The Zach Lowe Show

Episode Title: Crazy Knicks Moment Draft and Knicks Hate Index With Sam Morril Live From New York!
Date: March 17, 2026
Host: Zach Lowe (The Ringer)
Guests: Howard Beck, David Jacoby, Sam Morril (stand-up comedian, lifelong Knicks fan)

Episode Overview

Live from New York City, Zach Lowe hosts a special Knicks-focused extravaganza featuring a "Craziest Knicks Moments Since 1990" draft with David Jacoby and Howard Beck, and a "Knicks Hate Index" segment with comedian Sam Morril. With deep dives into the psyche of Knicks fandom, unforgettable franchise drama, legendary heartbreaks, and riotous audience interaction, the night is a celebration of both the agony and the ecstasy of rooting for New York’s most storied basketball team—with plenty of side-roasts for the rival Nets and old NBA beefs.

Key Segments and Timestamps

1. Zach’s NYC Origin Story/Knicks Fandom Reflection (00:30–06:18)
2. Knicks State of the Union: Are They Finals Material? (06:24–18:37)
3. Brooklyn Nets Rapidfire & Draft Picks Recap (19:37–22:00)
4. Craziest Knicks Moments Draft (23:05–63:56)
5. Knicks Hate Index with Sam Morril (66:16–89:26)

1. Zach’s NYC Origin Story/Knicks Fandom Reflection

00:30–06:18

• Personal Intro: Zach opens up about why a live NYC show is personal to him—grew up hating (and fearing) the Knicks, but now calls New York home.
• On Knicks Fans:
  “The Knicks fan base really might be the single best fan base in the NBA. There is no fan base... that more deserves an NBA championship.” (02:40)
• Note on Fandom as a Journalist: Explains how covering the NBA softens/dilutes former fan allegiances.

2. Knicks State of the Union: Are They Finals Material?

06:24–18:37

• Knicks Season Recap:
  • 44–25 record, 90% chance at second or third in East, thriving both offensively (3rd) and defensively (6th).
  • Paranoia & Angst: Despite the stats, “There is much angst... Stephen A. Smith today blamed Jalen Brunson for everything that’s going wrong...” (08:00)
• Panel Analysis: Zach and Howard break down why Knicks fans don’t believe, despite numbers.
  • Recent rough losses (Detroit, both LA teams, Cavs, Thunder), resilience in big games, but offense often feels “on a knife’s edge.”
  • Health concerns around Mitchell Robinson, chemistry questions with Cat/Alvarado, Josh Hart’s offensive fit.
• Why Not the Knicks?
  • League parity means any of the (top four) East teams (Knicks, Pistons, Celtics, Cavs) could make the Finals.
  • “There’s enough of a case to be made for any of them.” (15:04, Howard Beck)
  • Celtics seen as only “sure thing” (system, identity, championship equity), but injuries still a question.
• Pressure is On:
  • “It might actually be the Knicks [who need Finals berth most]... Owner just said on radio: finals or bust.” (18:10, Howard Beck)
• Quote:
  “If you told me, throw all four of those in a hat... You could make a case for any of them... but my confidence level in the Knicks is about where it was before the season.” (16:40, Zach Lowe)

3. Brooklyn Nets Rapidfire & Draft Picks Recap

19:37–22:00

• Audience Roasts the Nets: “Why are you guys here? They’re playing the Blazers down the street.” (19:48, Zach)
• One-Word Draft for 2025 Nets Rookies:
  • Jagor Gemin: “Intriguing” (Howard), “Accurate” (Zach)
  • Nolan Traore: “French” (Howard), “Fast” (Zach)
  • Drake Powell: “Bold” (Jacoby), “Beast” (Zach)
  • Danny Wolf: “Promising” (Howard), “Daring” (Zach)
  • Ben Sarof: “Crafty” (Howard), “Left handed” (Zach)

4. Craziest Knicks Moments Draft (since 1990)

23:05–63:56

- Format: Snake draft, 3 hosts, 5 picks each. Criteria are wide—can be exhilarating, tragic, bizarre.

