Looking Ahead to Game Five

We just watched one of the most epic games in sports history, twenty nine point comeback for the New York Knicks over the San Antonio Spurs and game four of the NBA finals. Tom Haver and I broke down every single angle from that game and also touched on at the end Theanna send it to Kubo stuff. There's something brewing So we get into that at the end of the show, but first we go along on It's the them most unbelievable basketball game I've ever seen It's the best time of the year in the NBA right now with the conference finals, then the finals, then the draft and summer League And on gameime, you get the advantage as a fan. It's the hack for unlocking amazing tickets and just a few taps. It's incredibly easy to use and the gameim guarantee means you can trust you'll get one hundred percent authentic tickets to no matter the event that you're trying to go to. Plus Fes are always included so you get to see what you pay. 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I even have seven days to love it or return it. So there's no No, no buyer's remorse. More like buyers rejoice I guess I'll let myself out. Congratulations. I mean it. Buyers rejoice. Buy your car today on Carbana. Limitations and exlusions can apply. See your S seunday return policy, arearbana d comot I'm pretty confident talking you into a mic. Hey, I'm doing it right now but home projects. I second guess everything Is that noise normal Is that water damage Who do I even call That's where thumbch comes in Just upload a photo or voice notote and it uses AI powered search to match you with the right top rated local pro. So instead of guessing, eager clarity and can hire with confidence. For your next home project, try Thumbtack Hire the right proro today Wh That was the greatest game I've ever seen in my life. Talk about it, Tom Avastro Are you flating I just still float to here last night I cannot believe it. I just can't believe it. I was there twenty nine point lead Tom and, you know, it's the type of thing where it's like, o, maybe get to bed early tonight. and c people turn off their TV and get going to bed, work in the morning and you know, leaving early. I'm thinking, oh, maybe I'll you know leave beginning of the fourth quarter, right? because I got to drive home to Boston tomorrow. and it's like, no It's a twenty nine. And then it's a twenty. And then it's a fifteen and then it goes back up to eighteen. That's back down to fifteen. Th can they get it under ten And they're just chipping away, chipping away, chipping away and that was to me, Tom, the thing that was like so thrilling about this comeback It wasn't like they had this crazy shooting hot stretch They weren't even really that efficient in the second half It's just they constantly chipped away and the spurs just fell apart offensively in the next place made Almost every play. I mean, Josh Hard had to miss Dunk and they miss somepl, but Oh my God. OG and Oi pictured on the screen thirty three points in the game playoff hereo the block on Fx, the clutch Thes, the pp back at the end of the game. I'm still on a high, Tom. I'm still on a high. I'm floating just like OGian and Obe floating into the pain for that immmaculate tip in. U just unimpeded just rose above the entire trees in and the whole place. I was not there at the game, but I can only imagine as Mike Breen is watching that and calling it and saying, this place is shaking right now. I like I don't even know what kind of bedlom is going. Look at this the crowd is going up. So you can talk all about the celebrity row and the energy in the crowd might have been a little bit different because of all the money That it takes to buy these tickets, but you cannot say that the Nicks fans didn't bring it in this game What an atmosphere and watching at home I just look at that. Jerry Seinfeld just like, He my go What was that? What was that out there I couldn't believe it. I could not believe what I saw And it, you know, whether it was the biggest comeback ever or whether it was the biggest collapse ever Those are two of the side sides, same sides of the same coin, right? Two sides of the same coin Everything had to go perfect for the next and everything had to go disisastterly wrong for the spurs and that's exactly what happens one hundred percent spot on Tom. I mean thirty points in the second half for the spurs. partart of that is because Nick clamping out on defense. Part of that is just piss poor shot selection by San Antonio settling for three pointers. Part of it is great decisions by Mike Brown inserting Jose Alvarado and sticking with him. He had that like loop lay up where he kind of did like a little spin, you know, turn and in the pain and turn around got the lab he hit the three and the energy he brought as a secondary ball handler, the defense, the moving around off ball with Weby defending him sometimes you can look at that side, but you can also say Castle Fth fall ten minutes left in the third quarter and and Mch Johnson Ges with not his other ball handler Dylan Harper. He goes with Kelvin Johnson and I think that in part is why like the Spurs offense just sputtered in the third quarter so was things on each side of these teams that played into an epic collapse Eetic comeback. just makes it truly, truly best basketball game I've ever seen I don't think I'm having hyperbolic exaggerating last night. I mean, the fact that game three, they lose at home with that high. It's like the Trump curse game. They blow it against San Antonio and game three then game four they're down twenty nine points, dude. the anxiousness in the crowd that night. there were so many moments Emmy Our amazing producer here Yeahah who was forun to sitting next to me. and like it was like silent. We turned it to each other. they're still quiet You can hear a pin drop sometimes. and thenen it just turned into what it did. like I just I just can't believe it. I genuinely can't believe it. it's really it summarizes why sports are so awesome, Tom, right? You never know it's going to happen. it all happens live in front of you Yeah, and Jose Alvarado and Jayalen Brunson didn't play together this entire post season and then goes to this lineup, Mike Brown is that shers everything No minutes Yeah I don't Those two guys had not been on the floor at the same time and some of the lineups that Mike Rrown pulled out, they hadn't done that where you have two ball handlers and one Jose Albarado that Weemby is just trying to chase all around the floor and they're getting actions. like one of the problems that we saw with the spurs Deran Fox had a bunch of bone headed plays. sameame for Victor Webonyama at the free throw line missing those two clutch free throws We'll talk about that in a bit It seemed like the Kicks were getting good offense, good movement, getting paint touches Whereas the spurs tootally complacent and happy to just early transition threes and throw them up without any of that healthy offense. and I think they got high on their own supply in that first half. I think they got drunk on all those Three pointers, Tough three pointers. Yes, there were some wide open threes in there. They had incredible shop making that the spurs felt like, okay, we're going to do the the Joe Missoula Boston Celtics offense