Jalen Brunson's Leadership and Legacy

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Call one eight hundred five two six seven seven three six to learn more. or visit trmphayiaradio. com Bill Simmonss podcast is brought you by Fandle. The conference finals finally is here. We are down to four teams. takeake you know to go down, take a shot with Fandull. getet closer to the action. And as you know, I've been telling you for years. Fandal, the best place to bet the teams players and playsers during the NBA post season So the same game parlay shot at a better payout or try live betting and jump into the accident for tip off Or just follow me and my pigs because every once in a while I'll put them on social Download the Fandoo sports book app R now player game twenty one plus select states are eighteen plus DC, Kentucky, Wyoming. Game a problem called one hundred gamar call eight, sevvenenty nine, seven seven, sevenenty seven or visit ccpG dot org slash chat in Cnecticut. All right, the Bill Simmons podcast, we are live after game five. Our friend Tim Legler is here. Kind of a ghostly massage here for him. kindind of kind of mat. It's like Yeah. Definitely man. It's my queen album covered look I like it. Well matching the weirdness Weirdness we just had. I think it's kind of fitting because it It feels like I don't know if the spurs can be OkayC twoor. We have a lot to discuss. wanted to mention have new rewatchables coming that came out on Monday. We did Animal House. You must love Animal House. That must have been C years from way back when I don't know you can catch that And you can hear legs. What's the name of your podcast? The All Th things podcast? All city All All city podcs get a blanket. Yeahah yeah. And of course you can see legs on the the finals, which are coming up. All right, game five here's my big takeaway Just a missed opportunity for the spurs Oh yeah. I felt like, you know, it's two AJ Mitchell gets scrapped Jen Jayen Williams gets scratched pretty much like an hour before the game, although I feel like we're expecting a little bit. And then SJ comes out and was really bad for the first six minutes of the game. He said after the game, he said that was like the worst first quarter he's had in his career. he's probably exaggerating And the spurs, I just never really felt the urgency. They showed that that that one halftime speech when it was like eighty seven, seventy one, whatever it was there're down sixteen and Wendby's got the guys around and then they came out and played with some passion for I don't know, four minutes, but I don't know, man. did they think this was a nineteen game series? What's going on with them Here's what I think, a couple of things. I think first of all, you're right about the opportunity., you know, listen You you've got to win another game there. to win the series, right? And so you look at this situation, you don't have Jayon Williams. You don't have AJ. Mitchell. It's like their first First game they're going to get get them like kind of like Wow, you know, this is a bit a lot of pressure on us here because we don't win this game We're going to have to go to San Antonio with the prospect of being closed out awwful lot of pressure on the home team in a two two situation and you're missing a couple of guys So some guys are going to have to step up. So you would think like San Antonio's roach should be like, this is a game. notot only that, you know, we can get, we have to get. That's kind of how I think their approach should have been going in probably felt that way Um I they just didn't play well enough in this situation to get it done. And I think one of the things that jumps out right away is You look at Victor Weminyama And a lot was being talked about like during the game that you know, he' kind of quiet, passive, didn't get a lot of shots didn a lot of touches where he wants it. He had some free throws. So his numbers weren't like horrific early The thing that I'm thinking about while I'm watching that bill is this when you look at the other guys in his league just go with like the the all NBA team if you want to and even guys on the second team Those are guys because of the nature of their game, like physically, the, you know, their their dimensions. They can get theirs when they want to get theirs a lot of times. That's not always the case for Viictor Wembinyamen. it's not going to be He's seven foot, you know, four, five, whatever you want to call it He's slightly built seven six, seven, whatever you want to call it. They say every time I hear a game with Victor Yama on it, they say as they say his height differently. So I don't even know. Let's I typically go with seven five because that's what it looks like to me canan't just go get it when he wants to because of that. Sometimes it works against him If if he's not catching the ball in ideal spots, if some of their actions aren't designed So he can get a quick roll to the rim from a decent distance not twenty eight feet where he's got to take two, three strides. where he can get chipped and bumped along the way If he can't find those actions, those spaces or even some of the early stuff sometimes when he gets some threes going because it's early in transition canan't just go put it down, use his live dribble skys up counter move off the dribble and get what he wants, go to a fadea away jumper or an up and under in the midrange or whatever. It's just harder for him So there's got to be nights When that offense isn't just going to be automatic And most of those guys in this league when you look at Yokage, you look at Shay Um you know, you look at Luca, you look at K the Kave Cunningham's of the world, the Jalen Browns of the world. When you look at those Anthony Edwards, when you look at those guys And look, they're not always going to shoot great, but they can operate in spaces where they can go get a shot for themselves most of the time if they're not blitzed And it's not that way for Viictor woman Yamison there's going to be nights with that offense is going to be a little inconsistent. Now he affects the game defensively, you could rebound, could do all those things But there are nights man, where you need your best player to go get you thirty. and he is not going to be able to do that whenever he wants because uzz of the way he's built. And that's kind of one thing I noticed about this game early. The way he was being defended, how hard it was for him me to touches where he wants it didn't really get involved in a game offenseively in a game like this with what's at stake kind of needed Victor Weemiao to be a lot better than he was offensively Yeah, you're talking about the concept of feeling somebody throughout a game The best players in the league, you just kind of feel them, even if they're not having the best game They're still around there' in it. What's weird is They did this in game three. And they made a big deal after and game four pop came in and yelled at us after and we had to go back to being us and we had to And it's like, I thought you guys learned your lesson already that if you're just the The three point shooting team and went beast twenty five feet from the basket This isn't going to really work. Now. You could also argue they lost the game because they gave up almost one hundred and thirty points But I'm with you. like, okay see Um, because they were able to capitalize on some of the turnovers and some of the some of the weirdness of the game and were able to patch together some stretches even when SJA wasn't playing well I just when I watch it because I obviously love watching Weny as do you I just don't really understand how they use them sometimes. Like when you talk about like how do you get them more involved, they were talking on the broadcast about Get him in the paint. See, see what happens when he's in the paint Is it really that hard to get him near the paint? Like You could start them under the basket and have them like drift up. You could have them kind of near the block trying to back in, but There was seem like they fall in this habit of he's just at the top of the key. His three wasn't going tonight. I didn't feel like he had his legs tonight either. Um he was over for five from three So For me, it's like, are you doing what OKC wants you to do? And the answer is yes. This is they they're really hoping going into this game that you're going to play this way with him and that's That's how played out think there is ways to get in the ball and look they know this M Johns a great coach. There are ways to get in the ball some nights It happens a little bit more organically for them. They mandate it, whatever it may be his determination to get it. I love him personally. when he sets ball screens inside of, you know, twenty three feet, twenty two feet. He sets elbow ball screens. He setays ball screens. where he starts at the elbow and sort of heads out toward the sideline, sets it so that when he spins out of it, it's like one stride. It's easier to come off the screen and just quickly throw it to him as he first starting to move toward the rim, and then it's very difficult for the rotating defender to do much with it because of where he's catching the ball. If you just think he's going to run down the floor go into the post area and just kind of put his hand up and get it where he wants. You can see time and time again. he gets into wrestling matches down there even against smaller guys It's not that easy to do and Sometimes I think their guards don't give them enough time when he gets a switch. he's got a smaller guy. He, you know, a lot of guys in this like like if it's Jok it, let's just use as an example that obviously wants to touch a ball in the post as well It's guy like Yokage, he gets the switch. He goes somewhere you know, near the lane and then he just stops, camps out and uses his weight and strength and just holds the guy there, puts a hand on. you just lead him and he catches everything You know, whenen Miama's got good hands to But it's harder for him to just hold his position and keep keep that defender at bay this' trying to back into him and they're trying to use their back into his thighs and like dislodge him. Now he can get there. You've got to give him an extra count And the problem is against OKC That means the ball handler needs a little bit more time, the pass needs a little bit more time. The problem is they're being pressured like hell out there. So they can't just sit there and hold it and wait for Victor to get his position down there, they end up reversing it. And by the time he now looks like he's ready to receive it, the ball's going to the other side of the floor. It's going to the top of the key, then to the other side. And now you're asking an awful lot. Now is he going to flash from one side through traffic, get bumped three times and go catch it on the other side of the lane That's just not his game. That's not his physical profile to play that way. So the quick hitters off the ball screens when he sets the screen closer to the rim and he dies quicker, the ball hits him like right away as he's moving. He can catch it, he can do something really effective with it. And actually that's where he draws most of his fouls I didn't see him involved in a lot of actions like that in this game He was catching it a lot turning and facing and trying to figure out what he wanted to do against guys off the dribble and that's just not going to be there every night for him. the way that it is other elite scores in this league who can get lower They can set you up, get into a step back jumper from wherever they want. They can cross you up, counter, maybe even cross you up and then go back between their legs the same direction and get like a little pull up and operate in a one on one space. that's just not going to be there all the time for Victor. And it wasn't really tonight And they needed more from him and, you know, at the same time, Oklahoma City was getting really good performances from some guys That had to be big tonight. one of which you, you know, you had texted me earlier Sid McCain's got of a great game. seven for nineteen's not a great night, but it was very. secondecond half. Yeahes. second half Ver impactful It's w, and that's your younger guys usually at home are going to be a little bit of a safer bet. I wrote down maybe playoff experience does matter question mark. So here's the thing with playoff experience because this was the thing This was the thing we always talked about during this season with the sppurs. They're too young, they're not ready y. Well what does that mean You think like, you're too young, that means, oh my God, there's so much pressure. I don't know what to do. I've never been here before. It's like Almost like how it would be like with a quarterback M in the playoffs last year. Oh. And And then Well, we have Dave Jacobbe here on the Zoom for some reason, trying to figure out This is exciting. U But But when I think about playoff experience Sometimes it's just kind of knowing what to do in a game like this, right? He's twenty two years old It's like, hey They don't have Jayen Waves They don't have AJ Bitchell Come out in the first half and have like the game of your life, have like your ESP and classic game And that's the youth thing. I feel like when he's twenty seven, twenty eight years old you just approach this game a little bit differently. But I don't listen No, I wasm just going to say now you're right. I I look at the like the Dylan Harper component to this. He's such an factactor because he's so physically talented. He's a guy can play through pressure the the, you know, the the grabbing holding that you're going to get against these OKC guards partarticularly in the post season. he could play through that stuff. He's just got strong shoulders, forearms. He can still get to his spots. He's got, you know,ult multiple speeds he plays with I think he's a little bit like more affected when Daron Fox is out there. Dearon Fox is running more of the show. It's almost like Dylan Harper is is like in a different mindset You know, a game like this He plays twenty five minutes. He takes five shots from the field. Don't Harper is too good a player And he is physically too gifted against this type of defense for him to be some sort of afterthought for them offensively He needed to be much more aggressive had the opportunity to be aggressive. He could have made up for some of what Weemby wasn't giving you because not everybody on this team can play through that stuff Harper K. he can still get where he wants to get on the floor, but he really was sort of quiet and passassive and he look he's a young player on the road in the biggest game of his life. yeah, that probably factors into it and some of these guys from the Thunder Man have been here before. Their younger players are just a little bit older. than some of experence. