Crazy Knicks Moment Draft and Knicks Hate Index With Sam Morril Live From New York!

Summary

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.

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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)

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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.

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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)

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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)

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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

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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).

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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.

Transcript

[Zach Lowe]

This episode of the Zach Lowe show is brought to you by State Farm. Life's better when you've got the right help. Think of that perfect pass that sets everything up. Smooth, effortless. Just what your team needed. That's the kind of assist State Farm offers. Whether it's online or in person. State Farm's your teammate when you need help making your next play. State Farm with the assist. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability and eligibility vary by state.

Thank you all for coming. It's raining, right? It's, like, horrible outside. Thank you all for coming. My wife, who is here, will tell you I was panicking. Nobody was gonna show up. Cause of the rain. And then one of the guests, who is a secret, I won't say who, was like, they're New Yorkers. They're tough. They're gonna show up. And so you showed up. I'm gonna sit. Cause I'm a little nervous, so I'm gonna sit. I'll be bringing out a guest in a second, but I'm gonna talk for about two minutes. Bear with me. This is the only show I will ever do where I get a little bit personal. When we were planning. I'm gonna stand again. You guys are enough. Enough. Shout out the Lithuania shirt. By the way, we were planning all these live shows, like, where should we do them? And I said, new York. I gotta do New York. Have to do it in New York. And the ringer people were like, new York's tough. Like, there's a lot of stuff going on in New York. It's hard to get people in New York. There's a Nets game going on, like, right there. And I. And I gently said, I don't think that's going to be much of a deterrent. I think we'll be good. Oh, stop. But I wanted to do New York because this one is personal for me on a couple of different levels. I grew up in suburban Connecticut, and it's my dad and my sister who are both here somewhere, can attest to this. Growing up in the 90s, early 90s, as a teenager, I hated the Knicks. And I feared. I didn't just hate New York City. I feared New York City. I was like, a little, like, wimpy suburban kid. I literally thought, like, you'd get off the train in Grand Central and someone would just stab you immediately. All I knew from the morning news was that Tompkins Square park seemed like Beirut to me. How could anyone. And now here we are, and I'm doing a live show in New York. And I insisted on doing it. A couple of things changed. Number one, I started covering the NBA for a job. Once you cover the NBA for a job, you kind of like. Bill disagrees with me about this. But the fandom just kind of gets beaten out of you. The team you like, the team you don't like. They're kind of just 30 companies competing against each other. People. Players change teams, people move around, and you have to be professional. So, sorry, Bill. You have to be unbiased. Sorry, Bill. And so it just kind of gets beaten out of you. The other thing I learned covering the league, and I say this, I'm going for cheap applause, and I don't care. Cause it's true, the Knicks fan base really might be the single best fan base in the NBA. There is no fan base. I don't think there is any fan base that more deserves an NBA championship than the Knicks fans who have been waiting their entire life for an NBA championship. And I've been in almost every building in the NBA. There is nothing maybe Oracle, like peak Warriors. That's it. There is nothing like Madison Square Garden during a crazy Knicks playoff game. And the other thing that changed for me and why we're here, and I insisted we do a show in New York, is that I moved to New York and I lived in New York for almost 20 years. I met my wife in New York. Vesna is here somewhere. She is the rock of our house. She's the toughest, best person I know. And she not only she's pushed me to be more daring and adventurous in every phase of my life. And part of that is like, if you're going to live in New York, you got to live in New York. You got to go everywhere. You got to meet everyone. You got to get out of your comfort zone. And lo and behold, I lived here for 20 years, and it became my home. Now, as you probably know, I'm a suburban loser dad, but I will always feel like a New Yorker at.

[David Jacoby]

At heart.

[Zach Lowe]

And I had to. I got to give the commencement speech two years ago at the high school in Connecticut that I went to. And the whole speech was 11 minutes long. And it was really me sort of subtly, maybe, actually too subtly, I was thinking I was being too polite. It was me sort of subtly saying to all of these kids, get out. Get out of the suburbs. Get out. Go live in New York City, where you'll meet people from all over the world and people who speak every different language in the world and who eat all the best food. You'll go. I said to them, there is nothing like being in your twenties in New York City and going to a bar unattached. Who knows who you'll meet? Editors, musicians, writers, finance people. Not my cup of tea. But it was cool to talk to them and learn about their life. The coolest, most highly accomplished people in the world live in this city. So it's like a total highlight for me to be in the greatest city in the world. It is still my home at heart. And thank you all for coming out. And my sappy thing is now over. The Zach Low show is brought to you by FanDuel.

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Welcome to the Zach Lowe show, live from New York City. And now, without further ado, it is time. It is time to say the three most anticipated words in niche still niche basketball podcasting.

[David Jacoby]

What up, Becky?

[Zach Lowe]

Howard Beck.

[Howard Beck]

Holy fuck, this is a lot of people. You invited, Zach.

[Zach Lowe]

Hell yeah. What we're here to talk. We're going to do now, we're going to do a segment on the Knicks. The New York Knicks. And we'll touch on the Nets. I promise we will have, we will have a small segment on the Nets. If someone wants to shout out the updates on the scores of the Nets Blazers game. It's a huge game. We're all paying great attention. Okay, the New York Knicks squeaked by the warriors last night. They are 44 and 25. They have a very easy schedule the rest of the way. All the nerdy odds systems give them like a 90% chance of either being second or third in the east, which means probably playing the Celtics, which is a whole lot of fun. Great Amtrak corridor series. They are. Boo the Celtics. Boo. For the record, I just said you're allowed to boo the Celtics, not that I would also boo the Celtics. The Knicks, the New York Knickerbockers are third in offense, sixth in defense. They are 19 and seven in their last 26 games since the Dallas loss, which was. I was at. Which was rock bottom when they got boat raced by the Mavs, There are only three teams in the top six in both offense and defense. The Boston Celtics. This is fantastic. I always forget. Just the hostility between New York and Boston is delightful. The San Antonio Spurs. No. Why?

[David Jacoby]

Why?

[Zach Lowe]

Okay, fine. And the New York Knicks. Even the Thunder are technically first in defense and seventh in offense, so they don't even qualify. And yet, Howard Beck. There is much angst despite all those nice things I just said about the Knicks. Stephen A. Smith today blamed Jalen Brunson for everything that's going wrong about the Knicks. There seems to be. There seems to be very little faith that a team I picked before the season to go to the finals can actually get to the Finals. Despite the fact that Detroit 3 and 5 in their last state games, the Cavs 4 and 5 in their last nine games, the Celtics still reintegrating. Tatum, why is there this angst about the Knicks right now?

[Howard Beck]

I feel like we should be asking everybody here. There's. There's one gauge I can use, Zach, that goes beyond all the advanced stats, all the per 100, all the tracking stats, everything else. There's one single gauge I can use as an experienced veteran reporter who's been covering the Knicks and the NBA for a long time in the city, which is this last was it last Tuesday? The Knicks were down by something, 20 something to the jazz. They won that game. But in the midst of that, I started seeing tweets and texts and Blue sky posts.

[Zach Lowe]

This guy, this guy. Spokesperson for Blue Sky.

[Howard Beck]

I'll get you on there. I'll get you back there one of these days. Uh, but suddenly there on Blue sky, in fact, something I had not seen in literally years, maybe, maybe pre Covid. Under the account of our buddy, Alan Sepinwall. Great TV critic. Go buy all his books. Subscribe to his substack. A tank. A tank. Gif. I mean, tank. Like, I don't remember, it was exploding or going off a cliff or something. But Alan had kind of like mothballed the tanking gifts, which he had used for many, many years of many, many bad Nick seasons. And suddenly, there it was again. And I thought, oh, no. Oh, no, here we are. This is not good. This isn't good. I'm worried more, I think, for Knicks fans than I am for the Knicks themselves at this point. I don't think anything has fundamentally changed with them. I think they're in a little bit of a rut here. I Thought their performance last night against the Santa Cruz warriors was pretty depressing, a little alarming. They did win, though. Just as they did win that Jazz game that Sepinwall revived the Tank Gif for. But I don't know, to your point of the context of all the other teams in the east that are contending for those top spots. Everybody's got their warts right now.

[Zach Lowe]

I'll try. There's the standings up there. Yeah, that's right. We're going all out, people. You don't even have to look on your phones. You can look at the standings right here. Look at Cade Cunningham. Cade Cunningham's like, bring. Bring it on. Like,

[Howard Beck]

Jalen's towering over him.

[Zach Lowe]

It doesn't. It just seem like it's just a little too hard for the Knicks? Like, it's just like things are just a little too difficult. Like Mikhail Bridges right now. Massive slump. I don't need to tell you what they traded for him. He's in a massive slump to the point that Mike Brown is asking questions about, are you going to change the starting five? Josh Hart. It's like one night, it feels like they've solved the problem of teams put their big men on Josh Hart and just have him rove around. And then another night, it clogs up their entire offense. Cat. Cat's an experience. You guys now have lived it for a couple years. It's a whole experience. Mitchell Robinson, is he going to stay healthy? Jose Alvarado came in like a meteor, and it's kind of petered out a little bit. He's got good chemistry with Cat. He unlocks Cat a little bit. That's petering out. And even, like, third in offense, you watch some of their possessions on a good night when they really score, and it just feels like it's on a knife's edge the entire possession. Like, that guy almost cut into that guy. I'm not sure Josh Hart really has a plan, and there's four people around him and. And somehow they escape it and everything works out well. And the defense, we all know, right? Teams are going to hunt Brunson. Teams are going to hunt Cat. The Knicks know that. Their defense has been very good since the All Star break. Many less shots at the rim. Many fewer shots at the rim. My dad is a grammarian, and they've tweaked the scheme and all that, but, like, there's just. There's just a lot.

But here's what I'm here to say.

