Hour 2: Potential Breakthrough

Summary

Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron

Episode: Hour 2: Potential Breakthrough – June 14, 2026

ESPN Radio – Myron Medcalf & David Dennis Jr. (w/ Matt out)

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Episode Overview

This episode captures the exuberant aftermath of the New York Knicks’ historic NBA championship win, tapping into the emotions and stories of Knicks fans across generations. Myron Metcalf and guest David Dennis Jr. take listener calls, unpack the unique dynamics of the Knicks’ roster construction, fantasize about casting a Knicks championship movie, and briefly pivot to a high-profile discussion on U.S. Soccer’s World Cup fortunes. The show’s tone is celebratory, playful, nostalgic, and occasionally irreverent, as it balances light-hearted hypotheticals with heartfelt fan reflections.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Knicks Championship Win – Emotional Reactions

• Hugging Traditions After Winning:
  The hour kicks off with a playful debate: After a championship win and team hugs, who would you hug first?

  • David jokingly says “Rihanna” (02:29), setting off a humorous back-and-forth about the etiquette of post-title hugs, handling partners (like ASAP Rocky), and rules for celebrity interactions.
  • "I don't want you to hug me more than two and a half seconds. Ok. You know, and if I don't know you, it's about half the time." – Myron Metcalf (04:03)

• Notable Quotes:

  • “‘We did it, Rihanna. I did it for you.’” – David Dennis Jr. (05:06)
  • “You don’t pull away from Tracy Morgan. Tracy Morgan pulls away from you.” – Myron Metcalf, on his own first-hug pick (07:16)

2. Multi-generational Knicks Fandom

• Long-suffering Fans Payoff:
  The calls from Knicks fans (08:10, 10:15, 18:50, 31:12) underscore deep generational storytelling.
  • Greg from Atlanta recalls old-school Knicks legends and the “cool” of Walt Frazier (08:17–09:40).
  • Scott from Baltimore shares a heartwarming anecdote about calling his 90-year-old Knicks fan parents, only to discover they were already “pregaming” (10:15).
    • "My mother answers the phone, ‘what are you calling us for? We're pregaming.’ … She was like so dismissive. We're in the middle. Don't mess up our flow." – Scott (10:47)
  • Adam from Kansas City reflects on growing up a “bridesmaid, never the bride” Knicks fan, and finally getting to celebrate with father and son (18:50).
  • Tony in Montreal likens the Knicks to an orchestra—Brunson the conductor, everyone in sync (31:12).

3. The Knicks Championship Movie Hypothetical (14:15)

• Casting Debate:
  Myron and David build an all-star cast for the inevitable Knicks championship film, tossing out suggestions:

  • James Dolan as De Niro or Pacino (14:32)
  • Mike Brown as Denzel or Delroy Lindo (14:49–15:10)
  • Rick Brunson as Will Smith, Jalen Brunson as Michael B. Jordan (16:07)
  • Carl Anthony Towns as Justice Smith or Aaron Pierre
  • Talk of Timothy Chalamet as Tyler Kolik, and the need to exaggerate roles for casting
  • Rachel (producer) chimes in about the meta-comedy of casting Jaden Smith as Jalen Brunson (16:53).
  • Realization: This story is too rich for a movie—it deserves a TV series (34:11).

• Memorable Moment:
  “Every Knicks player has a showcase moment. Everybody has a moment that they have. Like, you have to do almost a season of television with everybody.” – David Dennis Jr. (33:25)

4. The Model of Knicks Roster Construction (38:20)

• Team-Building Lessons:
  The show critiques whether the Knicks’ unconventional model—built through trades rather than the draft—is repeatable or an anomaly.
  • The unique contract situations of Jalen Brunson (on a below-max deal), echoed with Steph Curry’s early Warriors years, may make replication unlikely.
  • “Your best player is not a max guy... That is what's difficult to do.” – David Dennis Jr. (38:20)
  • Likens the NBA to NFL models of building around stars still on rookie deals.

5. The Spurs, De’Aaron Fox, and NBA Team Strategy (41:04)

• Complicated Roster Moves:
  The Spurs’ problem with De’Aaron Fox’s rising contract (set to reach $61M/year) is dissected.
  • The need for them to add a backup big (mentioned: Naz Reid, Bobby Portis) and a true vocal veteran presence in the locker room.
  • “There was something to be said about Udonis Haslem... a culture guy.” – Myron (41:49)
  • The trade value dilemma: Can the Spurs even move Fox without attaching extra assets? (42:11)
  • “You're probably going to have to attach a pick to that and have somebody assume that contract, which makes it tough.” – David (43:49)