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I felt like Castle in the first half was like that. Like he was just super sloppy And u I thought was hurting them. And then in the second half, you could see he's like, you know, I'm going to put I'm going to get my defense going. I'm going to put my head. I'm going to get get to the basket. He actually had a really good second half Harper did not and Fox was bad. I don't I think Fox is hurt. I don't feel like he had any left. I agree. his' four for fteen He just didn't have that trying to play through it, man. And I respect that. I really do, man, you know, you're not going to sit there and If you can go, you're not going to sit there and watch other guys play like you're, you know, well they need guys the only guy to take care of the ball abbsolutely need him. He's you know, had the one playoff series under his belt, you know, before this season. This guys like I'm not missing this for anything, but I think you're right. because he has He has that next level quickness that gets to From point A to point B and against the team like the Thunder. you really need that because of the way they close down driving lanes. They're so good at helping in the lane closing out with speed to the three point line. Like he can match that speed and he doesn't quite seem likeike he's got all of that and it is what it is. He's going to play through it you know, thirty three minutes four for fifteen from the field. That's not really typical for Darren Fox for a guy that's such a natural scorer. I agree with you. I don't think he's right Not a lot of coast to coast stuff with him No either. With all that said Wby whenby kind of sucked for him Fox the Nb lift They didn't really show up And Champanne kind of kept them in the game the first half kindind of like the shot San Antonio was getting in this game. They had they missed a lot of corner threes in the second half U I thought there were stretches where I didn' I didn't love the whistle. They were getting offensively. I thought they did a bunch of dumb stuff defensively and some some of the Fouls, but But it was weird. they were hanging around, hanging around, and it was at one point near the of the third quarter. I think it was eight And it was like, shit This is They're going to steal this game. I've seen this before. onebody iss going to put the superhero cape on in the fourth quarter Okay, Se did a really good job and Hartenant Hartenstein and Caruso And then McCain getting hot near the end. But I thought Hart andstein and Cruso If you had to pick The number two MVP of for OKC for this series afterfter SGA, obviously who's the NVP. Who would your number two MVP choice for OKC be? because mine would be Caruso Man, it's tough. honestly, yeah, you probably would be Caruso. timeliness of his shooting what he always gives you in other areas, but the timeliness of his shooting and scoring has been immense in this series. But again, you could hand pick some spots for Hartenstein to. you go, where would they be without the way he played you know, has not been anything like overwhelming offensively. prettyty solid. I thought Hartenstein was great in this game U he really with his his rebounding his his touch, the way he makes you pay with that little push shot, which just, you know, I always refer to as releasing the doves. It's just the strangest looking shot that he has perfected and he just he's letting you lets the doves go like in Central Park somewhere. like that's what it looks like. He shot one of those by the way over Wembinyama on the right baseline Um that that ball must have traveled it's like eight, nine, ten feet Um a ball ges like a we shot It was and so you think about the actual distance. It was like a twelve foot shot that traveled a greater distance than most NBA three point shots. Well, the other thing I love with him He how high that ball tble D thing I love with him. Well, two things First of all, his fouls. are just hard you feel in fls that aren't flgrance, but Each one is like a foul and a half Yeah The other thing He gets offensive rebounds, but they always feel like they're these big quarter swinging offensenseive rebounds. likeike he had two in a row that led to I think two threes I'm going to say it was like an eight point game all of a sudden. it was a thirteen point game Just because he kept two possessions alive So that I agree with you. I said this in a pot a couple of days ago like I thought in game one, I was like, man they're going to play them off the floor. You're not going to be able to keep them. now now you watch and you go. How are they going to let this guy leave this summer? because he's got like the twenty nine million dollars team option JW'bss contract pumps up Hgrens contract pumps up. They got Lou Dorth. they have to figure out, you know, they're going to be in some real tax issues. They haven't shown a huge appetite to pay it, but I don't see how you let Hart andstein. I don't see how you let him leave. I also think he'd have real value to I don't know, eight ten other teams that have capf space or at least the mid level Definitely because he one thing he totally understands also is He is the master at finding late in the possession, little pocket that he has to get to to make himself available when a guard penetrates maybe it's they've already tried a couple of axes wasn't going. Now a guy just gets downhill and it's like going to be a bad shot that somebody's about to throw at the rim and And then here comes Hartenstein from the baseline and he flashes right into that middle of the lane area. You know, ye ten, twelve feet. he catches it and he gets that soft shot out. So he bails out some of their possessions He gives them extra possessions. and he has six offensive rebounds. I don't think. you can tangibly even quantify How many additional offensive rebound opportunities he creates because they've got two guys trying to keep him off the glass. R O guys guards then sneak in and run down a long one. guard should have been there for the opponent They're not because they're helping Chip one Hartenstein because they're tired of watching him get two or three in a row That's a whole notother element to like what he brings to it just because of his activity. And I love that your your point about the fouls. You don't play through those for and ones against Hardenstein he's going to he's going to hit you in a way. And again you said it's all, it's all legal stuff. She's chopping down on you know, arms, biceps, forearms as guys are trying to get up and then you're gonna to feel it And you're not going to most importantly, you're not going to play through it. for an one, you're going to have to go earn them. in a lot of cases, maybe, you know, your arm is like numb when you're like going up there to try to shoot we in your ar Yeah So SJ had thirty two, sixteen for seventeen free throws, six turnovers. McCain eighteen Hardstein was twelve and fifteen and Caruso was twenty two with six deals and four threes. I have two big picture questions for you This is the basketball fan Just that after game one which was an all time, all time, all timer I was like, wow Buckle up This is a series for the agges Did we fly a little too close to the sun? Because we haven't had a good game since. This series has not been a classic Game onene had All of the everything you'd ever want And then we've had four kind of eh probablyroably never watch any parts of any of these games again Where are we with this series now? becausecause I'm watching well, that'll lead to big question number two, but I'm watching this one like I really thought this was going to be the finals and it doesn't one hundred percent feel that way, so why mostost anticipated game of the entire season without a doubt with what's at stake in this games because what I said earlier, San Antonio, a lot of people, you know, believe can win the series. we're going to win the series This is your chance This is your chance You know, they both they split on each other's floors. So now you go, Okaykay, this is what it sets up. this game five. you get it, you get that last home opportunity to close out the defending champion. This is what we grew up with. these awesome game Fives. This is it. This is a game that shows on NBA TV for twenty years. Game five is the one. and I agree with you. I mean, obviously, what all you really want as a fan When you sit down to watch it as a broadcaster or I'm calling the game Give me some drama late That's all you really ask for, man. So somebody that has to really rise up and show a lot of nerve to knock down a big shot. like some great defensive play U That's all you're asking for, man. that inside of a minute game could go either way type of feel to it and no, you haven't really had. he had that incredible first game the greatest games any of us have ever seen in the playoffs. And you're thinking as we all were, Oh man, we're going to get like five or six more of those. It's going to be incredible. And it's I guess that was too hard to live up to, man But look it might have it might have taken something out of both teams. like we've had a bunch of injuries since that game and a bunch of guys that don't look like they're a hundred percent anymore Yeah. Well, they listen, at least it certainly beat what We were calling in the Eastern confonference fininals with what would on And I certainly got that same drama in game one of that series. Yeah, you did with what the Kicks had to do twenty two point deficit in less than eight minutes And Brunson just put on an all time show and then, you know, goes overime Nick wind. And then the rest is history. And you know, particularly how those last two ended in Cleveland. Um So at least, you know, these games, even though like Oklahoma City got up tenall, fifteen, eighteen, whatever it was You're still sitting there going, there's enough time Spurs are good enough. and like the way the game was kind of going, you like Spurs could make an eight oer run here ten o run. This could still get to a six point game with five minutes to go and they just you know both in both cases throughout the series haven't been able to make that run that really made the other team feel it outside of game one. really feel it they were going to chase you down and you're going to have to really earn this late in the game. So yeah, I guess so. I mean, I guess from a fans's perspective hasn itt lived up to it. I don't think anybody in Oklahoma City is bitching about that right now. They're up three two and that's That's that's fine with them, man. They don't need to have the drama that we're describing if they can end up winning this in six or seven games Well, that leads to question number two. We head into the series thinking this was the NB finals The Kicks are just playing better than both of these teams. Yeah It's just a fact. Now you could say it's the schedule they played, but Um It's really hard. I think you were there too, the twenty fourteen finals Spurs Miami and the Spurs just hit that level where they just put were playing so beautifully together. I remember being on TV bo and being like, I think this series like in game four, like I think this is over the sppurs kind of solved Miami and I think they've gone to another level and it was just the selflessness and everything we're watching, which you just watch for four games And if I'm them, I feel like I can beat either of these teams now. Now we don't know if OK say if JW comes back and Mitchell and they have a full team and they're going to have all these dudes to throw Brunson. you know and try to wear him down and guard him ninety four feet. I get there's some match upp stuff, but Just holistically, if I'm the Kick, I'm like We're in a heater These teams are just going to beat the crap out of each other and Somet magical is happening. We can actually win the