The Knicks Have No Excuses, Celtics Collapse & Nuggets Window Closes | 05.04

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Right Time with Bomani Jones
Episode: The Knicks Have No Excuses, Celtics Collapse & Nuggets Window Closes | 05.04
Date: May 4, 2026
Host: Bomani Jones with co-host/producer Ryan

Main Theme

Bomani Jones deconstructs the NBA playoff landscape, focusing on the Boston Celtics’ stunning collapse, the closing championship window for the Denver Nuggets, and why the New York Knicks now have "no excuses" to win the East. The episode also explores broader sports culture, fan expectations, social media moments, and lighthearted detours into pop culture and podcast banter.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Celtics’ Collapse: Out of Answers (00:55–12:30)

• Celtics Starting Lineup Scrutiny:
  Bomani immediately addresses Boston’s loss, joking about unheralded players like Luka Garza starting Game 7.
  “I don't think Luca Garza ever again thought that he would ever be able to play in a tie game.” (02:09)

• Roster Overhaul & Unravelling:
  Discusses the incremental changes that undermined Boston (Holiday swapped for Simons, then Vucevic, Porzingis gone) and how these “margins” matter more than before.
  “A little change can make you a lot worse relative to your peers.” (03:55)

• Embiid Gets Credit:
  Despite Joel Embiid’s injury-prone reputation, Bomani praises his grit and outsized impact in the series.
  “He’s an awesome basketball player… He just also has never played 70 games in an NBA season.” (05:50)

• The Jason Tatum Problem:
  Bomani argues that injuries—and perhaps Tatum’s physical playing style—have limited his window as an elite.
  “At 27 … he’s had a Hall of Fame career. As it stands, it’s not going to be this good again, in all likelihood.” (07:36)

• Missoula’s Coaching Philosophy:
  The Celtics' rigid adherence to process and “chucking threes” regardless of circumstance comes under criticism.
  “If what you're doing isn't working? Then we're going to start executing, damn it. The plan doesn't ever change.” (09:32)

• Franchise Futures:
  The conclusion: Boston made mistakes at the margin, is hampered by health, and must face that their championship window likely shut.

2. The Denver Nuggets and the Shrinking of NBA “Windows” (12:30–22:10)

• Nuggets’ Window Has Closed:
  The window arguably opened earlier than people realized (post-Aaron Gordon trade), but the injuries to Murray and supporting cast, plus marginal roster changes, have ended it.

• Medical Staff Questions:
  Bomani raises questions about Denver’s injury prevention, referencing Jake Shapiro reporting skepticism about the staff’s record with soft tissue injuries.
  “Apparently, they sound a lot like the New Orleans... They got medical problems.” (13:49)

• Jokic, Stats, and the Advance Stats Backlash:
  Jokic’s playoff letdown triggers more debates about analytics and player legacies, as Bomani calls out the “dork backlash” on NBA Twitter.

  • “People got sick and tired of these fucking dorks. And the collateral damage was the guy who, honestly, seems less like one of those dorks than anybody I could think of.” (19:35)

• The Futility of All-Time Rankings, and Modern Playoff Realities:
  Bomani compares this era’s inability to sustain dynasties/repeats to Jordan’s era, where other stars couldn’t win rings; now, many won’t even get the chance.
  “Are we going to have... guys who don’t get them just because they never got the spin on the wheel to get there?” (21:14)

3. The Knicks: No More Excuses (22:50–30:00)

• Highest Knicks Expectations in Decades:
  Bomani proclaims this is “the most interesting thing to happen in New York in 30 years”—the Knicks are true favorites.
  “The New York Knicks have zero excuse if they do not win the East… This has to be the most pressure that the New York Knicks have been under since 1994-95.” (23:15, 26:18)

• Knicks’ Transformation & Depth:
  From hopeful underdogs, Knicks fans are justified in expecting a championship run. The team’s depth, chemistry, and ability to exploit their best pieces are underlined.

  • “The only reason that’s been there that they could not win the East was themselves.” (25:50)
  • “OG Anunoby being like the third or fourth name you talk about … hey, man, OG can ball!” (28:10)

• Knicks’ Fan Culture & Toronto Comparison:
  Compares Knicks’ “fan square” with Toronto’s “Jurassic Park,” poking fun at fan stereotypes. “Jerseys over hoodies… You don't see a lot of guys with their girlfriends...they all have the 'my girlfriend goes to another school' energy.” (29:46)

4. Social Media & Pop Culture Detours (34:33–41:32)

• Bomani Goes Viral—Sopranos vs. The Wire Debate:
  Detailing BOMANI’s internet blow-up after a Wire/Sopranos debate, highlighting accidental culture-war subtexts.

  • “And then he told me the Wire’s characters were all cartoons … and I lost my mind.” (35:12)
  • “I think Adam Friedland got home and was like, huh...I don't know if he's ever been invited to the cookout, but he won't be going to one in Baltimore.” (38:00)

• Ask Jeeves Retires:
  Bomani recalls the early days of the internet.

  • “We used to ask Jeeves the same question...and Jeeves ain't never had the answer.” (39:00)

• Are Versus Battles (Rick Ross vs. French Montana) Still Relevant?:

  • “French Montana in a versus is an indictment of a whole generation.” (41:03)

5. Listener Questions and Responses (41:32–48:04)

• Joel Anderson and the Quarterfast Joke:
  Listeners joke about Joel’s running speed, leading to running banter about his imminent race challenges.