- Round 1 Highlights

• #1 Overall: Linsanity (Jeremy Lin drops 38 on Lakers, Feb. 2012) – Jacoby
  • “I think it’s one of the three craziest sports stories of our entire lifetime... I’ll never see anything like it.” (26:41, Zach)
• #2: Linsanity Begins (Jeremy Lin torches Nets) – Beck
  • “It was the most unfucking canny thing you ever saw before in your life...” (30:08, Howard Beck)
• #3: Tyrese Haliburton's Shot – Pacers/Knicks (2024 Playoffs) – Lowe
  • Describes "craziest NBA game ever seen," “If that gets called a goaltend… Knicks are up 6, I bet they win the game.” (33:57)
• #4: 1998 Heat-Knicks Brawl (Jeff Van Gundy grabbing Alonzo Mourning’s leg) – Lowe

- Other Notable Picks:

• Stoudemire Punched Fire Extinguisher in Playoffs (2012) – Beck
  • “Only time I’ve ever seen somebody basically injure themselves non-game-related, that possibly hurt them within the playoff series...” (38:00)
• The Gold Club Scandal (Knicks in Atlanta strip club mafia trial) – Jacoby
  • Patrick Ewing testifying about "oral things" in open court, “He had to say that on the stand!” (41:18)
• John Starks' Poster Dunk Over Bulls (1993 ECF) – Jacoby
  • “It’s one of the best moments in MSG history... The Knicks take a 2–0 series lead. And... they win the championship. That’s exactly how I remember it...” (44:37, Jacoby)
• Nate Robinson Blocks Yao Ming (2006) – Beck
  • “I still don’t believe this happened even though I saw it live.” (47:26)
• O.J. Simpson Bronco Chase Interrupts Game 5 of 1994 NBA Finals – Lowe
  • "Indisputably the wildest thing that ever happened in an NBA Finals..." (47:27)
  • “OJ was listening to the game... He wanted to get to the end of the game.” (49:55, Zach)
• Reggie Miller’s 8 Points in 9 Seconds (1995 Playoffs) – Lowe
• The Entire Isiah Thomas Era (Lawsuits, Steve Francis, Marbury turmoil) – Beck

Humorous/Sad Knicks Footnotes

• Draft Blunders:
  • Knicks take Landry Fields at 39, skip Lance Stephenson (57:15, Jacoby)
  • “Broke my heart. Why would you not pick the hometown kid...” (57:36)
• Tracy Morgan Throws Up Courtside (St. Patrick’s Day 2025) – Jacoby
• Charles Oakley Ejected by MSG Security (2017) – Beck
  • “He was a great Nick, and we hope he gets some help soon. Ooh, classy statement by the Garden.” (61:07)
• Charles Smith Blocked by Bulls 4 Times (1993 ECF) – Lowe

5. Knicks Hate Index with Sam Morril

66:16–89:26

- Live Segment: Zach presents a list of teams Knicks fans “hate the most.” Sam Morril offers Nick fan perspective, color, hilarity.

Zach’s Guess List (Lowest to Highest Hate):

1. Indiana Pacers
2. Miami Heat
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Boston Celtics
5. Other (wildcard)

Sam Morril’s Analysis (with Ranking):

• Brooklyn Nets:

  • “Are you kidding me? ... For them, it’s a terrible franchise. So I’m happy they blew it.”
  • “They had KD and Kyrie and you still didn’t go to the games.” (69:10)

• Chicago Bulls:

  • “In the 90s, they owned us, but I didn’t consider it a rivalry... It was like, the guy fucking Sydney Sweeney is my rival.” (72:38)

• Philadelphia 76ers:

  • “Philly’s close, they’re a tough sports town. They’re psychos… I have a lot of hatred in my heart for Embiid.” (73:19)
  • “He like kicked Hartenstein in the nuts in that series. He’s trash to me.”

