Hour 4: How will Alan handle The Finals?

Summary

Episode Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 4: How Will Alan Handle The Finals?

Date: June 2, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Theme: Navigating Fandom and Professionalism During Knicks Finals Run

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Main Theme / Purpose

This episode dives deep into the psychological toll and excitement surrounding the New York Knicks' run to the NBA Finals, particularly focusing on Alan Hahn’s dual role as lifelong Knicks fan and professional broadcaster. The trio reflects on legendary sports heartbreaks, the pressures of live coverage, the intertwining of personal and professional stakes, and vibrant energy from passionate Knicks fans on the eve of a potentially historic championship series.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sports Pain and Ownership Fandom

• The hosts start by discussing James Dolan's recent interview with Steve Serby, highlighting that it's a Rangers hockey playoff loss—not a Knicks defeat—that haunts Dolan the most.
• Alan Hahn recalls the infamous 2007 Sabres-Rangers game, emphasizing Dolan’s genuine passion for hockey.
  • "[Dolan’s] always been a bigger hockey fan than a basketball fan…he does care about the Rangers." – Alan Hahn [04:48]

Notable Segment:

• [01:42-04:44]: Nostalgic and humorous retelling of where the hosts were during the 2007 overtime playoff loss. Hahn calls out “these kids, man, they just can’t watch games on tv,” illustrating generational differences in sports fandom.
• Quote:
  • “He came in, grabbed a chair, sat right down in front of the TV…one TV had Rangers-Sabres, the other had Heat-Bulls…” – Alan Hahn [02:13]

2. Caller Hot Takes: Knicks Injuries and Hero Narratives

• Jason from Patterson calls in [05:51], boldly comparing a potential bloody Knicks injury to Curt Schilling’s 2004 “Bloody Sock,” seeking a storyline of redemption.
  • Alan Hahn acknowledges the drama, but draws a line:
    • “You should be a screenwriter, but that's a little much.” – Alan Hahn [06:30]
  • Rosenberg jokes:
    • “They found the needle that Willis Reed used and they stuck it in his hand and said, get out there and play!” [06:42]

3. Knicks Fans' Emotional Stakes & Alan’s Dilemma

• The trio gets meta about Alan’s position: Can you balance professionalism with authentic Knicks fandom on live TV when everything is on the line?
• Alan breaks it down candidly:
  • "You can't control Knicks winning or losing...it's going to be complete euphoria...or a horror show. That's the crossroads." [10:12]
  • "If this doesn't happen, I’ll be convinced I'm never going to see it in my lifetime. And that’s the hardest thing to come to grips with." [15:22]

Memorable/Powerful Quotes:

• “If Alan sucks it up, shows no emotion...he’ll be congratulated by all of your bosses. But if you just are mush and show your emotions...every fan watching will fall deeper in love with you for it.” – Alan Hahn [13:13]
• “You want to be professional...But you understand our show...there’s no, like, take a breath...” – Rosenberg [12:03]
• “It will be a gut punch...I don’t think I’m going to hide that.” – Rosenberg [15:21]

4. Fan Reassurance & Confidence

• Rod in Bethlehem calls in with encouragement and tactical optimism for Alan and the Knicks:
  • “Alan, you are us. When the clock goes zero, zero...if I don’t see tears or unaudible words of joy, that’s the only thing we need...get this out of your head.” [19:15]
  • Rod delivers tactical X’s & O’s, citing transition points and muscle memory from Tom Thibodeau’s system, and affirms, “We are winning it. Get ready.” [19:56-21:01]
• Jason from Queens brings bold predictions:
  • “Brunson will die on that court before he lets this team lose...the Knicks are sweeping them, I’m telling you.” [21:29]
• Both calls provide a morale boost for Alan, reflecting the anxiety and excitement of a generation of Knicks fans.