• Patriots ‘07 vs. Warriors ‘16:
  Bomani decisively says the 2007 Patriots’ legacy would be far greater than the 2016 Warriors if each had completed their perfect seasons.

  • “If the 2007 Patriots win…I think we look at that as the greatest team of all time.” (45:10)

• Knicks and New York Team Culture:
  A listener compares Knicks fans to Mets fans, Bomani agrees and expands:
  “All the New York sports teams are more like the Mets than the Yankees… except the Yankees.” (47:00)
  Explains why the Knicks have long been overrated as a “historic franchise” based on actual results.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Celtics’ Playoff Exit:
  “You don’t say this is the most fun season you’ve ever had after y’all lost in the first round. You supposed to be a champion.” (08:40)

• On Jokic’s Legacy and Internet Arguments:
  “A widespread argument about whether somebody falls between 3 and 10 on the all-time list is the most Internet contrived nonsense in the history of all time.” (17:35)

• On the Knicks’ Pressure:
  “This is not Knicks went on a five-game winning streak in 2012 and now they think they can win three championships...This time, you guys look like the best team left.” (25:35)

• On Fan Squares and Dork Culture:
  “Toronto was the dork festival. Jerseys over hoodies...my girlfriend goes to another school.” (29:46)

• On the Wire/Sopranos Debate:
  “He told me the Wire’s characters were all cartoons and did not have any depth to them. And I lost my mind.” (35:18)

• On Versus Battles:
  “French Montana in a versus is an indictment of a whole generation.” (41:03)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Celtics Postmortem: 00:55–12:30
• Nuggets Window Closes & Legacy Debates: 12:30–22:10
• Knicks’ Expectations & Fan Culture: 22:50–30:52
• Pop Culture (Sopranos/Wire, Ask Jeeves, Versus): 34:33–41:32
• Listener Voicemails (Joel Anderson, 07 Patriots, Knicks/Mets): 41:32–48:37

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Tone and Style

Bomani offers sharp, candid, often humorous sports analysis, blending stats and cultural perspective. There’s a breezy, conversational vibe, with asides, inside jokes, and playful digs at NBA trends, internet fandom, and sports media culture. Ryan often adds dry wit, keeping things light and moving.

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For New Listeners

This episode is an incisive, wide-ranging look at the NBA playoffs’ narrative turns—analyzing how injuries, coaching, and front-office moves create or abruptly end championship windows. With a focus on authenticity and a knack for highlighting the unspoken truths of sports culture, Bomani contextualizes what makes this NBA moment unique, all while peppering the show with cultural commentary and witty tangents. If you missed the action, this summary tells you why it happened and why it matters.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Not the human victory cigar never dawned

[A]

on him, not one time. But the Celtics. Look, the thing with the Celtics is I said this about Denver last week, where I think in some ways we misunderstood what the window was. The window really opened in 2021 when they got Aaron Gordon. But the problem was Jamal Murray tore his ACL and missed the next two postseasons. But those, that was in the window, right? And before the window closed, they won in 2023. And then the next year, I also thought that they were going to win. But a couple of moves made the team a bit worse. And I think maybe part of what we got here is that the margins on the changes that happened to your team have gotten a lot tighter. And a little change can make you a lot worse relative to your peers than you were. And Boston had those. And that's before we talk about the Jason Tatum of it, all, right? Drew Holiday does not play for them anymore, Right, Ryan, correct me if I'm wrong, they got Drew Holiday out of there and they got Anthony Simons back. Like, those are the parts that matter. And then they traded Anthony Simons to get Vucevich, who did not play in game seven. Right, With Joel Embiid back, by the way. Right? You put Luca Garza on the floor and you told Vucevich, hey, no need for you to put on the white socks. You could keep the ones on that you wore to the arena or maybe not wear any at all. It's your decision. That's where they were. And look, they got smoked off the top. It turned into a very good game. By the time he got to the end, Embiid man, look, Embiid is always hurt. You can make that argument, but I can't. You can't say he's not tough, right? Right. Like he gets out there and I, you know, maybe he, maybe he plays up a little bit some of this, right? He janky as hell. No, boy, he is the, he, he out there like a wrestler. Like, I was talking to somebody that was like, he do all that Ric Flair shit where like he throws you to the ground and act like you hit him in the face. Right. Or like once he knows he's going to be going down or whatever reason, he's there to get somebody else along the way. He's also an awesome basketball player. Awesome basketball player. And I think I saw Michael Wilbon trying to make this point and I don't think he was making about Embiid. He missed it. He was talking about how big man typically don't shoot free throws well, but he's an 85% free throw shooter who, if I am not mistaken, is the NBA all time leader in free throws made per game. Like, he is. He's that guy in so many ways. He just also has never played 70 games at an NBA season. He never has. I have forgotten he was there, right? Like, I knew he had the appendix thing, but I felt like it was always something else. Like you can't count on him. And we could talk about what the future is, whatever it is, but like he got it done in this game. And then Tyree Ma, Tyrese Maxey, like, look, the Sixers have made the decision that they gonna put their future in the hands of Maxi and now VJ Edgecombe, right? Maxi obviously has two problems that if you listen to me, you know, that I find to be very important, right? One of them, small guard number two, he from Dallas. And if you go, like, just follow somebody from Dallas and say, hey, take me wherever you lead us, I personally wouldn't do that. You gonna wind up somewhere getting a shag haircut doing like that. I, I, I, I'm just telling you, I would not recommend that. But anyway, to the Celtics of it. All, right, I think it's fair. Jason Tatum, we've seen, we've seen the best of what he was, what he

[B]

would be most likely.