• Miami Heat:

  • “My childhood, I hate—fuck PJ Brown, fuck that piece of shit forever for flipping Charlie Ward.” (74:57)
  • Allen Houston’s floater, Riley betrayal (“like looking at an ex move to Florida and find the right guy…”)

• Boston Celtics:

  • “There’s just something about New York, Boston… but I fucking hate the Celtics. I hate them, dude.” (77:46)
  • “Jaylen Brown… it bummed me out he was cool, because I wanted to hate him.” (78:57)
  • Side note: Hilarious digression about “fashion show bombing” in front of Jaylen Brown.

• Indiana Pacers (#1):

  • “I hate the Pacers as much as anybody here. T.J. McConnell, if he were a Knick, you’d love him, but he’s so annoying... Halliburton is like a video game button masher.” (84:26)
  • “I hate Reggie Miller. He’s probably my number one most hated ever, I think.” (84:54)
  • “The reason we hate him so much is he elevated in the playoffs. He was that dude… if he got the last shot, you knew it was going in.”
  • “Mark Jackson’s dumb shimmy, and he was a New Yorker… Hubert Davis… that team, like, you felt that team should have won one. So that hurt.” (85:55)

Notable Sam Morril Quotes:

• On Celtics:
  “I love Boston… but I fucking hate the Celtics.” (77:46)
• On Heat:
  “Riley… goes to Miami. It felt like looking at an ex move to Florida and find like the right guy.” (75:52)
• On Pacers Hate:
  “Reggie, if he were here, would be like, respect, I love you.” (84:54)
• On contemporary rivalries:
  • “Maybe in a year Detroit is on this… they’re not there yet.” (88:11)
• Summing Up Knicks Fan Pain:
  • “This is sad that this is my championship. But you were talking earlier, like the John Starks dunk… that was what we had.” (80:43)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

- Zach Lowe on Knicks Fans:

“There is nothing—maybe Oracle, peak Warriors, that’s it—there is nothing like MSG during a crazy Knicks playoff game.” (03:23)

- Howard Beck on the Isiah Era:

“Basically, the GM and the coach and the franchise point guard all hated each other... and any two of the three at any given time wanted to kill each other.” (55:17)

- David Jacoby on Linsanity:

“This is not the end of Linsanity—this is the peak of Linsanity.” (26:00)

- Sam Morril, Knicks Hate:

"I have so much hate in my heart." (67:29)
"If T.J. McConnell were a Knick you wouldn't love that guy. He's so annoying..." (84:26)

Episode Tone, Style & Energy

• Language & Tone: Comedic, self-deprecating, deeply emotional about the Knicks, lots of New York gallows humor, intimate crowd interaction, nostalgic but realistic.
• Memorable Audience Moments: Roasting the Nets (“Nets fans, why are you here?” “They’re playing the Blazers.”), enthusiastic reactions to heartbreak/lore (the Van Gundy leg grab, Charles Smith blocks, Oakley ejection, “St. Patrick’s Day Tracy Morgan Puke Game”).
• Knicks Fandom in Microcosm:
  • Celebrates rare highs (Linsanity, Starks’ dunk, playoff wins over the Heat)
  • Laughs (and groans) at bottomless lows (Reggie’s reign, brutal brawls, draft whiffs, public humiliations)

Takeaways

• Knicks fandom is a badge of honor—full of scars, pride, and inside jokes.
• The team is a real contender this season and the East is open—even if fans are bracing for pain.
• The franchise’s modern history is an endless highlight reel of both inspiration (Linsanity, playoff grit) and chaos/humiliation (brawls, scandals, ejections).
• Fan psychology is shaped as much by old rivals (Pacers, Heat, Bulls) as current events (“Hate Index”—Pacers the clear #1).

For the Knicks-Obsessed and the NBA Curious

This episode is a must-listen (or read!) for anyone who’s ever lived and died with the Knicks, as well as those fascinated by sports heartbreak, basketball lore, or just love a wild nostalgic journey through NBA chaos—with some of New York’s sharpest sports voices and comics as your guides.