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00:00Monday edition of Shine Time. It's the most anticipated night in New York City sports in the last 50 years.
00:07With the Knicks up 2-0 on the Spurs and Game 3 this evening at MSG.
00:14The iconic Mike Francesa joins us to talk about everything.
00:20Shine Time starts right now.
00:22Bridges finds some room, goes inside, lost the ball, picked up by Harper.
00:27Harper attacks the rim. Shut up by Ananobi. Wemby inside. Layup is good.
00:34And the foul. Spurs regain the lead. Their first lead of the second half.
00:43Brunson on the drive. Stops. Falling away. It's up. It's good.
00:47Wemby lurking.
00:50Brunson dribbles. Pulls up. Jump shot. Back of the rim won't go.
00:54Wemby the rebound. 12 seconds remaining. Stolen by Brunson.
00:58And knocked down by Wemby.
01:01Brunson will shoot free throws with 9.5 remaining.
01:04Oh, what a turnaround in that sequence.
01:07Bridges on him. 4 seconds.
01:10Fox to Wembyn Yama. Pulls up. Jump her.
01:12Won't go. Rebound taken by Vassell. It's over. It's over.
01:17The Knicks survive.
01:19This magic carpet ride continues.
01:23Don't stop. Keep it coming, baby.
01:27Don't stop.
01:31Walk me through the final moments of today's game.
01:35Just gut. Just fight, man. A lot of integrity. A lot of just poised.
01:39Staying together. We're going to fight to the end.
01:41They made a run. They're a really good team, but we're going to fight to the end.
01:43The level of intensity tonight was off the charts.
01:48Describe what it was like playing in it.
01:50This is great, man. This is great.
01:51I just wish we had a better fourth quarter.
01:53They're a really good team. They pushed it, but we've got to be better.
01:56You were dominant on both ends of the floor, coming up with big stops, big shots.
02:01Talk about your performance tonight.
02:03My teammates, man. My teammates' coaches gave me confidence.
02:05But I had a bad fourth. I've got to be better.
02:07I've got to play hard all throughout the fourth quarter.
02:10Even when I'm tired, I've got to keep going.
02:11I can't have a fourth quarter like that.
02:13Up 2-0, going back to the garden. What's the mindset?
02:150-0. Stay desperate. All times.
02:18Come on.
02:19I'm ready to run through the wall right now.
02:21We are so back. I am back.
02:23I have to wait since Friday night to get back at it after Game 2 of those NBA Finals.
02:29Even watching those highlights again, I know the result.
02:32I'm still filled with anxiety as a diehard Knicks fan.
02:36Are you kidding me?
02:38Knicks, you're back in New York City for tonight's Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
02:41Even the president is back at his old stomping grounds for this historic event in the lore of New York
02:47City.
02:47But back to Friday for a second.
02:50I mean, the Knicks almost lost that game in that big lead late, of course, Game 2 in San Antonio.
02:56But they hauled on to become just a third team in NBA history to win the first two games of
03:03the NBA Finals on the road.
03:05And that final sequence was absolutely positively wild.
03:09I mean, the fact that Wemby turned that over, that was just absolutely insane.
03:15I still can't believe it.
03:18I mean, think about the entire sequence, right?
03:21The missed shot.
03:22Then the turnover.
03:24I still can't believe it.
03:26The whole thing was wild.
03:27And, you know, I'm sitting here and I'm watching this.
03:29And as he threw that ball and you see Brunson's eyes just light up and it's just crazy.
03:35And then the foul and then Brunson misses the free throw, which I could not believe that actually transpired in
03:43any way, shape, or form.
03:44And, you know, listen, the moment was way too big for Wemby.
03:48Love the guy.
03:49But that was absolutely insane.
03:51And, you know, you take a look at what transpired with Victor Wemba-Nyama.
03:55It was just wild and what he was doing and what he was thinking in that moment.
03:59I mean, I could not get over that in any way, shape, or form.
04:04And then if you're a Spurs fan, this was mind-numbing.
04:07If you're a Knicks fan, this was unbelievable.
04:10You want Wemby taking that shot.
04:12I mean, I thought for sure after Brunson missed the free throw, I thought for sure that at the end
04:19of the day,
04:20you were going to see De'Aaron Fox hit that shot, and I was ready to throw up all over
04:24the living room floor.
04:26I mean, the fact that Brunson missed that free throw was crazy to me.
04:31Absolutely insane.
04:33Because that's not in the script.
04:35And then you see the chaos.
04:37I couldn't believe what they ran for San Antonio there.
04:41That made absolutely no sense.
04:43I thought for sure Fox was going to shoot that and he was going to make it.
04:46And Wemby, Long Jay, I mean, just give me that 15 out of 10 times.
04:52I mean, there's no way he's going to make that shot.
04:54That was crazy.
04:55So, you take a look at the Knicks and their effort.
04:58I mean, the Knicks deserve to win that game.
05:00Let's be crystal clear.
05:01They were the better team.
05:03I thought that they did a great job in terms of what Mikel Bridges was able to do.
05:08I thought they did an unbelievable job in terms of Karl-Anthony Towns.
05:12And he absolutely destroyed Victor Wembenyama.
05:16In this game, that was incredible.
05:18I thought Mikel Bridges was awesome.
05:20OG Ananobi hit those three monster free throws after the challenge, which was absolutely huge.
05:26And, you know, Bridges playing like he did was kind of everything.
05:3220 points, 8 of 13.