[A]

Yes, it is possible that what happened here, we wound up with a calf injury on the other leg. If it ain't one thing, it's another. Like, I saw a quote where Elton Brand said the thing about coming back from an Achilles is everything else breaks down after that, right? Like your Body does all the compensating and then every.

[B]

Especially if you sprint back like Jason Tatum did.

[A]

Yeah. And he also has a very physically demanding game. All them step backs and all this other stuff. Like, at 27, I guess he is now. He had. He's had a Hall of Fame career. As it stands, it's not going to be this good again. In all likelihood, Derrick White does not appear to be the player that he was two years ago. Imagine watching Derrick White in this series and somebody telling you that he was on the Olympic team.

[B]

A crucial part of the Olympic team where Jason Tatum was on the.

[A]

Jason Tatum was not playing, right. Needing lots of, like, minutes that matter from Peyton Pritchard. But in a circumstance where teams can now actually plan for him. Right. Or, like, have something to do to deal with him when it comes up, like, all these things are going on. All I'm saying is this is a far cry from the team of 2024. Like, this team does not have Kristaps Porzingis, for example. The team does not have Jrue Holiday. The team does not have healthy Jayson Tatum. The window probably a bit shut down. And on top of that, their best player sat his ass up on a live stream and said that this was the most fun season that he's ever had because he got to be the number one option. A totally understandable outlook. I get where you're coming from. Right. His ambitions have been to be the number one option on a team, and he has always been at most, 1B. Right. But you don't. You don't say that after y' all lost in the first round. You supposed to be a champion.

[B]

You don't get up at your house, turn the live stream camera on, start pulling up, you know, clips like he's breaking down the supporter film.

[A]

Well, yeah. Why are you doing this at all? Yeah, right. Let's.

[B]

Who showed him how to do this?

[A]

Right. Let's start there. Why are you doing this at all? And look, the stuff he was talking about with flopping and everything else, a big dog. I hear you, and nobody really wants to hear you whine about that, but we'd much rather hear you whine about that than man being the number one. Man being the man was great. I mean, this season was kind of bomb, dog. Ain't nobody trying to hear that out of you at this point. Then, you know, I. You know how I feel about Missoula. I find him to be very, very interesting. Missoula sat after the game and said that he felt just as empty after winning a championship as he does after a loss. And I'm like, oh, buddy, what. What kind of environment do you guys have going on over here? Like, he's very reasonable, but he talks about how you got to dedicate yourself to the process. That's the good and the bad of Joe Missoula. Joe Missoula coaches NBA basketball very similar to, like, Dean Smith, where, hey, we just execute. We'll be fine. And what if it does. What if it. What you're doing isn't working? Then we're going to start executing, damn it. Right? The plan doesn't ever change. There's never a, hey, we've missed all these threes. Why don't we go get an easy bucket right fast? It's not what they do. Is that what they do? Just keep shooting up. Just keep chugging up threes. The game is close, late. They're down one. They're down three. They're chucking threes.

[B]

They're down one. And Peyton Pritchard is. Is chucking a. A three.

[A]

Right? Right. Guys that don't even. Shouldn't even be allowed to shoot in a moment like this. They're still out here shooting threes. Like, all I'm saying is because of Tatum and Brown, it felt like they were the same team. And I had them as a team that's going to walk through the we through the East. Obviously, this was incorrect. This wasn't it. Because they weren't the same team. Like, you realize how ridiculous I feel, realizing I picked a team to win the east that was out here giving real minutes to Bay, Baylor, Shireman, and I'll be honest, I almost called him Bailey because it seemed like his name should be Bailey. Sam Houser out here playing 30 minutes. That boy qua number 88. He out here getting 33 minutes in a playoff game. I thought the teams that were do. I thought the team that was doing this a team that again put Luca Garza out here in a game seven to start. And by the way, Ryan, In Luca Garza's nine minutes, they were a minus 15. Yeah. I will also note that in Jalen Brown's 40 minutes, they were a minus 16 start.

[B]

Starting lineup never. Game seven, never played together.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. That was for a man that seems like, rigidly dedicated to habit and process.

[B]

Originally dedicated. Period.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

He sure.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. He sure picked a hell of a time to, like, throw this thing. Like, throw it all out of whack. Although I'm looking at the rest of it. If you. If you had A better idea. I'd love to know what it is. Like, if you have decided that Vucevic is unplayable, like, okay, maybe you throw Quaid out. Like, what's the difference?

[B]

Right.

[A]

I guess is the question. We haven't even talked about the fact that it's a 31 lead that they blew. No, this team was just. They overachieved in the regular season and they just ain't really have what it takes at this point. Because the windows probably closed. Right. Maybe they're in a position. I don't know where they stand with the aprons or whatever. Right. Or it was a knee issue for Tatum, not a calf. My apology. Um, but what are they supposed to do at this point? Like, what is the next move? This is the same thing that happened with Denver. That window closed and you looked up and eat away at the margins just a little bit. Now. They were out there. What, Eric Gordon hurt, Peyton Watson hurt. Those weren't small things. Right. They. The guys that made it possible for you to play the way you do with Jokic, because those guys played defense, weren't able to get out there and play defense. Okay. That mattered. That was the thing. Jokic probably a bit banged up. And I have seen. I think it's Jake Shapiro who covers the Nuggets. I don't know if you saw this on Twitter. Apparently there are questions there, not just about their head coach, whom I do not think should be their head coach, but. Right. Apparently they are. The. They sound a lot like the New Orleans. Is it the Pelicans? They had the Saints.