where we're just going to fire up a bunch of threes and not get two feet into the paint I mean, It just was Jose Alberarado was sensational. His plus minus in this series is in many ways telling the story. A lot of great things happen when he's on the floor. Man what what a moment for New York. I mean that this kid comes in for the Kicks and it's basically glued to the bench for much M of much of this post season and becomes You know, I mean, for Red Sox fans, I think about Tot Nixon and Billy Miller guys who just like came ono the team and felt like I will wear that jersey for the rest of my life. but They're not homegrown talents like Alvarado is. This is just another level of fandom and another level of emotion that Nicks fans are feeling watching this guy play In a miraculous comeback, he had a huge function in him It's just so cool. I meanm born in Brooklyn, moved to Queens when he was a kid grew up in New York. He's a Nix fan growing up in Here he is. he gets traded. It was a great trade by the Kicks at the deadline. They were aggressive. They made a move around the edges thinking there might be a night. Jose Alvverado can help us win a game And it happened on the biggest game of all of their lives ever ands this home toown kid having this moment's just Tuly like little things like this just make it all the more special really for for the Nick side of things. And I mean, Brunson, the guy starting above him, obviously at the end of the game He misses the three pointer. OGian and Oie has the amazing pushback but Brunson himself, this was B game of the series, thirty six points on twelve to twenty five. I felt like he he was more effective at creating space against the Fon Castle, finding his spots, getting into a rhythm and the Nicks as well, he got a few at rim chances in that second half as well where it's like I had Draay on on my pod earlier this week and he's like, he's just going to see ball go in. he needs to get in a rhythm. They did get him in a rhythm with some of those at rimm opportunities and On top of just, I mean, just the special shot making from Brunson. someome of the shots he hit down the stretch were just miraculous for New York. And even then Tom, like on the play that OG and Aobi has the epic Then to give them the lead and ultimately the win Bronsson's drawing to there with with how effective he was in that game. Wy's all the way out twenty five feet away from the basket giving OG and Aobi a free lane there. The sppurs screw that up OG inbound and they kind of forgot about him Right? And that's what allowed him that lane. Absolute disaster. Mitch Johnson, I don't know what you did in the timeout or what the communication breakdown was. but when they went out ono the floor, they were pointing there's five point seven seconds left. You just had a time out and Wendby and Dear and Fox they're all pointing at each other likeike who am I supposed to be guarding I don't know what we're doing out here And then they got to get and they got to find who they're guarding and Der and Fox like, I guess I'm not taking the inbounder. OG is going to be wide open here. And then when he passes it if you notice K he wasn't going at Jalen Brunson with his hands up. and doing a hard trap. he was just doing it A lackadaisically like kind of floating over toward J. L lookook at this. hard double and this is not a hard double by Darren Fox and then it allows OG An andobi a clear lane to go to the to go to the cup And as a basketball player This is what you dream of It's it's what you dream of is Getting crashing hard at at the rim. the ball falls right in front of the rim bounces off and you've got the ability to rise up and touch it back in a moment that Nicks fans will remember forever But I cannot stress this enough. Derin Fox had an all time blunder against OG An andobi earlier. to lead to this point. alsoso, Mitch Johnson coming out his tieout Whatever the breakdown was inexcusable for the sppurs to look so discombobulated on this play, Leave OGN andobi free reign to get to the hoop. What I wrote about after the game was I think Jalen Brunson took a brilliant shot here because if he takes it early, that allows an offensive rebound chance out W be nearby So he gets Weemby on him. he sees Dern come hard for the double and he's like, I'm getting this up early because I know not only am I going have OG coming off and running off from the perimeter on on a great chase at the rim also are pulling Weby away from the rebound chance. So a brilliant strategy by Jalen Brunson and I don't know. I don't think anyone talked about it after the game. honestly and candidly about the breakdown Man That was a coaching breakdown there that the Spurs did not know what they were doing coming out of that timeout and that there was not a hard double on on Jalen Brunson and they let OGian andobi go unimpeded to the rim Mitch Johnson. I mean, like you're nailing it there Tom with that with that blunder he had. I think it was a disastrous second half for him the entire second half Castle, the fourth fall at the ten minute mark of the third quarter. He goes with Kelvin Johnson instead of Dylan Harper in that moment. He leans on Keelvin Johnson in that game, plays almost twenty minutes Carter Bryan, who I thought had his best first half of the series didn't play a single second in the second half of the game still leaning on Kevin Johnson. Ball in the hands of Fox all the time still down the stretch of the game despite so many of his blunders and issues throughout the entire pro season, particularly in these finals I know he's a rookie. T me, Dylan Harper is the guy creating more quality shots, especially with San Antonio they fell in love with a three point or they were settling for so many shots. There's nothing stagnant. They weren't creating second side actions. Harper, a downhill attacker who could create that. He didn't go to it. felt like he was letting Wenbenyama settle outside for some jumpers as well. He had eight three pointers in the game after game three in which we saw this first finally figure out how to get him to the basket. And I just over and over again they're up I was re watchatching the game on my drive backack today. I was using self driving. Don't worry. I was being very safe two two hundred thirty straight miles straight of artificial intelligence bring me home safely. And as I was watching their game back, I didn't real almost realize it last night watching it live When the spurs were up twenty still. It wasn't until it got down to four that they call a time out I was like No way it was really that long because there were some like pauses if I remember correctly in the game last night, but like it was from twenty to four until he called the timeout. So I thought he was too slow with the time outs. You talkking about that end game already, Tom, with the blunder on the OG p backack opportunity. And I didn't even mention J just now Wendy playing forty four minutes in the game, even though they had a big cushion And in a game like this, I thought this is the night you throw Cornet out there for more than fifty eight seconds in the second half give one me a breather. so he's not just completely exhausted at the end of the game. And I think that exhaustion, that fatigue played a factor in those