney]

There's a big event today.

[Rick Brunson]

Big.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There's a big event today.

[Alan Hahn]

Big event.

[Brandon Tierney]

A lot of marquee artists that are all there. It's not a sports event.

[Alan Hahn]

Interesting.

[Brandon Tierney]

Not a sports event.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's happening today?

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know where he's going. None of us, the four of us have no idea where you're going.

[Brandon Tierney]

Yeah, I mean, you might not know, but it hit my algorithm.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm going to help you. It's an original six city. That's how you do it.

[Brandon Tierney]

Yeah, that's how you.

[Alan Hahn]

That's how you do it, Don.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. It's an original six city.

[Alan Hahn]

Original six.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not the Detroit sky.

[Alan Hahn]

It's not the Detroit.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Obviously. It's not the New York sky. No Canadian team.

[Alan Hahn]

There are no Canadian.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, so that just leaves me.

[Caller Lou]

When's the game?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wait, so it's the Chicago sky?

[Alan Hahn]

That is correct, sir. Skyscraper. That's why they build the sky. Skyline of Chicago.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And.

[Brandon Tierney]

And today, the skyline of Chicago.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't make it.

[Brandon Tierney]

Skylines.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know there is.

[Brandon Tierney]

And then pick some big skyscrapers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Do they have the tall. Isn't the Sears Tower the tall?

[Brandon Tierney]

It was, but also it's. People started cheating by adding things on top, like the Sears towers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Actually, still the Sears Tower.

[Rick Brunson]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sears is done, man.

[Brandon Tierney]

I don't think. Do they change the name? Oh, maybe they did change the name.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sears and Roebuck, the event. Roebuck's been gone a while.

[Brandon Tierney]

Roebuck gave up. Roebuck punished.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what he saw? He saw the future. He's like, let's get out.

[Brandon Tierney]

It might have been a good 50

[Peter Rosenberg]

years before he had to, but he got out. Let's go to Lou in Manala.

[Commercial Announcer 5]

The event.

[Brandon Tierney]

I didn't tell you the event.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What is it?

[Brandon Tierney]

The event is the Obama Library's opening today. And the artist. The list of artists performing, Don, is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, I can imagine.

[Brandon Tierney]

A psychotic list of artists.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I gotta close out the read. Hang on.

[Brandon Tierney]

There you go.

[Alan Hahn]

Hurry up.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Tullamore. Do the original triple distilled, triple blended, triple cast matured iris whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew. Or try the new Tullamore Dew. Honey, during today's action, glasses up to enjoying Tullamore Dew responsibly. Now we go to.

[Alan Hahn]

Lou Tower is now the Willis Tower.

[Brandon Tierney]

See, that's not wrong.

[Alan Hahn]

See? Stop.

[Caller Lou]

Hey, how's it going, guys? How are you? This. This has been unreal, honestly, like watching these games, watching the finals. I go to. I watched a bunch of games with my cousin. My cousin's been watching every single Knicks game as long as he's been alive. And you know, I had some bad years with the Knicks, and I really took them serious the last 10 years. But I want to get to my point. It felt unreal. It felt like a dream. It still is a dream. I watched like over 20 hours of. Of just coverage of. You know, I watched the MSG show a bunch of times. Espn and, you know, it's just unreal.

[Rick Brunson]

But.

[Caller Lou]

But the real comparison, the real thing that makes this team special. More. More specifically, Jalen Brunson. Everything you've seen in this city. And I'm not a fan of any of these guys, really, but like Jeter and. And Eli, and I'm a fan of Messier. He's like the combination of all three of them and kind of their stories. You know, Messier came here and the Rangers changed. You know, the Rangers had to get over the hump, and he brought them over. The hump and Eli, I mean, the clutch gene. Same thing with Jeter, but really the professionalism of all three of those guys. And when he's at the podium and like, just making a point and. And he has so many reasons or, or like, he could be like anyone else in this league, and he's not. And I also, I think that's why these. These, These critics and, and. And the people that report on the league are just, like, not getting the Knicks. They're not understanding this. We understand it. We watch it every day. But. But he's not like one of these cocky new athletes or past athletes that goes on the podium and it's like, yeah, I'm awesome at my sport. Like, so what? It's easy. You know, everything's hard for him, and I just love and respect that. An awesome interview with his dad. Awesome. Let's go, Nick. See you guys tomorrow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thanks a lot, buddy.

[Caller Lou]

I like.

[Brandon Tierney]

I like the take of him being the.

[Alan Hahn]

Come by, stout Luke. Come by.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Enn. Coming up next, Rose. Bruh. What happened?

[Alan Hahn]

Huh?

[Brandon Tierney]

No, it's went off.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, I thought you hit him.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Brandon Tierney]

I don't want to know how the

[Alan Hahn]

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

[Don Hahn]

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.

[Commercial Announcer 5]

The right window treatments change everything. Your sleep, your privacy, the way every room looks and feels. @blinds.com We've spent 30 years making it surprisingly simple to get exactly what your home needs. We've covered over 25 million windows and have 50,000 five star reviews to prove we deliver. Whether you DIY it or want a pro to handle everything from measure to install, we have you covered. Real design professionals, free samples, zero pressure right now. Get up to 50% off with minimum purchase, plus get a free professional [e-mail] rules and restrictions apply.