Like, there's like, it's all so angsty there's no reason why they can't make the Finals. Like, tell me what. Look at the standings. Tell me the reason why they can't make the Finals. Go through the teams. The Pistons, can they score enough points in the playoffs with their lack of shooting? Maybe.

[David Jacoby]

Their.

[Zach Lowe]

Their defense is awesome. They're tough as shit. Maybe. The Celtics, I will grant you, feel like the most. The Celtics feel like the most together team of these top four teams. Like, the team that knows most who they are and what they want to be and how they want to play. They have an incredible starting five now that Tatum is back. But, like, Tatum is four games into coming back from a catastrophic injury 10 months ago. I kind of want to see it a little bit longer before I'm like, no brainer. They were crowned favorites in the East. One game into Tatum's comeback, all the talking points was, oh, they're the favorites in the East. Maybe Cleveland. They're really good. They have a lot of talent. Somebody's always injured. I'm not sure if you guys are aware of this. James Harden has struggled in a lot of big playoff games. Like, like, really, Really. I don't want. I've made too much fun of him in the past for the playoff games. So, like, why not the Knicks? Tell me why.

[Howard Beck]

I don't. I don't have an answer for why not the Knicks, because if you told me, throw all four of those in a hat, and we just pulled teams out, any two of them, you. You could believe, and you could make a case for any of them. You can make an easy case against any of them. I do think there's a case for. With the Celtics being the, on paper, favorites right now, there's a certain amount of championship equity and, you know, an identity there. I was talking to somebody today with another team who was just saying, listen, man, like, look at what they did without Tatum. They have a system. They know who they are. They know what they do. You toss out Horford and Porzingis and Cornette and Jrue Holiday, and you plug these guys in and they just keep fucking going. And, like, people around the league are just so impressed with what they've done there.

[Zach Lowe]

I think they would have let Lou Cornette go if they knew he could galvanize people like this as a. As a political. As a political leader.

[Howard Beck]

I mean, he's so much more powerful than anyone ever realized. I think this is the lesson we've learned this NBA season. But they're the only team that you could point to and say, like, if you said they were the definite Eastern. We've seen the future and it's the Celtics. You'd go, okay, yeah, I get it. I can't make a real argument for why they wouldn't. The others, the Knicks included, the Cavs, the Pistons, like, there's a lot of. We need to see it first and. Yeah, but you picked the Knicks preseason to make the finals and you have stuck by that.

[Zach Lowe]

That's right, I did.

[Howard Beck]

You have you.

[Zach Lowe]

Did I do that at least a little bit to manifest finals home games for me? Maybe.

[Sam Morril]

Maybe I did.

[Zach Lowe]

Or did I root for my own convenience?

[Howard Beck]

Maybe you knew that you were going to have a live show and you wanted to be able to preemptively pander to the crowd.

[Zach Lowe]

Yeah, sure. Also, the east sucked then and still is. Like, it's less sucky now, but it's still the East.

[Howard Beck]

It's still the East. I, I think that the thing that we've been saying all, all season about the east being wide open, I think we just mean that, like, there's a case to be made. It's not that there's a bunch of crappy teams, although there's only four really truly good ones, but there's. There's enough of a case to be made for any of them.

[Zach Lowe]

So no brainer. They should win in the first round. Obviously, whether it's. Look at all the teams there. Raptors, Heat, 76ers, Magic. Could be a little frisky. But you know, right now they're fifth second round, Celtics, Knicks. Look like that's a, That's a tough series. That could be a coin flip. Who has home court advantage? Could matter. It'd be nice to have home court in seven. Losing there is not a disaster. But that every series in the east is winnable for them. It just feels like it even. I will say, even on their good nights, it feels a little bit more difficult than it should. And if you look at their losses, I mentioned 19 and 7 since the Dallas game, it's Detroit twice. And let's be honest, like, Detroit just punked you guys just punk the Knicks twice. It's true. Punked them both the LA teams, those are loud losses. Cleveland and Oklahoma City, they have two really good wins in that stretch. They blitzed the Spurs. Awesome win. Josh Hart's best game of the season, I thought. And then the miracle comeback against Houston when Houston just took a dump on the court in the entire fourth quarter. Like not great wins. But I just. And look, if they don't make the finals this year, all, all cards other than Brunson being traded is on the table for the summer when we know who the big names are. We've said the guy's name that starts with the G a thousand times this year, but I think people are a little too low on the Knicks. I don't know who I would pick to make the finals out of these four teams right now, but my confidence level in the Knicks is like about where it was before the season.

[Howard Beck]

The back to back LA losses in particular don't bother me in the sense that the end of a road trip, it's la. You had two games in LA and multiple days in la. This is the kind of thing where NBA teams will often like, oh, we've got a bunch of days in a city that everybody loves. Bring your wives and your girlfriends and whatever, bring your families. Like, there's a pretty good chance that like everybody was just like deciding this is where we're going to have a good time. And it's, it's, it's also March, it's late in the season.

[Zach Lowe]

It's, you know, now this bridges thing, it's getting a little, it's getting a little ugly. And the picks are always going to hang around his neck a little bit with the fans. I think he'll be fine. I don't think Mike Brown should entertain changing the starting five, do you? No, I think you stick with it and they have. The guy who's really changed their team a lot this year is Landry Shammit. Like he comes in off the bench and they, and they plug him in for like, all right, do we need all this? Do we need Max shooting? Josh, you're sitting in the fourth quarter. Landry, you go in and do like the Deuce McBride thing, like, Deuce might still come back. Deuce was, Deuce was having an unbelievable year before he got it. Yeah, that's one of my favorite Knicks things is the dude the Deuce chant. And then. Or lately they've been closing games with Shamet over bridges and like Shamet's been awesome. Competing on defense, making shots like he's been legit. Really good for them. Clarkson has been like unmoth balled recently. So I don't know, we'll see. But I'm, I'm still. I wouldn't like pick any of these teams over the Knicks without, without at

least thinking real hard about it.

[Howard Beck]

No, I wouldn't either. I do think if I'm looking at those four teams and I'm now thinking through the lens of like, who needs to make the Finals the most at this stage. It might actually be the Knicks, right? You had the owner go on radio a month ago and say, like, it's basically finals or bust. Championship or bust. The Celtics just got Tatum back. Like, everything is just like a bonus for the Celtics and they're already championship crowned. The Pistons are young and still on the way up. They were not even supposed to be leading the East. Uh, the Cavs are the Cavs.

[Zach Lowe]

If you ask me point blank, like, who's the best basketball team of those four? I think I might say Boston, but I will say Tatum is. Like, it's. We gotta see it. And the Knicks were on the way to beating Boston last year before Tatum got injured at the end of game four. The Knicks are gonna go up three. One. Those two. Those two wins in Boston where they walked the Celtics down methodically in the both fourth quarters. Those were like, awesome. Legit for as, like, weirdly off kilter as they can look sometimes. These guys have shown up in a lot of big moments, in a lot of big games in their brief time. It's only Cat's second season with the team. Those were like, legit tier one road playoff wins. Do you guys think, to Howard's point, would you guys like James Dalton to do more interviews? Do you think that's good? Good for the team? All right, that so Nick's. Look, Knicks, I think we're fine now that we've come to the Brooklyn Nets segment of the podcast. Oh, my God.

[Howard Beck]

That was a much louder cheer than I expected. That might be more enthusiasm that they're actually hearing at the arena right now down the street.

[Zach Lowe]

Why are you guys here? They're playing the Blazers. 4430. Who.

[Howard Beck]

How many does Scoot have?

[Zach Lowe]

Scoot? All your guys are Scoot stock. I'm sure the Nets are just. They're biding their time to put their best players back in the game. Okay, I gave Howard an assignment, and I did the assignment, too. This is going to be the sum total. Maybe not quite, but almost the sum total of our Brooklyn Nets. Content, one word. No elaboration. There is no explanation. One word to describe each of the Nets five first round picks from the last draft. No, no, no. We're going to go one by one. Okay? We're going to go if I don't even know the draft order off the top of my head. But I'm going to try. And you guys can correct me if I'm wrong. Jagor Gemin. German. German. Okay.

[Howard Beck]

I watched him say it. On YouTube.

[Zach Lowe]

I've seen him say it three different ways. Okay, one word.

[Howard Beck]

Intriguing.

[Zach Lowe]

I went with accurate. Nolan Traore.

[Howard Beck]

French.

[Zach Lowe]

Oh, that. I went fast. Fast. Drake Powell.

[David Jacoby]

Bold.

[Zach Lowe]

I went beast. He's a beast. Athletically. That dude's a beast. Danny Wolf. Oh, my. Unbelievable.

[Howard Beck]

Promising.

[Zach Lowe]

I went. I went. You guys will like this. This is the most Nets fans I've ever seen in one place. I went with daring.

[Howard Beck]

He.

[Zach Lowe]

Ben Sarof.

[Howard Beck]

Crafty.

[Zach Lowe]

I went with a similar synonym for crafty. Left handed. Ben Saraf. This episode is brought to you by

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Now we have something fun in store for you. We're going to bring out a Grantland original, a ringer Spotify mainstay, and we're going to do a draft. We're going to try and keep it quick, but the conceit of the draft is this. The wildest, craziest, most bonkers moments in the history of the Knicks franchise since 1990. David Jacoby.

[David Jacoby]

Let's go.

[Zach Lowe]

Let's go.

[David Jacoby]

Oh, Zach Low.

[Zach Lowe]

Zach Low.

[David Jacoby]

Oh, so excited about this.

[Zach Lowe]

We're going to try and keep it Moving. We have 15 total picks. Snake draft. Just crazy. Crazy can be anything. It can mean exhilarating as a Knicks fan. It could mean miserable. It could just mean, holy shit, what was that? It could mean anything you want. Totally Open ended because I am a nice person. I gave david jacoby the first pick in the draft.