Memorable Fan Energy:

• “I turned over so many of my young friends to talk show radios…No one is doing anything in the streets. People looking at their watches and clocks, just waiting for tomorrow." – Jason [22:28]

5. Cautious Optimism — Reality Check

• The hosts push back on sweep talk, reinforcing the need to "enjoy it," but also temper expectations about how hard it is to finish the job in sports.
  • “Fifteen straight, man, that would tie the NBA record in the postseason with Golden State. It was a super team.” – Alan Hahn [25:11]
  • “They are hard to kill. When they've lost series, they've never made it easy.” – Rosenberg [23:46]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [02:13] Alan Hahn:
  "You came in, grabbed a chair, sat right down in front of the TV...and Zach’s like—these kids, man, they just can’t watch games on TV."

• [06:30] Alan Hahn:
  "You should be a screenwriter, but that's a little much. Then, then spurs fans are going to claim that it was ketchup and it was all made up."

• [11:27] Rosenberg:
  “The post game could either be euphoric or it's going to be just…like, honestly, at some point you're human. Like, all right, let's watch the highlights of this crap.”

• [15:22] Rosenberg:
  "The thought I had that really scared me the most was…I'll be convinced I'm never going to see it [a Knicks title] in my lifetime. And that's the hardest thing to come to grips with, to be honest with you."

• [21:03] Rosenberg:
  “I needed that. I’m good. I’m ready to do the Knicks NBA Final Preview show…”

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Timestamps: Important Segments

• [00:40-05:12]: Dolan’s sports heartbreak, Rangers-Sabres ‘07, sports memories with family and colleagues
• [05:51-07:16]: Mitchell Robinson, “bloody sock” narratives, and the dramatization of Knicks playoff grit
• [10:12-16:04]: Alan’s emotional crossroads – handling the Finals as a professional and a fan; balancing authenticity and professionalism, personal fears
• [18:22-21:23]: Rod and Merv call in with direct appeals to Alan – authentic Knicks fandom, tactical game plan, and emotional instructions for postgame coverage
• [21:29-25:11]: Jason’s optimistic call, sweep predictions, energy in New York, hosts hash out what’s realistic vs. fantasy for the Knicks

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Tone and Language

• Conversational, emotionally charged, sometimes self-deprecating, laden with sports nostalgia and fan anxiety. Occasional humor and sarcasm help diffuse the tension, but genuine vulnerability shines through—especially regarding Alan Hahn’s relationship to the Knicks.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode is both a therapy session and pep rally for the Knicks fanbase—and especially for Alan Hahn, caught between the heart of a fan and the eyes of a broadcaster. Through stories, caller energy, and candid confessions, the show captures the rare, gut-churning excitement of sports moments when it really, truly could happen…or not. The hosts and their listeners channel both the joy and pain of the waiting; in the background, all of New York seems to be holding its breath.

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Next up: The Knicks NBA Final Preview Show (8:00 p.m. MSG).
Game 1, NBA Finals: Knicks vs. Spurs — New York, it’s time.

Transcript

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[Don Hahn]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don Hahn]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 880 ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.

[Alan Hahn]

Alan just sent this over to me. I guess Jim Dolan did a sit down with Steve Surby.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, you know Serby does the Q&As.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, this was really good.

[Alan Hahn]

Now, and I want to bring this up for personal reasons as well. The question was, you lost in five to the spurs in 1999. Answer, I don't try to remember those losses. There's only one loss that sticks in my head and I've never been able to shake it. And this is going to confirm something we've been saying for a long time, especially on the Michael K show, that Dolan might be a bigger hockey fan and basketball fan. It was against the Buffalo Sabres in the playoffs.

[Rosenberg]

How about that?

[Alan Hahn]

We were up, I think by two goals in the third and. And it slipped away. And of course, you know who stole it from us was this young player on Buffalo named Chris Drury. I'll never forget coming home from that game and just feeling so devastated. Question from Serbi. There was no Nick loss that left you devastated like that. Not like that. So how about that?

[Rosenberg]

You remember that game now?

[Alan Hahn]

I remember that game.

[Rosenberg]

I bet Anthony does.