05:35That's soundbite to start the show.
05:37The 0-0 mentality.
05:39I mean, Mikel Bridges was on a Phoenix Suns team that was up 2-0 against Milwaukee in the finals.
05:43And, listen, they lost four straight games and did not win.
05:48So, the fact that Bridges was able to do what he did, I thought that was incredible.
05:53And I'm also not surprised.
05:54It's what we expect from Mikel Bridges and OG Ananobi.
05:58And when Leon Rose brought these guys in, this was the vision.
06:03The R.J. Barrett trade.
06:04And, obviously, trading all five first-round picks to Brooklyn.
06:07I'd make that trade a million times over when you look at Mikel Bridges and what he brings to the
06:12table.
06:13So, I am just completely impressed, completely obsessed.
06:17Still can't believe what transpired in terms of Wenbunyama at the end.
06:21Listen, he was terrible.
06:23You might recall me saying before the start of this series, Carl Anthony Towns was the key.
06:27I called it.
06:28I nailed it.
06:29And Towns has dominated Victor Wenbunyama through the first two games of the series, playing maybe the best defense of
06:35his career.
06:37Through two games, what your impressions are of your matchup with Cat?
06:40I know he's a lot different of a center than you guys have played this playoffs.
06:43What do I think of it?
06:47It's very different from the previous series.
06:50It's bringing us into difficult areas because they're good players.
06:55He's a good player.
06:58So, yeah, I mean, we just need to figure out how we need to keep working on it.
07:02How many points did he score tonight?
07:04One on five is, we can do a little bit better.
07:08We can do better defensively.
07:11Wenbunyama's in shock right now.
07:13It's probably been a long time since he got his ass kicked like this.
07:17He's going to own the league soon.
07:19But right now, he's being owned.
07:21Big Cat is just taking his ass to the woodshed, plain and simple.
07:24My guy, Chuck, now that Cat was taking his ass to the woodshed.
07:29And Carl Anthony Towns owned Victor Wenbunyama.
07:33When you take a look at that first half and you take a look at Cat's, if the series ended
07:39right now, he is the MVP of this series.
07:41There's no question about it.
07:42I thought Wemby game one was awful on offense.
07:47Game two, he was atrocious in the first half.
07:51And then, you know, what we showed you to start tonight's show, when you take a look at that sequence
07:56at the end.
07:56He missed that shot.
07:58Then had that killer turnover, the killer foul.
08:01And then you saw Wemby miss the shot at the end.
08:04So, the moment's been too big for Victor Wenbunyama, let's be honest here.
08:08And I'm surprised by that.
08:11And Cat's been unbelievable.
08:12He's been sensational.
08:13And he's been tough.
08:14And he's been dominant.
08:15And he's been physical.
08:16And, frankly, nothing's been able to stop Carl Anthony Towns other than Tony Brothers.
08:21I'm still not over that third and fourth foul on Carl Anthony Towns.
08:26That was the only way to take the Knicks out of this and take Cat out of it.
08:29The fact that that third call, that third foul on Towns that they called, that was repulsive to me.
08:36Absolutely terrible.
08:37I mean, here it is, right?
08:39You know, if you're a fan of the Knicks like me, you know, honestly, at the end of the day.
08:44And this is the fourth foul here.
08:46I mean, this is basketball.
08:48And they call a foul on Cat right there as he's wrestling with our guy, Castle.
08:53I mean, come on.
08:53What is that?
08:54And, you know, the whole thing.
08:56Knicks fans watching that could not throw things at the TV more.
09:02It made no sense.
09:03Absolutely no sense when you look at it.
09:05So I thought that was insane.
09:08The Mitchell Robinson technical foul was awful.
09:11And I expect Carl Anthony Towns to dominate again.
09:14I truly do.
09:15Let's be crystal clear here.
09:16So, you know, I think that Cat's outplaying Wemby has been a monster factor.
09:21I expect that to be the case tonight.
09:23And listen, Cat's been amazing.
09:26And the guy you credit is Mike Brown.
09:28And as much as Cat has had Wemby's number through the first couple of games at the end of the
09:32day,
09:33maybe more glaring is how Mike Brown has just coached circles around Mitch Johnson.
09:39After the game, I asked Mike how this group has evolved him as a coach and challenged him.
09:43Nothing but positive things to say, obviously.
09:45But for you, how has this approach to coaching helped you grow this season?
09:49Yeah, it's, um, his approach has been great when he's not, uh, barking like he did the other day.
09:56Um, yeah.
09:57I don't know what that was.
09:59But, um, he challenges us every day to be better than we were the day before.
10:05Um, we challenge him somehow, some way.
10:10But, um, blessed to have him.
10:12I come in with a plan.
10:14Maybe the plan doesn't work.
10:16Who adjusts?
10:17Him or me?
10:18Me.
10:19I adjust.
10:22The adjustment's not enough.
10:23You know, every once in a while, we're not on the same page.
10:27We talk about it.
10:29We talk about it.
10:30I adjust again.
10:31A little bit better.
10:33He's feeling good.
10:34We talk about it.
10:34We talk.
10:35You know, maybe we take a couple of steps backwards, because what I did, he doesn't like, which is fine.
10:41It's my job as a coach to fit, uh, whatever scheme work we have on both sides of the floor
10:47to all of our players.
10:49I think that Carl Anthony Towns is the MVP so far with the Knicks up 2-0.
10:56Jalen Brunson, the Brunson burner, obviously Brunson is in a Derek Jeter kind of range, right?