[B]

The same medical sharing, training facilities.

[A]

No, but they got medical problems.

[B]

Yeah, Got it.

[A]

Like, they don't. There's questions about the medical staff and these guys continuing to suffer, like, soft tissue injuries and the light, you know,

[B]

which is always frustrating when the owner of your team owns a football team and also owns Walmart.

[A]

He does own Walmart. He owns a lot of stuff.

[B]

Owns a lot of stuff.

[A]

Well, no, he married into Walmart.

[B]

Married into Walmart, but still has Walmart money.

[A]

He has the keys. Yes. How about that? Right? He has the keys and. Right. And Walmart owns the football team.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That actual Walmart. I would love to know how the real Walmart feels about that Walmart. Like, are you familiar with buds?

[B]

You have to be more. I am not.

[A]

So BUDS is a. Like a. Like a warehouse style big box store.

[B]

Got it. Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Do you know what the arena at Arkansas, the basketball arena is called?

[B]

It's not called the Buds.

[A]

The Buds Bud Walton Arena.

[B]

Got it.

[A]

It's Sam Walton's brother, Bud.

[B]

Got it.

[A]

Which is to say, I feel like Stan Crocky is kind of the Buds.

[B]

Yeah. I thought we were gonna make a Sam's Club joke.

[A]

Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was Sam's club.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then Buds got it at his club, like Sam's.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

There we go. Anyway, people ask questions about their medical staff, but their window. Aaron Gordon, that's 12 years in the league now, right? Jokic was drafted the same year as Aaron Gordon. It's 11 years in the league, but still, we're talking about 12. Jamal Murray, he's not young either. I want to say Jamal Murray's been in the league for 10 years now. Right. I want to say he. And like, it's somewhere right in that range. Not his window. Low key, kind of close. Now, again, maybe it would have been a little different, you know, if they'd had those guys healthy. That made things different in the margins. YIC paying the price for it. Boy, the Internet. Can we be honest about this? The YIC arguments after they lost in Game 6 were not arguments about YIC. It was people being sick and tired of a particular class of dork. And the dork backlash just came flooding in, and here's what happened. What happened was Jokic had put up a statistical profile that was like Wilt Chamberlain esque in some total. Right. Like, once you got to the advanced part, we'd never seen anybody that was putting up those numbers like that. And if you watched it, he was incredible to watch. The problem was the people who get really wedded to stats and numbers when making these decisions are ignoring that historically, we've always made team success a very significant variable in this discussion. It's the whole reason why nobody says Wilt Chamberlain was the greatest basketball player of all time. Though I guarantee you, if I pulled up some clips of Wilt Chamberlain, you. You never believe that anybody was ever better at basketball than that guy was, especially relative to his peers, right? So Jokic, this is the point that Nick used to make all the time. Like, sorry, maybe I'm just not trying to call this guy one of the 10 best players ever before he actually wins a championship. I think the way it was put, though, was. Is like, maybe I'm not trying to give him a third MVP until he wins the championship. And those are things that should have been left separate from one another. But his general point was correct. People got way over their skis before Jokic actually had the pelt on the wall. That matters. Right? And by the way, the pelt on the wall that I think that matters to Jokic, right? But Yogic talks about when they lose. If this is Serbia, everybody would get fired. He gets it. He understands what the point is. But the like, the joy that people took almost when Jokic and them lost, it was simply back at the dorks. Because think about this. It is one thing to have a widespread argument about who is better, LeBron James or Michael Jordan, or to have a widespread argument about who's better, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant or Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain or a host of others. Even if you want to say Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett, right. It makes sense to have arguments in that fashion. A widespread argument about whether somebody falls between 3 and 10 on the all time list is the most Internet contrived nonsense in the history of all time. Does a person fall into a range? That's not really an argument. You understand what I'm saying? But the issue came down to. It seemed very clear that a group of people had adopted a new set of rules to adopt the player that they really like watching at this particular point in time. And then when that dude came up short, as just about every great player has come up short at one point in another, as he came up short, Ryan, him coming up short in that series reminded me of when Dirk Nowitzki and the mavericks lost in 07. But the difference was they had blown that two old lead the year before, where it was almost about to be 30 before I think it was Gary Payton hit that shot in game three. And then they blew that series. And then they came back and Dirk was the mvp and they lost in the first round to an eight seat, right? But Dirk didn't have the, didn't have the receipt yet, right? Jokic has it and it's just a fight about us that ain't got nothing to do with him. And they got nothing actual factual to do with basketball. It's not like he's a dude for people to be upset with or anything. No, people got sick and tired of these fucking dorks. And the collateral damage was the guy who quite honestly seems less like one of those dorks than anybody I could think of. The, the, the Somborg, the guy from Sombor. I wonder. What, I wonder, I wonder if Sombor got dorks. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's what I would love to see. Jogic's brothers hanging out with his biggest fans on the Internet. Like, like what. What in the world would those guys talk about when they were all in the same place?

[B]

But truth is, why are you calling me a vorp? You know?