6. Soccer Segment: USA’s World Cup Prospects (22:50–30:21)

• Shaka Hislop Interview
  • Assessment of Folarin Balogun as the breakout striker the U.S. has waited for; his performance against Paraguay signals a possible new ceiling.
  • U.S. team’s best performance in recent memory; potential to reach the quarterfinals, raising expectations (24:37, 25:48).
  • “Baligan will grab the headlines, but you also have to include players like Christian Pulisic, Sergino Dest for the roles that they played. This was an incredible 90 minutes from the US of A.” – Shaka Hislop (24:37)
  • “Before a ball was kicked, I was saying that a quarterfinal appearance... is about right... That performance though, kind of has me second guessing my pre tournament pick.” – Shaka Hislop (25:51)
  • The U.S.-Australia matchup becomes critical, Australia “far more explosive” than Paraguay: “If you put in a similar performance, get a similar result against Australia... that raises expectations even more.” (29:15, 30:21)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You can wear my championship ring for a day. Just let me just hug. Hug Rihanna.” – David Dennis Jr. (03:40)
• “I'm waiting. I'm gonna wait. Criss cross applesauce in the court until Rihanna comes down and gives me hugs.” – David (04:43)
• “If you hug Tracy Morgan in that moment, you’re gonna feel better about yourself... It's gonna be one of those real, now it's gonna be a long hug.” – Myron (06:09)
• “My mother answers the phone, ‘what are you calling us for? We're pregaming.’…She was so dismissive... Don't mess up our flow.” – Scott from Baltimore (10:47)
• “This is the Dirk Mavs championship, where one guy was above everybody, but every Knicks player has a showcase moment... you have to do almost a season of television with everybody.” – David Dennis Jr. (33:25)
• “Scrap the movie. I just canceled the movie. Yeah, it's a, it's a series.” – Myron (34:11)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening banter & Hug etiquette, Rihanna jokes: 00:54 – 05:38
• Tracy Morgan as the first hug, memorable hug stories: 05:58 – 07:49
• Calls: Generational Knicks fandom (Greg, Scott): 08:08 – 11:48
• Calls: Family/fandom tradition, parent stories: 10:15 – 11:48
• Knicks movie/TV series casting discussion: 14:15 – 18:47, 34:11 – 34:45
• Fan call: Adam on the “bridesmaid never bride” Knicks culture: 18:50 – 20:14
• Soccer segment: Shaka Hislop on USMNT & Balogun: 22:50 – 30:21
• Fan call: Tony, orchestral metaphor for Knicks team: 31:12 – 32:34
• Debate: Will this be remembered as Knicks’ or Brunson’s championship?: 33:12 – 33:53
• Knicks’ team-building model, NBA roster discussion: 38:20 – 39:47
• Spurs, De’Aaron Fox trade dilemma & team needs: 41:04 – 44:27

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Episode Vibe & Final Thoughts

• Nostalgic & Forward-Looking: The hosts blend humor, lifelong sports fandom, and savvy NBA analysis in a way that honors die-hard listeners and casuals alike.
• Listener-Focused: Fan calls are central, celebrating the spectrum of Knicks fandom—from old heads to “this is all I know” five-year-olds.
• Big Moments, Small Details: The playful hug discussion, casting hypotheticals, and granular NBA roster strategy coexist seamlessly.
• Memorable Conclusion: The Knicks’ story is no longer just a movie—it’s a multi-episode saga, mirroring the scale and drama of the Knicks’ return to the mountaintop.

Transcript

[A]

So good, so good, so good.

[B]

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[C]

Now.

[B]

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[A]

You gotta look into it there.

[B]

It's like bet's raps again. Once again, I'm coming in. You complain when I do this when Matt is here. You complain when I don't do this when Matt is here. I. I'm just gonna do what I want to do. Myron. Yeah. We'll play Rachel music from now on and we're gonna see what happens. You probably. You probably. Oh, Rachel.

[A]

Sorry, sorry.

[B]

We're gonna play basic girl music for the rest of the show and it's all Rachel. Hold up.

[A]

Wait, ain't.

[B]

Yes. You gotta be. You got. He's David Dennis Jr. I admire Metcalf. We want to hear from Knicks fans. You all have been incredible telling us what it was like to be a part of the Knicks championship. You've also told us that there are still some scars. I know that you all are working your way through 888, say, ESPN 888-729-3776. We will try to help you through that. One thing I noticed after the game and I wondered about this, Dave, and I want to know your thoughts on it. I wondered, do you visualize winning a championship and who you're going to hug first? Because it seemed like among the Knicks players, there were some. And I mean, outside of the team, you're obviously hugging team people first. It seemed like some. They were pretty intentional about, okay, I'm going to hug mom, I'm going to hug wife, girlfriend. And there were others who it seemed like if just you were nearby. Yeah, you were the first hug.

[D]

Who.

[B]

Who would you hug first, David? You win a championship, you've hugged your teammates, coaches, all that. Outside of that group, though, who's your first hug?

[A]

Rihanna.

[B]

It'd have to be no husband.

[A]

I heard she was there. I heard she was. You know, there was. She was running around in game four after the game, and I'm like, if she's there.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

I'm like, nobody touched me until she gets down from the box.

[B]

From the top.

[A]

Nobody. No hugs. Nobody gets a hug. Everybody sit down and wait. Line up, take a number, wait in line. So I give him a hug from Rihanna, then everybody else, then we'll go from there.

[B]

How do you make that work? Because ASAP Rocky is there, I assume with her, her partner. I don't believe they're married. Do you just automatically, because you won a championship, you don't have to acknowledge him and you get to go straight to Rihanna. Does it have to be an acknowledgement of ASAP Rocky? Adapt something like that and then you let them know you're going to. Because people do that with Jay Z and Beyonce, right?

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

If you notice, people will walk up to Jay Z, shake his hand, say, what's up? And then they'll give Beyonce a hug. How would you manage that factor?

[A]

So I think ASAP Rock, as somebody, you know, is somebody who saw his. His level of excitement in game four, I think he'd be like, you won the championship for my Knicks. You get to hug.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think it'd be all, yeah.

[B]

She give you the pass?