[David Jacoby]

All right, first of all, that's a lie. He is not a nice person. I know him very well. Number two, is there a winner?

[Zach Lowe]

We can do some sort of hand count or shrieking, shrieking vote at the end.

[David Jacoby]

I win. All right, it's 2012, February 10th. Number one pick, nationally televised game. It is a knicks game. And he said it against the los angeles lakers. Before the game, Kobe bean Bryant rip was asked about jeremy lin, and he said, I don't know who he is. Who is this kid? They start the game, Knicks jump out early. Timeout in the first quarter. Jeremy lynn's got two quick buckets. And then this is one of my favorite parts of the story. They do an interview. He's coming later. They do an interview with the coach of the lakers who scouted jermy lin. And he says, we made a mistake. We went under the screen and they didn't set the screen like above the three point line back then. It was like at the foul line. So jeremy lynn had an open elbow jumper. The coach who was in charge of scouting jeremy lin was mike brown.

[Zach Lowe]

I don't think I knew that.

[David Jacoby]

They did an interview with him and he was in charge of scouting jeremy lin. Jeremy lin went on to score 38 points to beat.

[Zach Lowe]

Look at that guy.

[David Jacoby]

The los angeles lakers. And this is not the end of the linsanity. This is the peak of the linsanity. You will hear more of the linsanity from my colleague Howard later. Zach, you're next or no, Howard, you're next.

[Zach Lowe]

I'm not next, but Matt, Matt. Matt barnes is not happy. Oh, no. He caught some buckets.

[David Jacoby]

Oh, no.

[Zach Lowe]

Darvin ham. Darvin ham is like, what's going on?

[David Jacoby]

In preparation for this show. I watched this stupid game. Matt barnes caught some buckets. He caught a couple of those buckets. Oh, oh, oh. Derek fisher, dog. It's not Jeremy. I thought it was jeremy lin versus kobe. It's basically jeremy lin cooking Matt barnes and dairy fisherman derek fisher.

[Zach Lowe]

The only thing I will say about lynn sany, I'll say it now so you can make your pick free and clear. I think it's the proper number one pick. I think it's one of the three craziest sports stories of our entire lifetime. I don't think there'll ever be anything like it. And forgive me if you've heard me tell this story on my podcast before that was the year after the lockout. Remember the Lockout when we were together all the time at the stupid hotel for the stupid lockout. So the season started late, I think, or something. There was some reason why my wife and I took a vacation in December or winter, January, February, whenever It was February, February 2012, we went to St. John's I don't know when you and

[David Jacoby]

your wife took a vacation, but I don't know why you're looking at me.

[Zach Lowe]

Well, bear with me. The night before we left was his game against the Nets. Like the first Lynn game, 25. And I look at the box score, I'm like, it's pretty weird. Like Jeremy Lin. Okay, then we go to St John for five days. I missed all of Lynn sanity. Like the. I would wake up. I would wake up. I would wake up every morning and check the box score and be like, this motherfucker did it again. And by Harvard, by day three, I wasn't even having fun anymore. I was like, we need to get out of here, Jeremy. The greatest thing that's ever happened in New York City, sports is happening, and I'm not there. I'm in a freaking beach in St. John. Howard Beck, number two pick.

[David Jacoby]

Howard.

[Howard Beck]

So we did not coordinate exactly well with all this, but we did discover we both have.

[David Jacoby]

There was a text thread.

[Howard Beck]

There was a text thread. We could have. We could have possibly spaced these out better. My number one pick was also Linsanity, but not versus the Lakers. It was simply the beginning of it all. At this time, I was covering the Knicks for the New York Times, and I'd been on that beat for a good eight or so years of fun times.

[Zach Lowe]

Fun years.

[David Jacoby]

Yeah.

[Howard Beck]

There was a lot of, like Jerome James and Jared Jeffries and Eddie Curry

[Zach Lowe]

and you want to name some guys, name some more guys. We could. We could name Eddie Curry.

[David Jacoby]

Had the hot dog, the hot dog thing back here.

[Zach Lowe]

We.

[Howard Beck]

We could name a lot of guys. We could not name a lot of highlights. And so the reason I had to go with this as number one, even after realizing that Mr. Jacoby was going to go with the. The Lynn sanity versus the Lakers one, was that the very beginning of this. If you go back, you know, eight days, I think before the game that he picked against the Nets when Jeremy Lynn is lighting up Darren Williams, established all star Darren Williams, franchise savior of the then New Jersey Nets, Darren Williams and Jeremy Lynn lights him and the rest of the Nets. And this is the reason, the beginning is the part that matters is with all due respect to the one against the Lakers and when he showed up, Dirk Nowitzki, a few days later when he showed up the raptors and hit the game winning three at the buzzer and everything else is that the beginning was the most unfucking canny thing you ever saw before in your life in the first place. Because to this point, as you may or may not recall, the Knicks had a point guard problem. They didn't really have one. Tony Douglas. You want to play point guard? Oh, Tony Douglas can only go left and right. He can't really go downhill. He gets over here, and then he can't, like, turn. He just. He's. He can't go. Mike Bibby, 33 years old, can. Can you do something where they're waiting for baron Davis to recover from his back injury? They have. Iman shumpert was the point guard for a while, and it's only out of desperation that Mike Dantoni finally turns to Jeremy Lynn, who. The only thing we knew about Jeremy at the time that he got to the Knicks was there was a press release right before we left on this, like, long road trip around Christmas that said knicks have signed Jeremy Lin, the guy who just got cut by the warriors and rockets, and that was it. And then this thing happened. And as soon as this thing happened and we went, wow, guys, that's amazing. We just saw the most incredible fucking thing we've ever seen in this span of Knicks history. What a night that was. And you thought, okay, that was cool. And then a few nights later, I think the next game was maybe against Utah or Washington. I think it was Washington. And then he does it again, and then again and again. And for three weeks, and friends of mine in here in Brooklyn who were not even Knicks fans or casual fans, were suddenly, like, on. Everybody suddenly had a insanity or a Jeremy Lynn jersey, a Knicks jersey. The whole city, as you guys, I'm sure, remember, the whole city was. Was just freaking out, head over heels. It was the most magical, surreal thing I have covered in nearly 30 years of covering the NBA. It was awesome.

[Zach Lowe]

It's a great pick. You guys took linsanity from me.

[David Jacoby]

It's a great pick,

[Sam Morril]

by the way.

[Howard Beck]

The only unfortunate footnote was that toward the end of that first night against the nets when somebody in game ops at the garden decided to click Pearl jam's Jeremy, not realizing exactly what that song is,

[Zach Lowe]

the game winner over Jose calderon will always be one of the highlights to me in Toronto, where it's like, yeah, of course we're clearing out and giving the ball to Jeremy Lin, and of course he's going to talk all sorts of junk in Jose Calderon's face. All right, I have picks 3 and 4. I regret to tell everyone in the audience I went chalk. And chalk means pretty much basketball tragedy for the Knicks. So my first pick, number three, is Tyrese Haliburton's shot. Whoa.

[David Jacoby]

Too soon.

[Zach Lowe]

I'll keep it brief.

[David Jacoby]

Too soon.

[Zach Lowe]

I'll keep it brief. And I promise you I'm going to say one thing that you like. I can do this job for 30 more years. I will never, ever, ever see a crazier game. No game has ever gone from people stopped paying attention to, holy shit, what the fuck is happening to are they going to win the game? Like, by Aaron Neesmith's fourth three. Aaron Neesmith is the one who gets lost in the hallibur and stuff. Aaron Neesmith had a complete out of body experience. I don't even know what happened. I don't think he knows what happened. I don't think anyone knows what happened. He made five threes in two and a half minutes and they were all insane. By the fourth one, my computer was unplugged and I was ready to go down. And I was still on press row just because I believe in, like, the you never know, I'll wait till the end factor. But I admittedly kind of stopped paying attention to the game. And then it was like. It's like if a robber was in your house and you had to go from asleep to hitting him with a baseball bat instantaneously. That was the attention switch that you had to go on when Aaron Neesmith started making shots. And the Halliburton shot is absolutely bonkers. You saw it go in and come down. And the one thing I will say is the game goes over. A million other crazy things happen. The Knicks almost turned the ball over on, like, inbounds plays two times, like, wild bounces and crazy stuff. There's some missed free throws. Then it goes to overtime. And I will never, ever forget as long as I live. The Knicks are up four in overtime to get a turnover. Jalen Brunson streaks out for a layup, and Miles Turner pins it on the glass. And I scream from my seat, goaltend. And I swear to God, I've watched it 50 times since. I still don't know whether it was a goaltender or not. And I can tell you for sure, the NBA has watched it a million times and they don't know if it was a goaltender or not. Imagine if that gets called. If that gets called a goaltend. The knicks are up 6. I bet they win the game. It's a great read the room. Zach Lowe.

[David Jacoby]

It was a goaltend.