[Alan Hahn]

For this. For this reason. That was in Buffalo. So I was doing the pre and post from the studio. That was 2007, Nick. The. The Rangers had swept the. The Thrashers and they're playing in the second round and that was the big goal in overtime. But from Drury. You know who I was watching that with? I'm going to tell you who I was watching that with.

[Rosenberg]

Tell me.

[Alan Hahn]

Alan Hahn and Zach Hahn.

[Rosenberg]

Oh, my God.

[Alan Hahn]

You were in the studio and you. You came in because you were gonna do the show after the Knick game and you came in with Zach and there was a big NBA game, too. I think it might have been Heat, Bulls. And this sticks with me. I was just thinking about it the other day, too. I don't know why, but like, you came in, grabbed a chair, sat right down in front of the tv. One TV had the Ranger Sabers. The other tv, I think it was Heat Bulls. And you're like, donnie, you got to watch this basketball game. They're beating each other up, man. They're killing each other. And all this is going on. And Zach's like. I think he was like, playing a video game or something, probably. And you're like, yes. You're like, zach, overtime. Hockey. What are you doing? You play hockey? Why can't. He's like, these kids, man, they just can't watch games on tv.

[Rosenberg]

And now, John, do you remember that day? I do. Now it's coming back to me. You know what's funny? He Must have been 10 years old, right? Yeah, he had him in 10. Now he's texting me like the Knicks are in the middle of a playoff game, you know, 200 rally. And he's like, are you watching this? You know, Kane's Cane's Canadiens game. I'm like, no, no, I'm out of games. Like he. It's just so funny. As they get older, they get psychotic into watching. But that. Yeah, I remember that. What a wow.

[Alan Hahn]

And I. I just took me back and I'm just. Yeah, I'm just confirming that game that he's talking about. I. I think he's got it wrong being down. Unless he's talking about game one.

[Anthony]

I think I bring up old stuff.

[Rosenberg]

But let's see now, Anthony, because I

[Alan Hahn]

think he's talking about Game 5, which was the Sabres won 2 to 1. Drury scored the tying goal with 8 seconds left, and Maxima Finaganov scored the game in. Over. In the first. Over.

[Rosenberg]

That's what he's talking.

[Alan Hahn]

So they're up one nothing. But still, both goals came in the third period. Think about this. Martin Straka scores at 16:41 in the third.

[Anthony]

Hang on, everybody. Everybody hang on.

[Alan Hahn]

What's the matter?

[Rosenberg]

Strange pull.

[Anthony]

Not for me, but I can't imagine that Martin Straka's right. Getting everybody.

[Rosenberg]

No, no, no. Martin Straka people have heard of. It's the guy who scored the game winning goal. The Maxim.

[Alan Hahn]

Maxima Finaganov.

[Rosenberg]

Finaganov.

[Alan Hahn]

439 of overtime. So he had the score wrong. But. But. And we always used to argue like people always say, he doesn't. Dolan doesn't care about the Rangers. He only cares about the Knicks.

[Rosenberg]

No, he's not.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen, from a financial standpoint, I'm sure the Knicks take priority.

[Rosenberg]

There is moneymaker.

[Alan Hahn]

But Michael's always told me, and it's confirmed, he's always been a bigger hockey fan than a basketball fan. That doesn't mean he's not a big basketball fan. Of course he is. That's his team. But he does love the rain, does care about the Rangers. Carl Rakunik had the first assist for Martin Straka secondary assist was Brendan Shanahan. That's not a strange ball.

[Anthony]

No, no, it's not.

[Alan Hahn]

So he. It wasn't two nothing but it's still a heartbreaker because you know, you score, you thinks the game winning goal with less than four minutes to play. God, that's amazing. You know that great job. Out of survey to pull that. But wow. So, so feel good about that, Anthony.

[Anthony]

I don't. Thanks.

[Rosenberg]

I don't.

[Alan Hahn]

Come on. It was 2006. Where were you at? How old were you? You're 13 years old.