[A]

Yeah, give the. Give her the pass. Give me the pass.

[B]

Just in the moment you can wear. And then you can say you were just caught up in the exact.

[A]

You can wear my championship ring for a day. Just let me just hug. Hug Rihanna.

[B]

I think the challenge. Sometimes if you hug Rihanna in that moment and you're caught up in all the emotions, you might end up holding too long. Right. And that's the thing you like sometimes this is just not even with the Knicks, sometimes hugs just last a little too long for me personally, you know what I mean? I don't want you to hug me more than two and a half seconds. Ok. You know, and if I don't know you, it's about half the time. Like, I like the hug acknowledgment, the embrace where, like, now I'm in some sort of weird trap in your arms. I don't like that. So. So I'd have to be measured in how many hugs I was giving out.

[A]

I got you. I also think you win the championship, you get two sways. You get two sways.

[B]

Yeah. Yes.

[A]

You get two sways.

[B]

A back and forth.

[A]

They're playing. They're playing. Yeah. They're playing, like New York. They're playing something. You get two sways of celebration with Rihanna, and that's it. And then just go ahead, go about your way. You get a good smell. What the fragrance is with the fenty fragrances, the hair. She smells delightful. You get two sways.

[B]

Two sways. And then. I like that.

[A]

And then you go. Then you go on. I don't even. And then. And then it's like, great to meet you, Rihanna. Okay. Yes, mom, wife. You come on. You come on. Give me hugs. Give me hugs, kids, all that stuff. But I'm waiting. I'm gonna wait. Crisscross applesauce in the court until Rihanna comes down and gives me hugs.

[B]

And then when you're done with the hug, you gotta grab her hands, right? As you're done with the hug, you grab both hands, look her in the eye, and you say, thank you.

[A]

We did it. We did it, Rihanna.

[B]

We did it.

[A]

We did it, Rihanna.

[B]

We did it.

[A]

I did it for you.

[B]

What's the kiss on the cheek rule, you think? Cause I saw a lot of that, too. You know, I don't think you can do that. Now, if Rihanna wants to. Let Rihanna do what she wants. She's a billionaire.

[A]

Too much dip on the chip for that.

[B]

She wants to give you a kiss on the cheek. That's up to her. Yeah, you don't get to.

[A]

You don't lean in first.

[B]

Let her initiate you never lean in first if you're. If you're hugging Rihanna.

[D]

Yeah, let.

[A]

Let her. Let her. That's it. Just. Just a hug. A good. A good whiff.

[B]

Yes. She's in control of the hug.

[A]

She's in control of the hub.

[B]

She's in control.

[A]

Yeah. Little. Little whiff. And then you go about your way. Asap. Could be. Also, I got all kind of securities. Madison Square Gardens, whatever I got.

[B]

And you're probably like six, eight.

[A]

Yeah, right.

[B]

I think ASAP Rock is like five. Five or something. You be. You'd be okay.

[A]

You're good. You're good. Nothing to worry about.

[B]

He's David Dennis Jr. I'm Myer Metcalf here on Matt Myron on ESPN Radio, the ESPN App Series, XM Channel 80. We're talking about. Who would you hug first? We're going to get to.

[A]

Knicks fans watching James shake his head. Just so much disapproval on his face. I don't know.

[B]

We want to know who Myron's going to hug first. Then my first hug is going to be Tracy Morgan, because I know he's going to say something during the hug that's going to be memorable. Like he's gonna say something. It's gonna be a real genuine hug. I feel like if you hug Tracy Morgan in that moment, you're gonna feel better about yourself. You know, Like, I just feel it's gonna be one of those real. Now it's gonna be a long hug.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Like, it's gonna be one of those 32nd boy. I know we could do it. I told you. You know, one of those, like, pep talks in your ear as he's hugging you. He's a little sweaty, I bet. You know, so it's not necessarily gonna be the most comfortable hug. And I mean, probably a little bit of cologne, a little bit about. Of what he's been drinking that night.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But it's gonna be a memorable moment. If you hug Tracy Morgan. You gonna say something that only cologne

[A]

and alcohol you're saying is.

[B]

Yeah. Yes.

[A]

Okay, Gotcha. No other smells. Okay, Gotcha, gotcha. Make sure.

[B]

Yeah, definitely cool water mixed with some other substances in there.

[A]

Got you. Yes.

[B]

But he's gonna hug you tight. He's not gonna let go now. You gotta be ready for that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You don't pull away from Tracy Morgan.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Tracy Morgan pulls away from you. It's going to be a long. You know, it's like you go to a family reunion.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

And you see one of your uncles you haven't seen.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He's going to wrap you up and say some amazing things to you that have nothing to do with basketball.

[A]

Nothing at all.

[B]

Nothing. And I think Tracy probably even make some stuff up right.

[A]

You know, be like, last week I had a chicken sandwich.

[B]

It was delicious.

[A]

And that's just it. You just got to roll with it

[B]

or make something up. Like, I remember you were five years old. I told you we would do it.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

You didn't see him when you were five.

[A]

Know when you were five, but he

[B]

never said a word when you were five. He's just making stuff up. But he's Tracy Morgan. He gets to do that. Guess what? If you're a Knicks fan, you don't have to make anything up because you just experienced that moment and it was real. Greg in Atlanta, Knicks fan. How are you feeling this morning?