[Zach Lowe]

I thought it was. And if it were called a goaltend, I don't think there could have been conclusive evidence or whatever you need in the NBA's endless replay system to overturn it. Okay, my second pick, near the fourth pick, I'm going. 1998 Brawl Heatnicks Jeff Van Gundy grabbing Alonzo Mourning's leg. Look at that. So first of all, Zo and Larry Johnson throw the most hilarious series of haymakers at each other. I mean, if any of those punches had hit, someone could have died. And they all, they all missed by like 3ft. If we had a fight right now, we were like, let's try purposely to not hit each other. We couldn't do any better than they did. Second of all, about 40 seconds after this, if you watch the clip, everyone gets separated and Van Gundy is walking around pointing, pointing at Zo, just pointing at people. And he pauses at one point to grab a stray piece of hair that's flying like a, like a wisp of cotton candy above his head and like place it back down on top of his head. And it's like Jeff Van Gundy had the wherewithal to be like, I think my hair is not looking, it's not looking great right now. And this just. The Knicks ended up winning this series, as they did in 1999 against the Heat and in 2000 against the Heat. They played four years in a row. The Heat were three. One. Obviously, we know Riley left New York to go to Miami. The first one, the Heat one under dubious circumstances. Another brawl that I don't know if it's going to be on the list. Charlie Ward tried to box up P.J. brown and P.J. brown suplexed him. Everybody on the Knicks left the bench. They all got suspended for games five and six. So the Heat got this like, let's be honest, charity undeserved playoff series win, right in 1997. And the only reason the thing about coming off the bench was even a rule was because of the Knicks. In 1993, the Suns and the Knicks got into a brawl involving Kevin Johnson and Glenn, Doc Rivers and Greg Anthony. Then on the Knicks came running off the bench to Cheap Shot kj And if you Google it, wearing the ugliest button down shirt anyone has ever worn. They changed the rules because of Greg Anthony. And four years later, he came back to bite the Knicks. So those are my two picks. Picks three and Four. You go, Jacoby.

[Howard Beck]

Phenomenal. By the way, is that Michael Malone's father, Brendan Malone, there at the far right?

[Zach Lowe]

Yeah, I think so. Yeah. For Sean Leonard, Tim Hardaway.

[David Jacoby]

There we go.

[Zach Lowe]

No, you have the next pick. Howard, you have the fifth pick.

[Howard Beck]

Yes, because we are snaking this. So when Zach gave us this assignment, I was thinking of things that if these are crazy moments, wild moments, whatever, it's got to be something like I have never seen before and might never see again. Some positive like Linsanity, and then some like this where I'm covering a playoff game. This is now April of 2012, so same season as Linsanity, and the novelty of that has all worn off. And now it's back to just what can the Knicks do with this triumvirate of Carmelo Anthony, Amari Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler? But lo and behold, they are in the playoffs now in a first round series against the hated Heatles of LeBron and Wade and Bosh. And this is going about the way we expect. And they have now lost Game 2 in Miami. And we're waiting outside the locker room and we've been waiting a lot longer than is normally necessary after a playoff game. Something's awry, something is amiss. And so I'm just lingering there now. In hallways, we keep getting pushed further and further away by security who are trying to clear us for something for some reason we don't know until I'm finally in, like closer to where the loading dock area is and finally seeing Amari Stoudemire walk through his arm in a sling. But it's not because his arm or his shoulder or anything else, and it's not an injury that happened in the game. It's because he punched the glass of a fire extinguisher.

[Zach Lowe]

He looks great right there, though, in

[Howard Beck]

frustration and has sliced open his hand.

[Zach Lowe]

He could have grown a third hand and the Knicks were not going to win that series.

[Howard Beck]

Yeah, I mean, he could have brought the fire extinguisher on the court and sprayed it in LeBron's face and they wouldn't have won the series probably. But I had to go back and look. I was like, why was he particularly frustrated then? I mean, 02 to the heat is kind of expected, but he had only taken, I think like nine shots in that game. And, you know, was. Was not particularly effective. Carmelo had gone 12 for 26 for 30 points. I don't know if it was that. There was definitely a Carmelo Amari thing back then. That was kind of unspoken. And there was just a very long period of silence of nobody saying anything. We don't know when he's. Yeah, there's an injury. There's a, there's a thing. There's something. It's. With the Knicks, it's always like, yeah, yeah, there's a, it's an arm. Just call it an arm. We'll, we'll get back to you tomorrow. But that was it. Like the, the only time I've ever seen somebody basically injure themselves non game related, that possibly hurt them within the playoff series that they were, yes, going to lose anyway, which they did lose in five. But still Amari's self inflicted wound, which did knock him out for game three. That's got to be.

[Zach Lowe]

There have been others since then. Was it Jaden McDaniels or Nas Reed that punched a wall?

[Howard Beck]

Minnesota, I think McDaniels.

[Zach Lowe]

And then of course, LeBron punched the whiteboard.

[David Jacoby]

Marcus Smart. Marcus Smart punched a. Framed.

[Zach Lowe]

I don't think in the playoffs though. I think specifically.

[David Jacoby]

Sorry, I didn't know we were doing playoff exclusive punching glass things. I'm sorry. Yeah.

[Zach Lowe]

All right. You have, you have back to back picks.

[David Jacoby]

Okay. Tonight I just want to have a moment of silence for canceling Magic City night in Atlanta.

[Zach Lowe]

It's, it's important.

[David Jacoby]

It's important silence. Now, some might think that Luke Cornett's sub stack is what, canceled Magic City. But the truth of the matter is the NBA looked at the calendar. They said, well, we can't go up against Zach Lowe's show. Live show in Brooklyn, New York.

[Zach Lowe]

A lot of similarities.

[David Jacoby]

Why would we ever try to compete with that?

[Zach Lowe]

A lot of similarities. Overlapping crowds and it was supposed to

[David Jacoby]

be tonight, but it's not. And then it got me thinking. Wait a second. We're doing moments in Knicks history. I do happen to remember.

[Zach Lowe]

Oh, God.

[David Jacoby]

The Knicks being caught up in an Atlanta strip club situation once upon a time. Maybe some of the younger people in the audience won't remember the Gold Club investigation.

[Zach Lowe]

This is a great Google deep dive for the youngsters in the house.

[David Jacoby]

When you Google it, the first thing that comes up is what?

[Zach Lowe]

Zach Lowe, Patrick Ewing. No, no.

[David Jacoby]

Bill Simmons

[Zach Lowe]

couldn't have his alley.

[David Jacoby]

Literally. This guy. Our boss has an idiot's guide to the Gold Club investigation. And it is the first, first hit on Google. I'm not going to tell you all about this, but I will say there were four Knicks involved. And just walk with me through this. Allegedly there were some owners of a strip club in Atlanta that had some Mafia ties. And they were charged by prosecutors for all the mafia shit that you think that someone who owned a strip club would get charged for. Four Knicks were involved, right? Larry Johnson, allegedly something happened in the club. Okay. John Starks, allegedly something happened in the club. Patrick Ewing took the stand, the stand and said that he received why oral things not once but twice inside the club. Took the stand and had to say that. However, the. The fourth Nick involved is apparently allegedly. The owners of the Gold Club sent girls to the Pacers hotel room and they knocked on one Pacer's door. Would you like something? And the Pacer said, no, thank you. I'm Christian, I'm married. Paraphrasing that former Nick and Pacer at the time. Mark Jackson. Mark Jackson, ladies and gentlemen. Hand down. I got another pick.

[Zach Lowe]

I would like you to go ahead and make your next.

[David Jacoby]

That's a lot of energy. I just. That's a lot of energy.

[Howard Beck]

Moving on.

[David Jacoby]

That was a lot of energy.

[Howard Beck]

By the way, Bill's the fourth hit.

[David Jacoby]

Yeah, Bill just texted me and he was like, stop. Yeah. The 1993 Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks win game one against the Bulls. Michael Jordan's Bulls, game two. 50 seconds left left. John Starks has the ball on the right side in the garden. Imagine a 20 lead against the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals. You can smell the Larry o' Brien Trophy. Patrick Ewing sets a screen on the left side. John Starks has seen this play before. And he sees BJ Armstrong reading the screen. And watch it again after tonight. John Starks does a I fake. I'm going to go that way. No, I'm not B.J. armstrong. I'm going to go this way. Clears him. Maybe Patrick Ewing pushed him on the ground, I don't know. You have to see the tape. It's up for review. John Starks goes in the air. Help defender gentleman by the name of Horace jumps in the air to guard the rim. John Starks jumps off of both feet, takes his left hand and wants to dunk the basketball. And that would be great because it's a three point game with 45 seconds left. That would put the Knicks up 20 in the series. But what really makes this play special is Michael Jeffrey Jordan seeing it happen. And he's not even in position to defend the play. But he runs over because he's the goat. And he's like, fuck, we're about to lose. What can I do? And he is just a bystander, let's be honest. He has no chance of blocking the shot. But if you look at the photo,

[Zach Lowe]

it looks like he really has a

[David Jacoby]

chance of blocking the shot. And John Starks have one of the best dunks. One of the best moments in Madison Square Garden history. There's been documentaries about it. And then The Knicks take a 20 series lead. And. And they sweep the Bulls. And they win the championship. And that's exactly how I remember it. And you can't tell me any different, right?

[Zach Lowe]

I. Sounds right.

[David Jacoby]

Do we have a fact checker here?

[Zach Lowe]

Sounds right.

[David Jacoby]

They win.

[Zach Lowe]

I will have more on that series later.

[Howard Beck]

The 90s were. The 90s were a blur. I don't remember anything. That's phenomenal. I cannot possibly do a setup or execution as great as that. Jacoby. I'm. I'm just. I'm just sitting like, you've already won the draft at this point.

[David Jacoby]

It was the strippers.

[Zach Lowe]

I got. I got heat. I got heat coming. I got heat coming at the back of this.

[David Jacoby]

We're in the middle of this thing, dude.

[Howard Beck]

All right, so fast forward. It's now the mid 2000s. And the Knicks are built around a lot of players. Who might do some fun, interesting things at times. Who will maybe do fun, interesting things at other teams at other times. But together are not necessarily, necessarily all that memorable. But certain things still stand out to me. Because there were moments where it's still like, I can't believe I saw that. November 20, 2006. I've, at this point, seen Yao Ming play in person a few times. Initially when I was still covering the Lakers. And the first time I ever saw Yao Ming was Yao Ming against Shaq. The first person I've ever seen make Shaq look human sized. He was a full head taller than him. And by that I mean, like, literally when he was standing behind him, guarding him. Yao's entire head was visible above Shaq's head, which was very far above mine. He blocked him three times that night. Like Yao just ate up Shaq. It was the most humiliated I've ever seen, Shaq. But now it's 2006, and I'm covering the Knicks. And the Nixon Rockets are playing a game at Madison Square Garden. And it's the far end of the court. And I still don't know that I saw what I saw. But I've seen it on YouTube. So this actually happened. But Nate Robinson, who you may recall.