[Anthony]

Was it. Listen, that was, that was coming off the darkies, right? We didn't know how good we had

[Alan Hahn]

at these last 5, 10, 13 years old. Your marbles will dry. Let's go to Jason in Patterson. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Jason?

[Caller Jason]

Guys, first of all, it's always an

[Caller Rod]

honor to talk to you.

[Caller Jason]

Don and Han, thank you so much for taking the time.

[Rosenberg]

Good to have you.

[Caller Jason]

Can you guys hear me?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, sure.

[Rosenberg]

Gotcha.

[Caller Jason]

All right, so I want to talk about Mitchell Robinson, why he has to play. And I'm gonna. This is gonna be a hot take and you guys could take it. But if Mitchell Robinson, the reason why he has to play, I don't care about his finger and all this other stuff, he will go down in history because if he plays and if that tape on that finger gets bloodied, he'll go down in history just like Schilling with a bloody sock. And, and it will be redemption for Ewing and the finger roll with Elijah one. How do you guys feel about that?

[Alan Hahn]

I listen, I, I love it. You should be a screenwriter. But that's a little much. That's not much. Then, then spurs fans are going to claim that it was ketchup and it was all made up.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, I like my story better. I like the fact that they found, they found the needle that Willis Reed used and they, they stuck it in his hand and said, get out there and play. You imagine if they did that story? Well, yeah, you know, the needle was. Happened to be at the Garden was just sitting there.

[Alan Hahn]

I loved where his head's at, man, because it's, it's such a, it's just a storybook. Right? What's going on? It really just feels that way. It just. It's got to end with them. It's just too much. There's just too much. It would just. It would just ruin everything.

[Rosenberg]

It would ruin everything. You can't ruin everything.

[Alan Hahn]

Right?

[Rosenberg]

Don't ruin everything.

[Alan Hahn]

Never.

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[Don Hahn]

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[Rosenberg]

Like Julian Champagne who says all his friends are from New York are rooting for the Nick. He wants to ruin their plans. No, you don't. You know, deep down, you don't.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, no, that's.

[Rosenberg]

Come on, you don't.

[Alan Hahn]

That goes away. Stop it.

[Rosenberg]

Don't ruin their.

[Alan Hahn]

Stop it.

[Rosenberg]

No, you don't want to do this.

[Alan Hahn]

You really think he doesn't want to win a title?

[Rosenberg]

I know he. I know he wants to win a title, Don. I'm being facetious.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know, man. Sometimes you've got a weird day today. You're worried that Brunson's got a cold that's gonna affect game one. Like, you're all over the place, man. You are teetering.

[Rosenberg]

I'm starting to feel it. I gotta admit.

[Anthony]

Tomorrow's gonna be rough because tomorrow's gonna

[Alan Hahn]

be a tough one. Very seldom do you get. And it's sports, so it's not. I'm not gonna say it's not real life, because this is what we do for a living, right? So it's more than that. It's his fandom. But it's also, you know, professionally, like, how big it can be if the Knicks win for his fandom. And also professionally, it could be a big deal. And it also could be, you know, gut wrenching, heartbreaking moment. It's right there. It's one of the two things are gonna happen, right? And how often do you come from a. Go to a crossroads in life in which you don't control. You can't control the Knicks winning or losing, where it's gonna be complete euphoria for you professionally and personally, or be a horror show. Not that you're not gonna do a good job on the air even if they lose, but still, it's gonna be like, ah, right.

[Rosenberg]

I don't know.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know either.

[Rosenberg]

I don't know. And it's the worst part is it's. It's. The post game is like. That's the part. The post game could either be euphoric or it's going to be just monitor. Like, honestly, like, at some point you're human. Like, all right, let's watch the highlights of this crap.

[Alan Hahn]

And.

[Rosenberg]

And the thing is, here we go. Here's. There's. Wemby Duncan again. What do you want me to do?

[Alan Hahn]

You want me to get excited? Wow.

[Rosenberg]

Play.

[Alan Hahn]

And the thing is, I don't even want to talk this into existence, but please don't. But the point is, is that the professional side of us, the journalistic side, would look at you not handling as a bad thing.