two Bch free throws he had. It was a choke job It was mental because as a ninety percent nearly ninety percent free throw shooter with a elak touch from the line, you miss those two. It's mental. But what plays into mental is physical fatigue. And I thought he was exhausted. down the stretch of that game. And that's in part again on Mitch Johnson, not giving him breathers early when they had twenty to thirty point lead, right? And I just thought Mitch Johnson was just Fx we just Fox saved him because Mch Johns is not getting enough blame, Tom Yeah. I mean, I'm telling you man, we just saw a horrible process and a horrible result. In the second half, according to Dean Oliver at ESPN, the gofather of analytics in his charting from Genius IQ, Spur shot quality in the second half. You talk about not taking a time out until the league got down to four The Spur shot quality was forty four percent in the second half, the lowest they posted in any half all season long. That's not just playoffs The shot quality was the worst we've seen byy the sppurs in any half all season long and You said it right, didn't call the timeouts, didn't set things up, didn't might make the right substitutions. I don't think Spurs fans want to see Kelvin Johnson again for the rest of the series. And Dylan Harper was the only guy who can consistently get into the paint and get two feet into the paint and finish at the rim. He had that baseline drive on OGN andinobbe where Mike Breen and Tim Legler and Richard Jefferson were just laughing at how absurd it is that a twenty year old rookie is able to do that to OG An andobi And then he barely got the ball the rest of the game because Dox was in charge of running the offense and Man, I wrote about this and people got really upset that I was single singling out Der and Fox But we have to remember something here problem is only about to begin. Dereren Fox signed a four year max extension in the off season. They traded for him last year under the pretense that, hey We will got to have an extension coming for Darren Fox secured. Rich Paul has talked openly about how he identified San Antonio as this is Victor Wembenyama is going to be the face of the NBA. I want to hitch my wagon to Victor Wbenyama And he gets Der and Fox billed as this veteran guy clutch player of the year. someone who has been in the playoffs where a lot of these rookies second year guys have not been in the playoffs yet. Weemby has not been in the playoffs yet and he was supposed to come in as the guy who' going to stabilize everything and his four turnovers in the second half were so devastating and debilitating, but also the blunders in terms of just You want to have him Ddying everybody and be able to communicate And we did not see that and in one of the most calamitous moments that we'll ever see in the NBA finals. Getting the ball. on your own half court with twelve seconds left. With OGN and Oi a few feet behind you. Deer and Fox is not prime Der and Fox anymore, which is part of the problem of this max extension He doesn't have the legs. a lot of times Early in his career, he's able to get to the rim before OG and smash that Early in the career, I remember people were making comps about Russell Westbrok. He's not that anymore and he's a statue off oftentimes offensively. He just can't get around guys like he used to And after the game Dereren Fox said And this, by the way is a great stop from Weby here They' bigig time stop and the ball seaks out, Derren Fox chases it down And in this moment, he could just dribble it out beg the team to foul him and then get to the free throw line to go up three potentially and for and foul again to not allow them to hit a three pointer and the gameess over And in that moment, he decides to challenge OGN andobi, the best defender on the Kicks, way bigger than Darn Fox. And a moment that I think will live an infamy for the San Antonio Spurs and there's some people online, man G have one screen grab Oh, it's ridiculous. OG had is hand on Der wrist saying like this is a this is a foul He blocked him He had a hand on the ball first arm after he blocked the shot. But when Dear Fox says was I thought I was going to be able to outrun him. all I could think about was Man, that's the thing about the old days They're the old days. Deer and Fox is not that guy anymore. And I think that was a big problem in the second half is a lot of the offense they were trying to drive through Daron Fox It was It was disastrous and and the OGN andobbe tiippp in. I think if you're going to blame one person, It's probably Mitch Johnson that he left Deer and Fx out to dry there But this was not Dearan Fox's best performance and not his best finals series And I do think that it's a big problem that the sppurs have to grapple with is we've got Stefan Castle and Dylan Harper and it was just too much of Dern Fox and all his blunders late in the game. And I'll tell you what Castle, he's got balls of steel. thoseose clutch free throws. he hit down the stretch of the game after after crashing the boards I mean, Josh Hart got bailed out as well. He had the missdunk. didn't box out successfully Stefan Castle Castle hits those free throws. The d' just stone cold constantly. And I mean, you have that dude. You got Dylan Harper who gets into the paint at will even as a twenty year old rookie And then you have Dereren Der and Fox, Caitlin Cooper, the great writer who covers the Pacers had a stat she posted last night on X where she said, Fox had forty four touches in the second half. That's the most of any spur. Only five of those touches touch the paint and in San Antonio scored o point three nine points per chance out of those touches. He shot two of six with two turnovers when defended by OGi andenobi. No one for the sppurs attended more than six shots against any other matchup, Caitlin noted in her post It was just a disaster Fx and I know he's dealing with a foot injury. He's not one hundred percent Yada yada is At the end of the day It was a choke poor decision after poor decision and on that lay upp attempt at the end of the game If you put it in a slow motion, watch alternate angles, you can see Fx kind of like peeking over. He knew OG and Aobbe was there, right breathing down his back He knew And so when he says, I thought I could outrun him I think he just in the split second I like look, I mean, it's tough to make these split second decisions. It is in the moment. It's tough. But in that moment, I think that's where situational basketball comes up and knowing to do in certain situations if I'm I gets the ball in an end game situation Do I dribble out the clock or not In that situation, there was a lack of preparation I felt like from Fox and U justust like we talked about earlier on the other side of it with the the doubling of a soft double of Brunson leaving Wendby outside in a free lane for Egene and Obi just So much of that man for that sppurs team in the second half of that that entire game. It's just I really just can't believe it though. and like like we said, though, Tom, right? Like N deserve obviously ton of credit for the comeback, but like the sppurs man, they just shot themselves in the foot so many times. I know in that third quarter ow just some of the stuff that they were doing earlier. I