[A]

Right, right, right. But for them, what are they going to do? Yeah, what are they going to do? And so what I think we've seen happen and I think we talked about this on this show. Like, look, the repeat era is kind of janky. I talked about this on foxworth show over the weekend. Now, the. The hole in the there can't be repeat is going to wind up being the thunder of the spurs, at least for a little while. Like, they're going to be the truest test to what it is. But no, you're not going to see guys, I don't think string together a bunch of rings in that regard. Like, we're getting dangerously close to. Are we going to have, you know. Wow. It's really interesting now that I think about this. Right? So with the Jordan era, you had all these guys who didn't win. Ewing, Carl Malone, Josh Stockton, Charles Barkley, you know, like, just all these guys who did not get rings because Michael Jordan was hogging all the rings. Right. What if we also wind up with a case where we get guys who don't get them just because they never got the spin on the wheel to get there? Like, when are we going to get to the. Hey, Luca, what's up with you guy? Like, guys like him, he's been in the league now for nine years. Where the ring at? But are we not. I don't think we're going to do that. Joel Embiid. Joel Embiid has been to a conference final. You know, like, this is what a window is. Is going to be very, very interesting to see and to map. But it seems like for Denver or for Boston to be championship contenders, something drastic is probably going to have to change. When we first started recording this show, we had to start it over and come back. Cause I was trying to do a tease, right where I would say something, make you want to come back and listen a little later, hold through. You know what I'm saying? Be excited. Wet your appetite. Wet with an H. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's what I was going for. And I said, I'm going to get to the most interesting thing to happen in New York in 30 years. And we rerecorded it because Ryan made the fair point whether I wanted, you know, he was like, you know, there's something that happened in the last 30 years. Are you sure you want to do this? And I was like, well, that wasn't really interesting.

[B]

Yeah, interesting. It's not. Yeah. Like, nobody was adjective.

[A]

Nobody was like, yo, the most interesting thing happened today. Let me tell you about it. Yeah, right. Yes. And a plane. But he was right. It plays better be explaining what the story was than he does actually doing

[B]

especially, you know, 20 minutes in, 20 seconds in.

[A]

That's great. We still made content out of that moment. Right? That's how pros do it, kids. That's how pros do it. But no, I do think that this is, at least in a sporting sense, this is the most interesting thing I'd say to happen in New York in 30 years. It is this. The New York Knicks have zero excuse if they do not win the East. I think they should be the favorites.

[B]

They are to win the East.

[A]

Yeah, they're the favorites to win the East. There is no. They easily looked superior to all the teams that are this far in the east. And I think we need to give them a measure of credit. I don't remember if I said this here, but they got down 2:1 to the Hawks. And they didn't just beat them the next three games. They blew their doors off in a way where I think there's a confirmation bias element that comes in circumstances like this. Like, if you really thought that they were some bosses, you know, you would be like, hey, they. They knew what time it was, and then they stood up and they decided to win. Right. I just know on what Friday night. I've never seen a team with a score in the 70s and the other team had a score in the 20s. It might have even been in the teens. I've never, ever see the team up by 50 points with like six minutes left in the second quarter. They. It was outright destruction. And not just the Hawks are playing badly. If you had put the Knicks in Golden State warrior suits in 2016 or. Or the Thunder, right, Or the spurs or any team that you think of as truly being in that championship caliber, that would have been the first story on every show. Coming in here was just like, so do you think anybody will ever beat them? Right? Do you think there's a chance they can sweep it out? That's how good they looked against the Hawks running the office through towns. It seems they fit. It's the wildest thing. If you do things through your most talented player, amazing what might happen, right? You know, and that's. Look, that's a lot of. A lot of. There's a lot going on with that decision and how they got there or anything else. But the truth is they look like the best team in the East. And we said going into this year there's no reason why they could not win the East. Whether you thought they would or not would be its own discussion. But there was no, here's the reason why they can't win the East. That was never there. The only reason that's been there that they could not win the east was themselves. Which means. And where this gets fun. This has to be the most pressure that the New York Knicks have been other under since 1994, 1995. It's got to be. When I got here nine years ago, man, I always say I feel like Knicks fans get a bad rap. I really do. Because they really care. They really, really do love that team. And when I first got here, man, and they would stop me on the street, they was just asking me to say anything nice. You know what I'm saying? Like they just like, please give us some reason for hope, for some optimism or whatever it is. Now here's the thing about the Knicks fans. Their transition for. We just want to be good to. All right, let's go. It's quick. It is very, very quick. But it is justified at this point, right? For them to view this as a team that should win and to demand of it that they do win the East. I see it these. This is not. The Knicks went on a five game winning streak in 2012 and now they think they can win three championships. That's not what's going on here this time. This is. You guys look like the best team left. You should get this done. You are going to play against the Philadelphia 76ers. You should beat them. Right? Because even though Embiid has dialed it up, that's still a fairly reduced form of Embiid.

[B]

And we. Just because we got a good. And beat is playing through 30 plus minutes of one game. Yes. Does not mean he will be playing through 30 minutes of the next game.