11:03You could make the case that Mike Brown is the MVP of the postseason here for the Knicks.
11:09What Mike Brown has done is unbelievable.
11:13I don't even think he's getting enough credit.
11:15I thought the turning points in terms of a sequence, because San Antonio, after we referenced what happened with the
11:22foul trouble with Cat and those awful two calls for his third foul and his fourth foul, you know, they
11:28started going on a run.
11:29Remember Mike Brown's lineup at the end of the third quarter to combat that, right?
11:33When he had Mikkel Bridges in with four subs, it was unbelievable.
11:38Shabbat and Deuce and Mitch and Alvarado, it was tremendous.
11:42End of the third, beginning of the fourth.
11:44Give Mike Brown credit.
11:45Give Mike Brown credit for what transpired with the challenge with O.J. Ananobi,
11:50which was an unbelievable call by Mike Brown in terms of, you know, going to the replay review.
11:56They win the challenge and O.J., who just has that even, amazing heartbeat, O.J. Ananobi hits all three
12:05free throws,
12:06which was huge as the Spurs were going on a run in the fourth quarter.
12:09I thought that sequence was as big as anything, obviously, until Wemby absolutely spit the bit at the end.
12:16So, Mike Brown deserves so much credit.
12:19He, in that soundbite, is talking about what he did with Karl-Anthony Towns, making adjustments.
12:24That was incredible.
12:25That was sensational.
12:27From Game 3 to Game 4 of the Atlanta series, making him more of that point center,
12:33which has really unlocked everything for the Knicks on this 13-game heater.
12:38The New York Knicks have won 13 playoff games in a row, eight on the road.
12:46It's unbelievable.
12:47Listen, all the credits goes to Jalen Brunson, obviously.
12:51All the credit on the floor goes to Karl-Anthony Towns.
12:55But for all of the above, and you heard Brunson and Kath talking about it,
12:59the guy who should get all praise when you look at the ability to go into tonight's Game 3 up
13:052-0,
13:05nothing, it's the coach of the Knicks, Mike Brown.
13:09Well, how great is this?
13:10The man joining me right now needs no introduction to New York sports fans or sports fans anywhere.
13:15A New York City icon.
13:17We're so thankful to have him on today to offer his unique perspective on this historic night in New York
13:21City.
13:22The host of the Mike Francesa podcast on the Bent Rivers Network.
13:27Mike will be live on the Mike Francesa podcast channel, part of the Bent Rivers Network, on YouTube,
13:33immediately following Game 3 tonight and every game moving forward.
13:37Mike, welcome to the show.
13:39How are you?
13:40Hey, Adam.
13:40How are you?
13:41Doing wonderful.
13:42Absolutely wonderful.
13:43And I want to get your take on this.
13:45And I've made this case, right?
13:47To me, considering the drought for the Knicks and a championship,
13:52and I've literally never seen one.
13:54I'm turning 49 next week.
13:55Yep.
13:56The 2-0 lead.
13:57I can make the case, this is the most anticipated New York City events in 50 years of my life.
14:04What is your take on the enormity of tonight?
14:08It's a big night.
14:10It will only be topped by a championship coronation in the city.
14:16So if they win tonight, and then Game 4 will be even bigger because the actual crowning of the champion
14:24in the city would be bigger.
14:26But let's be honest.
14:28New York hasn't had a lot of big nights recently.
14:31This night will rank, and so will any preceding night in this series,
14:39will rank with the great New York sports moments of the last 50 years or more.
14:45It's been since 1973, May 10, 73, since the Knicks won a championship.
14:51The second one gets overlooked a lot because of the brilliance of the first one.
14:56They were close in proximity.
14:57They were very different teams.
14:59The first one is regarded better and was a more unique and historic team.
15:09But it's been a very long time coming.
15:12They had their moments.
15:13Listen, Doug and I were in Houston, Game 6.
15:16Yep.
15:17Should have won.
15:17Let's be honest.
15:18They should have won.
15:19We sat around for three days in a humid, hot Texas waiting for Game 7.
15:25Bumped into Kenny Smith in the locker room.
15:28I mean, in the waiting room before the game.
15:31He had had a bad series.
15:33He said, I'm going to make some shots tonight.
15:35He sure did.
15:36And Game 7 wasn't close.
15:39That series was a tough one to swallow.
15:41They should have won that championship.
15:45In 99, they had no chance against San Antonio.
15:48You know, they were an 8 seed.
15:49They were lucky to get there.
15:51And, you know, they were up against a juggernaut.
15:54Everyone knew they had no chance.
15:56This is different.
15:57You knew they had a chance.
15:59And I still think that the Thunder would have been much harder for the Knicks than San Antonio.
16:05Much harder.
16:06Even with the injuries, I think they would have been much harder.
16:09Because right now, the Thunder's kryptonite is Wemby.
16:13He takes away their entire offense.
16:15He has not done that to the Knicks because the Knicks have so many answers offensively
16:20and so much virtuosity in their offense right now.
16:25And they're able to move the ball so well.
16:27And everybody scores.
16:29Everybody.
16:29They got guys coming off the bench scoring.
16:31They got guys coming from everywhere and scoring.
16:33All five starters can score.
16:35Three guys or four guys off the bench can score.
16:37It's crazy what's going on with that team right now.
16:40So they have answers for everything.
16:42And someone over the weekend put it best to me.
16:45The Knicks, to a man, are giving this effort their best selves.