know that stuck out to you as well. Yeah. Yeah, it seemed like Fox and Weby just were not on the same page at all in this game. Not just in the final possession when Weby didn't know who was supposed to be guarding and Fox was like am I supposed to do a hard double. But even in the third quarter I could tell that Wemby, once he got that flaggrant f,, we haven't even talked about the flaggrant fl that he's in your head. We could do like six hours on this on the show today because so much happened in this game. the dominance in the first quarter, the largest halftime lead on the road in finals history meelted down think it contributed with the WemB Fox dynamic was they were just out of sorts through this entire second half of getting in the third quarter when you see Um, the the turnovers that Fox had And a lot of the defensive alignments that Weemby just was not in the right positioning and they were arguing here Dar and Fox. is getting to get the screen and he doesn't He doesn't even look at Weemby. He just assumes that Wby's going to roll and he throws the ball away and luckily for the team, they were able to he got the kick ball, but here just No awareness about play was supposed to be whether Weenby was supposed to roll or whether he was supposed to jump out for the for the pick and pop. and he throws it away And then if you keep watching in this in this third quarter quarter in which they did not get a single paint point. the only time in in any game this season, this post season a quarter went by without a team scoring in the paint on this one Watch here Viictor Wbinyam was pointing. likeike you got OG in the corner, Darren The miscommunication, OG gets a wide open corner three And just another instance of them not having good communication and Josh Hart sets the screen. They did not know who was supposed to guard a why open OG. And by the way, Kev OhGee iss the best corner three point shooter in the NBA. How do they not have the game plan of like when we have this this pin down here that you're going to have to jump out And there was mid range jumpers that he missed, Derren Fox. rememember Josh Hart When he missed that dunk or miss that layup It was because Darren Fox threw the ball away on a jump pass and people are joking like is he is he shaving points right now to throw the ball away? And when Josh Hart misses the layup, I'm thinking man He's got to be so grateful for Josh Hart that he missed that layup because that turnover would also be living in infamy. And also Josh Harty should be thank you, Kev becausecause when Steph Castle forgot When Steph Castle got that off it's of rebound That was off of a mid range jumper with thirty seconds left that Darn Fox missed So if Castle doesn't get that rebound and get the foul call, Al also sitting here talking about Dierin Foxess missed mid range jumper with thirty seconds left. He was going for the two for one missed the shot did not work. The offense was just so discombobulated. and like Dean Oliver pointed out, field goal percentage, the expectation the shot quality was abysmal. And what you're seeing from ye, dribbling off It's the third quarter dribbling off his foot. He dribbled off his foot going against OGN and Oi later in the game. Doesn't look like a veteran, Tom. looks He looks like the rookie That's it. And that's the issue is that He got the extension because he is someone that they brought in to play like the Wiley veteran, the sage. And it was Dylan Harper. Let me ask you a question Do you have more confidence with Dylan Harper having the ball down the stretch than Darren Fox? Not even Close. I trust him. N a corn And isn't that crazy to say about Fox, a guy who used to be once was the clutch player of the year? Regular season award, of course like like all of them are. It's a regular season award. C clelearly not clutch player of the playoffs. that's for sure with him and Dylan Harper. I mean, see the numbers on screen. I just Can't fathom me played fifteen minutes in the second half of the game teen minutes. They got to get that guy more on the court more touches. He only had five shots in the second half. I think you got to keep riding that guy, especially given the way he played in the first half and Fx was awful, man. I mean, some of those plays you detailed there, Tom. I some of them I saw live but you almost forget about them. there's fifty plays to talk about, fifty moments in the game to the Scots. And I mean, Fox Obviously, I think you're spot on The salary. it's going to be an issue for the sppurs They need to find a way to turn him into something better They need a book. M of of more touches into the hands of Dylan Harper and keep investing at Svon Castle. And we'll be right back after this break Evening by his remorse Buy a new car I' be moving. Let's get started. Sorry, I think there's been a mistake. I bought it from Carvana. You what? Yeah, great price. I even have seven days to love it or return it. So there's no No, no buyer's remorse. More like buyers' rejoice Guess I'll let myself out Congratulations. I mean it. Buyers rejoice. Buy your car today on Carbana. limitations exclusions apply Senior sev day returned policy at cararbona. guy we haven't talk a lot about was first side as a big time choker in this game is the golden boy The supposed best player in the world. My MVP. Viicttor Wembenyama He missed those two free throws down the stretch of the game. but not only that, he shot three of fourteen in the second half of the game One of three from three point res Two of eleven. Rves One of four from the free throw line. He also had a miss earlier in the fourth quarter as well. was Bad as the pass offff of Castle's back was in game two. I didn't think it could get any worse than that time This was so much Wse for Wendbey And it is just So clear as day how much more growth he has to experience here, man I'm not going to say he's aoker. He obviously hit the clutch shot against OKC's hit plenty of clutch shots in his young career. but boy, he looks like he had fear in his eyes when he was up the line for those free throws down the stretch of the game. You see that big That big breath he took trying to get himself settle down after the first miss. boy. I mean, this is this looks like the lump that the young the potential legend needs to take, right manan he does the Yonest, right? When he gets to the free throw line. He does the Yice where he takes all ten seconds in order to get that shot up. He does. In this moment Notably, he took six seconds on both of those free throws I think he took D you really time that I watched it because in real time, I was like He normally takes his sweet time up there just to catch his breath And he does his routine is he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, visualizes, I'm assuming, visualizes him making it. And then he takes another big breath And then he slowly gets into his shot and he shoots. I didn't think he wanted to be up there at all. And I think that was the issue was he just wanted to get rid of the ball and he didn't go through his routine in the usual extended Yonest way that he normally does because I think part of them knew I am exhausted up here. I am not mentally right right now and I don't have the confidence in myself in this moment And he