finals, which I don't think anyone other than them would have thought two weeks ago, right I mean, I go back Two weeks ago, I probably been thinking of it, they haven't lost a game in a month in the playoffs. So I think once they got into that Philly series and started hitting their stride And this was looking this way every night offenseively someomewhere in the Philly series it started look like, okay, damn, the Kicks M, like they've really like closed that gap with the West because at one point, I don't know how long ago you'd have to go back. let's say for me probably, you know, March late March, early April where you're going It's a foregone conclusion, whoever wins the West is the NBA champion At that time, there was even a time when Denver was even still kind of included in that But it was really, we were mainly talking about the top two teams and Here's what I'll tell you, that narrative is now completely changed because of the way the Kicks are playing. Now I'm not I'm not sitting here predicting the Kicks will win. What I'm saying is now you've got a series with whoever they play That's kind of basketball that they're playing because it was going to take something That was going to be almost mind blowing offensively to think that anybody coming out in the East was going to be able to operate the way you need to actually win a series against those two defenses And that's what the Nicks have reached They it's's it's literally a level of offensive basketball as you sit there. It's so overwhelming for their opponents. You can't really even believe that you're deep into the NBA playoffs. and this is happening And it was a switch was flipped in the middle of the Atlanta series. They haven't lost a game since eleven straight Sow some really interesting stat. I kind of had some people dig up for me because I was really curious. I'm looking at this team and I'm going, when have you had five starters at the same time playing this well in rhythm I looked at their I looked at their field goal percentage as a group. The five starters. ty three percent. as a group Okay. So I went and I said, well who else has done that? You know how far you have to go back The only three group of starters that were this deep into the post season. that had a higher field goal percentage collectively amongst starters Then the next team this year Weerere the eighty four, eighty five and eighty six Lakers Jesus and they were lay ups and dunks half the time. That's what I'm saying. That's exactly what I said. It's magic, It's Kareem. it's worthy Yeah. likeike this is the this is the team And they did it three years in a row, a little bit a notch above that And then the nexts fifty three percent for your start as a group And it's like, it's, I mean, what bridges finally cooled off. I mean, I was like, okay, you know, because the numbers were getting so ridiculous. At one point he was sixty seven for his last ninety seven from the field. and a guid it suots mostly jumpers. It gets a little bit of slashing stuff, a couple layups in transition, but a lot of it is pull up jumpers A couple of threes a game does go to line ever to get rhythm. So at he's shooting he's like sixty seven for his last ninety seven one point he was seventy two percent in an eleven game stretch Landry shamot comes off the bench. What does he do? Lets go eleven for twelve from the twelve teams Yeah, it was fun. We had a funny back in Fort Richard Jefferson on the broadcast that He's like, you know, man, one guy that's made himself some money is land is sham and. I said, is ninety two percent for the three point like consider good in the conference finals, I don't So even that stuff. U But it's the starters. That's really what we're talking about here. The flow that they have the way they're sharing the ball. you know what that does, Bill for for me, It means this. you can win on the road now becausecause balance Travels, defense travels. their defense is playing alm as well as their offense, but their offense has a lot to do with that because it's been so good. You're taking a ball the net all the time. their defense is going to be better It's the balance, balance travels. You don't need it from one guy on any given night Gu are picking each other up. And it's just this machine like performance off ensively does now thrust them into the conversation of yes, yes, it's possible. The Kicks could be the champions. when this is all said and done. certainly, they're worthy of going toe to toe with whoever they face in the NB finals. And I don't think anybody thought that going into the postseason. There was a worthy challenger to those teams Well, they have a couple of things you want, right? So They have a star who can go toe to toe in the last five minutes of a game They can come from behind. They don't necessarily they're a little like OKC in the sense that they can kind of survive a bad game from anybody in their top six and somebody else will pick up the slack They're getting all these fast break points that Not sure that's going to translate into into playing OKC or San Antonio, probably not the same as when like James Harden and some of the cabs are out there U but You know, I think about like I thought the best two teams I saw this century and it's not even close for the with the seventeen Warriors and the zo one Lakers. I just thought levitated above everybody bothoth of those teams legitimately could have gone undefeated And then we've seen teams that went on heaters as the playoffs went along, right? The Nuggets hit a point twenty three where it was like, Jesus, Oh, it's happening for these guys.. There's Spurrs twenty fourteen is another great example. And then the eleven Maps where these teams seven eight guys and they just you can kind of see them figuring out in real time The interesting piece with the Ks is the math is on their side too. They're like, what are they plus twenty now? net reading playoffs. I remember doing this before the Dallas Celtic series. like at some point the math is the math If somebody's just killing everybody for a month, You have to take that seriously. and I don't think the East was that bad either You know, that that cavs team. I thought was a pretty pretty tough well rounded team. The Nicks were better than them, but they by the end of that series, they were they were tapping out like a UFC fighter, you know Andh I don't know. I just I think the Nicks can beat either of these teams. I really do. I would not have said that even ten days ago, but I wouldn't have them favored. but I I mean it's like fifty fifty Yeah, Bill, I think it would be honestly foolish for any person to say that they couldn't at this point. I mean And I understand, you could talk about the path and who they played. And I mean, I think also there were some things in the Western conference that the path was a little bit easier than we thought it was going to be for these teams.. But but listen, you look at theicks. there's no doubt. I mean you know, Atlanta gave them their their biggest test. Pilly was, you know, dealing with DMB stuff banged up there they they were not not themselves. It still doesn't explain what the Kicks did to him. It doesn't explain in this series what the Kicks did to him. Now look I don't think cals cs the way that arepl playing, cals aren' winning that series regardless what happened in Game one You're not recovering from that. You're not recovering from that against this team the way they're playing because that so this team comes into that game They're already on like hyper dririve offensively R And now okay, man, this is a tough spot. you put them in. So what do they do? They go have a forty four to eleven run that actually kicked their overall hyper drive into another level for the rest of the series. So because they had to find it like in that moment. I look, I don't have this all that's in front of me now I had it before the game notes going into game four the other night when they swept But it was like number one in all the playoff teams and fast break points per game. number one in three point shooting percentage overall. numberumber one in field goal percentage There were one or two off I think one two offensive rating one defenseive rating vice versa. I was kept they kept flipping it back and forth every time they play a game, But top two either way on both ends of the floor. They were dominating points in the paint. They were number one and second chance points like Every way you can get it offensively, they're getting it And it's even more even more than that, even more than a num, just sitting there watching them the connection between each other It's special. It's something special that they've got going on right now. They have lost two games in the postseason in which CJ. McCollum hit a last second shot the beatle by one point Right Or this team is very, very posossibly could be twelve and ner Instead, they're twelve and two because of CJ. McCollen playing great at the beginning the Atlanta series. But once they figured out how they wanted to play They haven't looked back And it's another long layoff for them. you know, going to be incredibly fresh. Um when the final start if this thing ends up going seven These teams are going to get Sunday Monday Tuesday three days off Nicks are sitting there again for N a week and a half. Exactly. They're sitting there Waiting now the differenceces in this last series they were waiting and then you had to come into the garden You're filly comoming off of their seven game series to Boston had to come into the garden right away Um, That'll not be the case and this time. The Ds are going on the road one way or another. So it's going to be a little bit different environment for that game one where you set the tone But regardless, I think it'd be foolish for any person to watch the Kicks right now and not say They absolutely could envision them being NBA champions with this is all said and done T McCollum shots reminiscent of The Oo one Lakers would have gone undefeated if not for the OT game that Iverson to step over here. right? R And then the twenty seventeen Wriors won their first fifteen hadad a chance to go sixteen and know, that was Katie's first year and that that team was incredible And that game for in Cleveland was attrocious officiating game. And just a weird game where you just everything felt wrong about it, but they really had sixteen and no would have been You know, nobody's done that. U And then I look at the N and it's like, yeah, they're like wo CJ McCollum shots away from being twelve and zero right now, which is a whole other level of of everything. so You mentioned this earlier, but I think it's important because I haven't gotten to see it in person And you're sitting there courts side watching it. Did they they've passed all the eye test chemistry. They have the secret unselfishness, guys pulling for each other. It seems like they check every one of those boxes. What did you see as you were sitting there one hundred percent they do. the chemistry, the what's being said to each other in in whatever, you know, moments of adversity've had within a game or if they're not playing as well as they want to, the leadership that's coming in the huddles the way that guys are respecting each other if they've got a voice they want to do Um, The most impressive thing about it is Ive watch this team now. I don't know. we so we did two of the Philly New York games. we did obviously all four of the Cleveland games. So that's six we did. onene of the Atlantic game. We did the game in Atlanta when they went up sixty one points So that was yeah, pretty impressive. But so we called that game. So I've seen them now seven times, I think in the postseason And the here's what I tell you They are not ever missing the next pass that's supposed to be made. Yeah. It's made every time like every every time I call a game. I mean, it's like every third trip up the floor. I'm thinking to myself just the way my mind works. ball should have gone here. That should have been reversed That guy' open. the ball needs to go there because it would led to this. that roller needs to be hit on the short pocket. I don't say that at all with the Kicks. It's every single time it goes we're supposed to. Now a lot of that is They're playing with this is surge up the floor and you can see what it did to the calves. The calves literally stopped running They're just like this is just It was a ra guys Yeah. I mean, it really was. you know what do you think about it Bill they had What was it twenty five fast break points and a half Get a has The record for a playoff game is thirty eight. They had thirty the end of the third quarter, they could have had thirty five if they wanted to keep running. They could have forty five if they ran the entire game for whatever reason. But obviously you're not going to do that in a game like that. So they didn't get to the record, but like And it's obviously that was a lot about the calves and just a lack of commitment, man to turn and sprint, run back, match up And they just knew they were overwhelmed and was it is what it is. But it's not just them that they did it to. They did the same thing to the at the end of the Atlanta series. they did the same thing to the Sixers And broke They broke three teams in a row. They really did. I mean and that's the thing you're watching. happen right before