16:51And when you get everybody playing this well, it's hard to beat.
16:55And this is a special Knicks team right now.
16:57Well, you just referenced it.
16:59And you just said some amazing things right there.
17:02I want to piggyback off all of them.
17:03The way this team is playing, they're unselfish.
17:06They're deep.
17:07They're dominant.
17:08They're well-coached.
17:09They're as likable a team as we've seen in New York in a long time.
17:13What would it mean for New York sports and this city
17:17for this version of the Knicks to win a championship?
17:20I don't even think people understand yet how big it will be.
17:24Not only will it be big, but it will grow.
17:28If they're able to sweep this series,
17:30and then you take a look at what they have accomplished here.
17:33But as this happened, it first took everybody by surprise.
17:38You know, the Atlanta series, people, they wanted to bench bridges.
17:42They wanted to make changes.
17:44They were furious about what was going on.
17:46And now they go and get hot.
17:48And then they get two teams that they completely destroy in historic fashion.
17:53And now it builds and builds.
17:55If this winds up being what it has been for the first two games,
18:00for two more games, this will be a team that will be regaled forever
18:07as one of the great teams in NBA history.
18:10And that's from where they were two months ago.
18:13To even being considered in that kind of vein is almost hard to fathom.
18:20It's almost hard to believe.
18:21We have watched this team go from being a dangerous team
18:26to a very good team to an incredibly competent team
18:30to, dare I say, a great team.
18:32And that's something you don't usually see in one team.
18:34You never see that. You're 100% right.
18:36And now they're on an all-time heater
18:38with a golden opportunity to win a championship.
18:40And I want to get your take because you've seen all the greats.
18:44And you know what makes a great athlete tick in general.
18:47But, Mike, specifically in New York, it's different here.
18:51And I've been comparing Jalen Brunson to Derek Jeter
18:54when it comes to that singular focus, the demeanor,
18:57how he performs in crunch time.
18:59Now he's got to win a championship and then another one after
19:01to have the ultimate Jeter comparison.
19:03But I think those comparisons are legit.
19:06You have comparisons to Kobe and the mentality,
19:09to Messier and how he performs.
19:11So who do you compare Jalen Brunson to?
19:14Who is he?
19:16Your Jeter one is on.
19:17Kobe's not good.
19:18He's not Kobe Bryant, okay?
19:20He's not as good as Kobe Bryant.
19:22He's not Kobe Bryant's level as a player.
19:25But what he is is what Jeter was.
19:28Jeter never won an MVP.
19:31Jeter never was the dominant player.
19:34But what he was was a player who was always at his best in the big moment.
19:39And in now, in the sports world we live in now, where it's all playoff centric,
19:45being a great playoff performer, okay?
19:49Look at Judge, how much he is knocked for what he's done in the postseason,
19:52despite the fact he's put up some of the great years in Yankee history, okay?
19:56But he gets knocked.
19:59Jeter was the opposite.
20:00He was always at his best in the biggest moment.
20:05He was always there when the moment needed him to be big, he was bigger.
20:10That's what Brunson gives you.
20:12Brunson's numbers are better the farther you go.
20:15Now, he hasn't had two good games here, okay?
20:18He really hasn't.
20:19And for them to win, and so far the MVP without, hands down, has been Towns.
20:25Oh, yeah.
20:25Hands down.
20:26And he might win the MVP, or Brunson might go on a heater in the next two games
20:30and put up 40, and then it's going to be a debate as to who's going to be the MVP.
20:34I think Towns is the MVP.
20:36He changed the series.
20:37Who went into the series thinking that Towns could outplay Wemby on both ends of the floor?
20:42Who went into the series thinking that, okay?
20:45He has done that.
20:46He has taken his game to such a different level.
20:51He has become not only a man, he has become a big-time center in front of our eyes.
20:58He has become a lethal force in this series.
21:01He has been brilliant in these first two games.
21:04His game one was unbelievable.
21:06His game two, if not for the foul trouble, would have been equally unbelievable.
21:09And he has outplayed Wembley.
21:11Not only is that, he's embarrassed them at times.
21:13So, for that, he's been the guy.
21:16But back to Brunson.
21:17Brunson's ability to score in the fourth quarter is uncanny.
21:20Brunson has the best footwork of any player I've seen in the NBA, with the notable exception of Hakeem Olajuwon,
21:31who had the most exquisite footwork I ever saw in my life.
21:34Brunson's footwork is unbelievable.
21:38He is able to find space to score.
21:41He is able to find angles to score, where there is no room to score, because his footwork is unbelievable.
21:50That's how good it is.
21:52He is a good player who plays great when the moment demands it.
21:57And that's exactly what Derek Jeter was his whole life.
22:02Plus, they're both leaders.
22:03Jeter was the leader without any question.
22:06Brunson is the leader without any question.
22:09He took less money to have this team built around him.
22:12He is the leader.
22:14He sets the right tone.
22:16He doesn't put the cart before the horse.
22:20He takes it one game at a time, and he sets the perfect tone.
22:24But this team has been able to overcome on the road two games that were rather poor games for Brunson.
22:31And they've overcome it and won because Bridges has been great.
22:36Hey, they took the lead from four to nine on the road.
22:40With Bridges and four subs at the end of the third quarter.
22:43How ridiculous is that?
22:45Honestly, I made that point earlier.
22:47I'm with you.
22:47I mean, that sequence when it was Brunson and four reserves, with Bridges and four reserves was just incredible.