[Rosenberg]

Oh, I'll get killed.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

I can't.

[Alan Hahn]

But that's exactly what the fans want from you. Because they want. Because that's what they're feeling. Right.

[Rosenberg]

Well, like, they always say, like, don't. Like, you have to be as authentic as you can. Right.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Rosenberg]

You want to be professional, and that. That's always going to be part of the deal. But you understand our show. Like, you'll see tomorrow night when, when game one's over, if you go to MSG and there's four seconds left on the. On the clock. Right. Let's say the ball. The ball goes out of bounds and it's like four seconds, they're just dribbling it out. If you just don't even watch the last four sets go to msg, it immediately comes on, like, the second the game ends, we're on the air. So there's no, like, take a breath. There's no, like, nothing that doesn't exist. You have no time to just kind of get your thoughts, collect your thoughts. And a lot of these games this year have been blowouts, so it's been kind of easy to go right into a post game because you already got plenty to think about. But prepare. You're not even watching the fourth quarter half the time, because the fourth quarter didn't matter for the majority of the time. If these are going to be, like, I expect these are going to be tough, close games. Yeah. That last game, if it's not a win, it's. You're going right on the air.

[Alan Hahn]

And for people that don't understand. And we're not expecting you to feel sorry for Alan or feel sorry.

[Caller Jason]

Oh, God.

[Rosenberg]

I'm not looking for sympathy. No, no, no.

[Alan Hahn]

But. But this is. This is the life we lead.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

So if this is the life we chose. If Alan sucks it up, shows no emotion, just plays Mr. Journalist in that postgame show, he will get accolades from everybody in the business about how professional he was. He might even win an Emmy because of it.

[Rosenberg]

Doubtful.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm being serious. Like, that you were able to handle it.

[Rosenberg]

Wouldn't that be ironic?

[Alan Hahn]

Your emotions aside, you went and did your job. You'll be congratulated by all of your bosses. Everybody will say, well, what an amazing job. And the fans will be like, really, Alan? And if you just are mush and show your emotions, you'll get eviscerated by the papers. You'll be eviscerated by professionals. You may be reprimanded by your boss. Every fan watching that will fall deeper in love with you for it. That's the juxtaposition that we're in, in this business when you play fan or professional. But no, no, I'm not being perform.

[Rosenberg]

No, no, I'm saying like I, I'm like this is serious. Like I'm not joking around now. I'm being dead serious. Like I've, I had a weekend to think about this. I've had a. You know, it's. We haven't had a lot to do other than the radio show and some get up, but other than that, no games. So. So I've thought about it. Okay, this is it now. Like what, what happens? You know, I've, I've said this to Meredith and I've said it to Gelbsy. I've said like, how, you know, how much I had, I, you know, admired. Like they had these runs and they got to be part of, you know, some, A lot of fun Gelbs had to see a loss and see a run come to an end. You know, Meredith recently got to see one come to an end. But it's like, it's. How do you handle that in that moment? And it's like I'm now thinking to myself, you can't. You're not performing, you're not doing that. And to hold back emotion doesn't make sense either.

[Alan Hahn]

So you don't want to be a blabbering idiot, but. Right, but I just think that.

[Rosenberg]

Well, first of all, look, I'm a grown man. I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna burst into tears if they lose. It's not what I do. I'm gonna stamp my feet and complain.

[Alan Hahn]

No, but, but I think the fans are gonna feel.

[Rosenberg]

It'll be a gut punch.

[Alan Hahn]

You feel it, It'll be a gut

[Rosenberg]

punch and I think it'll be obvious. And I don't think I'm going to hide that. But it's not going to be easy to pro. Like to sit there and be on live television to be able and have to process the fact that like I said to you, I'm dead serious. When the thought I had that really scared me the most was I thought to myself, if this doesn't happen, I probably will. I'll be convinced I'm never going to see it in my lifetime. And that's the hardest thing to come to grips with, to be honest with you. Right? Like that's, that's the hard. And there's a lot of people my age, you and I, our age, that are Nick fans that have gone through this that are probably going to feel the same way. Like, you know what I mean? I don't think it's ever going to happen. Never, right? If not now, I keep saying it. If not now, when?