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

That's how we do it.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

I'm out here in this country ville right now, but I'm from Bridgeport, Connecticut,

[E]

raised up in the South Bronx of

[D]

New York, and I've been with them since the Bush, Frazier Reed, old school Bradley Earl of Pearl Monroe. And this is the best, though. This is the best. He's not the best Knick player in my opinion. But it's a good thing. Beautiful thing. Yeah.

[B]

Well, I appreciate that. I mean, just the emotions of someone like that. David, who saw Frazier, Clyde Frazier and Willis Reed in 70 and 73 and live long enough to see this again, I mean, that has to be a special feeling too. When, yes, you saw that success, but you had to wait 53 years to see it again.

[A]

Yeah, you see the success and you're like, oh, we're gonna get some more of these. You know, like, we gotta run. You know, we're gonna do this. We're not gonna go the 80s without it. You're gonna go the. You know, like you get viewing, you're like, okay, it's a matter of time. We're good. No, no problem. You know, like, you get these things, you feel like it's just gonna happen and then for it to not happen. I mean, wal. First of all, Walt Frazier was at all the games, all the games.

[B]

He does TV for me, Traveled around,

[A]

was on all those things and was totally locked in and got to meet him in Atlanta. Just the coolest dude. Cool cat. Just a cool cat.

[B]

And that's the thing to be New York, I feel like, like I talked about LA and Atlanta. You automatically have a level of cool.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

That like the rest of the world can't match. You add this championship on top of it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, I mean, can you imagine the barbershops?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

On Tuesday? I don't know if barbershop, like where I'm from, Barbershops closed Monday. On Tuesday, when the barbershops are open and rolling in the Bronx, somewhere in Brooklyn somewhere, I just would want to be a fly on the wall just to enjoy that moment. Scott in Baltimore, lifelong Knicks fan. What does this moment feel like for you?

[E]

You know what, it's almost, it's indescribable. I just, just some context here and then a comment, if you don't mind.

[F]

Yeah.

[E]

My parents, born and bred from the Bronx. Okay. My parents, Jewish ancestry are 90 and 91. Okay. They did a George Jefferson, moved to Manhattan. All right. When I was 8 years old, just breathing. I called my parents last night at five after eight, truthfully, between us, I wanted to make sure they were awake to watch the game.

[B]

Yeah.

[E]

My mother answers the phone, what are you calling us for? We're pregaming. That was the word. A 90 year old Jewish lady says, we're pre gaming with friends and I'm like excuse me mom, I'm really sorry I called. I really thought, I thought I was going to be their alarm clock to say, you know, the game starts any minute now. And she's like, you don't have to let us know. She doesn't know. And like basically dismissive.

[D]

Don't bother me.

[E]

Go back to the, go back to your wife and kids and go enjoy the game. And she was like so dismissive. We're in the middle. Don't mess up our flow. I was rolling. I was absolutely rolling.

[B]

You know what? And that to me, those family bonds. David to hear the fact that there are 90 year old Knicks fans and somewhere there's a five year old Knicks fan who this is just their reality.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Now all they know is the Knicks as champions. You got to appreciate just how diverse that fan base is and all the experiences. He's David Dennis Jr. I'm my Metcalf 8 at 8, say ESPN 8 at 872-93776 coming up, more of your call Matt and Myron the podcast Foreign. Auto Parts can help take the guesswork out of your vehicle's check engine, ABS or maintenance light with O'Reilly Veriscan. The service is free and provides a report with solutions verified by ASE certified master technicians. Ask for O'Reilly Veriscan today.

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[B]

He's David Dennis Jr. I am Myron Metcalf here on Matt Myron on ESPN radio, the ESPN app SiriusXM channel 80. We got a ton of calls and Knicks fans have not disappointed. Kind of documenting the night, the championship run, the moment, the emotion. Thank you for calling in. We're going to get to you. 888, say ESPN 888-7293, 3776. Stay on the line. Sometimes on this show, David, I gotta admit, we'll say, like, hey, let's talk about this topic. And then sometimes I'll make a left turn because I think about something else. I'm thinking about the Knicks movie that we know is gonna happen.

[A]

Okay. All right. Okay.

[B]

There's going to be a Knicks movie. It's inevitable.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, this is an automatic, you know, top showing on a weekend whenever it opens. But you gotta have someone who's playing all the characters.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And I'm trying to figure out who plays who. James Dolan feels like De Niro or Pacino locked that in.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I don't think there's a question.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Right. I think one of those two, take your pick. I would think they have to be, okay. Mike Brown feels like Denzel. Like, it feels like.

[A]

All right, you got Denzel and Pacino in the movie together.

[B]

I feel like it has to be Denzel. Right. I think it has to be Denzel playing Mike Brown.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And then Pacino or De Niro as James Dolan. I would feel like, right.

[A]

What about a Delroy? We're thinking budgetary here. What about a Delroy Lindo as Mike Brown?

[B]

Delroy Lindo would be incredible as Mike Brown.

[A]

That's a good Mike. I just want to note we're already doing better at this than last time. We were on radio together. When we tried to cast the Team USA Hockey, we didn't do great at that. Struggled at naming names for some reason. Some reason.

[B]

Somehow we're doing better here. Somehow we're doing better.

[A]

Figured out. I don't figured out the names of the actors for the Knicks that we were for Team USA Hockey.

[B]

This might be our lane. This might be a better lane for us.

[A]

Not sure why that's possible.