your eyes You're seeing competitive will be taken away with what they're doing. Now the most shocking one For me by far was the Atlanta series because that is a three two series Very much up here there Atlanta's at a home for a game six. You're like, okay You know, we might get a seventh game out of this right away in the first round. Of course there wass a lot of tension still about the knicks and they were down to one at one point And they were up forty five points in the first half forty in the first half. And so you're like Okay, this team has they've got waves. that they're hitting you with where every single read is perfect Every cut is with intent. everythingthing they're doing right now is like literally like if you're any coach at any level, man, this is what you want your team to look like offensively because they're they're just they're just doing everything on point on time for each other. And then at the end of it, which you never know if you're going to get They're finishing it with shop machine Like that's the one thing you can play beautiful basketball and not shoot well. They're doing that too every single game So and that is what it looks like. And their defense has been just swarming becausecause again, teams of have let go of the rope because they're getting just smashed. And so now they get careless with the ball as well and it looks like this you know, pirana tank and they're just grabbing the ball and going And and it's amazing how fast these games are just turning into an inferno for the other team where it's like a not winnable period of six minutes And that's what they've been doing game after game and that's like been the most impressive thing of all Well, and they have an incredible crowd And then on the road, they're now traveling like Red sock style with it felt like it was half the fans of that cavs game. What was the crowd like in game one because It felt like ESP had almost had to lower the crowd mics justust so we could hear the announcers. There were some fan videos that came from that game. Right where it was like ten out of ten deafening in situations like that with those cans on where the crowd is coming through the cans and you almost can't even Hear anything? How loud was it We're doing the open on the court. you know, myself, Mike Breen, Richard Jefferson about to do the open and we're standing shoulder to shoulder. and I was having a difficult time hearing Mike Breen So, you know, fortunately I kind of knew the questions. So I just watched his lips and when he stopped moving his lips, I started talking, you know, because I kind of knew what the question was. but Yeah, it was it was on that level. the And then and then gotot real nervous in there the game one. Yeah. Chffs took it to them and it was like nervous energy and it didn't at one point it like didn't feel necessarily like the Garden in a playoff game. They were waiting for a run that never came until it happened in that stretch when they, you know, he just kept getting one on one against Harden over and over and it took six incredibly difficult shots. that he gots well, I'd say four incredibly difficult to like sort of tough F really tough shots And they This term staying over with three point shooters. let this guy go. A six in a row. The leads been cut in half And there's enough time to win the game. Now they started making decisions. I Do we run a guy outam halfway atam. What do we do? The rotations were good and sham hitrees Bridges hit a couple threes and the rest is history. But there was there was a lot of nervousness in there, but I'll tell you this, though, Bill, I will say this Brunson started making those shots. you're still down fifteen, sixteen, fourteen to me like that crowd knew Right then They were going to win that game Be because of the history with the guy Nually they watched him do it twenty times We just needed this. We' waiting, hanging on the edge R see. We were so loud early. and then man, they jumped us in the third quarter. And it's like, wow, are we going to lose this game? It was a little bit of that in the third quarter They were just waiting to give us one like eight o run And we're going to be fine and that's what he did. You what'sny You know it's funny. I'm gonna believe it again Brady was like that. He got to that point as a QB where you could be down the whole game And you know, they go for it on fourth and one, the other team and screw it up and like, you're giving us the ball back. Oh my Godd. Brady's closing. you just kind of kn know. I know. And it feels like the Kicks are like, wow, you're letting us hang around Brunson's going Do you realize what's about to happen? becausecause he's at that point. What do we do with him There's There's been very few little guards like this in the history of the league who have been able to be the guy on the team that took a team to the finals. He's never been considered fiveive or six guy in the league. He made second team O NBA this time around U, I think we all thought inccredible clutch prayer Could you win four straight playoff rounds of them? probablybably not. And now he's kind of trying to knocking on the door of like that top four top five in the league just because of what's happening. I is there can you think of another player? In your career, playaying in the league announcing king about it. Is there another player that you can think of who's been like him There's not a comparison for him for this reason. O guys that have been smaller type guards. that are your team's highest volume shot taker leading scorer. That's a hard way to go about it. If if you got a guy that's, you know, under six six even, that's like your point guard ish that takes all most of the shots and like ye Okay There' has' to here's why he's different than those other guys. Most of those other guys. Lightning twit And so they played a certain way that you're like, okay you can see how you get escapability He doesn't he doesn't have that. Now he's got a He's got a shiftiness that he can shake you and get by you because he's got to set you up But think about it and I think it's a great great u lesson for young players you're not necessarily the most athletic because I would call his game a grounded game. He's got a grounded offensive game if you're kind of one of those guys that's got that. So here's what you have to master footwork balance gets strong Get in the weight room. Footwork, balance Strength And then the last component that you can't teach that he has is a certainty of in himself of what the result is going to be I think Jayen Brunson is more certain. and and especially in big spots when he goes up to release the basketball that any player in this league He is the most certain of where that ball's going to end up and that is incredible because he's not going to shake you entirely. He's not blowing by you and getting it to the the glass before anybody can react. He's not getting to an area on the floor and elevating thirty eight, forty inches for a mid range pull up or a lean back He's not doing that. He's a grounded offensive player that you still can't stop because He uses a strength footwork balance IQ and at the end of it He's so sure of himself Yeah. it's it's that's the really to me, the final component sets apart. He is one of those rare players brighter the lights, that's what he's kind of been built for his entire life. U this is what he knows and so he was the perfect player that the Nicks acquired at the time We weren't sure is this the perfect player that they just acquired because you didn't really know it wasn't his team yet when he left Dallas Now it was his team and you're like, okay, let's see what this looks like and This is what it looks like. And the guys I by the way, shoots forty six percent or up, I think every single year So he's a smaller guard that's way more efficient than most guys his size have ever been in this league There's a sustainability with how he does it because this has been four years now and it feels like he's just getting slightly better each year use like The one great Isaiah Thomas season with the Celtics, the second Isaiah Thomas When he had twenty nine a game He was an NVP candidate, they made the think they made the conference finals But you're watching it like, man, he's going to get hurt He's just flying to the basket, right? And he's like this little guy going against these big dudes and over and over again felt like who's flying to the basket support. I always felt watching it like , there's like a shelf life with this. I don't see how you can playing this way Brunson's more almost moves more like Yokage where it's like I feel like he can do this for ten years. This is all like footwork and confidence and no. So when I think about the guys there's nobody to compare him to But he's got pieces of different Gree guys from over the years, right? Like Isaiah was toughest guy in that piston team, right? That was a bad boy pistons. He was the toughest guy. But also like in the end of games, he knew he could take over and score I don't remember seeing Oscar Robertson. I was too young But that was talked about the way he controlled the pace of a game and just slowly painstakingly got to spots that's what made him special So there's guys, but to watch a six foot one guy who Control game with his footwork basically who's the toughest guy in his team. And then you hear Mike Brown say this week that Duncan and Curry are the only two people he's ever seen as leaders like that. and those are best leaders of the past thirty five years in the league that everybody talks about like if you add this guy You have a culture the entire time you're there So yeah that too. It's just it's an all time signing. It's one of the great free agent signings in the history. No doubt about it. I mean, they're talking, listen, mean there there's a lot of people now in New York and you see it all the time Online or conversations or podcasts, whatever the topic comes up, Greatest Nicks of all time played himself in a conversation to the point where if he wins this He's able to win this and he puts up the kind of typical jail and Brntson numbers in an NBA final and this guy averages like thirty or something in an NBA finals and and they they upset San Antonio or Oklahoma City, which It mean it's be as big of an upset now as it would have been, but I'm saying, you know, these are both, you know teams that won north of sixty, right? And he's able to pull that off and also doesn't have homect advantage of doing that And he goes in and he, you know, shoots fifty percent from the field and averages thirty and like and they win a title It's I can't even I can't even know like where with three years in baggage. That's what I'm sayingere do you Where do you shoot historically if that happens? It's been fifty three years, you know, twenty seven since they just got to the finals. You know, So's he's a special player manan. and got the right guys around him Give Hey, give Leon Rose in that group a lot of credit, man for what they did and the pieces that they went out and got Um evenven a guy like Bridges who gave up a lot for and he was getting beat up times this year and certainly in the Atlanta series, you know, the game before this whole streak started, remember He had no points and four turnovers and game five of that series I'm sorry, gain three of that series. where they go not too work? And it'ss it's completely turned around for him. So Even even here he's figured out where to go in the court That's the best for him whichich I like that took two years And here's why That subtle change made to their offense with Kat and look it's it's his ass system was spiked in the Atlanta Sies. they're not having quite as high since. 