22:53And credit Mike Brown.
22:54Four points to nine points at the end of the third quarter.
22:56I thought that sequence, plus when Ananobi hit the three free throws, I thought those were the two biggest sequences
23:03of the game.
23:04That challenge changed the game.
23:05A hundred percent.
23:06Now, listen.
23:07Wemby's self-destructive, okay?
23:09And the coach has not got enough grief for how bad San Antonio has been at the end of the
23:14game.
23:15The coaching on the San Antonio bench has been deplorable at the end.
23:18Absolutely deplorable, okay?
23:20I don't want to beat the guy up, okay?
23:21But let's be honest.
23:22It's been awful.
23:23Absolutely awful.
23:24I mean, to not have your center know what's going on at the end of the game with nine seconds.
23:28Call a timeout.
23:29I mean, what's wrong with you?
23:31I mean, so, I mean, and plus, the way they executed the last play was dead wrong on so many
23:36levels.
23:36You have to give yourself time for a rebound or a foul so that you can come back up and
23:40try and score again.
23:41So, I mean, you do not squander the whole thing on one shot.
23:46So, San Antonio made so many mistakes, but the bottom line is the Knicks have had an answer.
23:52Look what the bench has done, okay?
23:56You know, look what Landry Schambit has done.
23:58It's unbelievable.
23:59It means ridiculous.
24:01Listen, IU is a big Wichita State fan.
24:04The coach was a friend of mine.
24:05I always was on their bandwagon.
24:08I remember him very well.
24:10I remember all of those additions of all those great Wichita State teams.
24:14So, I know this player for a very long time, just like I know the Villanova players for a very
24:18long time because I'm close to that coach.
24:20The bottom line is these guys were taught how to play basketball the right way.
24:26And they all play.
24:28And do not discount the fact that these Villanova guys on the Knicks are champions.
24:33And they've been champions.
24:34And they know how to play together.
24:36And it works when the game is on the line.
24:40That game won fourth quarter from Hart was one of the most unbelievable things.
24:44Mike, the rebounding, the defense from Hart in that game.
24:47And to your point, that's Jay Wright basketball.
24:50A, they pick up for each other.
24:53They let Bridges lead.
24:55They let Brunson lead.
24:56They complement.
24:58They know what their roles are.
25:00Bridges can go from not touching the ball for 20 minutes on the court, playing great defense, and then make
25:06three shots in a row.
25:07Nobody does that.
25:08Nobody does that.
25:09He has been sensational.
25:11And I'll tell you something, Brown has done some amazing things here.
25:15After the early crisis with Atlanta, he decided to run the offense completely through Towns, which was genius.
25:22Number two, he had to completely bring Bridges back to life and back into the Knick community.
25:28He did that in an incredible fashion.
25:31Just those two things.
25:33And then having the belief system in the bench that he worked on all year has paid so many dividends.
25:40Shaman's been on the floor for 33 and 30 minutes in these two championship games.
25:45That's wild.
25:45Yeah.
25:45I mean, they are utilizing.
25:47The bench, I don't consider Harper part of the San Antonio bench.
25:52I consider him a starter.
25:53Okay?
25:53So, if you look past Harper, they haven't gotten anything off their bench.
25:57Plus, do you think you take a veteran player and give them a chance to play a couple of minutes
26:01off the bench in San Antonio?
26:05Those guys in championships have turned so many championship games around in the history of the NBA, coming off the
26:11bench and after not doing anything.
26:13Give guys a chance when your kids are falling apart.
26:16We have watched San Antonio unravel, and he has had no answers when they unravel.
26:20And the difference in this series is when the Knicks come up the court, they know exactly what they have
26:25to do to get a basket.
26:26San Antonio has no idea what they have to do to get a basket.
26:28Yeah.
26:29I think you nailed it.
26:30And nailed it on the coach as well.
26:31Now, I love that you love my Brunson-Jeter conversation and comparison.
26:36It's absolutely dead on.
26:38So, I'm curious to get your take on this, because you've seen it all.
26:43And I asked Clyde when he joined us, and I still think even if Brunson wins a championship, Clyde is
26:48the greatest Knick.
26:49Remember this, folks.
26:51I watched it as a kid.
26:53I was a freshman in high school, okay?
26:55I wasn't at the game, and the game wasn't on TV.
26:58It was on tape delay, but I listened to it on the radio, and then I watched it late that
27:03night.
27:03And people don't realize the NBA was on tape delay in the finals in those games, okay?
27:08Walt Frazier in game seven.
27:11And I'll never understand that series from a coaching standpoint, because how can you have –
27:16First of all, what people don't remember, Adam, is game five, Chamberlain is killing Reid.
27:22Reid goes down.
27:23They put a small team on the floor, and Chamberlain never touches the ball again in the game, and the
27:27Knicks win the game.
27:28They go out to L.A. for game six.
27:30He gets 45 points and 28 rebounds.
27:32He's coming back for game seven.
27:34Reid is just going to make a cameo.
27:36How does Chamberlain go from 45 and 28 to not being a factor in game seven?
27:41How is that humanly possible, okay?
27:44I mean, how is he – I got to go back and sit on the bench there and talk to
27:48those guys.
27:49How is that humanly – he had 45 points and 28 rebounds in game six, okay?
27:54He dominated the game, and then he comes back and does nothing in game seven.
27:57And Frazier in game seven, folks, had as good a game as a guard could ever have.