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

[Alan Hahn]

Rod in Bethlehem, you're on espn.

[Caller Rod]

Hey, Don, how's it going? I gotta speak to Alan.

[Alan Hahn]

Sure.

[Caller Rod]

Alan, being the fact that you were born in the same hospital that I was born in that's no longer existing, I gotta talk to you. Yes, I gotta talk to you. We don't want to hear this negative. We don't want to hear that on seven game when you're in 94 that it missed. This is the positive. You are us. Alan, you are the Knick fan. You went and saw. Herb Williams was brought up a couple of weeks ago. You saw him as a player and you saw him as a coach. Don, he was a coach from 2003. Interim coach and assistant coach on the Knicks staff from 2003 to 2014. And Alan, you watched those games.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Caller Rod]

When the next win the championship and they go, these clocks goes zero, zero on that clock and they go to msg.

[Rosenberg]

Okay?

[Caller Rod]

If I don't hear, if I don't see tears in your eyes or if you're not a crier, unaudible words that come out of your mouth of joy. That's the only thing that we need. Get this out of your head. That way, if it. If we lose, what you're gonna do, that's not gonna hang it. And I'll tell you exactly why. Did you see In Game 4, the Knicks transition points and fast break points in the first half that was purposeful.

[Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Caller Rod]

Now does this work? If they realize if Mike Brown came in and said, listen, that offense that we installed during training camp that you guys came to me a month later and said that, you know what, we're going to have to make adjustments. He brought that back and times the. By 10, they were running on leaks. They were running misses makes on everything. This is a track game. So they're going to run and run and they can go. This is the team. That's Tom Thibodeau muscle. They have that Tom Thibodeau. They don't have those Tom Thibodeau miles on their legs, but they have that muscle memory of Tom Thibodeau where they can go for 40 minutes and they go five deep if they add in Alvarado and Clarkson. Okay? So we're gonna try to make it a track meet for three quarters. And if the game's close or we have the read in the fourth quarter, we have Jalen Brunson. That's the game plan. We are winning it. Get ready.

[Rosenberg]

I love it. I needed that.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Rosenberg]

I needed that.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, there you go.

[Rosenberg]

I needed that. I'm back. I'm good. I'm good. I'm ready to do the. I'm ready to do the Knicks NBA Final Preview show, which you'll see at 8:00 on MSG. So once I'm done here, heading over to studio. Get ready for that. So now I'm ready for that. My head's in the right place now. I needed that.

[Alan Hahn]

Good job, Rod. Let's go to Merv and Queen Giron. Espn New York.

[Caller Jason]

Fellas, this guy just stole all my thunder. I was going to rip Allen just a little bit. Allen Dolan is your boy. Tell us you're going to rip off a tie, kick a table. Listen to me, man. I'm telling you, I feel it. Brunson will die on that port before he lets this team lose. And I'm telling you, don't hang up on me. I'm going to call back in two weeks. Listen to where you heard it first. The Knicks are sweeping them. I'm telling you. Celebrate Allen.

[Alan Hahn]

Sweet.

[Caller Jason]

Good luck tomorrow. Don, I was with you from before. You used to have your kids. You were about to have strokes on the radio. I missed those days. And I was actually listening to a local San Antonio radio show. They're scared of us, the fans over there. Everything is going our way. Why we're so cursed and PTSD out that we can't even be positive. It's time.

[Caller Rod]

Oh, no.

[Alan Hahn]

Don't get me wrong now.

[Caller Jason]

Died. It's been decades. And don't get me wrong, I am positive this guy.

[Rosenberg]

I am positive.