[David Jacoby]

This is a good setup.

[Howard Beck]

Is listed at 5, 9. I'm listed at 6ft on my driver's license. But, I mean, I towered over Nate. Nate could jump as you May recall, won a few dunk contests. As you may recall, took maybe a few too many attempts occasionally to win a dunk contest. Nate Robinson fucking blocked Yao Ming. Yay.

[David Jacoby]

Dude, that's a great setup and great execution.

[Zach Lowe]

Holy shit.

[David Jacoby]

Way to keep the expectations low.

[Howard Beck]

Holy fucking shit. I still don't believe this happened. Even though I saw it live. Have seen it since. And there's a photo right there of it happening. The funny thing about this is they both. They come down and Yao immediately, like, leans over and his hands on his face. Because I think like, Nate raked him. I think he's raking him as we see it right there.

[Zach Lowe]

Got the ball first.

[Howard Beck]

Got the ball first. And I'm thinking, wow, this is absolutely incredible. Now the Rockets won the game, but who fucking cares? Um, Yao after the game. Quote, I've been blocked by a 5, 3 guy before, so that's not a record, huh?

[David Jacoby]

What? Is that real?

[Howard Beck]

Yes.

[David Jacoby]

Quote.

[Howard Beck]

I don't know who blocked me because my eye was already closed. Okay, Yao. Nate Robinson. Got you, dude. I'm sorry.

[Zach Lowe]

But it's a great deep cut. I forgot about that. It's a great pick. And you know what?

[David Jacoby]

You're a dick for being like, I does great execution and great setup. I don't know how I could do that. And then nailing it.

[Howard Beck]

Thank you, David.

[Zach Lowe]

You're not even. I have two straight picks now. We're going to try to be quick here. You are not going to believe the heat that they left me with. I mean, this should be what I'm about to pick with whatever pick in the draft. This is 9 or 10 or something. Should be the number one pick. It shouldn't even be close. Maybe Lynn Sanders is the only thing he can compete. The O.J. simpson game in the 1994 NBA Finals. Indisputably the wildest thing that has happened in an NBA Finals in the history of the NBA. Game five, not Game one, not Game two. Game five of a two, two series. Houston. Michael Jordan's playing baseball. There's a void that either the Rockets with Akeem Olajuwon or the long still even then, long suffering New York Knicks are going to fill the championship void. This is a pivotal game in the series. It's in New York. It's a must win. And O.J. simpson is on the run during the game. And I actually rewatched part of this game on YouTube because I was like, I gotta remember. I remember the split screen. They went split screen. Except the Bronco is like 80% of the TV. And the audio. And the game is like, down here. There were a couple of times where they just cut from the game altogether and just went into, like, talking about O.J. and it's like, if. If your humor is dark, this is very darkly humorous stuff because it'll be like Chuck Scarborough, NBC News anchor at the time, talking to, like, a dude in a helicopter. And the guy. I mean, this is almost exactly what happened. The guy will be like, yeah, Chuck. I can't confirm that O.J. has the gun pointed at his head, right? I can't confirm. I cannot confirm that. That the gun is pointed at his head. And then Chuck Scarborough would be like, well, that's it from the scene back to Marv Albert at Game 5 of the NBA Finals. And Marv would be like. And there was a point where Marv. Three of these into the game, Marv finally cracked. And he was like, it's a hard transition to make from what's unfolding in Brentwood, California, to here at the NBA Finals. Couple other tidbits from this which I had forgotten about. There's more. Oh, there's more. Jeff Van Gundy, during the 2016 finals between the Cavs and the warriors. On the broadcast, this game came up, and Van Gundy tells this story that Riley, Pat Riley, who is the coach of the Knicks, ran into Al Cowlings, the driver of the Ford Bronco that summer. And Al Cowlings, according to Jeff Van Gundy, and God knows, I didn't bother Jeff with fact checking this story. He told it on national tv. Al Cowings told Pat Riley, hey, you want to know why we were going so slowly? OJ Was listening to the game, game on the radio. Game on the radio. He wanted to. He wanted to get to the end of the game. This happened. The other thing that happened, which I'd forgotten about, was security was looser at NBA games than apparently a drunk fan from, like, the Delta club area. And MSG got into Riley's press conference after the game. The Knicks have just won Game five of the Finals. They're up three, two, about to maybe win an NBA championship. I'm not sure what happened after that. And the fan, the fan, drunk fan, is like, pat, Pat, back here. If OJ had cut left instead of right, do you think he would have gotten away with it? And Pat Riley was like, what is happening right now? This is all. These are all things that happened in the 1994.

[David Jacoby]

That was our Lord and savior, Charles Oakley. That was not a drunk fan.

[Zach Lowe]

And on a less. On a more personal note, this crowd is too young. 1994 was when, against every part of my soul, my hatred of the Knicks began to wither away a little bit and thaw. Because 1994 was such an awesome time in New York City and anywhere around New York City, specifically April, May and June, when the Knicks were on their way to the finals and the Rangers were on the way to win the Stanley Cup. I went to a giant high school in Connecticut, 2,000 people. So passing time was like just a mob scene of people running around. And in passing time, these random kids from Connecticut, the whole center of the school, there's a big common area would erupt in. Let's go Knicks. Let's go Rangers. It was like this is the coolest thing in the world that sports is this omnipresent. So that is a special time for me and the. And also the Knicks and the Houston Rockets. My second pick, my next pick. I told you I went chalk and I'll just keep this one quick. This draft is not complete without eight points in nine seconds. Reggie Miller. It's not. It's not complete. It's why and the crazy. Do you want to. So everybody knows he scored eight points in nine seconds to steal game one in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals from the Knicks. The Pacers go on to win in seven games. Ewing misses a game tying layup in game seven at the buzzer. One of the most painful moments in Knicks history. But this, this eight points in nine seconds, hits a three put, let's be honest, shoves Greg Anthony to the ground. Foul, not called foul. Gets the ball, makes another three. It's really six points in 5.3 seconds, I think. And he scored six points and he ties the game. Then the crazy stuff actually happens after that. Sam Mitchell, who played for the Pacers, intentionally fouled John Starks in a tie game with like 13 seconds left. And admitted years later he forgot what the score was. Thought that the Pacers had to foul. It's literally the J.R. smith blunder. But 25 years before, 22 years before, John Starks misses two free throws that have been given to the Knicks like Charity Ewing rebounds the second miss with like eight seconds left. The Knicks can hold for the last shot. He tries this like falling down jumper from seven feet, misses. Reggie Miller gets the rebound and John Starks fouls Reggie Miller in like a scrum who then hits two free throws. Greg Anthony brings the ball up and falls over the game ends everything after. Reggie Miller's second three pointer is even crazier than the two three pointers that led up to it. Okay. I told you I'd be.

[David Jacoby]

Thanks for that, Zach. Appreciate that. Yeah. Thank you so much. Yeah.

[Zach Lowe]

Remember when your mom died? It's 8.9 seconds.

[Howard Beck]

Phenomenal stuff. So there was a point here where I was trying to. In preparation for this, like, okay, there's all these crazy things that happened during the Isaiah era, right? There's, like, there's lawsuits, and there's all these blockbuster trades, and there's these terrible signings, and there's Larry Brown, and there's all this. And I'm trying to think, like, how do I sum this up in one thing? Is there one moment? There's not. So I just picked the entire Isaiah Thomas era as. As this one. But that's. That's deserved.

[Zach Lowe]

It even needs elaboration. What's that? I don't think it even needs to elaborate.

[Howard Beck]

It probably doesn't. I will just say. I will just say, like, the. The pinnacle of it was this. Larry Brown gets hired in 2005. Last one season, after which he is fired. And then there's a lawsuit. Larry Brown versus the Garden, the Garden versus Larry Brown. I don't remember who sued or countersued, but this season alone, they bring in Steve Francis to play alongside Marbury because Larry kind of believed that Steve Francis could, like, marginalize Marbury because Larry didn't like Marbury. The problem was that, like, Isaiah also didn't like Marbury at that point, and Marbury didn't like Larry. But Larry Marbury also didn't like Isaiah. 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 won to kill each other. So, yeah, that pretty much sums it up. And we can move on Jacoby.

[David Jacoby]

Okay. There's a place uptown called the Kingdome where on Friday nights, they would play summer basketball outside in the park. And I used to go there. I was kind of scared. It's in Harlem. And there was a gentleman playing basketball there. And the guy on the mic who I did think did the chicken noodle soup song, they called him the 8th grader. The 8th grader. The eighth grader. And I was watching this kid, and he was playing against homicide, RIP. And he's pushing homicide around. He was the 8th grader, and then he won the PSAL in 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, and 12th grade for the Lincoln Rail Splitters. And he's Lance Stevenson. The Knicks have the 39th pick in the 2010 draft at. Lance is on the board. I don't even think it's the commissioner at this point. And they're like. And with the 39th pick, the Knicks select.

[Sam Morril]

Land

[David Jacoby]

Dre Fields,

[Howard Beck]

who later let Jeremy Lin sleep on his couch. Come on, be nice.

[David Jacoby]

And then with the 40th pick, the Pacers select.

[Zach Lowe]

I forgot it was back to back. Like, that.

[David Jacoby]

Broke my heart. Broke my heart. Why would you not pick the hometown kid that won the 9th and 10th and 11th and 12th. The first. First to ever sweep it.