's no doubt he's touching the Ballore. His shots are down. hisis scoring is down. It's interesting, but he feels way more important because he's pitching the ball twenty five, thirty more times a game. But And so what that has done from a brridges standpoint is he's really good Weak side. getting a little brush screen and then curling and slashing through the lane catching some of these passes from from towns or doing that continued run to the other side and then he's that guy that will catch the ball and immediately catch it put it down for one drible for eighteen foot pull upp. His natural motion now within the spacing they have is so much more suited to him. that's standing around waiting and watching high ball screen forty five times a game and hoping it's going to come your way. That's not the kind of player he is. He's the kind of player now he's moving the entire game And that's what their offense looks like now without a lot of play callalls, by the way. It's just spacing and putting guys in the right spot at start And then Nake reads and it's it's really suited his game. So it's not a coincidence that all sudden started shooting well not Wells is an understatement in the century that he's doing this. It's because his offense now is much more suited to his skills set. And so he looks comfortable and confident. OhG's been great for them, obviously Kat, you know, Josh Hart is like the probably the heart and soul of what they do with what he gives up every night to try to win It's been it's been awesome to watch a man. They're just, u they're just absolutely on fire. That's the biggest question, whoever they get in the finals What are you going to do to slow this machine down because that's what they've turned into offensively their machine? I still don't completely understand the cat piece of it because He's was in the twenty fifteen draft. He's not like a twenty seven year old player at the right. He's been in the league for This eleventh or twelfth season And it was like, this is just who he is. He's going to get dumpfs. Um, there's going to be games when It's just going to he's going to seem upset that he's not touching the ball enough. He's going to get beaten on the glass every once in a while. He's going to be defensive l He hasn't been any of those things. He's been like additive. he's like, you know, he'll go six for nine Tam rebounds, maybe two turnovers. So have one dumb Fouey chaff This is the most I've enjoyed watching him and it's like basically because he's been relegated into being this awesome supporting guy, which maybe should have been his destiny all along. Well, I think what he's what he's done is transform himself by the way he's playing into now you look at him and go, that's a winning player. That's a guy. you can run percent as your center. And so and you weren't you didn't know exactly what He was he had a lot of talent and he was kind of multid dimensional, big dude that could play some power basketball, but really can shoot it But you didn't know.'s here's what I think the greatest testament to what I just said about how he's labeled now This season all year, man. like every time we saw the Kicks saw Mike Brown like we were asking for the game because cat was the number one topic of conversation in New York surrounding the Kicks because it was like up and down offensively. sometometimes just didn't seem very included. Sometimes it was less like man it doesn't really fit. It doesn't seem like He's even happy like in this offense, like running this offense. He didn't seem happy They changed it. they changed it mid season and then really changed it into playoffs. Here's though, what I wanted to say about them All of that bill Every night the guy rebounded. It was like death taxes teeen rebounds from Carlton and Towns And so that helped them continue to win and how it's how you end possessions by securing the defensive glass So that was there every night And this guy is not a guy that's like gobbling off soft rebounds. He's not getting, you know six a game off Miss Freed. He gets Physical, tough rebounds and traffic where he used his body and he has been this Physical presence for them in that starting lineup defenseively even on the nights when he only gets eight nine shots and that's that's changed I think the way a lot of people maybe have viewed him. This guy is now like aing fit for what they're doing And I just I just love those kind of stories because he's a he's a he's a great person like he's Wade careiously he's raised well, like he's he's polite. He's just a good dude And it was like he had a lot of talent. You were kind of just wondering what is his What is his ultimate label in this league? And I think this is like now the perfect situation for him to be appreciated and admired for like what he is capable of doing Um and he's he's been just a biger part of this, But the good thing is they don't have to get it from any one of these dudes on any given night because they're all doing it So it could one guy one guy could have it offnight. It's okay Everybody else right now is such rhythm it doesn't matter Well, the other thing about when you talk about the appreciation, That's the other thing at stake for these guys and Yeah haven heard I say everybody's been talked about the next for the last couple of days, but you win the title You can see it with the guys who didn't win the title Who didn't even like really make the playoffs that are still invited to these games and are part of the past with the Nicks guys like, Oh yeaheine Marba. I don't think he won a playoff series. You know, Ewing obviously made the finals Starks did These guys win Towns could be strolling back in there thirty five years from now. it can be seventy years old. Oh there's no There's standing invation. Like that's what'ss that's some of the stuff that's at stake here. I mean they you kidding me? They're at They're at the place now where like Jose Alvarado would get that treatment if they this because he's so popular there with like his energy and like what he does. And by the way, to your point, like I don't I don't I've never seen that many former players showing up in games at the same time. ever Yeah this league. That's just not not the Celts have that many I be fifteen guys there the other night from like different eras and stuff. It's really cool, man. they're allre pretty neat Vibing on this and the city is obviously just so electric right now Um, I don't know what that city is going to look like they actually pull this off and win it if it's is I don't know how getting out of the arena I don't know. We Brain fortunately knows all the tunnels and stuff. so you can, you know, get out of there if you have to after the game. Wellough he'll probably stay there and be, you know, back there, you know, because he's said look the guy's a Nick fan, you know, he's the most unbiased broadcaster I've ever seen when he calls Nicks games. He's every bit as enthusiastic for the other team and whatnot, but he calls Nicks games. He's a life lifelong Nick fan. everyverybody knows that Um, and, you know, here he is with an opportunity. he's going to be calling his first finals as the lead play by play guuy with the Kicks in the final. So it's kind of interesting dynamic to it as well. But he's Yeah that's obviously the best in of the business. and I'm lucky to be sitt next to them Yeah, he's been a K Nicks fan since age seven But I think I think you geek out the Ns fan side of you geeks out before and after the games, right? And you're doing the game you're just doing your job It's almost like you're an airplane. You're an airplane pilot You're just youre moving on the levers. He's setting you guys up. You're just lost in the game But I'm sure there's gota be moments when he's just like, holy shit It's the fucking finals. We made it. I'm here We've we actually have a chance to win. Jesus. What's crazy is for all Nick fans think there's like how quickly they just dispatched of the conference Yeah. like like that's the thing like you're going into this you're going into this you're the three seed. So here in you know, but you think you got a chance. You're like, okay, you know, Detroit proven They got some offensive issues the Boston is missing got ten back late, but like they're not quite the same. We're a three C, but we have a real chance and then what happens? the one and two get taken out for you. So you don't even deal with the one and the two And now you find yourself with home court advantage and you lose Indiana who's your nemesis. They're not even to begin with They're going with stuff. So so so like and now you go Okaykay, going into the playoff. I'm sure Nick fans were thinking like hopeful nervous like you would be like we don't know exactly how it wass going to go. to like completely dismantling the Eastern conference. suchuch clockwork The first round knockouts, night after night And and here they are sitting there with all the time time off waiting to play whoever's coming out of the West You know, sometimes that's just how it goes. I even feel like the twenty twenty four Celtics two years ago I don't know if they would have be in Denver But we never found out because Denber never made it and the way it just lined up was like perfect for them. Sometimes That's what happens. you know, like u Milwaukee in twenty twenty one where the nets just fall apart as that series happens. Phoenix somehow ends up in the finals, Davis gets hurt and then just things things go your way and that's what happens when it's a year. The Nicks have been healthy They jelled at the perfect time And it feels like's the match cl. that's really that's the key to it. likeike they's so rare It's so rare for a team to hit perfect rhythm. their absolute peak and beyond probably any any reasonable expectations for what their peak was. They actually smashed through what their ceiling was this time of year at exactly the right time that you have to have it and to do it now and sustain it series after series You know, one more series to g. We'll see we'll how it goes, but they got some work to do left in the West Well you get to call the games. Hopefully you'll finally get a good series. talkalk about getting boned over with with drama and a playoffser. Did you Did you call one good game So guys are likez for seven. I think it's Richard's fault. I don't think you should take the blame. I think it's Richard's fault We did the nick comeback game against against Cleveland Oh, that was a good. Okay. So you're one for seven Yeah because we called the whole conference final. So we had that Yeah, I forgot So you got to go one good one I'm trying to think. We we did we did a game, a Philly Boston game When Ibed came back and they beat Boston And beed was great in the second half. Is that game five Game five Yeah. Iame five game That was a huge f there That was a that was a good game at least. like was There was some drama to that. I'm trying to think. Um, maybe was maybe it was one more, but no for the most part, well the Brunson game was awesome. So you you at least had one good one Tee? I mean, you're just You know, was the greatest greatest comeback under the circumstances in history of League. So yeah, that was that was like we still actually the next morning I was in the hotel room in New York and I was still I was still kind of really processing what I just watched because of how how big they were down with that amount of time to play Um, and what Brunson did You know, and the beginning of that run, take a look at the first two or three shots he hit incredibly difficult job. He had one off the back board that I have no idea how it didn't go flying off. I don't know what you were talking about. Yeah. I was like How did he even have touch on that The ball hit the white stripe on the top on the very top. Fr the right right off the right linke. and it look shooting this way. Exactly. I just don't know how that went in Yeah, I remember I I rememberall when that happened live and then I got to do the replay on that particular shot And as I'm talking, it's super slomo, high de. And so you're watching this ball and I'm like, It just kept going up and on because the first time you saw it live, I wasn't exactly sure where it hit. I know it was up there. And then you see the replay it hit the white strike on the top of the back booard from that angle and went straight through Yeah that's when you're like kidd me that' still they're down like eighteen when he hit that you're like, okay, that's what it took to get down eighteen. How are you going to finish this off So just it's just qu been unreal in Clevel Yeah They announced Akinson in the front office is coming back today. They're set up now for Bron come back that I don't think will happen, but at least on paper, it could be discussed They have to get under a luxury tax Whatever team we just watched is not a team that's going to win four straight playoff rounds. So they're going to have to figure out, how do we pay less money How do we shift stuff They're stuck with Harda now because they ob subm made some wink wink s will blow up the last year deal. We'll give you a shorter deal to save some money. What's the move if you had to pick Mobli, Alan or Mitchell as the move for them T reset the team and maybe try to shed some money and Rster in a different direction. whoo is the guy you would look at to guide look at to move or to keep T go around If if you had to get rid of one, what what makes who makes the least sense for them or would you cut ties with Mitchell at this point? Like what would you do I don't think I' cut Tiza Mitchell. No. I still think I still think when you have a guy like that and even in this series, first I don't think he was right. I think he had something going on with his groin. He was lipping a little bit. I think it was you guys were talking about that a bunch. likeike he didn't have to have the l sometimes I don't think I'm trying to think. I don't I don't think they had a dunk in the series Okay, you're talking about a guy that's like he's know he's going to get one or two of those Rim attacks a game where he takes off, right? And Ties a Tomahak on somebody He didn't really have any of. He sts weird because he still had a pretty good numbers for the series overall. like the only guy that did Um, You know why he was on because he was worn out from the fourteen games it took to be teams they were better at. That's like their I think it was a big factor, Bill and I think you know, it'ss it's a big factor. He played every other day for like a month When it didn't happened. You should have won those series and it was own fault. Yeah. your own fault, but it still is a factor And you don't know how much of a factor until you run into a fresh team like they did Dani' like you it was Abbot So you would look at Mobbleli or Allen travis we choose between those two. Probably Mobly. and I think I was a little bit disappointed in this series just because He shoots decent percentage from the field He'll have some games where does