[A]

That is correct. But look, it really comes down to this, man. Carl got a ball, right? Like to me, for them to. For them to do the things that I think they should do. He should be their best player, right. He should be out there getting you 20 something a night. Now, the way he's played in these last few games and dialing back like the FGAs and stuff like that have been interesting. But he can't be out there with the stupid fouls. He's got to be on the floor, you know, to, to provide in that way. But the. The. The Pistons, who also, I think, deserve a measure of credit for making the. We gotta dial it up decision they just had. They have structural flaws that I do not believe the Knicks have, which is they only got one guy that can go get a bucket. The Knicks don't have that problem. Knicks have a lot of good players. Like, I think it's. I think that's actually a little bit underrated about them, is the quantity of good players that the Knicks have. Right? They got a lot of guys that you. That. That you would like to have on your team. Like OG Anunoby being like the third or fourth name that you typically talk about when you talk about this team. Hey, man, OG can ball, right? They. They've got what it takes to go ahead and do this. And I can't wait to see how that plays out here. Boy, like, I need to start doing this. Where I go. One night, I went over there. I pulled up over by Madison Square Garden before the game just to get the vibes, you know, it was a little too early, but it was cool. I'm gonna tell you what I did notice, though. This is about the Knicks. It ain't just them. They showed the clip yet last night or the shots in Toronto from Jurassic Park. And that's where they got this square in Toronto where they show the game on tv and then people come and watch it and they do the same thing outside of Madison Square Garden, right? It looks good on tv. It's fan engagement. And you get to like, I don't know exactly where it is in Toronto. I feel like it's a few blocks away from the arena. It's right next to Madison Square Garden. And, buddy, you want to talk about the uncool this place in the world. They showed that clip of the people in Toronto. And buddy, that was the dork festival. Dork fest. When I looked up there, like, you know what you see a lot of up there? Jerseys over hoodies. You know what you don't see with glasses?

[B]

You know, you don't see a lot of their guys with their girlfriends.

[A]

That's about to say it. There's number two. Yeah, right, guys. You don't see a lot of guys with their girlfriends. And the reason they all have is my girlfriend go to another school. Right, ladies? On that clip. And I was like, yeah, this is not the coolest place I have ever seen. And I saw them piling in and getting ready at Madison Square Garden that time. And I was like, yeah, I'm not saying these Guys aren't big fans, but they are not a representative cross section of the entirety of the fan base. I wonder what it looks like in Toronto for the Maple Leafs though, because Pizon Turo was saying that they had first started doing that for the Maple Leafs. And like, I'm curious what the crowd is that's there because I don't feel like. I don't feel like the dorks are piling up for that in Toronto. I just, I don't. I don't know. I could be wrong. I don't think they're doing this. I'm also very disappointed in the Raptors because I hope that the Raptors would win that because then they would go play against Detroit. And I was like, if Detroit plays against Toronto, the winner gets Windsor. Like, I thought that was really clever, you know what I'm saying?

[B]

That is a limited range joke. That is very funny.

[A]

Yeah, it is. See, that's what I'm right, right, right, right, right. Like anybody that knows what I'm talking about, the winner gets Windsor, you know what I'm saying? Like Windsor, Windsor. Windsor kind of Owls kind of there, you know what I'm saying? Get. Get the troops up at the border, you know what I'm saying? And get out there. See, they figure it out. They figure it out anyway. Next, the Knicks better win the East Foreign. All the way to the finals with FanDuel predicts. All you have to do is sign up to get your $25 bonus. Follow all the playoff dishes, swishes, wishes and misses. Every move is a potential plot twist. Predict the spread, the total points and even the game winning moments that make the playoffs where one run, one rebound, one shot changes everything from opening tip to the final buzzer. Stay locked in with every pass, every play, and every moment that moves us closer to crowning a champion. Sign up now for your $25 bonus on FanDuel Predicts offered by FanDuel Prediction Markets LLC, a registered Futures Commission Merchant 18 bonus is non withdrawable and expires 7 days after receipt. Trading derivatives involve significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Manage your activity with our consumer protection tools. Restrictions apply. See [e-mail] predicts bonus offer terms. This message is sponsored by Raycon. If you're someone who likes getting outside, whether that's going for walks, running errands, or just getting some fresh air, it's nice to have something that fits effortlessly into your day. If that sounds like something your routine is missing, now's a great time to try them because they're 15% off. These earbuds sit just outside your ear canal so you get a really clear sound, but you can actually hear what's happening around you too. That awareness is perfect for tackling your fitness goals safely. They're really light and the ear hook part rotates so they actually stay in. I've worn them at the gym, on walks, doing stuff around the house. They don't fall out and they don't get uncomfortable. Raycon has over 3 million customers and the sound quality is just as good as the way more expensive brands sound. If you don't like them, they have a 30 day guarantee. The essential open earbuds are the perfect addition to your everyday routine. Go to raycon.com bomaniopen to get 15% off. Thanks Raycon for sponsoring chronic migraine is 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more. Botox Anabotulinum Toxin a prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they start. It's not for those with 14 or fewer headache days a month. It Prevents on average 8 to 9 headache days a month versus 6 to 7 for placebo. Prescription Botox is injected by your doctor. Effects of Botox may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems or muscle weakness can be signs of a life threatening condition. Patients with these conditions before injection are at highest risk. Side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue and headache. Allergic reactions can include rash, welts, asthma symptoms and dizziness. Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions including als, Lou Gehrig's disease, Myasthenia gravis or Lambert Eaton syndrome, and medications including botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. Why wait? Ask your doctor. Visit botoxchronicmigraine.com or call 1-844botox to learn more. We know you can't be on top of all the news and information of the day. No need for the social media feeds. We got you now if you haven't heard.

[B]

All right, Bo, if you haven't heard, you went viral on the Internet over the weekend for your appearance on Young man the Three A Conversation about the Wire versus the Sopranos. Would you like to elaborate and describe what happened?