bricked both of them Uh, and he got him up super fast. And in earlier in this game or even in the postseason, you can watch. He's taking a lot longer trying to do the honest thing And I think He was the only like the play that preceded that to get to the free throw line. actually made an aggressive play, a winning play by splitting the defenders and trying to attack the paint calledall the foul and he was able to go the free throw line I thought he played soft for the entire second half afterfter the flaggrant after he picked up his third flagrant point when he did the swim move on Carl Anthony Towns and elbowed him across the chin and then went and went to go see, you know, check on him afterwards because I think he knew I'm screwed. I'm about to get my third point and I'm about to be on the edge of being suspended that He had I mark this down. I watch I rewash the second half this morning He had a paint touch ten fifty mark. in the third quarter He missed a lob layu. I think it was Steon Castle who threw a lob. He caught it in the paint and it was kind of like six feet away from the bask He threw it up and that was his only paint touch in the third quarter after that ten fifty mark. He didn't have another paint touch until the eleven fifty mark in the fourth quarter. So he went eleven minutes out touching the paint Victor Weembonyama after the Carl Anthony Towns elbow. And so I think that played a big part in this is that not only were the spurs and and the role players settling for mid range jumpers and three poins. I think Victor Wbinyama too. And I I was surprised. Mike Breen and Tim Legler and Richard Jefferson on the call here They said that's a natural basketball move, but it's one hundred percent going to be a flaggrant definition of a flgrant is unnecessary contact by a player He wr he raises his elbow and clips Carl Anthony Towns right across the chin I don't think that that was an unnecessary move by Victor Weembenyama, but I do think that the that the Spurs got away with it the Jalen Brunson headsmush And that one definitely m got the flavorite And it was a call T. it was. It totally was. I think ax call He made that call. He wanted to get out of the building alive. That's what it was. He's like, I'm not going to make it back to the hotel if I don't give a flick here to Wy New York own ax normbally knows, I'm not going to go out like this I'm not going in the streets of New York. I'm not going to go down for not giving him a flaggrant here And he made He made the right call if you are evaluating whether the Jalen Brunson smush that got uncalled deserved one. So I'm not mad at it. I just thought of all of the unnecessary contacts for sure Jayen Brunson and the for when he pushed his forearm down and the follow through and that was laughing after it You knew exactly what he was doing on this one with Kat. felt like it could have been a fifty fifty call. defefinitely a shot to the head and the chin. good and a lot of times he's going to get that flaggrant regardless of the situation But I thought that was a makeup call to make up what what was obviously a flagrant one against Jaalen Brunson earlier in the series I felt like when was the the Mitchell Robinson flaggrrant? Was that like middle late second quarter or something along those lines where Weby was like, I'm in your head I'm in your head. I felt like there was some Signs End of the second quarter. There was a moment, I think it was maybe the final minute of the second quarter. where Wemby and then another spurs player took back to back Threes And I was like, oh, they're just trying to go up thirty. Like they're just trying to It felt like some hero shots like to really put it on ' them at the end of the second quarter. And that mentality just sort of carried in through the entire Se half like just a bit of passiveess. Yeah. this is the play here on screen if you're watching on YouTube with Mitchell Robinson is a dumb the dumb follow by Mitchell Robinson. He was just fed up, annoyed from the other end and then wenty I'm in your head And it felt like at the time that he was felt like he was in their head at the time and just That's the thing, Tom, like I just can't I canan't believe this game shifted the way it did Furers at one point were shooting sixty percent from three in the first half of the game. It was like sixty five percent or something like that. I remember seeing like I looked up at the jumbo Tron and it was like, Nicks forty two percent from three And then you look at Spurs sixty five percent. I'm like damn, like Nicks are playing pretty well like they're shooting well, but That And I was like, I wonder if that's sustainable for the sppurs And then they go three for seventeen from three in the second half T for twelve at the end. eightight of thirty nine entire second half They got away from everything that was going well is that getting to two feet into the paint, kicking out, driving Penetrating the paint, getting paint touches, loobs for Weby. They went away from all of that in the second half So Mitch Johnson, film session that he's going to have with himself about how did we lose the process of what was working so well for us? And the offense was atrocious. You talk about the effective field goal percentage, like the expected, the shot quality, all of that But I'm still hung up on Wemby and the way that he played after getting that flaggrant where I think Iironically, I think that got in his head. was I can't be too aggressive. too physical because I'm going to be suspended for game five And that to me is a huge thing to watch for Game five going back to San Antonio is What type of Victor Wbanyyama aggression level are we going to get when he's on the brink And is it going to be when you see a guy have a technical foul in a game And he knows They're not going to eject me. They're not going to send me out of this game. So I'm going to keep yaing. It's the Draymond Green. I would love to hear what Draymond Green. I would say to you, Kevin, you would ask them kind of mentality should We be have in game five because This this this tweet from uh from underdog on a lot of the mistakes and misses from Victor Weembinyama. like even the ones where he was playing volleyball around the basket and was able to finish eventually. Still it was Can he get a clean look around the basket And he wasn't able to do that. A lot of the scoring was from the perimeter and Look, I'm not going to kill Victor Womanyama after this game and destroy him after in which he had He's averaging twenty eight, ten at three and three in his first NBA finals. He's not the reason they're down three one But certainly the flavrant points that we're going to be seeing down the stretch and the clutch misses How much staying power does that have for a twenty two year old in this NBA final What do what do you mean by that last point to Tom? How much staying power? I want to how much staying power like is is the is the saft is the soft play in the second half Yeah and not playing with that for Is that going to continue in game five and is he going to scared to go to the free throw line because of the nightmare and PTSD had in that in that totally, totally. I mean, I do think it shifted things for him unless the NBA reverses it over the next few days before game