decent rebounding numbers, but he just has stretches of games where you just you don't notice them. Yeah offensly now we're what? He's four years in He's twenty five years old And you're like that you just wanted that next progression. he's a little bit better three point shooter, probably much better than when he came in the league, but he's not like he's out there shooting forty percent. He's in the mid thirties. He can make them. He made like one or two, I think and probably every game in this series Grady added that, but like It's just the impact and the force that you wanted to play with for the entire game because he has a lot of talent And he hasn't really been able to to kind of find that gear. So Um Maybe maybe it would be him. I don't think it would be Mitchell Dould you trade them for f honest Oh for sure For sure because because of the Wh Mitchell is in the stage of his career and being stuck with Harden too now for two years. So now it's like you're going a two year window That's what I'm saying. So I don't think that it would make sense for me in certain situations with Y honest. Um depending where it was, it does in this case Because like that window is like now, like every years is now Going forward So that would be the immediacy that you need in a guy that's built that could get you through, you know, deep playoff run and he you's going to play with force against any defense or all of those things. and he's won a championship. That would be probably You know, a place that I would be Yeahah, that makes sense I So if we sat in a log cabin and talked about this for two weeks straight, I think we would come to this conclusion How are we going to win for straight rounds if our guards are Mitchell and Harden How are we going to defend? There's too many good perimeter guys in the league. How are we going to be able to defend these guys when we need both those guys on the floor and One of them at all times is going to be exposed to Mitch one of the better than hardarden One of the things I did postmortem on them on like a sports radio station in Cleveland It was What do they need to do? Like what's what's it look like assuming you're going forward with, you know, Mitchell and Harden? So they got to get much more athletic on the wings. they've got to get tougher guys. They've got to get U, you know, you maybe have to sacrifice some of the guys that can shoot for you because they didn't even shoot that in this series at all.. So you need to have some guys with a little bit better U switchability factor a little bit better where you have options as a coach on what matchups you want to see and guys that can run and get after in the open floor and play with that aggressive force. because you're seeing the teams that are lasting in this league. they've got some guys like that And they didn't really have a lot of that. They got too bigs play well together, both talented guys the two guards bun of shooters, role players for the most part beyond that, but there was an overall physical toughness that they were not bringing Yeah Ds that it was so obvious and I mean, you saw it other times with Cleveland, but it was really exposed in that series And so look, they've already made a decision to move forward Kenny Atkinson And u They're going to go from there and now I think they got to retool the supporting cast Um and probably move one of those one of those Ps I mean, the flip side would be it's a thirty team league and they finish fourth I don't know when when you start talking yourself into that side of the narrative, I just don't think Mitchell own H and you could win four straight Serious with that. and I don't really love Alan and Mobby together either. so I would probably get a little more creative All right, how you feeling about the commanders? decent this time of year, I always feel amazing. Favorite part, right? favorite part of the year. It's the greatest time of the year schchedule comes out. fan of a team that has struggled that long. Yes, M. schchedule release, although we got a tough schedule early. Schedule release and then I'm I'm every day I'm reading about You know, the OTAs and I was reading about these guys in mini camp and who's who's impressing and Styles looks amazing apparently he's like already the leader of the defense. going to callalling the plays as a rookie. Yeah. I'm like this is all the stuff I want to hear. So Really excited, but it will always come down to the health of Jade Daniels. End of story I'm just excited. There hasn't been a story about my Patriots in a week So hopefully we can keep that going. How Wellill. And I think the one thing we're going to get Bill, and I don't like making big predictions, but I do feel really good that I know we've had a lot of lopsided games, blowouts, maybe in the post season. We wanted more on a given night. I think the finals are going to be incredible Whoever comes out of the West, I don't see that being a five game series with like three lopsided games. I just I don't see it. The Kicks don't go away. The teams coming out of the west. They don't go away. They fight. They're talented. they're deep They defend. I don't know, but I think we could be set up for this incredibly epic NBA finals and all the rest of Nick get. you know, last round, this round, like you can't sleep on that either. If this OKC San Antonio goes seventh. they play Thursday They play Saturday. They have a couple days to all of a sudden they're going again and the Kicks are just You know, getting healthy. place Having bonding pizza nights. All right, Tim Legler. S s out of the rev for me. please give me give him a congratulations. Good to see. We're going be Cing back, take a break, come back with Brian Kopman right after this Uuber Eates makes last minute gifting easy, whether it's Mother'say, Father's Day, graduation whatever you blink. they're here. But just because it's snuck up on you doesn't mean Your gift has to feel like it. The Uber Eats gift hub has something for everyone, flowers, perfume, champagne, even their favorite takeout order You could show up as little as twenty five minutes, even if you just remembered five minutes ago You can add a video message in a personal note so it actually feels like you planned it all along Order our new beds today Must be twenty one or older to purchase alcohol, Product availability varies per regency app for details playoffs long. I've been looking through the slates, trying to come up with some good picks From Fando Sports book to throw on my Twitter feed, usually my favorite parl, add ons if you want to get a little wacky with a longer shot. So I'm definitely going to be doing something for game six and probably zagging against whoever lost in game five Zagg in the other way for game six because I think this series just weeks of seven But we'll see what happens. I will have that pick on Thursday morning for game six when I bet Fando, it's a brand I trust. easy to build manandbay bets on Fando. I know I'm getting great great odds payouts on my parlays boosts every day And you get your winnings instantly on Fandor Fandor Pay your game All right, my friend Brian Koplman is here. I just want to mention he didn't want to come on. And I reminded him You've come on so many times dating back to the ESPN days to talk about the Kicks and it was always sad circumstances unhappy Why did God do this to me? I don't understand. We talked about our friend Goldman, who passed away in the late twenty ten s. the last finals he saw was nineteen ninety nine missed all this and that was what I said to you, Koplman. I was like, you know what You're about to make the finals. This is the most fun N team of this century by far. It's a really special team, even regardless of what happens in the finals and you have to come on and talk about it. So you're here Yeah, we made we made the finals. We're not about to. We made the finals. It's very exciting I didn't want to come on because I don't want to I don't want to jinx it. I really just want to be the I'm here as just I'm such a fan. Look, my first memory because this is like you and your dad, you know, and you and your kids. My very first memory is it a human being Being with my father who died three years ago Being with my dad At the Ns, I was Turning five years old and that's Literally the first memory I have is Madison Scare Garden with my dad watch in the Nicks. That's how important This team is to me, it's it's You know, in the fabric of my life bestest thing about sports is these connect and the worst thing is these connections we have. to these teams, what they mean because of the memories we share with people These times get you corny. get me corny and I can't help it because I'm literally thinking of a dominist this guy named Bob Bobby Angler who grew up across the street from me And he would wear Walt Fraaser's number and I'd wear Orman Rose's number And we play one on one all day and all night long as Earl and Clyde when we were little kids and like we still He's four years old and we still text each other when the Nicks are in the playoffs. L from when we were seven and he was, you know, ten and I was Seven. he was turning eleven. It's like, It matters to my college friends who I went to games with Some of whom I still am in touch with, some of whom I don't talk to that much They're texting me Not because I'm a special Nick fan, but because we're all Nick fans and care so much. And so yeah, I don't want to jinx anything I'm just so happy to be in the finals every single person involved at the Nicks He's done an incredible job And Chhlon Brunson's the truth So this segment is brought to you by New Eera, ironically because this feels like A new era for Nick fans you think of two thousands and the two thousand tenens. and all the crummy things that happen. And then Leon and West take over. All Star weekend twenty twenty a month before COVID And withith really one goal How do we How do we basically recreate the two thousand four pistons with Rashid and Billus and all these dudes. How do we think outside the box and try to put a contender together if we're never going to have if we' never going to luck out the lottery. Nobody wanted to like just do the lter thing again because the Nicks had done that a million times. How do we think outside the box When did you start believing in the vision? What year Did you think this is actually that was going to work In the beginning I didn't know. Right? And and you know what happened is, um I mean, you were involved in part of what made me The believer was I ended up taking a walk with Wes And we called you And u You were like This guy, these guys They mean it And and Wes, as you know, is Look, Leon's obviously a visionary with figuring out how to put this team together, but Wes is this incredible connector of people and built this belief system. Yeah. So I think West was going to find all these people who are like lifelong Kicks fans. And trying to convert them into becoming believers. But it's just like things are different now. Just trust us, like we get it Well we have the right vision in place. He would convey that they really cared so much, like about turning this around and They kind of put their own net like They would say like judge us based on how we do. You know, so many people in those roles want to run from responsibility And I felt right from the beginning that Those guys were saying No, we know what we're saying we can do and we're going to do it. But I can't I don't I look. There's a lot of u, Anyone who's a sports fan of a team that has lost for a really long time. not lived up to the promises knows that it starts to feel a little bit like post traumatic stress and you don't You just are so accustomed to getting disappointed and hurt and it is such a Joy. So like for instance, the Jalen Brnton move So many people want to say, oh, I knew it. I'll be honest, I had no idea that that was A smart thing until I started watching him And by the end of the first season, it was so clear Vit We had a guy who was one of the smartest people in the league one of the true leadeers in the league I mean, a guy who is available to fans like communicates his Emotional range is that of like the greatest leaders in sports. W do you see what Mg Brown said today Yeah, you told me, I mean, said because you saw it before I saw it. Yeah Yeah, they asked them about Jalen Brunson as a leader And he compared him to Steph Curry and Tim Duncan twowo other guys have been around now Anyone in basketball would say those have been the two best culture setenter leaders that we've had Basically in the last thirty five years since magic U And for him to have mentioned those two guys as a comparison, I was like, whoa, that's That's that's not faint praise. That's like a real thing to say. It's so great for something to be like u a positive surprise when it comes to the Nicks. You know, you're right. when you talked about nineteen ninety nine and then sort of the years of like the angry Nick fan. and I know I personified that sometimes. You know, I wrote about I mean, for you, I read a lot of articles about being angry about being happy when Spree came back and made the chokes, you know that That sign to the owner, but I'll tell you something. This has turned me around completely. First of all, I never stopped going. I've had tickets Since nineteen eighty nine, I had one ticket. My friend