[A]

Man, I'm on there. Mind him on business. It's me, it's Adam. It's a young Trey Murphy iii. Though I will note you could be Murphy iii or you could be Trey. There's no need to be both.

[B]

You're saying it's redundant and repetitive.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, no need to be both. But so funny, though, is I saw Trey at a hotel lobby, Houston, last year, and people thought I was his dad. And he told me that. And I thought he was just trying to unk me because he liked to try to me. But no, I kind of look like his dad. Like, he showed me a picture, I was like, oh, I see what you're talking about. But I am also old enough to be his dad. It's a lot going on at one time. Anyway. I don't know how or why this came up, but something came up about the Sopranos in a Wire. And I was in the process of making an analogy to right now. I don't even remember what I was going to say. I. But I was going to say that the Sopranos is to the Wire as. And then he told me that the Wires characters were all cartoons and did not have any depth to them. And I lost my mind in. I feel like I did not lose my mind. I was in the process of losing my mind. And he's like, well, what nuance does Omar have? And now I'm at the point where I don't even have anything else to say. Say, right? Like, I just. I got this. Where are we? But I cooked up a nice professional answer on that one, right? And I felt like people receive me as trying to say the Sopranos characters don't have depth and nuance. And that wasn't what I was saying right then. What I was saying or trying to make the point was even if you think the Sopranos characters or the Wires characters lack depth, I don't understand your argument that the Sopranos characters somehow have more depth, okay? Cause this is the thing about the Sopranos. And I watched it, honestly, I just watched for the first time over Christmas, like, I did a watch of the whole thing. The Sopranos got worse as the Sopranos forgot what the Sopranos really was, a comedy. As it got farther from comedy, it got less and less interesting. Those first couple seasons are flat out comedy. It was the second episode where they got the woman from Trinidad watching Tony's mob. And Tony comes up and say, hey, just. Just letting you know while you're in the house, no ganja. What. What are we doing? Right? Like Tony Soprano pulling up on people at their jobs, not knowing that they were gonna see him and beat the bubble. Like, all that stuff is hysterical. Once it stopped Being comedy, not so much. But I could not understand how one would not see the depth in characters of the Wire. But. But be like, but the Sopranos. That's. Now we're in. No, no. I just didn't think you could do both those things, Ryan. I don't know. The last time we did anything on this show that got that level of engagement, people really, really got charged up about this, in part because I don't think my man Adam understood what people were going to assume about.

[B]

Correct. We. We. The. The. All the stumble into the accidental race war.

[A]

Yeah. And by the way, it seemed like a very obvious thing to me.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And. And I know it's a very obvious. It seemed obvious. I, in the moment was like, what you trying to say? I didn't say that because I, you know, I really know Cat or whatever, but I was like, oh, no. I think that Adam Friedland got home and was like, huh. I don't know what he did after he had such the realization, but I do think that he realized that. I don't know if he had ever been invited to the cookout, but they're going to be a few. Like, he won't be going to one in Baltimore. No, no, no. Not without. Not without a serious letter of credit.

[B]

All right. Since we last recorded, still in the league, All Star has retired. I'm talking about, of course, as Jeeves nearly made it to 30 years. Launched in June of 1996, ended May 1st of 2026. Bo, what's your biggest memory of Ask Jeeves?

[A]

My biggest memory of Ask Jeeves is me and my man Che. We used to ask Jeeves the same question. We asked Jeeves the same question that we ask just about every day. And Jeeves ain't never had the answer. And we knew that if Jeeves ain't have the answer to that existential question, that question that always matters. And you. I know some of y' all out here are like, well, what question are you talking about? And the answer to that question, answers that always work well for that question. Atlanta, I was just in Rio. Rio was an answer to the question. You know what I mean? Some people like Miami, Houston don't get enough credit. New York don't either. But Jeeves never knew where, no matter how many times I asked. Jeeves never knew where. And that's what I knew. It wasn't long for Jeeves. I'm actually surprised that Jeeves made it this long if he can't. Gee, that. That's what we always want to know. And Jeeves ain't never have no idea. So shout out to Jeeves for, like, hanging on as long as they did, but, you know, you should have known better. Like, I. I bet ChatGPT got the answer. In fact, let me check right now. Let me see if Chad GPT can answer this question.

[B]

The question.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Enter. It did. It may not be the right answer, but at least it tried. And I felt, and I felt like Jeeves never did.

[B]

All right, and finally, Rick Ross and French Montana will be battling in a versus on Thursday. Bo, you have previously said versus are dead. Do you still have the same opinion?

[A]

Say what you just said to me again and then ask me that question again.

[B]

Rick Ross in French Montana squaring off in a versus on Thursday. Is versus dead still?

[A]

French Montana in a versus is an indictment of a whole generation because, like, what, 20 fr? You guys enjoy that, man, like, if that's what y' all want to do, man, y' all go ahead. Y. No, no, no. Y' all have fun. Y' all go ahead. If that's. That's what you feel, I will not be watching.

[B]

All right, Bo, a lot of good voicemails. Here's our first.

[A]

This question is for Joel Anderson. What's going on? Bomani Jones, podcast family. We talked the other day about having nicknames. Like, if you made the. If you made the name Wi Fi, you just go by. They call me Wi Fi. So can we call Joel Anderson, something like Quarterfast for being the fastest fourth grader in America? And I would like to also ask, could he currently be a fourth grader in a race? All right, Peace and love. I can't wait till Joel hears this.