28:0436 points, 19 assists, seven rebounds, five assists, 12 for 12 from the foul line, 12 for 17 from the
28:12floor.
28:13That is perfection.
28:15You can't play better.
28:18I'm with you completely, and I love that rant right there.
28:20So – and Clyde's the number one Knick of all time, right?
28:23And obviously you have Willis, you have Patrick.
28:25And Willis is there because Willis was such an emotional and inspirational leader.
28:30It is – and people don't realize, you know, how good Earl Monroe was as an overall player, okay?
28:36He subjugated his ego when he came to the team later.
28:39But you got to put Frazier, and you have to put Reid.
28:42That's all there is to it. You have to.
28:44You know, it's interesting with Brunson and how he's changed this entire thing.
28:49He completely – changed the team completely.
28:51Changed the perception, the reality, the entire –
28:53The whole thing, everything.
28:54And don't – don't discount – I'm going to call it now something I really – really would do.
29:00The genius of Leon Rose.
29:02Yeah.
29:03Leon Rose is going to be the unsung hero of this whole thing.
29:07He has done not a good job.
29:09The guy – someone asked me the other day,
29:11hey, after this is over, who do you want to interview?
29:13I said, I only want to interview one person.
29:14I want to interview Leon Rose.
29:15I want – I want to go through this whole thing.
29:18Leon Rose, what he's done here is – listen, let's be honest.
29:23It's utterly brilliant.
29:25I think brilliant is the only word choice.
29:26And he's brought in – he made sure those Nova guys were together.
29:29O.G. Ananobi, winning ball player.
29:32Every – the Carl Anthony Towns train.
29:34I didn't like the Towns move.
29:36Listen, I loved the Brunson move.
29:37When he came here, I told people, because I was always a Brunson guy,
29:40I told people, this is going to be one of the best moves the Knicks ever made,
29:44and you're going to love the day that he came here.
29:46Because people are saying he got too much money, blah, blah, blah.
29:49I did not like – and I know Townsend since he was in high school.
29:53I met him when he was in high school.
29:56It was his dad, I believe, or his guardian,
29:58but his dad stopped me on the street with the kid
30:00and introduced me when they were in high school,
30:02and I was going into the garden one night.
30:03So I've known him since those days, okay?
30:06I just thought he was soft.
30:08I've always thought he was soft.
30:09I didn't think that he was tough enough to win a championship with.
30:13It looks like I'm going to be wrong, and I'll admit it.
30:15You know what?
30:15I did not see this part of Towns.
30:17I really didn't.
30:18Listen, I love the trade.
30:20I think the way he's playing is even just surprised me
30:23as someone who loved it and how tough he's been.
30:26And credit Mike Brown, and you referenced it
30:27because that Game 3 to Game 4 in the Atlanta series changed everything.
30:32And, Mike, you referenced going into Madison Square Garden.
30:34You've been in that building for every single moment
30:37that has mattered in Madison Square Garden.
30:40We could talk college.
30:41We could talk Rangers.
30:42We could talk Knicks.
30:44What makes MSG so special?
30:46There's nothing like it.
30:49And this is not taking anything away from Yankee Stadium.
30:52This is not taking anything away from – now, when you play Super Bowls,
30:56you don't play them on home field, so it's not the same thing.
31:00Although I would say this, the scene in Tampa when the Giants beat the Bills
31:04was one of the great sports settings I've ever been in in my life,
31:08and it was one of the most remarkable games I've ever been in in my life
31:11with the whole Gulf War and Whitney Houston
31:14and the great play by the two teams and everything else.
31:17So that is a great memory.
31:20There is no building.
31:22First of all, it's New York City.
31:23And there is nothing that pulsates like the heart of New York City,
31:29like Madison Square Garden does, on a big sports night.
31:33I've always said I wanted – now, if Dogg and I were in our prime,
31:37we would be in that building at 1 o'clock this afternoon to start the show,
31:41and we would be sitting there and we would be in the building the whole time
31:44and we would be talking out of the building.
31:47And I always said, I wish I could have gone – and we did that in 94 a million times
31:54with the Knicks lost and the Rangers won.
31:56They both – 49 playoff games that year, home and away.
31:5949, 25 at the Garden, 24 on the road.
32:02Rangers winning seven.
32:03I've still said the most intense building I've ever been in in my life, Adam,
32:06in my life was Rangers, Devils, game seven.
32:12Waiting, waiting for the third period was the most intense I ever saw a building in my life.
32:17It was like no one could take a breath.
32:19That's how crazy that was.
32:21That game, more than anything else, was the most intense game I've ever been to in my life.
32:26I've said that a million times.
32:27But having been in the Garden for so many big events, there is nothing that says New York.
32:34There is nothing that says big time in sports like Madison Square Garden.
32:41You realize that when you're in that building tonight, you are in the center of the universe.
32:46That's all there is to it.
32:48Everything is revolving around that building.
32:52Nothing else feels like that.
32:53And that's why I've made this statement.
32:55I made this statement about 40 years ago, and I've heard a couple people bring it up in the last
32:58week.
32:58And I said, people love the Yankees, and they have a great following.
33:05People love the Giants, and they have a great following.
33:08But when the Knicks are playing for high stakes, they take this town on a ride that the Yankees can't
33:19do,
33:19the Giants can't do, because they light up New York and Manhattan in a way that the other teams don't.
33:28A lot of their fans are in the suburbs.
33:30A lot of their fans.
33:31But Manhattan, the socialites, the rich people, the beautiful people who will all be in the golf tonight.