[Zach Lowe]

Why not?

[Howard Beck]

Is this worse than Frederick? Vice overrun our test.

[David Jacoby]

I kind of like Frederick Weiss.

[Zach Lowe]

That's the greatest dunk of all time, by the way. The dunk of death. They called it the dunk of death. That's the greatest dunk of all time. No dunk will ever top that.

[David Jacoby]

And then finally, with my last pick a year ago, kind of today, St. Patrick's Day, year of our Lord. Not to bring religion into it. 2025. I'm listening on the radio because I hope there's no one here that works for the Gotham sports app. I hate the Gotham sports app. I hate the Gotham sports app. With the force of a thousand hurricanes, I'm trying to watch the Knicks game. It's like, oh, it's the fourth quarter. Cool. I've got four. Four minutes to wait to sign in, to fucking. Oh, don't get me started. So I listen on the NBA app, on the radio function, because I want to hear what's happening during the game. And they say, sorry, there's a break in the action. Someone has vomited on the floor. It's St. Patrick's Day. The first thing that came to my mind. Zach, what is it?

[Zach Lowe]

I mean, I. You could go a lot of different directions. I don't know.

[David Jacoby]

Tracy Morgan. You'll never guess who it was. It was J.C. morgan.

[Zach Lowe]

It was a long delay, too, right? It was a lot.

[David Jacoby]

Yeah. Clean it up. Now, I do want to say this in his defense. He has been sober for years, and he said that he had food poisoning, but it was just so classic Knicks game that Tracy Morgan pukes on the floor, and they stop the proceedings forever, just like we should, because I've won the draft.

[Zach Lowe]

So one of my rule changes. That's a great pick. One of my rule changes. We're all concerned about speeding up the game. The game takes too long. If you sit courtside and you spill your drink on the floor during the game, you should have to come to center. No, you should have to come to center court while they clean it up and answer a series of interrogatory. Questions about your life, what went wrong in your life. This is great. How many drinks you've had to this point?

[David Jacoby]

This is fantastic.

[Zach Lowe]

Are you ashamed that you are single handedly delaying the game? That you came to add this to

[David Jacoby]

the Zach Lowe Show?

[Zach Lowe]

How about this? Can you name. Can you name four players participating in.

[David Jacoby]

I love this. This should be standard.

[Zach Lowe]

That's. That's a rule, right?

[David Jacoby]

This should. Oh, expansion teams and what, NBA Europe. Who?

[Zach Lowe]

You can't name that. If you can't name four players, you're ejected publicly from the game at that moment.

[David Jacoby]

I think this is the best idea you've ever had.

[Zach Lowe]

It might be, actually.

[David Jacoby]

You should trademark that.

[Zach Lowe]

I haven't had a lot of good ideas. Howard Beck.

[Howard Beck]

How did this never come up on our Drunk with Power podcast back in the day?

[Zach Lowe]

Probably because I got too drunk.

[Howard Beck]

Speaking of drunk, speaking of intoxication, this is a great segue. February 8, 2017. And somebody had to do this. I was at a Nets Wizards game down the road here at Barclay Center.

[Zach Lowe]

Oh, my God.

[David Jacoby]

Wait, Nets Wizards game gets a applause.

[Howard Beck]

I think it's halftime. And somebody comes in like, dude, you picked the wrong game tonight. You should have been to the other place. And then I pulled up Twitter or whatever it was at the time, and someone had just been ejected, a fan, from the game. There was a statement afterward. There was a statement about this person, about how the Garden said, this person came to the game tonight, behaved in a highly inappropriate and abusive manner. He was a great Nick, and we hope he gets some help soon. Ooh, classy. Classy statement by the Garden after rejecting Charles Oakley. I'm sorry we have to end on a down note on my last pick, but we could not end this.

[Zach Lowe]

I want to publicly apologize for my final pick. I won money from my stupid teenage friends partly because of the events that transpired in this pick. You mentioned the John starks dunk earlier. 1993. That was it. That was the year. That was the year that Knicks actually could have beaten Jordan. That was the team. That was the year they won two games up two. Oh, as you mentioned, Bulls, no surprise. Come back to Chicago. Tie the game, tied the series at two. And game five happens. And just a series of unfortunate events for Charles Smith. Just. Just the worst. The worst. Look, you can vote, you can say that I lost the draft if you want. I'm just saying he got blocked four times in a row. Four times in like three seconds. And they're legit. It's Horace Grant, Michael Jordan, Pippen. Pippen. Four times in six seconds. And then the game just ends. The Bulls get the loose ball and. And run down the court and BJ Armstrong makes a layup and the game is just over. And you're like, wait, what just happened? The game ended. Charles Smith got blocked four times. And I had bet all my stupid high school friends. Apologies, some of them, but none of them are here. I had bet a bunch of them that the Bulls would win the series when The Knicks were up 2 0, and I didn't even get odds. I was like, I trust Michael Jordan. They're going to win. I collected a lot of money. I was a complete douche about it. But it is one of the indisputably wildest moments in the history of the Knicks. So that's the end of the draft. Charles Smith. I'm sorry. By all accounts, Charles Smith is a very sweet guy who did not jibe with the very unsweet Knicks of the Pat Riley era. So that's the draft. Do we have a recap? We have a recap. OJ Game. Okay, should we just vote real quick?

[David Jacoby]

Well, it looks like all of yours are negative Knicks moments.

[Zach Lowe]

Yeah, that's called. That's called poisoning the electorate.

[David Jacoby]

Throwing that out there. It seems like. Seems like there's some election fraud, so

[Zach Lowe]

we should just declare that. I want to move on.

[David Jacoby]

Hanging chads.

[Zach Lowe]

Should we vote? Okay. If you think Jacoby won, just scream. If you think Howard won, screaming. If you think the name on the marquee guy won, just scream.

[David Jacoby]

If only we had a history of election fraud in this country.

[Zach Lowe]

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To conclude with the name on the marquee guy much, much less cool than the guy that's about to come out. Yeah, incredible Knicks fan. Funniest person in the world. And we're going to have a lot of fun. Stand up Comedian Sam Morrell is in the house.

[Sam Morril]

Yo, what's up? Hey, yo, what's up? Y Yo, I'm going to spill.

[David Jacoby]

What's up?

[Zach Lowe]

That's all right.

[Sam Morril]

How are you?

[Zach Lowe]

Here's what we're going to do. I'm calling it the Nick's Hate Index because we're a wholesome program here and I have a board here. Oh, I got to get my things. I got to get my things. You got your things.

[Sam Morril]

I go on this side. I don't know where to go.

[Zach Lowe]

First of all, you all know who this person is, right? We just saw him perform. My wife and I just saw him perform in Stanford. Are we allowed to say what happened after for that or no?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, sure.

[Zach Lowe]

Absolutely.

[Sam Morril]

We we weren't on Epstein's island.

[Zach Lowe]

We kept the PG just draw jaw dropping. Hilarious. And he was all in preparation for a special that he filmed a couple. A couple a week or two after that and it's just like absolute musty. But you all know who he is. Huge Knicks fan. So here's what we're going to do. I he is going to be the standin for Nick's fandom. Yeah, I am going to make a list, huh?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, let's do it. There's so much hate in my heart

[Zach Lowe]

for I am going to make a list from five to one of rival franchises that I think Knicks fans hate the most. And I'm going to See if my list matches his list. I also have a couple of placards in here that say other in case he goes off the beaten path a little bit. So I'm hoping. I'm kind of hoping he does. We'll see. I'm going to put this here, and I'm just going to go fast because this is your show. So number five. Number five. I'm just gonna go other. I'm gonna leave the door open for Sam to just be like, I fucking hate the New Orleans Pelicans and just explain why. Now it. Now it gets hard because we're going into teams. I have Indiana, Miami, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn.

[Sam Morril]

That is some bullshit. Applause. You know, the Liberty are the better team in that fucking building.

[David Jacoby]

Come on.

[Sam Morril]

Are you kidding me? How many of you are actually Brooklyn Nets fans? That is. I just assume they don't know basketball. If they. They were, for them, it's a. It's a terrible franchise. So I'm happy they blew it.

[Zach Lowe]

You'll. You'll notice that I have other in the fifth spot, which means. I just thought Brooklyn was not even going to be worth your time. So I eliminated. I eliminated Brooklyn.

[Sam Morril]

They're not. They got. They. Remember when they had KD and Kyrie and. And Zion on that graphic? And the Knicks, we all wanted them. Remember that? And then that was like, with like, we got to get Zion and. And thank God we didn't get him. That was.

[Howard Beck]

They.

[Sam Morril]

You had KD and Kyrie and you still didn't go to the games.

[David Jacoby]

It was.

[Sam Morril]

It's like. It was like Denzel doing community theater. Basically. You're like, what a waste on this audience, this greatness. Kyrie Irving and kd, two of the best players ever for this, by the way.

[Zach Lowe]

I had it. I had it on.

[Sam Morril]

I showed up for Andrea Barnani at msg.

[Zach Lowe]

I had an honorable mention list for wild things that didn't make it. And part of it, one of them was the Andrea Barnani trade. But I had a whole list of sad Nets things that have happened in the last 10 years just for fun. Ranging from toe on the line to vaccination statuses to other kinds of things to the mascot dying. Remember when they killed the mascot because everyone hated it? They straight up poochied the Brooklyn Knight. Brooklyn Knight was just gone. Okay. I also guessed that Philly was not going to be on your list.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Zach Lowe]

Okay, well, we'll see. Philly and the Knicks did not meet in the playoffs. From 1989 until 2024, you were at the Crazy Game, too, I think in 2024, right?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. I still miss Dante and Isaiah Hardenstein with all my heart. That shot was epic, dude. That was crazy. I fucking hate him.

[Zach Lowe]

Be.