[B]

One might wonder, right, David? Rick Brunson. I think we got to bring Will Smith back. I mean, I think this is his. I think this is his comeback role. Post slap. Has it been enough time? I don't know. But I give Will the chance to say no, I think, to the Rick Brunson role. Is that fair?

[A]

I mean, sure. I mean, again, this budget is through the roof already.

[B]

We got money. We got money, David. We got millions. They're letting Us spend whatever we want. They don't care.

[A]

Okay, gotcha. All right, what about this? This may be one that people have to look up.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Carl Anthony Towns.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

My man Justice Smith. Are you familiar with Justice Smith?

[B]

No. Tell me about Justice Smith from Detective Pikachu.

[A]

Look him up. Looks just like Carl Anthony Towns. He's a little shorter. Put some stilts on him. Looks just like Carl Anthony Towns. Look up Justice Smith, everybody.

[B]

Who's the guy that dated Teyana Taylor for a little bit? You know, he's an actor. He's a British dude like Carl Town.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

You know what I'm talking about?

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

He was in can't think of his name.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Okay.

[B]

But that guy, it has to be a taller, a taller actor.

[A]

Yeah. He's Carl Lantern's TV show. Yeah. And you could say he could play Carl Lantown. Just cause they light skinned. It's got a light skin.

[E]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. Okay, so there's a light skin.

[B]

Seemed like that would be.

[A]

You just picked Aaron Pierre is what you're talking about.

[B]

Aaron Pierre is the guy. I think he'd be great. Rachel, do you have a suggestion? I just have a question. So since Rick Brunson is going to be Will Smith, does that mean we need to break out the Jaden Smith for Jalen? No, I mean, I mean father, son, father, son. Yeah. I can't put Jaden in a. In a role like that. I mean you're going to have to have a special actor playing Jalen Brunson. You're going to have to have someone who can capture the role. It just really both the athletic component and I think the character. That's why I think Michael B. Jordan may end up being the guy. Just because Michael B. Jordan does everything in these situations, why wouldn't he be Jay?

[A]

So do you have to retell the story now so that Timothy Chalamet can play Tyler Kolik?

[B]

So do you have to make sure

[A]

you have to do accentuate more of the Kolik contribution?

[B]

You do.

[A]

And do you have to so you can get Chalamet in there.

[B]

You gotta make up who Kolak was like in the movie version. Brunson and Kolak are side by side.

[A]

Yeah, they're side by side leading the championship. This is Lethal Weapon. This is Nick's style here.

[B]

They do it together. They do it together. But I think, listen, there's an interesting group of, of actors and actresses that we could cast. And again the Disney movie is going to be made. The, the Knicks movie is coming for sure. At some point. Matt Meyer is presented by Progressive Insurance. Progressive can help you protect your home, audio, boat, motorcycle, ATV and RV and more. And if something wasn't mentioned that you had in mind, find out if it can be [e-mail] or one in Hunter Progressive, because it probably can be. Adam in Kansas City. How does it feel as a Knicks fan this morning?

[E]

You know, I think everybody uses the word surreal, but I, I just wanted to bring it back to it was never our time in the 90s. It was never us. It was Jordan, it was Miller. Even during the later years, it was Miami. It was never us. And you know, my pops, I'm a die hard Yankees fan also, but my pops never got into baseball, but he loved basketball. And for me to be able to enjoy this not only with my pop still around, but with my son to get to watch this, I mean, I was overflowing with tears and I'm not an easy crier. But this was as an emotional victory to be able to watch this because again, in the 90s, it was never us. We were always the bridesmaid, never the bride. And how many times those heartbreaking losses and then some of the rough times, it was never us. And the thing that you got to give this team credit, the way they fight. It's not just we went and got out every best free agent that was available and said, okay, we bought this team. These guys are generally great players who care about each other and who represent the city that is. That has been knocked around a little bit. But New York City is back and that means more than anything. The fact that they were bumping Biggie had me more emotional in the locker room. I don't know if you've seen that video yet. I was jealous they were knocking Biggie.

[B]

I was jealous. I'm jealous. Like I said, the New York vibe. We got about a minute left. We're gonna get to more calls on the other side. Is Randy Scott in the building? Did I see he.

[A]

He popped in for a second. He had to go do some.

[B]

He popped in. I was gonna ask him about ran away.

[A]

I was asking about who than Devin did.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Which is important.

[E]

Devin Scott.

[B]

I wanted to know who Randy Scott would feel like has to be in the Knicks movie. Yeah, like who do you have to cast?

[A]

Yeah. So here's my question. Does Ben Stiller play Ben Stiller?

[B]

Ben Stiller plays Ben Stiller, but not as Ben Stiller. You can't make him the celebrity.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

He's a guy who starts in the nosebleeds. And randomly ahead of game four, somebody hands him, okay, some tickets and suddenly he's just in celebrity row with all of these people and they have no idea who he is. So it, it can't be as Ben Stiller. It has to be as everyone's got to have a role in this movie.

[A]

Gotcha. Yeah.

[B]

Okay. And we got to make the story fit together and I promise you we will. We're also get to more of your calls coming up. Plus we're going to take a few minutes to talk about football in the World Cup. Did I say that the right way? I don't know. We'll be talking about that. Matt and Myron, the podcast.