five and they which I wouldn' rule that out because I also don't think that was necessarily a flagrant. It felt like a makeup flaggrrant. me, but I do think it changed the way he played. It did change his intensity and he perhaps was in his own head. in that second half where we played all but fifty seven seconds in that second half fatigue Miss shots for him pooor decisions Defensively, I don't think he had quite the same intensity. I mean, in the first half, he had that play that went viral on social this morning where like he like like stomped towards OGN and Obi's. Bg. It's like that's a dirty play. like really dirty. He kind of cut out someome of that edgy stuff he was trying to do in the game. He shouldn't be doing that, but ultimately he was doing those things and it removed that from him The next man A The fact that over the past year They're five and three in the playoffs when they're down twenty plus points. restest of the NBA is four and seventy one. What the hell? does this team have that makes them have the ability to just stay resilient come back in the way that they do. I mean, even like I mean, Josh Hart he had the great quote after the game where he's like, OG saved me a lifetime of regret with the miss layup. I mean, that was I couldn't I thought that was the moment MSG was going to explode what he was on the break. and he misses it kind of caught between the layup in the Dunkan, I say all that to say after a moment like that where it's like Blue balls, right? Like the whole crowd did in that moment and and Larry Dav Yeah. Oh you see Larry David, Larry David. sideline was such a Larry David Bowent What an epic MBA finals dude It's it's the greatest. This is why the NBA is the best. You're not going to get this in baseball. You're not going to get this in football. You're not going to get this in soccer. This only happens at Madison Square Garden in the NBA. What a moment for the league that you have the New York Kicks comoming back in that fashion once again. Yeah, Yeahah, that that note from Kure Thica where it was like fiveive and three when they trail by twenty points in the playoffs over the last two seasons. The drama The the Jayalen Brunson how He is Nails when it comes to crunch time moments and you have I have so much more confidence in Jay and Brunson leading this next team than I do on Der and Fox than I do on anybody on the floor. when the balls his hands, I feel like there's going to be good comes on the play. And you just can't say the same for Victor Webinyama right now or Darn Fox or No, like No shot against them. twenty one years old Stefan Castle or twenty year old Dylan Harper. It's just when you have a captain like that clutch able to get to the club cup in big moments and draw two When you have Victor Wembinyama on you and the three pointer here, lookook at this shot overver a dude who's listed at seven foot five but probably way taller than that. to bring it to one point deficit down the stretch. He's probably exhausted He's somebody that had to leave game one and this is where the Darn Foxy is playing through an ankle injury I don't want to hear it. Jalen Brunson also left with a knee injury in game one and got his leg stepped on by Luke Cornett And we're now saying This guy is the the best clutch performer we've ever seen. And on the other side, Daron Fox is making these brain farts time and time again and juxtaposing those two where Jayalen Brunson has twenty nine points per game in this series And Derren Fox is fourteen It's just Incredible. a guy taking a paycup to help build this team is now averaging close to thirty points per game and making these clutch moments time and time again again in these huge moments in Madison Square Garden. It's great theater. Like you cannot write this and shout out to Ben Stiller for trying to capture this film because he wants to do a documentary. It's going to be the greatest documentary of all time. Like it's going to be epic the film that they've captured on this magical ride for the New York Knicks Yeah, I can't wait to see what they put together there with Bronsson. Yeah just an epic night by him. As you said, we talked about OG with his clutch plays on both ends of the floor as well. A name that we really haven't mentioned too much is Carl Anthony Towns and Towns hit this step back three pointer earlier in the fourth quarter and when he hit that shot, that's what I was like Oh my go, the Nixs are gonna win this game That was the first time I felt like, oh my God, the Nicks are going to win. and that changed multiple times over for over the last seven, eight minutes or whatever. But then didn't realize it live in the moment by on that final inbounds play by the sppurs where Castle caught it. It was bobbled. they didn't even get a shot off got his fingertips on it Carlown was defending the inbounder and he got his hand on the ball and slowed it down. Who knows how it could have resulted? Castle might have caught a lob dunk won the game for the spurs. Maybe he misses the shot the passes off. who knows? But the fact is Cat got his fingertips on that ball and graze it just enough to slow it down and completely muck up that play for the spurs and this is a guy who had two amazing first two games and not so good game three up and down game for hit It was amazing in the second half for him to have that moment just was so awesome as well in that final play. justust that every every center meter counts Tom with your length and size and he hopped up there and perfectly timed that pass to deflect it as Harper passed that in I what diametric opposite coaching strategies we saw from these two head coaches where Mike Brown's like, I'm going to put my biggest guy here Carl Anthony Towns on the ball so that you're not going to get a good look on this imboundnce pass. and it's not app completely apples to apples the situation that the Nicks face and the spurs face there're down thestretch. to put Cat on the ball, a guy who's so long and then have Mitch Robinson also out there to guard Weemby, a completely different strategy than what you saw from Mitch Johnson who put Victor Weembenama on Mikeel Bridges and then left OGN and Oie to just inbound as he will and then ride into the paint unimpeded. So incredible play from Carl Anthony Towns. and I will say If he doesn't get the hand on the ball What happens Kev. Like Stefan Castle had a lane to the basket and a good redirection is that maybe you think that Wy Wey is going to go there at the rim for that tip in, but it was Stefan Castle as Weby was the decoy setting that screen Cat got his hand on the ball I mean, There's so much that happen in this game. I'm glad you brought that up is that Kat's defense there notot just a great play, but also Mike Brown. great job snuffing out that play and just saying like we're going to put cat on this and you're not going to get a look. Notably. Who was takaking out of the ball? It was Dylan Harper the rookie, not Daron Fox, which I think Dereon Fox was way out off of the side of the play, not even involved, which tells you something about the confidence that the Spurs had Dear and Fox making the right play that. onene of them known on that last play, Ethan Strauss, House of Stras, great writer on his substack pointed out how the clock didn't