Dude, I'm just going to go.

[Sam Morril]

I hate him. Grabbing Mitchell Robinson's leg. You fucking fake superstar.

[Zach Lowe]

Can you imagine Jokic doing that shit?

[Sam Morril]

When Jokic did it to the Morris twin, at least he. At least there was a call for it. That was weak, dude.

[Zach Lowe]

There's a reason why we saved Sam for the end. Just.

[David Jacoby]

I like this guy.

[Zach Lowe]

I might be conservative. You'll tell me.

[Sam Morril]

Wait, That's Philly at 4.

[Zach Lowe]

Boston, Boston, Boston, Boston, 4.

[Howard Beck]

Wow.

[Sam Morril]

Okay.

[David Jacoby]

I feel like he shouldn't be able to see.

[Zach Lowe]

No, he shouldn't.

[Sam Morril]

Philly at three. Wow. This is interesting.

[Zach Lowe]

Okay, no, Chicago, they put six tags. I'm only doing five.

[Sam Morril]

I can't see from here. Sorry, guys. Chicago. Okay,

[Zach Lowe]

this is where it gets hard, because to me, these are the top two. But I'm not a Knicks fan, so I don't know, maybe I'm wildly underestimating, but these next two. Two were really, really hard. But this is the way I decide to do it.

[David Jacoby]

Pacer's got to be number one, dog. Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Okay.

[Zach Lowe]

Indiana, number one is the most hated team. This is my guess. And now I'm going to let him go. He's going to make his list. I have other. So I have no Philly, no Brooklyn. I have another other Boston, Chicago. A lot of history, obviously, a lot of pain, but old pain, not new pain. This. We already had. Two separate brawls were discussed from this rivalry, and this is. This is fresh. Fresh pain.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. Brooklyn, as I can say, right over here. Let's go. Hold on.

[Zach Lowe]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Think about Chicago. That's tough. Is like they're. They're a rival from the 90s, but they haven't. Like, they're not a rival. Now in the 90s, they owned us, but I didn't even consider it a rival because Jordan just owned the whole league. So it wasn't like, do they own us? Or they just own every. It's like.

[Zach Lowe]

But you don't feel. You don't feel residual, like, pain.

[Sam Morril]

I do feel pain, but it's. It's almost not even fair, that pain. Because it's like. It's like me being like, the guy. Fucking Sydney Sweeney is my rival. You're the best. I shouldn't even be in the conversation. So the 92 with me, that was like my. I was like my first memory because we had McDaniel. I was like, oh, I was six, so, no, it was tough, but they just owned everybody. So I guess I put them like five. Is that right? We didn't really think through this whole two hand situation here, so.

[Zach Lowe]

It's tough. It's tough. Do you have a mic stand? You can put the mic in the mic stand.

[Sam Morril]

The mic stand. Sorry.

[Zach Lowe]

That's why. That's why they gave it to me. They were afraid I was going to knock the whole stage over.

[Sam Morril]

All right, let's see what else we got. I think I'm going Philly for just because proximity you got to give him. And, like, I'm so glad Trae Young isn't on this fucking list. I'm so sick of hearing he's banished to Washington, D.C. where he has to suffer. That's. You know, Remember Javaris Crintenton? He played for D.C. and he murdered a guy. And I think he's having a better time in prison. Prison right now.

[Zach Lowe]

Oh, my God.

[Sam Morril]

DC's sucks. I. I was so worried Trey was going to be a problem when he. When he cooked us in that series. It's like a bully. You worry about when you're, like, in third grade and then he just never grows and you're like, oh, good suffering dc. So, yeah, I'm going Philly four. Because I'll say this, the proximity, you kind of have to take that into account. Philly's close. They're a tough spot. Sports town. They're psychos. They threw batteries at Santa at an Eagles game. They're savages. I'm going Philly for. I hate. I have a lot of hatred in my heart for Embiid. Like, I respect Maxi. I think Maxi's a classy player. But I. I embiid once.

[Zach Lowe]

He.

[Sam Morril]

He, like, kicked Hardenstein the nuts in that series. He's trash to me. I. I can't.

[Zach Lowe]

I do respect that. The Philly section was at least 50% about Trae Young.

[Sam Morril]

You know, that series still pissed me off. That Trae Young series. Okay, I'm gonna go. This is weird, but I'm gonna go Miami 3.

[Zach Lowe]

Oh.

[Sam Morril]

Because I. My childhood. I hate. Fuck PJ Brown. Fuck that piece of shit forever flipping Charlie Ward. Yeah, that team I hated. Vashon, Leonard. All these names haunt me. Dan, Thunder, Dan. Dude, I hated them all. Jamal Mashburn. So I hated that team. But we kind of had their number for the most part, and we cooked and, you know, the Allen Houston floater rattled in, one seed going down. That was epic. But, you know, losing Riley still hurts me. I Mean, that was like, as a 90s kid, Riley was like, he was a classy coach. He was a winner. He came from la. The way he carried himself with the slick back hair and the cool suits and, you know, and then he just goes to Miami. It felt like looking at an ex, move to Florida and find like the right guy, you know, I'm like, you figured it out. So they're my three.

[David Jacoby]

You're doing a great job.

[Sam Morril]

You know where this is going. So you know what number two is. And it's a lot of it is proximity again, because, you know, we didn't align like our primes, our great teams don't really align with Boston. So you look at like 70s Knicks last time we. People remind me, as a Knicks fan, you haven't won in 50, whatever years. I know, I know I wasn't alive, but. But that was when we, you know, Frazier Reed, we were, we were amazing. And then the Celtics weren't that great in the 70s. The 80s come along, they're a dynasty. We're not that good, right? Then we get Ewing. No disrespect, but Dino Roger wasn't winning you guys a ring. You know, the Dino Roger era mashing

[Zach Lowe]

the Croats with me and my wife present. Uncalled for. Uncalled for.

[Sam Morril]

Dino Roger era Yugoslavian stud, though I had drip.

[Zach Lowe]

I had drinks with Dino Roger once in Split, Croatia. And let me tell you something.

[David Jacoby]

Let me say that again.

[Zach Lowe]

Let me tell you something. It's not a good idea. It did not. It didn't go well for me. It did go well for Dino's son who came up to us. We were sitting outside and asked for money several times during our three hour beer session to do. No, just don't drink with. If you find a Croatian national team member in any sport, don't go out to drinks with them.

[Sam Morril]

Damn, Dino Raja. All right, well, he looked like an alcoholic, too. He was like balding in his prime. He didn't look good. He shouldn't be like balding at 26. But no, he was, he was a good player. I mean, that Yugoslavian team was nasty that once. Brothers Doc, I'm not going to lie. I fucking cried. Drazan Petrovich Vladi, that was tough, man. So then, you know, the, the Knicks get good. We have mellow. That's when we kind of put. We put. I put an end to that Boston team that was kind of old Pierce kg. That was a hell of a team.

[Zach Lowe]

But they had a great coda to their career with the Brooklyn Nets. Though.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, that was pretty cool. That was worth all the picks, right? And then. And now it's back again. So now I feel like it's also Yankees, Red Sox. There's just something about New York, Boston, and I love Boston. I taped two specials in Boston. I have a lot of love for that city, but I fucking hate the Celtics. I hate them, dude. Jaylen Brown, is he a great. I met him once, too, and he was super cool. And it bummed me out that he was cool. Cause I wanted to hate him. He watched me bomb a show at the Apollo. Don't ask how I did this kid. Super Fashion Week show. And I. Here's why I bomb. Here's my opener. They dress you in, like, a fashion outfit. And it's all Fashion Week.

[Zach Lowe]

People.

[Sam Morril]

They're all like, you know, not my audience, obviously. And my opener was like, man, I haven't sweat this much since I had unprotected sex with a Qanon chick. And, yeah, that's why I fucking bombed in front of Jaylen Brown. So. But he came backstage and he was really cool. He was like. That was funny. So we hit it off, and. And I was like. And I was trying to plant some, you know, some bad vibes. I was like, dude, what.

[David Jacoby]

It's.

[Sam Morril]

What do you say to all these people that think it's Tatum's team, though? You know, it's kind of weird. It's like, I don't know. That's what everyone's saying. I just want that. That's my hope, is that they just turn on each other. But how good did that feel when we beat them? That was fucking. We were down. We were down game one and game two. Yeah, by 20 in both games. I'm on the road. I'm losing my mind. And then I made it back for the. I was watching the fucking tour bus, and I'm losing it. And I came back for the game. Awful game when Tatum went down. That was terrible. Clearly, he did not see a Knicks fan doctor, by the way, that turnaround for the Achilles. He's like, you gotta get surgery immediately. And we can. You know, if that was a Knicks fan, he would've been like, why don't you wait a couple days and we'll see? But, wow, that one was too offensive even for New York. All right. There's a line even for New York, I guess. All right. But no. But then game six, where they won at the Garden, I'm there with my buddy Stavi. We lost our minds. We were so happy. We were like, we need to buy Nick's gear to commemorate this night. So I bought a Brunson jersey. I'm an adult. I shouldn't still be buying jerseys. But I was like, I need a jersey and a hat. And yeah, we lost our. There's like a picture of us in the street somewhere. Like, ah. Like you go onto 7th Avenue and every New Yorker is just losing their mind. That was an epic night. This is sad that this is like my championship. But. But you were talking about it earlier, like the John Starks dunk. Like, can you imagine talking to a young kid about this shit? Like that's what we call. Like, it was the dunk. And you're like, oh, you mean that thing that happens 47 times every game? But that was, that was what we had. So Boston is two rivalry.

[Zach Lowe]

This is a great prelude to potential Knick Celtics second round. This is all going to get. This is all going to get recycled if they play each other in the second.

[Sam Morril]

I mean, they're tough. I. I'm not going to lie.