[Caller Jason]

I'm talking about, like, talk. Talk. Ish. Positive, like for zip. You gotta lose your mind. You're. You're. You're a street captain out there. I'm telling you this. And I've turned over so many of my young friends to talk show radios. They used to call me creepy that I've been listening to you guys from Bart and Ricky and all this stuff, man, it feels right. Everything is right. I'm in Queens. No one is doing anything in the streets. People looking at their watches and clocks, just waiting for tomorrow. People are holding doors. Thank you, guys.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen, the thing is, you don't have to sweep. That would be nice. 15 straight would be.

[Rosenberg]

Wow. I mean, I'm just saying.

[Alan Hahn]

Brace yourself.

[Rosenberg]

Game. Game. That's game four at the Garden. Done. Yes, you do. If you're up 3 0. You bet. You got to get that one. But I don't know. I'm not doing this. I'm not.

[Alan Hahn]

You can't.

[Rosenberg]

I'm not doing this. I'm not.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm all for being positive, but you also have to be realistic. Okay? And that's a. That's a. That would be one heck of a run.

[Rosenberg]

This is so surreal right now. I can't even.

[Alan Hahn]

But I understand why you feel it, because again, who thought 11 in a row. I keep going back to that Friday after they lost game three.

[Rosenberg]

It's like there's a morgue.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, we never said they were done in the series. We were like, how is this team winning a champ? I just said, close out games against Atlanta. Come on.

[Rosenberg]

You even said it that you said, you said at that time, they're gonna, like, they're gonna get through the series, but it's a bad look, right? That's what we kept saying. Yeah, And I just kept saying, like, I'm not giving up on this team, because they are. What I know about them is they're hard to kill. They've never been easy. When they've lost series, they've never made it easy.

[Caller Jason]

Right.

[Rosenberg]

They were down 3.

[Alan Hahn]

1.

[Rosenberg]

Like they made the Pacers. The Pacers had to take them out last year, even though, you know, they gave them the first two games, but they had to take them out, you know, two years ago. They got to seven, but they had nobody left. Everybody was banged up, hurt where, oh, Gee's got one leg. But they were like, no, you gotta knock us out, right? Like, you know, hey, yo, Apollo, I didn't hit no bell like that. That's what this team is.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, but. But there's other things. The reason. Listen, it doesn't matter what anybody says. They gotta go out there and they gotta. There is no, you know, we say, you know, touch the money or whatever, but still, there's a lot of extenuating circumstances, right? I mean, you just don't want to mess with the karma. Because it's not even just about winning. It's about staying healthy and not having anything go wrong, right? This, that unseen hand, right, that you're not expecting. So just, let's let it play out. You got to love their chances, enjoy it. Because I just don't need Alan the. Oh, they're going to sweep. And then they lose on Wednesday and it's like, oh, my God, it's. No, stop.

[Rosenberg]

It's.

[Alan Hahn]

It's bound to happen. Fifteen straight, man, that would tie the NBA record in the postseason with Golden State. It was a super team. Yeah, but listen, if you're Richard, Mike, Jay, hang in there because Ty Butler is coming up next. But tomorrow we are going to be at stout, that's stout, 35th between seventh and eighth. Even though the game is in San Antonio, we are still going to be out and about. So if you want to watch the game, hang with us. We're going to be there from 3 until 7.

[Rosenberg]

Come see us.

[Alan Hahn]

So come by, say hello.

[Rosenberg]

MSG Tonight, 8 o' clock should be

[Alan Hahn]

a lot of fun. Yes, MSG 8 o' clock pregame show. They'll be doing those shows on the off days. And of course, their coverage begins at 7:00 on game days. It's on, man. We've waited so long. It's finally going to be happening. Tomorrow will be game day. Game one, NBA Finals, Knicks and the spurs for it all. Ty Butler up next. At 9 o', clock, it's Mets baseball on ESPN New York.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't want to know how the

[Rosenberg]

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. You can't reason with the sun. Trust us, we've tried. This summer, it's time to put that angry ball of fire on mute. Columbia's Omni Shape technology is engineered to protect you from the sun's harsh rays that can burn and damage your skin. 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.