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Myron Metcalf. He is David Dennis Jr. Here on Matt Myron on ESPN Radio, the ESPN App Series XM Channel 80. Knicks fans are dreaming. I actually know a Knicks fan who went to a World cup match before the Knicks championship and got to experience everything that's happening in the world of sports. Shaka Hislop, ESPN soccer analyst has certainly been enjoying all of the action in the World cup thus far. I have to ask you, starting off Shaka and thank you for joining us. About one individual in particular, there's a young man I believe you pronounce his name. Florin Balagun. Did I say that right or am I messing up that name?

[D]

Baligun, you go. You got it right.

[B]

Myron And I'm just curious, Shaka, how should we view him? Is he the torchbearer, the one who's going to carry U.S. soccer into the next era and maybe to the top of the hierarchy across the globe?

[D]

Well, certainly what we saw from Baligan against Paraguay, he is the number nine. He is the striker that the US have been waiting on for as long as I can remember. I will also say that I thought that was his best performance in a US shirt. In much the same way that USA's performance against Paraguay is easily the best performance from a USA team I have seen. In all my years of covering this game, of playing this game, I don't think I've seen as complete a performance. Baligan will grab the headlines, but you also have to include players like Christian Pulisic, Sergino Dest for the roles that they played. This was an incredible 90 minutes from the US of A.

[A]

So yeah, there was so much excitement from that performance. What does it mean? Does this raise sort of the ceiling of what we believe this team can be in this tournament?

[D]

Yes, it does. Coming into the tournament, there was a lot of uncertainty, uncertainty around the starting 11, uncertainty around Mauricio Pochettino, his tactics, how he bedded in with this team. Because there were these concerns kind of in the. In the friendlies, in the build up, particularly late last year. And then all of a sudden this performance. I don't think anybody saw this performance coming. And it's one that the US can certainly build on. Paraguay are reputedly one of the most defensive countries in certainly South American football. So to see them, to put it in Context, Paraguay conceded 10 goals in 18 games in comic ball qualifying. They beat Argentina, they beat Brazil. And then to see the US Dismantle them in the manner that they did, I think it raised a lot of expectation around who the US are and how far they can go in this tournament.

[B]

How far can they go? Shaka.

[D]

Before Bowers kicked, I was saying that a quarter final appearance I think is about right for the US I couldn't really see them going much further given the dominance of countries like France, of Spain, of Holland, of Argentina. A court of our appearance was fear. Anything less I thought would have been seen as a failure. Anything more was exceeding all expectation. That performance though, kind of has me second guessing my pre tournament pick. But right now I'm going to stay where I am. Their quarterfinal is about right. A good run at that semifinal or at least a very tight quarterfinal, I think gives the US a lot that they can be proud of.

[A]

So one thing that seems to happen that makes these runs magical is we fall in love with somebody from this team every time when they make a run. Who is that person that we need to keep an eye on that you think we're going to be wearing their jerseys for the next few months? Like this is the person that we are going to be enamored by in their story and how they perform.

[D]

It's Baligan. And I say that because Christian Pulisic at this point, certainly in soccer households is a household name in the game. While I say that you cannot underestimate his importance to, to this team. He came off at halftime against Paraguay and while the game was won, it was already 3 nil at halftime. You, you see, maybe it's unfair to say there was a drop off in the second half because the US had to. I think the onus was on defending that lead, not doing anything silly, not taking chances. But the performance kind of was reined in, reined in somewhat. But Pulisic, everybody knows who he is. Everybody already has his shit. Baligan coming into the tournament. While I always felt Baligan would start, there were question marks as to whether it would be him, whether it be Haji Wright, whether it be Ricardo Pepe. Baligan has established himself as not just a back to goal or in the box finisher, but somebody who links up play. Allows Christian Pulisic to be the best that he is. The Tyler Adams, the Jedi Robinsons, even Giorno, who came off the bench later on and scored this incredible goal. Those things happen when you have somebody like Baligan who as much as he's a goal scorer as a center forward, he allows those players to be their best selves.

[B]

He's the great Shaka Hislop, ESPN soccer analyst. We'll get you out of here with this. I'm going to be in Las Vegas for my birthday on Friday and I'm going to be somewhere on the Strip. What was that?

[D]

Is that an invite?

[B]

Hey, listen, if you want to comment, me and all the other sports fans who will be watching on the Strip, right. We're going to be watching United States.

[A]

He got table service. You with him to get every all weekend?

[B]

No, just say, you know, David Dennis and they'll give you a key to the city. But I'm going to be watching with a lot of other fans on the Strip. United States versus Australia. What's the magnitude of this game? Not just for this World cup, but for United States soccer.

[D]

It is huge. And it took on. It took on a far Bigger context with Australia beating Turkey yesterday. Turkey probably was neck and neck with the US as to the favorites in the group, Australia, similar to Paraguay defensive defensive unit will look to hit you on the break. I did not see them beating Turkey in the manner that they did. So now all of a sudden you've got the two teams sitting on top of this group facing off against, against each other right in the middle of group play a similar style, similar style team, far more effective than Paraguay. The US have to build on that to show that they're the real deal against a very organized, very well drilled, far more explosive team on the counterattack. They put in a similar performance, get a similar result against Australia that they did against Paraguay. Again, that raises expectations even more around

[B]

the U.S. he is Shaka Hislop, ESPN soccer analyst. Thank you for joining us here on

[D]

Matt Myron, great speaking with y'.

[E]

All.