33:37Okay?
33:37They'll all be there.
33:38They respond to the Knicks more than any other team.
33:42And that's why when the Knicks get like this, there is nothing like the impact that the Knicks have on
33:49this city.
33:50And right now, the Knicks are – they have the whole city in the palm of their hand.
33:55That's all there is to it.
33:56And this doesn't happen for teams very often.
33:59And this is an experience that comes along very, very rarely.
34:05This is one of the great – if you're in that building tonight,
34:07this is one of those great New York sports nights that you've heard about and you've read about.
34:14And tonight, you'll get a chance to experience.
34:16I think that's a perfect way to phrase it.
34:19And the Knicks are the heartbeat of New York City and certainly Manhattan.
34:22You summed it up perfectly.
34:24I'm fascinated to get your take on the president of the United States being in attendance tonight.
34:28Right decision? Wrong decision?
34:31What are your thoughts here?
34:32You know, first of all, I do know that I have sat at playoff games with him before.
34:37Yep.
34:38Okay?
34:39He has been there – I've sat in Dolan's seats when the Rangers were in the Stanley Cup.
34:44Last time I sat there with him, he sat next to me for the Rangers' Kings final when the Rangers
34:52lost, right?
34:53And told me he was going to run for president.
34:55As a matter of fact, I said, get out of here.
34:58Wow.
34:59Too sorry.
34:59Too sorry.
35:00Okay?
35:01Now, I've known him forever.
35:02Okay?
35:02Dog and I did boxing events for him in Atlantic City when it was Bo Holyfield,
35:06and he was promoting boxing, okay?
35:09So I've known him for 30, 40 years, okay?
35:12So has Dog.
35:13He – I thought he was kidding, okay, to be honest with you.
35:17But he has always been – now, his relationship with New York has gotten very frayed and very strained on
35:23a lot of levels politically.
35:25We know that.
35:26But I've always seen him as a New Yorker.
35:29So am I surprised he would come back?
35:31First of all, he and Dolan are close.
35:33Secondly, am I surprised he would come back now?
35:36The one thing is he is such a divisive force right now that it's crazy.
35:42So there's going to be many people hating that he's there as many – plus they canceled the thing outside
35:48the garden,
35:49which a lot of people are going to blame him for.
35:52When it's the president, he inconveniences a lot of people when he goes to a building.
35:57When George Bush came to Yankee Stadium when they played Arizona after 9-11,
36:04Dog and I did the game that day.
36:07We did a remote that day in Rockefeller Center.
36:11We took a car up.
36:12We didn't get in the building until the third inning going in the media entrance because of George Bush.
36:16That just tells you how much it can get bottled up.
36:20So all I would say to you is, listen, if you're lucky enough to go to the game tonight,
36:24go early because the president will inconvenience him because they shut everything down and they don't care.
36:29They don't care.
36:30Their job is to protect him.
36:31They don't care what they do.
36:33Nothing moves when he moves.
36:35So you realize you're going to be inconvenienced by the president being there.
36:38But let's be honest.
36:40He is a New Yorker.
36:42He's always been a New Yorker.
36:43He's been in that building a million times, a million times.
36:47I've sat next to him at playoff games.
36:49So I can't tell you that he is not in a place where he has been many, many times.
36:53He has been.
36:55Mike, last one for you.
36:56How do you expect the series to play out?
36:58Are we looking at a sweep?
37:00I originally said Knicks in seven.
37:02I think we're probably closer to four.
37:04I mean, 13-game winning streak.
37:05If it rains, 29 straight days.
37:07I'm bringing an umbrella.
37:08How do you see it playing out?
37:09I think San Antonio did gain something by that 14-0 run late in game two.
37:16I think there comes a point where people kick dirt on you and it takes the pressure off your team.
37:21And I think San Antonio is in that spot now.
37:24They need to get off to a fast start or the noise in the building will destroy them.
37:28Okay.
37:29They need to shut the building down in the second quarter.
37:31If they haven't done that, and they've been great in the first quarter throughout the Thunder series,
37:35throughout the Knicks series.
37:36They've been great in the first quarter.
37:37They've owned the first quarter every game.
37:40So, they need to do that again tonight.
37:41If they don't, they're going to be in big trouble.
37:44I don't see them winning any close games, Adam.
37:49I think the Knicks have way – here's what I see that I thought they could fix,
37:55and they didn't fix it all in game two.
37:57They don't have a clue when they come up to court how they're going to score.
38:02And the Knicks have 52 ways to score.
38:06They have so many ways to score.
38:09It is ridiculous.
38:10Every guy can hit a big shot.
38:12Every guy can make a play.
38:14And they can make five passes before they get the shot off the Knicks.
38:19Their passing, their connectivity now as a team, their cohesiveness now as a team,
38:24is at such a high level.
38:26Their confidence is at such a high level.
38:29I don't think San Antonio – I think the only way San Antonio can beat him
38:33is to route him, and I don't think they can route him in the garden.
38:35So, I think the Knicks will win in four.
38:37We're on the same page.
38:38I did six before the series, so I thought Knicks in six only because of the experience.
38:42I thought the experience was going to be a huge factor.
38:46And I thought they had too many answers on offense for San Antonio.
38:50San Antonio doesn't – if you look at them, they don't run an offense.
38:53They don't have an offense.
38:54And that's the problem.
38:55They don't know – they get so many bad shots, it's unbelievable.
38:58Plus, get Wemby near the basket.