Alan Havey had the other And Havy and I then Havey moved to California twelve years in when I could afford both tickets and I've had the two seats Since, but I've had seats since eighty nine and U So this is just an incredibly meaningful, great thing. and yeah If this is as far as it goes, it's a win to get back to the finals I started taking my son, Sam. rightight when he was the ageer. I was when I started going four or five years old. He's had some, you know, we've had long walks back. I wr about the long walks.al run for him. Yeah, because it was basically the reverse situation of what I had with my dad Yeah. I had my dad and we're winning titles the first year we went and we hadit Larry Bird and meanwhile, poor Sammy had nothing He had the Carmelo get aroundound two once. in Los Angege for three weeks Yeah, he just watched all of these disappointments and he still, you know, wears a Nicksat almost every day and Uh, no m, you know, he's just a die hard fan And u I do think that these guys have put together an incredible squad. I mean, you think about that day that J and I love that this clip resurves all the time. but You rarely see an athlete in such an open moment, even in this era, Bill Such an unguarded moment is when he found out Oh the Joshrait. Yeah, yeah. And and almost the opposite of the way people when the Lucca thing happened and people were gettingting when he found out that that Josh Hart was traded to the Kicks. It's almost like he knew all of this Lah He started jumping up and now because he knew, oh, you put like my best friend guy who I know exactly how to make him better I know I can count on him. He makes me better He's going to throw us because you know, Josh Hard is such still underrated and he's just perfect on this team, you know? and The whole team. I mean, even what Mitchell said the other day, right? You got a team of guys who somehow are just hearts on their sleeves. You know, Jam is the only one who's kind of guarded even on his own podcast. He's still guarded. He's the leader Everyone else in the team They're the opposite of guarded Yeah let you know what they're thinking and what they're feeling and u there're in it. I mean, even Rick Rick Brunson who like argue with somebody and yeah It's u It's really been an incredible thing to watch and Well, you know, Ford. It's so hard to put together a possible championship team without one of the best five guys in the weeagk Because that really the last time that was the last team that was able to do this was that zero four pistons team The Nicks have Nobody I don't think anybody who's been first team on NBA So like, let's say if they win four more Jen got. I think Jaen got no votes for first team. He was never, he was never going to. I had a vote. He was never Cater Jalen for the last spot. onnce Luca became eligible Jalen was second team, but the nexts were It wasn't a disappointing season, but it wasn't like the greatest regular season either, right? It was there was as many questions as answers heading into the into the playoffs. they were like seven to one just to even win the East. Um I don't think a ton of people are picking them and people really weren't sure. I think what was so shocking was the how this became this like selfless old school Bill Bradley era Nix team over the last eleven games likeike even watching somebody like Towns just not care about is feel gold attempts anymore and just I'm just here to rebound, make some good passes and not have dumb fouls and then makes all these incredible shots. But I think you know that I think this is great. So you say the thing about the top five players, you know Um Well you could argue if he wins the title, he then becomes a top five player think But nobody thinks that way now player in the league, but I also think what you said about leadership. Maybe it's got to be a top but because if he is the best leader currently because Steph, but they're out of the place. He is currently like the best leader in a way. The team has taken on his characteristics, meaning the team, his character really becausecause he is a guy who will sacrifice. he'll sacrifice his body. He'll keep getting up He'll keep trying to right? How many fourth quarters is he had after games when he hasn't necessarily shot the ball well and that and that's the big thing is that I never feel like the Kicks are out of a game when they're down fifteen because of him J like here we go. Okay. And he just f he is a guy. I was I mean, I asked you this earlier because it is a great thing the texting, right? You and I have been texting about the Ns since as long as we've had text ab the ability to text and known each other over twenty years now. And even I texted you in the first Game of the Hawk series to be like when Jayalen had that opening quarter that was so incredible, you know, and it's like h This guy to me You know, sometimes even Nick fans will get on them And I don't understand it. and they'll say share the ball. and I On the one hand, it's part of that thing of feeling like all these years of being disappointed. But when I watch this kid, I don't see a guy who is selfish. I see somebody who knows his job. is to take charge of the game. And whether that means, take charge of it by scoring, take charge of it by making a great pass, take charge of it by taking a charge He's just willing to do whatever it takes and I think the other guys see that. Yeah and they get the trires are a big piece of that too. Yeah. he does You know, he's not the best defender, but he is in the right places all the time and he fights whichich is really, you know, all you can ask for The Brunson centrred thing. I do feel like something shifted the last three, four weeks where Once whatever that little wrinkle is of moving towns away from the basket and running stuff through him It just made them less predictable because I felt like they had the same issues that You'll sometimes see with Lua teams. you always see with the great Harden teams that never made it The Celtics would get like this. You can kind of predict what they're going to do every play. And I think in a series that becomes hard becausecause you're just doing the same thing seven games in a row and teams get used to it I felt like what was going on with the Kicks with Now I don't really know what you're going to do. and now youre you're running as much as possible. You're getting these fast break points that You know, you would kind of come and go and all of a sudden it felt like this complete team overnight. Well, whatever happened when we were down to one, you know, that's the only time in this playoffs Die You know, I thought we were going to lose game one when we were down in this series, but I didn't think we were going to lose the series, not even for a second U, but When we were down to one I really did feel like I so supported The Mike Brown move bringing him in. It made total sense to me But I doubted it when we were down to one. I was like, I don't understand how we got here and then seeing what they did because T one felt bad, right? It felt like the past in a way. And that was the one moment that I wavered. And u in the whole thing, like in the last four years That's like the one moment because once they brought Jalen in I thought Wes And Leon have just proven it. They put the squad together. they know I'm in their hands But down to one, I became just like All the commentators who take shots at them and I you know, I should have I wish I would have had more faith in that moment, but that was the moment when I was like, what is this? you know? And then though, seeing what happened in the next game and the next game I was like, right? Don't ever fucking doubt this guy and this squad. We may not win Wheny You know, you got the two I mean, a lot of people would say the two best players in the NBA. A lot of people are already saying Weemby's going go down as the best player in the history of the MBA And it does seem hard, but I have the faith, man. I just totally I'm full Tug McGraw. You gott to believe And now it's time for Airic compomp brought to you by New Eera The official cap of the NBA. We know today's players are incredible. We know they shaped A lot of the styles of the players watching today, they shape the game we' watching today The new era NBA Hwood Classics collllection celebrates those iconic moments players who made them unforgettable. So we'll put Era side by side two thousands And now I was thinking, Two good ones for this. One is Stefont Castle I feel like you could have just easily thrown into the pacers' pistons two thousand three, two thousand four Bloodbass series that they had And he could have played for either team and give you like S of what Stehen Jackson was giving you in that series or littleittle Teayson prints, but just I felt like he just sort of been happy in that series. but the big comp Let's go Weemby and Yao I feel like Yo has just been completely forgotten Um He played eight seasons, his body broke down as it went along, but there was a moment with Yo when we started to wonder you know, could this guy take over the weekomeday? I think he got I think he got up to probably twenty five and ten at one point, but U He was seven foot six. He didn't move like Weenby does. He was a pure center had that same kind of overpowering. Holy crap. How was anybody offend this guy when he was close to the basket U, and unlike Oneby was just carrying so much more weight. It was harder for him to move up and down when he saw him in person. It was just it was like, man, I don't know how long this one's gonna to last And that's the difference with OneBy. When you watch Oby in person evenven though he's an alien and he's set foot seven The way he moves is just different. Like it doesn't It just seems There's an athleticism to him. There's a grace to him. He carries his weight right way. It doesn't seem like he's carrying too much weight. but I thought Yeah, there was a moment there when it really seemed like it would have been shocking if Yo didn't win a title. Anyway, relive vintage logos and timeless icons with the new era MBA Hardwood Classics collllection Available in a wide range of silhouettes, including the iconic fitted five thousand nine hundred fifty or adjustables like the nine hundred forty A frame And nine seventy Great Hwood Classics apparel too Here's what you have to do. Visit New Eera Cap C slash ringer to shop now and you can use one timee code ringer twenty percent off your first order Lominia Mal steps into McDonald's looks left sees Psick, looks right se Samedez. Gives a nod to Ronald Dino in the corner with a FIFA World Cup meal Ronald Diniok sees Sun in the booth, Sun finds Beckham going for extra bigig Mac saws. He's got Dav's at the table just behind him. Davy's going for his collectible cup.! A steal byon. Who pulls his own collectible cup? Collect one of nine legendary cups with a FIFA World Cup meal. P participating McDal's for un limited time whilew suppies last All Alrighteserve twenty six McDonald's FF Wor Cup twenty six So good, so good New markdowns up to seventy percent off are at Nordstrom rack stores now. Stock up and sayve big on shoes, tops, dresses, accessories, and more must haveves for summer. Join the Nordy Club to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack I want to pour some settle down juice on everyone who says Brunson, if they win the title is the best nick ever because that's a classic recency bias thing and really does a disservice to just go go read up on W Frasier for like five minutes. U He But with that said I do think he has a chance to be the most beloved Nick ever Right? which is an interesting conversation. rightight there with Clyde. Clyde is still so below. I got to be honest the Mid eighties Bernard, even though it was a blip was But I think as you know, that's my favorite Nic of all But I think he's in the conversation. I just don't think it lasted long enough. but to me, it's like Clyde Bernard and then Willis because of coming out and dragging his leg around and a game seven. U Brunson making the finals. He's people are at least allowed to have the conversation now. Bernard King april twenty seventh, nineteen eighty four, my eighteenth birthday Bernard against the pistons when Isaiah had one of the great games ever. One of the best Bnard games ever But Bernard had a better game than we won in five and it was one of the greatest if you go That game's available. goo watch that game and you'll understand what Bernard King was able to do That said You're right. Right now the most beloved Kicks are those guys. Jeremy Lnn is one of the most beloved Kicks. He really is But jail by for me, but but and I mean, I'm sixty years old now. I turned sixty this year and I love Jeremy Lynn for what he gave us for those three weeks. But yeah, Chamen Brunson, that's the top guy. I the final stage in the game one Cleveland game where they're down twenty two and there's seven half minutes left And it's a rap. You shouldn't be watching And normally sometimes when we'll do the pod when we have to go live text whver the guest is and our producers I'll be like, hey, let's go with three minutes. like this game's going to be done did not as I mentioned that night, did not send a text because it's like I' at least see what happens here with the next. What was interesting about it is how the crowd Everyone was locked in