[David Jacoby]

I.

[Sam Morril]

They made me nervous. Like I had a lot of text threads going. Like, I don't know if we got this. Like, I felt nervous that that team looked like a super team two years ago with KP and H. Holiday and Horford got old quickly. That was like Obama in office. That was like, holy shit, you got gray overnight. That was wild. But I mean, they were, they were legit.

[Zach Lowe]

I mean they were legit. I can't believe how good they are given how much they lost for last year's team. And Drew's been good this year in Portland. Went healthy. Drew's been good.

[Sam Morril]

He's good. No, Drew's. He's one of my favorite players too. I hate it. The Celtics got him. Who doesn't love Drew Holiday? He's like a two way beast. He's awesome. But you know. No, this. The Celtics look good. Praden, Peyton Pritchard. He annoys the. Out of me. That dumb Rick and Morty face. That really. He's so good though.

[David Jacoby]

He's.

[Zach Lowe]

I was going to say he annoys you partly because he's good and he's like crazy good for someone that height.

[David Jacoby]

He's so good.

[Zach Lowe]

Just bullies it. Bullies like bigger dudes, like shoves him out of the way.

It's crazy.

[Sam Morril]

He looks like an NBA Jam character with that face. But no, he's a killer dude. He's a one on one killer. They're so good. And Hower hits threes and Hugo Chavez or whatever. His name is that new guy, Gonzalez. Whatever he's called.

[Zach Lowe]

I don't know, Hugo.

[Sam Morril]

Hugo, Whatever his name is Hugo. Yeah. They got. They have a squad and they got. They got young. That look. It's a good. They made good moves.

[Zach Lowe]

I am contractually mandated at any mention of Hugo Gonzalez to state that he has one of the best plus minuses in the NBA.

[Sam Morril]

You know what bugs me? How much Missoula talks about how much he watches the town. We get it, dude. It's a good movie, but set four times a week. No, you don't. If you watch that movie four times a week as a head coach in the NBA, you're irresponsible.

[Zach Lowe]

I think, I think I asked him about it when he came on my podcast, and I think he kind of, like, artfully just sidestepped it. And I don't think I hit him hard enough. Like, let's do the math on the number of hours that that actually means. And it doesn't change. You know, the ending is the same every time.

[Sam Morril]

I know. It's like, that's why I like Tibbs, because he looked like all he did was watch basketball. Like, he looked like he was just in, like a motel room on the side of the road watching, Watching play by plays. I like a coach who's never been married and has nothing else to live for. I like, there's something about. He looked broken.

[Zach Lowe]

They should bring you in for the next cycle of coaching interviews. Do you have any.

[David Jacoby]

I said, you look like you've never been married.

[Zach Lowe]

Do you want a wife?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, like, like the movie Eddie with Whoopi Goldberg. But me, I would do that. No one remembers that movie. You know what the saddest part of that movie was? Was the ending was we made the playoffs. It wasn't like we won the ring. They're like, we're in. We made the playoffs.

[Zach Lowe]

It was the Patrick Beverley, like, jumping on the table after winning the play in game.

[Sam Morril]

Yes.

[Zach Lowe]

All right, well, we. We do. We do appear to have the same number one, which feels. It feels like Indiana.

[Sam Morril]

You knew who my number one was going to be.

[Zach Lowe]

I. I didn't. I honestly didn't know because the Miami hate is very deep and very strong.

[Sam Morril]

It's deep. You know what? If this was like three years ago, I might have had. I would probably have Miami too, because Jimmy Butler and us losing that series. Yeah.

[Zach Lowe]

And also, I will say last year's Pacer team, pretty. Pretty likable. Or is. No, no, no, no, no.

[Sam Morril]

Hold on, hold on. I hate the pacers as much as anybody here. But they play the right way. The moving the ball and everything. I hate that. No, dude, okay, hold on. If T.J. mcConnell were Nick, you wouldn't love that guy. He's so annoying. We got our own, though. We got Alvarado, but. No, but I know what you're saying.

[Zach Lowe]

They move the ball.

[Sam Morril]

It's un. They're tough to beat because they're unpredictable. That's why. You don't know, like, Halliburton is like. You know what he is? He's like. You ever play video games with a guy who just hits every button and like. Yeah, I don't know how to defend this shit. You don't know what he's gonna do. He's got that ugly ass form. He's weird, but he's. But Halliburton is. He's proved himself as clutch, and that makes me hate him even more. I hate Reggie Miller. He's probably my number one most hate, most hated ever, I think.

[Zach Lowe]

So the great thing is that Reggie, if he were here, would be like, respect. I love you.

[Sam Morril]

No, you know what? I was at a game last night, and my friend, he was calling the game, Reggie. And he just held. He wasn't even thinking.

[Howard Beck]

He just held him.

[Sam Morril]

He's like, hey, will you take a picture of us? He handed Reggie the phone and Reggie just took a picture of us. And I was like, you know who that is, right? That's fucking Reggie Miller. He was like, that's funny. Reggie would have had. He would. I mean, if he just took a bunch of pictures of himself, that would have been the coolest move. But no, he was a villain, man. And look, we all know his sister was the better player, but he was a stud. He was a stud. Cheryl was. Cheryl was the truth. But Reggie, I have to. I have to give him his flowers. He was an incredible player. The reason we hate him so much is because he was like a. He elevated in the playoffs. He was that dude that if he got the last shot, you knew it was going in. And I. I mean, he did push Greg Anthony, though.

[Zach Lowe]

I think so.

[Sam Morril]

Greg Anthony for sure.

[David Jacoby]

That.

[Sam Morril]

That eight point.

[Zach Lowe]

Did the Knicks push Tyrese Maxi at that game?

[David Jacoby]

He.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, we did. We did, we did. But you know what? That one. Yeah, it was. It was cold.

[Zach Lowe]

Inconclusive. Should we just say plays inconclusive.

[Sam Morril]

Look, yeah, playoffs, no, but Reggie, God, I despise. And he didn't look like an athlete. He looked like he should be connected to a dialysis machine with that. With that awful Physique. That was. I always hated Reggie, but, you know, he was a gamer dude. Like, he was. That team just bugged me, too. Mark Jackson's dumb shimmy. And he was a New Yorker. That's why it really pissed me off, because he was ours and we let him go. And that Knicks team was so freaking cool. Like Derek Harper at the Point, and Starks and Oak and Mace and Ewing. Like Hubert Davis. That team, like, you felt like that team should have won one. So that. That hurt. They weren't the team that stood in our way. We lost to the Rockets. But you know what? I don't know what you're applauding here, Rockets fan. Oh, damn. You, Akeem. Yeah. Akeem's like, see, I should hate the spurs and the Rockets, but they're not. Like, Akeem is just not. Reggie was colorful. He wanted to be the villain.

[Zach Lowe]

And you got to give it to Akeem. In those two title runs, he was like, every center coming for me, I'm going to embarrass your ass in the playoffs. David Robinson, Shaq Ewing, embarrass. A little strong, but he took it to all of them. I was like, I'm the best guy. Don't. Don't mess with me.

[Sam Morril]

He was the best. It was unfortunate, but, you know, But Ewing doesn't get the love he deserves. I'm sick of hearing Bill Simmons, Ewing's theory shit. I hate hearing that. I. What? He just has. He has two much. Hayden is hard for you, and he won't admit it, but that Boston bias goes strong. I was at the game when Halliburton rattled in. That. That was brutal. Because that's what I mean. You don't know how to defend that guy. He's a wild card. I hate it. Mitch on him, too. Mitch normally blocks him like that, but it's so unpredictable. So that game sucked. And that if that game goes the other way, as it should have, we're probably in the finals. So that. That one hurt. The Pacers are tough. Aaron Naismith is. How do you pronounce Naismith? Whatever. Doesn't miss. Doesn't miss a shot that whole game. Nemhard doesn't miss against us. They're a scrappy team. That's why they're tough. And look, maybe in a year, Detroit is on this. I didn't even mention Detroit.

[David Jacoby]

Ooh.

[Zach Lowe]

Who is like, I gave you other. I gave you other other.

[Sam Morril]

They're not there yet. But, like, dude, we're. I'm not psyched up. Like, even that series we won last year. Tough even that. There was a. We might have fouled Tim Hardaway Jr. On that shot.

[Zach Lowe]

Might have.

[Sam Morril]

But you know what? That's payback for four years. $70 million for that you stole from us.

[Howard Beck]

I believe that was 82 million.

[Sam Morril]

82. She's. Whatever. Whatever it was. I remember I was dating a girl at the time, and I looked at my phone like. And she's like, who died? I was like, no, we. It's a bad contract anyway. Yeah, that game sucked. But they do. They could have beat. They were that tough. They were a tough team. They lost Turner. But I also don't like that they got Zubots because I like how that guy plays.

[Zach Lowe]

He's good.

[Sam Morril]

He's a brick wall. He kind of fits their culture. So next year, if they get a stud in the lottery.

[Zach Lowe]

That's what I'm saying. This. This. So Indiana, number one.

[Sam Morril]

They're number one. I. I hate Indiana, but there's a lot of hate in my heart. So this could have gone a lot of ways.

[Zach Lowe]

This is why you gotta. This year, like, east is gonna be a different beast next year. Zubots. Who knows what happens with Giannis. Lots of other stuff. Sam Morrell, just the funniest.

[Sam Morril]

Thank you, guys.

[Zach Lowe]

Thanks for coming out. That's it. We're done. Thank you to David Jacoby, Howard Beck, Sam Morrow. Again, thanks to all of you guys for coming out. It means a lot. The weather sucks. New York is the greatest city in the world. Thank you, everybody. I'll see you later.

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[Sam Morril]

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[Zach Lowe]

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[Sam Morril]

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[Zach Lowe]

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[Sam Morril]

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