39:01I don't want a center getting stripped six times in the middle of the floor
39:06and trying to take nine threes.
39:09He's 7'5".
39:10What is he doing out there?
39:12It makes no sense.
39:14Get him near the basket.
39:15He's lethal near the basket.
39:18And, I mean, I don't understand why they can't get him the ball near the basket.
39:21It's ridiculous.
39:22We're on the same page.
39:23Remind you, Mike's going to be live on the Mike Francesa Podcast channel,
39:27part of the Bet Rivers Network, on YouTube.
39:28I'll be watching, as we always do, immediately following Game 3 tonight
39:32and every game moving forward.
39:34Mike, you're the best.
39:35I love this conversation.
39:37Appreciate it.
39:37We'll do it again real soon.
39:39Congratulations on all your stuff.
39:41You know, listen, I know Adam since he was a kid.
39:43I know him when he started.
39:45And I always knew Adam was headed for big things,
39:47and he hasn't disappointed, that's for sure.
39:49Oh, you're the best, Mike.
39:50That means the world.
39:51I appreciate it, my friend.
39:52Take care, Adam.
39:53Goodbye.
39:53Mike Francesa.
39:54To be honest, I'm not doing too much.
39:56I'm walking around the city right now.
39:59You know, it's to see.
40:04It's cool, but for me, I try to be as far removed from that as possible, just, you know, mentally,
40:13just because if you walk around the city or you go to different places and people are singing your praises
40:20and doing all that, it's very easy to get complacent and to listen to those things
40:27and start feeling good and then you start relaxing.
40:30Jalen, if people want to know what it looks like in New York right now,
40:34normally you guys wouldn't be here on a practice day.
40:37Are you looking around at all?
40:39Do you get a sense of it at all?
40:41Will you try and look or not until it's over?
40:45Not until it's over.
40:47Are you letting your family come look, your friends, anything like that?
40:50They can do what they want.
40:53I love Jalen Brunson, and yeah, back page of the Post nails it.
40:57Let's keep this party rocking.
41:00And obviously the fans are fired up.
41:04I am fired up.
41:05Anyone who loves the Knicks is beyond excited,
41:08but Jalen Brunson and company, it's just an even mentality,
41:12and it's the Mamba mentality.
41:14And you saw the soundbite from the beginning of the show, Mikkel Bridges,
41:18and he was getting really, really into it talking to MSG after the game
41:24when he said, look, it's 0-0, and he got a little animated.
41:28I go back to game two, and Karl-Anthony Towns talking to Lisa Salters,
41:32and it's the 0-0 mentality.
41:34And Jalen Brunson, hey, friends, family can do whatever the hell they want.
41:37There's no celebration.
41:38There's no jubilation until it's over.
41:41And I told you guys last week, 2-0, which was the prediction
41:46in terms of the Knicks winning game number two,
41:49I was not going to sit here on shine time and say the series is over.
41:53I know it's unprecedented for a team that loses the first two games
41:58of the NBA Finals at home to come back and win,
42:01but I'm not going to sit here and declare it over.
42:03When the other team has Victor Wimbanyama
42:05and the Knicks haven't won a championship in my lifetime,
42:08I'm not going to declare anything over.
42:12So, listen, I think when it's all said and done,
42:16what we're looking at is the Garden absolutely rocking tonight.
42:20I know there's so much in terms of conversation about, you know,
42:24getting into MSG tonight and obviously with President Trump being there
42:28and, you know, the ticket prices, which, look, I mean,
42:33I do think the fans in the building will be absolutely incredible Knicks fans,
42:39just going to be wealthy, socialized, as we talked about with Mike Francesa.
42:44Let's be crystal clear about that.
42:46There's going to be a wait to get in when the president is involved in anything.
42:49Obviously, you know, Secret Service and there's going to be angst.
42:53But once the building is rocking, let's be crystal clear,
42:57I think that the Knicks will have this great joy and jubilation and home court advantage.
43:03Now, you know, Mike Breen and I have talked about this before
43:06when he's been on my SiriusXM radio show.
43:08Oftentimes, the home court at MSG doesn't first and foremost work in the Knicks way
43:14because the stars from other teams, it's like they're on Broadway
43:18and they're going to be in front of Ben Stiller
43:20and in front of Edie Falco and in front of Timothee Chalamet and Tracy Morgan
43:25and everyone and Fat Joe and everyone who's going to be on Celebrity Road tonight.
43:29It's going to be an event.
43:31But once you get past everything in terms of getting into the building
43:37and the president being there, listen, I expect, to that soundbite,
43:43Jalen Brunson to have that Derek Jeter singular focus kind of approach.
43:48And my original prediction, as you know, was Knicks in seven.
43:52And after game one and how the Knicks won game one, I said they were going to win game two.
43:57We haven't even seen a complete game yet from Jalen Brunson.
44:02I think the best player on the floor tonight with the president there, with the celebrities there,
44:08I think Jalen Brunson's going to have the best game he's had all series long.
44:12No one's better in terms of tuning out the noise than Jalen Brunson.
44:19Brunson dominates.
44:20Knicks win.
44:22Tomorrow, we party.
44:23That's the show.
44:24If you missed any portion of the show, just do what I do and watch the show over and over.
44:28Go to the New York Post Sports YouTube page, California Post Sports YouTube page,
44:32and search Shine Time.
44:33We'll see you tomorrow on Shine Time.
44:35We'll see you tomorrow on Shine Time.
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