[B]

We have been tapping into the Knicks fan base. All the emotions that are pouring out of these fans who are having 24 hours that they'll be talking about for the rest of their lives. After the Knicks captured the championship. The greatest margin of victory in the history of the NBA, plus 283 for the new York Knicks, literally, you can call this one of the greatest things we've ever seen in sport. That's a greater margin of victory overall in the playoffs than the 2017 and 2018 Golden State warriors by a significant margin. The Knicks are on top. Tony in Montreal, you're a Knicks fan. What was this moment like for you?

[F]

Well, you guys who were playing earlier, taking care of business. That's the BTO Bachman turned overdrive from Canada. That's what the Knicks did. They took care of business. You know, you watch that game and you watch the last three games of the series, they, they never gave up. Jalen never gave up Hart, never gave up the starting five, never gave up anybody off the bench. But if you remember last night, into that game, Robinson made an incredible tap to tie the game right at the end. So it shows that every player is a chain link. That chain has multiple links and each one of those guys contributed. Of course, Jalen scored like 48% of the points last night, but he's got a surrounding crew. He's the band conductor or the maestro, and everybody around him is this great complement of musicians. If you can use the analogy of an orchestra. He was just an amazing player. And you know what I like is that he's so humble and the guys, I remember when he was upset with some of the calls his his men, I call him men. His soldiers come and get him right away. The general is upset. We don't want him to have any harm come to him. And they come and surround them and hug him and give him, give him kudos and give him, you know, consolation and give him words that are appropriate.

[B]

Yeah, they protected him.

[F]

That's what Kings want.

[B]

That's why I appreciate the call. I mean, we got Knicks fans that they're so excited, David. I mean, they're using like Saving Private Ryan, General Soldiers and Battalions. He did bring up something that's interesting. There are some finals runs, David, that we view as the team did this. Yeah, there are some others. Dwayne Wade in 06 Dirt 2011, where we say that dude actually won the championship. How do you think we'll view this run for the Knicks? Will we say the Knicks won this championship in 2026 or will we ultimately say that was the Jalen Brunson championship?

[A]

I think this will be the Knicks championship, but I think. I do think we'll look at this very similarly to the way there's always the warriors comps and all this stuff. We're going to look at. This is going to be. This is the Dirk. This is the Dirk Mavs championship.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Where one guy was above everybody. Every Knicks player has, like, we're talking about the movie. Every Knicks player has a. Has a showcase moment. Everybody has a moment that they have. Like, you have to do almost a season of television with everybody. Sohan was out there in the last play, defending Wimmy. He has a full circle moment. Everybody has some sort of storyline that came to fruition in these finals.

[B]

David Dennis Jr. You just changed my whole mind about everything. We're gonna get to some calls. More calls. Keith of Virginia, we see you. Everyone stay on the line. You just changed my whole perception. I've been saying all. Show a movie. There's a Knicks movie. Scrap the movie. I just canceled the movie. Yeah, it's a, it's a series.

[A]

It's a TV show.

[B]

Now we're doing a TV series. We're scrapping the whole movie. Montel Jordan as Mitchell Robinson.

[A]

Where do you stand on Martell Jordan?

[B]

Something to think about. He's tall. We. You need somebody tall.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Like all, all of the tall. Idris Alba is going to be there probably for some reason. Anyone tall is going to have a shot.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Probably getting into to this miniseries, I

[A]

would feel like, okay, all right. I don't, I don't know. His, his, his acting. Chomps. Chomps.

[B]

True.

[A]

Not not sure how many lines there are for Mitchell Robinson in the movie.

[B]

That's the thing. That's what I'm saying. That's why I think Montel could pull it off.

[A]

You just stand there and be tall.

[B]

Listen, we're going all the tall people. Get your lines ready because you are going to be asked to audition for the Knicks series 8 at 8, say ESPN 888-729-3776. More calls on the other side of this. Also, what's next for de' Aaron Fox in the Spur? Matt and Myron the Podcast.

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[A]

so you're saying with Hilton Honors I can use points

[B]

for a free night stay anywhere? Anywhere.

[A]

What about fancy places like the canopy in Paris?

[B]

Yeah, Hilton Honors baby. Or relaxing sanctuaries like the Conrad in Tulum? Hilton Honors baby.

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What about the five star Waldorf Astoria in the Maldives?

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Are you gonna do this for all 9,000 properties?

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When you want points that can take you anywhere anytime it matters where you

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stay Hilton for the stay. He is David Dennis Jr. I'm Myron Metcalf here on Matt Myron on ESPN Radio, the ESPN app SiriusXM Channel 80. Matt Myron is presented by Progressive Insurance. Ask your smart speaker to play ESPN Radio. You miss anything on the show. Listen to Matt Myron's podcast available, where you get your podcast. Eight at eight, say ESPN 888-729-3776. We're, we're tapping into Knicks fans and we're saying, tell us what you feel. What has it been like? I'm just again, just still jealous, David, of the idea of being in New York celebrating this moment. I'm curious if you're a, if you're a gm. Usually when a team wins a championship, NBA teams will go, wait a minute, is that the model we need to use? This is the first team that kind of did this without the draft since probably the Lakers in the bubble team, the bubble era. But before that you got to go back to teams that played 20 years ago almost because everyone has usually built up their teams from the draft. And yet the Knicks went out and made a bunch of trades. Is this a model we'll see more of going through going forward, David, or the Knicks more of an anomaly and how they constructed this championship team?