[B]

I want to be clear. They asked us, Joel.

[A]

Joel is about to start getting into playing shape for his race against Billy because this is going to happen.

[B]

So this is really happening.

[A]

This is. This is. This is. This is going to happen. Joel is also currently in Los Angeles, and the last I checked, Van had taken Joel's phone and was sending tweets

[B]

from it, which is a very 2014 thing to do, but I still found to be very funny.

[A]

I asked VAD if he is simply going to antagonize Joel all week, and in all caps, he replied, yes. I love that. Currently, Joel is providing enough content for two podcasts, only one of which he is the host, just by being himself. Like, this is one of the great developments of 2026. The building, the star turn of Joel, the year of Joel, the year of Joel, all by leaning in on his Inner hater. The inner hater that he swears does not exist. And that was only invented by me and Van Lathan. But look at the success that this is turning into. Also, did you see me send you the answers from Chad GPT?

[B]

I sure did.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. See what I mean?

[B]

Not incorrect.

[A]

That told you, Jeeves. Never stood a chance.

[B]

It might be more. It might be more of a me answer than a you answer. But still not incorrect.

[A]

Never stood a chance. Never stood a chance.

[B]

All right, here's our next one.

[A]

Hey, Bo. Thoroughly enjoyed your Time Machine Tuesday recap of the lead up to the 2016 Warriors. And my question is, in that light of between the 16 warriors and the 2007 patch, which team's legacy is benefited more if they actually win the title that year? Thanks again for everything that you do. Oh, I think the answer there is obviously the 2007 Patriots. And the reason I say that is it's easy to Forget. They went nine years between titles. They won a title in oh, four and they won one in 14. They did not win a title in between. Um, and I would say even if they go 73 and 9 and they win a championship, we have questions about whether that's the greatest team we've ever seen. I don't think there are any questions. If the 2007 Patriots win with Tom Brady throwing 50 touchdown passes and Randy Moss catching like 23 or 24 of them, I think we look at that as the greatest team of all time. A 16 game, undefeated, undefeated season. Right. Like though it was a much different league and a much more difficult league than the one that the Dolphins won in, in 72. No, no, no, no, no. The Patriots win that one. I think we look at them much different.

[B]

All right, here's our last one.

[A]

Hey, Bomani, listening to you talk to Vinnie Goodwill about the Knicks and about their fans specifically. I'm a 60 year old new Yorker. I've been here my whole life. But I'll tell you about Knick fans is they think they root for the Yankees, but really just the Mets. They're good every so often, but you gotta have a lot of hope. Keep up the good work. I will say this again about the Knicks. When the Rangers won the Stanley cup in 1994, remember they had a game seven against the Devils in the, I guess it's now called the Eastern Conference finals, but I think it was the Campbell Campbell Conference finals back then. But they had to print up two different versions of the COVID because there was no telling, you know, who's Gonna win it or whatever. And the one if the Devils had won just said 1940 on the, on the COVID Because 1940 had been the last time that the Rangers had won a Stanley Cup. It had been 54 years since they had won a Stanley Cup. It has been 53 years since the Knicks have won. I don't think that it's Knicks fans that act like this so much though. I think very much in the marketing of this, the idea that the. The Knicks are one of the league's great franchises, like all time great France, historic franchises. This league has two historic franchises. It is the Lakers and the Celtics. That's it. The Celtics were winning all those rings and before that the Lakers were winning a gang of those rings and George Michael. Right. Like that's what it was turning into. The Knicks have won two championships. That's it. I feel like Knicks fans know that. And yeah, you're right, that is a little bit more like the Mets. But my hot take is all the New York sports teams are more like the Mets than the Yankees. The Giants managed to pull off those 07 and 2011 titles. Right. That kind of beef up the total. But otherwise, let's look this up. New York Giants. I'm g. Go to their wiki page and we'll look at them in terms of like being a championship situation. Yeah, Ryan, they ain't really. They won champions. Look, 1927-1934-1938-1956, when the league had eight teams and two of them, Washington and Pittsburgh were just those years.

[B]

I thought you, you think you're talking about the baseball Giants.

[A]

Yeah, right, Right. Now that, that now that's a team, right? Yeah, that's a team with some heritage. The jets are the jets. The Rangers are the Rangers. The Islanders, post 1980, whatever. They're what they are, right? No, no, no. Everybody in New York is the Mets, basically, except the Yankees,

[B]

who have been the Mets for 30 years.

[A]

They've been the Mets for more like 15.

[B]

Fair enough. I mean, I know your honor g market is. And that makes sense.

[A]

Yeah. I mean they won a World Series in 09.

[B]

Right.

[A]

They were consistently going there. Right. And since then it's been metzy fair been Betsy. But hey, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you something right fast. May 13, doing a live show in Atlanta. Check me out with my man Rod, aka the black guy who tips. Go to bomontjoneslive.com for tickets. Bomontijoneslive.com still got seats. Come check us out. Ladies and gentlemen, thanks so much for joining us here on the right time. We do this four days a week. Ryan Brumley handles everything behind the scenes. Thank you, sir. Hit the voicemail line. 323-59-67767. Remember, follow the right time. Subscribe like, rate us, review us, give us five stars. You only give us four stars. I'm inclined to believe you are a hater. We'll talk to you guys in a couple of days. Take it easy.