start when cat got his fingertips on it And and so like in theory, like let's just say Castle had scored What would have happened if I mean, can you imagine the controversy today if the shot clock operator didn't start the clock because they missed on the inbound pass there. if that's what gave Castle enough time to score on the play and even if you watch Like I posted an alternate angle on Xerer today Even after Castle touches the ball, I feel like the clock started a little late. So I mean it all was a bit like everybody was a little nervous at the end of that game. But amazing play by Kat. I mean, I think for Walking out of MSG last nightm. Well, not before, even before walking out Like nobody was leaving. Like you know how usually after basketball games, like the users are trying to get people out People were partying, like just sing alongs to music. donon't stop believing One more time my Dath Punk was playing. peopleeople were like It turned into a club almost for, you know, ten minutes or whatever and then walking out of the arena after that people chanting let's go next, let's go next and, you know, FMB and you know, this and that and chanting oG, oG down the escalators leaving It was T truly remarkable, Tom It really was one of the best atmospheres I've ever been in. It probably was the best atmosphere I've ever been in for a sporting event. I think the only thing that's come close to me is two things Um Isaiah Thomas, the game he had after his sister died and he had forty plus points for the Celtics in the postseason against the Wizards and then it was like zero seven season, I think for the Red Sox when they had four home runs in a row and I was at the game with my dad, Red Sox Yankees. They had four home runs in a row and just Fenway each home run, like first home run, you know, normal app like, you know, excitement, second home run, bigigger, third home run exhilarated. and then fourth home run, like the roof, you know, just like blew off, you know, it's just is an incredible moment, but u This one This one topped all that in terms of just the feeling in that place. I mean, like Mike Breen said felt like that place was shaking It really, really did feel like it was shaking. It was incredible It really was the NBA at its pinnacle. and shout out to my guy Rob Lopez who did the Wear ammazing happppens edit on the final play because we need more of those moments where The old campaign for the NBA where amazing happens and you have the piano music, the dramatic. music sets a black and white grayscale and it's just It's ' Theater and the athletic performance Viictor Webinyama As tall as he is. He's got this, you know, twelve foot standing reach. Jayalen Brunson shooting it over him and then out of nowhere. H comes OGN and Oi a guy that has been playing out of his mind. I would venture to say that he in my book is the finals MVP through four games a guy that they got as a heist. in the trade with the Toronto Raptors Um, Emmanuel quickly and RJ Barrett basically straight up for OGN and Oi and then bring him in and he has been everything and more for the New York Knicks. What a story for a guy to come into this New York Kicks franchise and become everything that you wanted out of a three and D guy. but now he's a go to score getting downhill, making smart plays We're in the NBA finals. He's now putting up star numbers and Jalen Brunson said after the game, we got a superstar And there and that's what he's playing like here in the NBA final Yeah, he's u so special. I mean, like we talked about after the Eastern Karmas fininals, this next team is just masterfully constructed through savvy trades risky maneuvers Gutsy decisions Uh never having a sense of complacency like even this year just trading for Alvarado, you know, that helped win them this game for and MSG Yelvarado that acquisition was a big one, even though he's not the biggest name necessarily. And now they're in this position up three one. I don't Look, I'm not ruling out San Antonio winning game five on Saturday, but I don't think they have any chance of winning three in a row. against the Kicks. I just don't see it happening. and I do think it's going to finish up in game five in San Antonio. My expectation, my prediction for that game is You are gonna see even more so than games one and two that arena feel like a Nix game I saw some stat posted last night. I don't remember what it was. was like one one thirty AM in the morning scrolling through X because I couldn't sleep And someone said like thirty seven percent ticket sales for that game or like New York based I don't even know if it was real. It might not be. But like it was just, I don't know. I saw it last night scrolling. I know. I think the atmosphere could be souls away from San Antonio. Remember Michelle Beetle on Illuminati last week was saying like, I don't know how we keep out Nicks fans, but like this is going to be something we're going to watch is like how many Nicks fans are going to be in attendance And you got to imagine The flight cost, the hotel to potentially see the nexts win the NBA Championship with Jalen Brunson in game five over Victor Webinyama. Oh my God. And and just one final thing before we we go to game five Gets posted this and I couldn't believe it Oanadoi's put backack was his only offensive rebound in this series It was his first offentive rebound. this entire series. He's averaging twenty four points a game two turnovers and one offensive rebound. So he's He's not crashing the boards because a lot of times he's the one making the shot and he doesn't need to crash the boards, but just an amazing theatrical just everything, the drama could not script it any better the way that OG An and Oi did that move for his first offensive rebound to win game for and put the Nicks up three one. J sensational play from OG. Yeah, just incredible I love the post game moment last night where he was asked, How's it feel to in a game winner on the NBA Finals. he's like M It feels cool and the whole media room erupted in laughter and he crackgged a smile at it too. OG's the best man. He's about I mean, if the Nicks clos this out I mean, we saw him win a championship earlier in his career with the Toronto Raptors as a young role player basically playing a three indy role for that Raptors's team during the twenty eighteen, nineteen season Uh but and I think he if I remember correctly Did he miss that whole post season And am I Remembering this correctly? Was he out Um, for that Raptor's run and am I Am I just delusional here? Am I forgetting something Think about think about the story here when it comes to I laughed it off about the whole CAA connection that they got OGN and Oie because he's he's a CAA guy and that Julius Randall trade to get Carl Anthon sounds was another case of the Kicks just getting their own guys, but they got OGian andi for reason is that they felt like Pascal Sacum with Fred Van Vleep The the Toronto Raptors, he was underperforming and that he had a lot more left in his in his tank to prove that he can be a star player in this league and he's been every bit of that. in this NBA fine Yeah And by the way, just fact checking myself, That was truly twenty nineteen. He missed the entire postseason because he had an emergency epidectomy right before