[A]

I think the Knicks are an anomaly. I do think they're anomaly. I think it's tough. What makes this tough is that the two instances when you have guys of, you know, smaller size win championships, they have one thing in common is your best player was on a bargain. That's what it is. Your best player is not a max guy. The warriors were built around the fact that Stephen Curry was not a wax, a max guy or a supermax guy, I should say, which, you know, sort of predates that. But he was not a supermax dude. He was on a bargain because of the ankle injuries. Jalen Brunson came in, he was not a max guy when he came on. And he is somebody who took a pay cut. So that, that is what's difficult to do that requires a level, which is why you're seeing the NBA, I think, more look more like football has been where you're, if your quarterback is still on their rookie scale contract, you can build a team around them and win some championships. When they get that max money, then that becomes a little bit more difficult. Now you're seeing that more in the NBA where you have young teams making the finals, winning championships. Right. Oklahoma City, where you have guys who are younger in those situations. So I think that's what makes this tough is that I'm not sure how you can build a team when you're, when you're without your best play, like without your best player being on that kind of bargain.

[B]

Well, and I think that's fair, you know, because it does feel like the Knicks have a unique situation. Jalen Brunson taking a pay cut is also a big part of their ability to keep this group together if they decide to run it back. All five starters, I believe are under contract for the next couple of years. They got to figure out a CAT extension. Guys like Jose Alvarado, Mitchell Robinson. But it does think it's feel like it's somewhat unique. The spurs fit the model. More of what we've seen with championship teams in the past. Wimby does not cost as much as he's going to cost in a couple of years. A bunch of young stars. Yet here they are in this situation where every team in the spurs position goes out and does something else. The Thunder loss to Dallas in 2024, they said, give us Alice Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, you have to do something. And it feels like De' Aaron Fox, who's gonna make $49 million, people think his extension just started already. It has not started. His extension kicks in next year when he's gonna make $49 million. It's a four year deal that ends with him making $61 million. That's a big number. Yeah, for a guy who had some hits but more misses in these playoffs. It feels like, what would you do with de' Aaron Fox if you're the Spurs, David?

[A]

So my gut is this is what makes it tough. My gut is that this dude cannot have the. Like he cannot be the same guy he was in terms of being so necessary to this team because he's a stabilizing force. Theoretically. He wasn't no stabilizing force in the finals, but he was supposed to be the grown up in the room. My. And like you would want him to have a sort of restricted role because you want Stefan Castle and Dylan Harper to play, you know, to have, you know, a more accentuated role. Especially Dylan Harper who looks like the, the next guy. The problem is if you do that, that makes the Aaron Fox less tradable. Right. And he's pretty untradable right now. Like, I think when they picked him up, there was no thought that they, that he would play in a way that would make him virtually untradeable at his salary. Thought, eh, if we need to move on from him, somebody would still value him for that amount of money. I'm not sure who that team is that would value him for that amount of money. His trade stock is as low as it has ever been. That's what makes it tough.

[B]

It feels like they're in a tough spot because of what you just said, the number attached to Darren Fox. If I'm the spurts who have a bunch of draft assets on the table that they can use, my first call is to. Yeah, my first call is to. Is to Minnesota. Now, they're not going to answer the phone when you say Naz Reed, but you still got to make the call because they need to meet a backup. Big. A big next to Wimby, someone where you can take Wimby out of the lineup, give him some time to re to recover and you still feel like there's not going to be a major drop off offensively. Luke Cornett can't be that. All the other pieces they have can't be that. And if you can't get Nazaree, because you can't, you got to call up the Bobby Portises of the world. Someone who you can say, can you come in and compliment what Wimby is doing? I think they need another shooter who teams take seriously because they didn't really take Dylan Harper and Steph Castle seriously as shooters, which allowed them to do more to push Wimby outside the paint. And I also think they need a more of a locker room guy, if you will. We don't have as many of those guys anymore with the new rules. Contractually, David, but there was something to be said about Adonis Haslam being able to stop LeBron James from punching Mario Chalmers in the face in the playoffs. You know, a guy who was a culture guy. Alex Caruso, what he did to the culture of the Thunder. Nothing against Harrison Barnes. He's not that kind of vocal leader that I feel like they need. And David had. You had one of those vocal leaders. I think when you're up 29 and now you're starting to play pickup ball as if you're not in the NBA Finals, that vocal veteran is the one who can look at you and say, hey, I know you're Wimby. Chill out with all that, you're about to come up with the biggest collapse in NBA history.

[A]

Yeah. What if the spurs thought that Coach Pop was going to like just being around Tim Duncan? All those guys would be that and underestimated the value of that person actually being on the roster, in the locker room on the day to day basis instead of being an OG like that. That's something I wonder if they. If they hadn't considered. But yeah, I do agree that they need that. Maybe it's all in the same person. But if you're going to move on from. From de' Aaron Fox which, which I would try to do. You're probably going to have to attach a pick to that and have some. But just have somebody assume that contract, which, which makes it tough because I think they would want that for, for something that's valuable.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, they're in a contractual difficult, contractually difficult spot that they have to figure out going forward. 888 say ESPN 888-729-3776 more of your calls on the other side. Knicks, how does it feel? Thanks for listening to Matt and Myron the Podcast. You can listen to the show live every Sunday morning at 10:00am Eastern on ESPN Radio, the ESPN app, and on SiriusXM Channel 80. Matt and myron the podcast.

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