kind of waiting to see if it would unfold over the next couple minutes like it did with Brunson. My son they recognized They were down eighteen and they were recognizing what was happening. And that's like the final level of being really Re every situation Lost the faith. I did. I didn't think we were coming back. It was really an incredible. I didn't think so. But James Harden Well that's good point. Oh, can you explain this to me? But Sam never lost faith now for one second. whichich I was very proud of him that he didn't lose faith. What do you make a harden just Sing, I still think We're the better team. I don't know what to say. when people say After a sweep when you say that that u almost feels like an acute test You can you could say it if it's a four three And even if it's a for two and you completely blew three of the four, but if you get swept and you roll over in a game for to the point that the announcers at halftime Bark it was just clowning them. at halftim. likeike, you can't say you were a better team. No, what it I mean, I watched every second of that game last night and watching them just not even I don't want to say not care because they're professional athletes I'm sure they did care, but just they kept getting beat down court over and over again on those rebouts. That felt like one of those games when you play in high school when the other team was so much better coach than you. Yeah. And you would just be looking behind like how did that guy get down there again? You know, right. I mean, I remember those I can remember playing in those kind of games and just feeling like Totally they were completely outbanned and out out cllassed. It was a rat Yeah, was a weird one. This feels like Jalen Brunts and I'm trying to find the sports analog for this guy. He has just the greatest characteristics of So many. He's almost like u He's almost like the way Brad Gilbert would constantly win and he was four in the world and no one could believe he was four in the world in tennis, but he just would like get to I mean, was there the time Brad Gilbert was the fourth number four player in the world. And That may be where where this guy This guy finds himself. Yeah I remember when you pitched us thirty episode, Brad Gilbert narrative podcast. We had to turn. I still think so fascinated by Br. I just want you to co host. And I remember you said, you can only do every other episode. And then I said, will Mallory do the other ones? and you were like. I don't know if I can lend her for that. and then that blew up the whole thing, which was. Here's the thing with Brunson And I think you need this when you have the amount of baggage that a team like the Kicks have Right, you almost need some sort of supernatural human being event Pe who are prone just not to believe anymore to switch flip their minds. right For the Red Sox It was Ortiz It was Ortiz in zero four Just the slow realization over the course of those four Yankee comeback games that we had orrtiz and like that there was something magical about this guy Brunson Now whether he can keep this going for the finals, we'll see, but Brunson at least has done that for the Nick fans where they're not thinking about what's the worst case scenario, because the thing we didn't talk about was that Haliburn game a year ago where it's like all the skeletons come out of the polter guysy pool in that game It's like wait, I thought we were past this. Oh yeah We haven't one since seventy three I was there. I mean, yeah, I yeah u that was brutal. That series almost crushed me. but but the truth is and that's obviously why Tibbs is gone and that but that didn't um didnn't actually dim my enthusiasm for this Um Every move of these guys like I was upset when they traded Dante because I thought the three guys together was so important like to have the core from Villanova And who, but they were right. Like they're just right, Leon and Wes are just rightite a lot And that is such an odd thing to think about But it run this team. It's not that odd. And I wonder like if I'm an owner L If I was an owner for a losing team, I would have meetings trying to figure out, okay, here are the four teams, the three teams, the two teams that succeeded this year. Why? What are the reasons And if I'm looking at the next And I'm thinking like, well, how did they put this team together becausecause they hired guys who were like relationships guys They were guys that in the other business they had, which were, you know, they're Basically player agents, representatives. They targeting people from age fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, they're making bets on people They're trying to they're not just looking at talent. they're looking at How somebody behaves Bround was, you know, how their work ethic is, how competitive they are because Ultimately, they're betting on those guys as representatives because they're getting a ten percent cut of everything they make, right? Of course. So you're betting on you want to bet on like the safest competitive talents And it's not really much different than putting together a team. So if I was an owner, I would be like, Who are the other agents we can get Who else sees the world like this And because they could potentially put together a group of people like this Well, they really had skin in the game. And one other thing about Wes becausecause you said the thing about, look, Leon's not going to talk to the press donon't worry about it. but one of other things, But one of the things West does do As he walks around the garden West is a visible presence and not in a Not in the I'm shadowing, I'm lingering over the bench to put pressure. No, the other thing where he walks around like, yeah We have it all on the line. like he shows himself. you know, so many people hide in the front office and in the back and they the second halfime comes, they duck into the Wes is like out there and not just down in the front row. like he walks around the ring in between and talks to people and people shout at him and he engages with people. And I do think and that may be from being an agent too, right? Be in with people, being comfortable with people, knowing how to make de does instill a sense of These guys have something on the line here, like They're saying something about what they're doing. So they put the pieces together. but It's all but but they also have advantages of They've known Brunson forever. because the resthip were dead D've knew in town since he was fifteen years old Anonobbe was the CA guy. like They have real opinions on these guys because they have a whole background where it' like if you're just a typical GM and you're looking at it more like the way you and I would look at it. likeike Zach Levine, what's he about? and we're just like on his basballings broke the right way. likeike Okaykay, Annaobbe, as you know, his injury like what but Ananobbe from the moment he came here. He was so great any timeime he was playing in the garden I don't know how much you felt in the garden like the garden loves they love him. Yeah. Like we love that guy as a as a fan, you know, as fans and in the garden But other things like like bridges showing up with that completely changed jumper last year and everyone being kind of freaked out, but almost like when Tigers changed its swing. It's like, don't worry at the right time. It's going to peak. and then Like Yeah because it was the jumper was ugly and he missed so much But he knew he was doing because Like Think about how it's paying off now. So it's almost like everything that's happened. These guys really just all know what they're doing and it's very humbling. you know, it's the thing you wish some of the commentators would understand like Sometimes these experts Sometimes they do know something like the people in the game And you know, I don't want to call out a certain self identified big New York Kicks fan who's on ESPN always saying a lot of bullshit about the Kicks, but it seems like these people do know what they're doing. and Jalen Brunson is the real thing. and U We're in the championship This is what everyone's talking about stayed on the table This is what champions come to take This is what everyone came to see. the slam No doovers, no second chances. No more mrter Nice guy. This is Winner Take Ball NBA finals continue on ABC and the ESPN A Study and play. Come together on a Windows eleven PC. And for a limited time, college students get the best of both worlds. Get the unreal college deal, everything you need to study and play with select Windows eleven PCs. Eligible students get a year of Microsoft three hundred sixty five Pmium, and a year of Xbox GamePass Ultimate with a custom color Xbox wireless controller Learn more at windows d. com slash student offffer. Lw suppupplies last ends june thirtieth, terms at aka. ms slash collllege PC can't believe it. I'm happy for you and Samy and the whole compliment family I'm also excited that I'm one of the fifteen pods you've been on this one Thanks for fitting me in the rotation. I hadn't done a pod in like two years and then C Cody Rhodes asked me to do a podcast. Yeah. and as you know, his dad Second favorite wrestler of all time and I love Cody. Gott to do that Gott to do the pot and then once I did it, another friend asked but listen to me Bill Simmons, it's always Who put me in the podcast game to start? Wait, I have one last thing before M to this show I don't want I'm not saying goodbye y You got an act you have a new Vegas show Yes because there was all this stuff written about it last week. We start shooting in you Liner back in Vegas We are back in Vegas. Every America wants to know what part I'm playing. They've been it's been everywhere I go, people are asking me I heard about the boys having a new show in Vegas. Are you just gonna have a cameo? Is it going be like You're playing a blackjack dealer. you're going to play yourself? like what what I don't know. I'm in your hands. I mean, let's figure it out. What do you think? do you want to You want to put in a pork pie hat and be your a gambler down in his luck. You want to be a dealer who's Taking satisfaction in someone. Can I be like a struggling actor who used to be famous, but got a gambling problem and now I'm just kind of, I don't know. I'm open for anything Yeah, you know what we'll do We'll put that version on the Oak show And then Right? We'll put it on the O show and then yeah, you can totally, you can totally do that Rounders tilt The elevated tilt Oceans thirteen thirteen. This is the fourth one now. in the whole gambling universe, although there was some dabbling in billions Yeah, there was some poker and billions the cast, the cast in this thing. we haven't announced all the cast but Oscar Isaac. Alec Baldwin, David Costable, Betty Gilin and their David Costable your old guy. Got to have gota would never go in a battle without Costi, but u The cast' inccredible Oscar is going rush it in this in this part and Damon cameameo, can you get them I mean, let's like just a slip by. this kills Randerss too, but I'm fine with it. Everybody is sing know what I'll call you you conference in, Matt, and we'll take it from there I'm happy for everything that's going on with you So had all your Nick Fan friends. I know it will' been long journey. I'm just happy. you're happy inonorably Well, like you said, I wasn't going to do it because I don't want to jinx anything. I didn't want it. but thing You were right. You said two things. You said one, I should celebrate being in the championship series and and having a Lable next team But also in honor of William Goldman, who you loved and I loveved too. And when you said that he had ninety nine and that's the last time he saw him in the championship series And so I just shout out, Bvey the greatest screenwriter who ever lived. The great William Goldman and a wonderful man And one of the great Nick fans of all time. He's watching over us. Right up there with Spike Ly. He's watching over this. Thanks, complimen Thanks, man, talkal to youon All right, that's it for the podcast. Thanks to Tim Legart. Thanks to my friend Bran Koppman Congrats all the NXs fans out there Here's the schedule for me. I am coming back live On Thursday night after game six, you can watch it on Netflix or you can listen to it slash watchatch it whenever you want on Spotify U And if there's a game seven, we will be going live on Saturday night for game seven KC San Antonio. So that is the schedule. Don't forget newew rewatchables went up Animal House. And we have two thousand one a sppace Odyssey coming U Nxt week, either Sunday or Monday, depending on what happens with game seven I will see you later in the week Must be twenty one plus in President select states for Kansas and affiliation with Kansas Star Casino Or eighteen plus in President DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Ging proble call one hundred gambler one eight hundred by reset. callall eight seventy nine seven seven seven seven or visit CcpG dot org slash chat in Connecticut or Md gamblinghelp dot org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelppline mA dot org or call eight hundred three two seven fifty fifty for twenty four seven support in Massachusetts or call eight seven seven NY or text hope NY in New York for Louisiana C callall eight seven seven seven, seven zero, seven eight six seven.