the playoffs apideectomy right before the playoffs began Uh So he's got a ring but he wasn't playing in that postseason for the Raptors. So this is really a chance for him to truly earn that championship ring and possibly the finals MVP. I think it's going to be close Tom. I mean, for the finals MVP bill, let's just assume like Nick w in five betweenween Brunson, Kat In OGN and Obbe, there's three really strong choices. for the New York Kicks. and I don't think that'll be quite clear until Saturday night if The series does indeed conclude on Saturday, we'll be right back one quick thing Before we get out of here, Tom, a non finals thing The honest end of the Kpo stuff It's getting very interesting U Tyler Hero's brother made a comment on a Tyler Hero Instagram post hinting about Miami. Jannae Cupo made a post on Instagram. hinting about Miami In y Bill Simmondons on his podcast last night after previously stating that he doesn't think the Celtics are in onanis stating that he thinks they are indeed inonnonest You have Jake Fisher over at the Steinline saying that he believes Miami is very worried Boston And I am here to add that I have heard Boston. is shopping people around a lot right now Boston is making calls. Boston is open to training anybody Besides Jason Tatum And that doesn't necessarily mean they land y on us at the end of the day I do believe based off of everything all the conversations I've had is that The Celtics are in on Yonis And if they are making a push on him and that this seems to be currently a two team race with Milwaukee to acquire Janison to D Cumpo We'll see how it plays out, Tom, but this this feels very, very real to me. that Jan is could get traded before the draft. I think after the finals I don't think that'll happen this week. I think it would happen after the finals conclude. U But we seem to be moving towards something Pretty big here, prettyret seismic. happening in the NBA with Ion assented a Cupo trade Very interesting. I think Boston should go after Jis and a Cumo. If it means giving up Jayalen Brown, I think I make that move. I wrote about it in midseason for Tom thefiner dot com where I don't think both teams at that point in the midseason would have would trade Yanis for Jayalen Brown and whatever picks you want to throw in there or ancillary pieces have to go in there to make the salary work I do think after the post season run with Jason Tayatum and Jayalen Brown and the comments from Jayalen Brown I think it's much more likely now than it was midseason while things were rolling for the Boston Celtics led by Jalen Brown. It was a thought exercise then The way that you're reporting this is that basically they're shopping everybody except for Jason Tatum or at least having discussions on everybody around Jason Tatum. That would imply that Jalen Brown is not in that untouchable category. And is that your understanding Is that Jayen Brown If it means trading for Janis, that he would be on the table, do you think that that would be a possibility? without a doubt withithout a doubt. But I don't think the bucks want Jalen Brown. I think it would have to be a third team involved or possibly even more teams involved. So I think it's probably I think a honest deal is probably a lot simpler to Miami. U from the conversations I've had as it seems like it would probably just be Milwaukee, Miami Maybe there's third team iterations involved that I am not privy to, but it seems a more simple deal Boston, I think it would be a bit more complex And that's that's where it's going to be so fascinating this entire week Tom. And I think Boston is in the right personally pursue Yanas this aggressively. I'd put Jayen Brown and Derek White out on the table I'd be extremely aggressive. This is a guy who finished top three and I'd be proting like eight years in a row He's still one of the three, four, five best players in the entire NBA. I'm not going to let one weird year, one injury riddled year during a breakup change what he is as a player. He is a transformational talent talk about you know, coming back from g twoo in the NBA finals. he's the guy who led that few years back against the Phoenix Suns and Mikel Virgins. he knows what that feels like to blow those leads and Janison M Cpa wasnt on the other side of that He is still that player and still a guy that can be the best player on a championship team and I haven't seen much decline despite him being in his early thirties at this point. Boston should be going for him hard. so should Miami and the Bcks should be expecting an absolute massive haul here. My only question is Tom is could there be another mystery team out there, a surprise team that comes out over the top and makes the best offer out there because What is it always with these star players Paul George, he wants LA He wants LA Well he ends up in Oklahoma City. He actually ended up pretty happy there He signed an extension plan with Russell Westbrok Kui Leered wanted LA. He wanted out of San Antonio. whereere to go to the Toronto Raptors and what happened he won of finals? he left anyway But so many of these star trades, there's these Mystery teams that are out there come out of nowhere and T trade for the player despite the fact that the player says, I'm not signing there. I'm not signing an extension, but you get him in your building and you hope you have a shot keeping that guy and convincing him to stay and trying to win with that team. So I wonder Could there be a mystery team for Ganaena Cumpo aside from Boston and Miami that are the two obvious potential destinations for him that nobody's talking about And that's one of the One of the thoughts on my mind right now and I think listeners of this podcast should be thinking about it too And I wouldn't be surprised if a team that had an awful year and a run here in Houston Rockets If they don't hear these reports and say, oit, hold on We've got the picks. We've got the young players. We can make this deal happen if we if they wanted to. Now, I don't know if Houston who they put into a deal, but you can You can guarantee that the Houston Rockets are not satisfied after an embarrassing six games loss to the Lakers in the first round this series this season. So I wouldn't count out the Houston Rockets into that and also Orlando with the Sean Sweeney, the top assistant coach for Mitch Johnson taking the Orlando job They don't have the picks to get a deal done, but just in the same way that the Boston Celtics are trying to figure out how do they gather enough assets or the right pieces to go for it. I wouldn't be surprised if Orlando given the way things ended there, that they're not looking at making a serious change going into next season, not just the head coach. So maybe they get involved here in requiring a lot more draft picks because they gave them most of them away in the Desmond Bane trade I wouldn't count out Houston or Orlando in those sweepstakes. Yeah, I think there could be a surprise team out there. And I mean, it's a big, big week over here at Yahoo Sports. We get the finals and then we also have the all new twenty twenty six soccer pickam. It's here Just in time for the world's biggest soccer tournament. You can make your picks each round earn points and climb the leaderboard. You can play solo