WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.520 Are you superstitious at all? I don't know that I know. 2 00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:04.799 This about you. Are you superstitious? Are you a little 3 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:07.040 stitious on a scale of one to ten? I might 4 00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:10.480 be a little stitious, but I'm not superstitious. 5 00:00:11.960 --> 00:00:13.640 I don't know what the scale is and I've never 6 00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:16.359 been tested. Okay, fair enough. 7 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:18.839 Well, we played Orange Crush last week for Howard in 8 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:20.559 honor of our next and it did not work, so 9 00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:23.039 we switched it up. But I figured we'd stick with 10 00:00:23.079 --> 00:00:25.320 the rim to get our guy in the right mindset 11 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:27.719 before his Friday hit, Howard, Happy Friday, sir? 12 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:30.000 How are you doing all right? 13 00:00:30.039 --> 00:00:32.960 Guys? How are you love? The choice of drive an 14 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:33.840 all time favorite? 15 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:34.399 So, sir? 16 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:38.920 And you're a drive time show, right, so that fits. 17 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:41.280 I'm not sure that the thematic tie into the Nixon 18 00:00:41.320 --> 00:00:44.679 Pacers other than driving the balls. 19 00:00:44.920 --> 00:00:47.200 Yeah, I guess. I don't know. I just you know. 20 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:49.359 I didn't want to do Orange Crush again because it 21 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:51.759 didn't work last time, so I figured. 22 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:52.200 We'd switch it up. 23 00:00:53.079 --> 00:00:57.039 You are in the great City of New York, correct, 24 00:00:57.479 --> 00:00:57.759 I am. 25 00:00:57.840 --> 00:00:59.159 I will be heading to the garden as soon as 26 00:00:59.159 --> 00:00:59.600 we hang up. 27 00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:01.520 So does it feel like a funeral? What is it 28 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:03.399 what's the what's the buzz? What's the buzz in the 29 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:04.480 city today, Howard? 30 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:10.879 I mean, might be completely unrelated, but it's May twenty third, 31 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:14.120 and it is like gray and cold and rainy, and 32 00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:19.040 it feels like Portland frankly, So I don't know if 33 00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:21.200 I can blame the Knicks for that, or if the 34 00:01:21.400 --> 00:01:23.599 if like it's vice versa, or if it's just reflecting 35 00:01:23.640 --> 00:01:24.920 the mood of the city. I don't. I don't know 36 00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:27.959 what to tell you there. There's definitely some shock and 37 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:31.760 some hangover for the fans for sure from the other night. 38 00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:35.319 Whether the Knicks have that will we'll see in a 39 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:37.799 few hours. You know, it's a I suspect everything we 40 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:41.040 know about this team, about Tibbs, about Brunson, about Josh Hart, 41 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:43.920 about the way this team has been. I don't think 42 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:46.159 the dent in their psyche from the other night is 43 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:48.680 going to carry over, Like this is a This is 44 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:50.519 the kind of team that you know, they've they've kind 45 00:01:50.519 --> 00:01:53.159 of seen it all already. They're kind of a tough 46 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:56.599 minded group. That's that that is their hallmark anyway. So 47 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:00.599 you know, like with every playoff series or most play series, 48 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:04.439 every night's a new game and you know, younger teams 49 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:09.479 may feel that differently because they're not used to just 50 00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:14.080 shaking it off and hit the next one. But these 51 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:17.319 things have a way of changing very quickly. So I 52 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:18.680 don't know what we're going to see tonight, but I 53 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:20.199 don't think the other night is going to have anything 54 00:02:20.199 --> 00:02:20.639 to do with it. 55 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:22.159 I tend to agree with that. 56 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:24.719 But before we dig into tonight a little bit further, 57 00:02:24.759 --> 00:02:26.800 since I've not been able to visit with you since 58 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:31.439 Game one, it's wild man, Like I was watching and 59 00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:33.479 taking notes, you know, to get ready for the show 60 00:02:33.479 --> 00:02:37.000 the next day, like, Okay, here's this story. Okay, wait, 61 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:39.039 wait a second, No, here's the story. Okay, wait, that's 62 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:42.120 not the story you like. I could give you ten 63 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:47.159 different targets to aim at, and probably more about game one, 64 00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:50.840 but your biggest takeaways from both what the Pacers were 65 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:53.520 able to do and what the Knicks were unable to 66 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:54.360 do to close it out. 67 00:02:56.639 --> 00:02:59.080 You know, as you say that about how many different 68 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:01.759 stories there were, the first thing I'm always going to 69 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:05.039 remember about that game other than Halliburton's crazy shot at 70 00:03:05.080 --> 00:03:06.719 the buzzer that we thought was a game winner and 71 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:08.120 that he thought was a game winner. But wasn't a 72 00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:09.840 game winner, but it was only a game tier that 73 00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:14.800 forced over. The thing that was also staying with me 74 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:18.879 was Jalen Brunson went to the bench with five fouls 75 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:22.080 and you know whatever, eight nine minutes left and a 76 00:03:22.120 --> 00:03:24.280 two point lead for the Knicks, and I thought, wow, 77 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:26.080 this is the golden opportunity for the pay Like if 78 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:27.439 the Pacers were going to win it, I thought it 79 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:30.000 was then. And because the Pacers instead lost ground while 80 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:32.439 Brunson was on the bench, I'm like, well they're cooked, 81 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:35.520 And I think years from now, I'm still going to 82 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:38.199 be thinking about how much I thought this thing was 83 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:40.319 just over and how impressive it was that the Knicks 84 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:44.319 were able to extend their lead by a lot without 85 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:48.800 their best player. I don't know what to make of 86 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:51.960 any of that spence, Like, I don't know, like do 87 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:55.520 we go into game two thinking, well, you know, the 88 00:03:55.560 --> 00:03:59.280 Knicks played their butts off and still lost and you know, 89 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:01.719 so now it's it's in the pacers favor, not just 90 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:05.159 to court advantage, but just the overall vibe of it all. 91 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:07.960 Is it? The Pacers were lucky just to be able 92 00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:09.680 to come back, and Nie Smith hit some some I 93 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:11.840 mean he's a great shooter, but he hit some some 94 00:04:11.960 --> 00:04:15.159 crazy shots, and you know there's gonna be some you know, 95 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:19.319 return to baseline here, some you know, regression to the mean. 96 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:22.519 I don't know which way to try to spin this, 97 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:25.600 which is why I will just still rest on. We'll 98 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:27.079 see what happens in a few hours. 99 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:30.040 Little Birdie tells me that somebody may have left press 100 00:04:30.120 --> 00:04:32.360 roll a little early. Can you confirm or deny? 101 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:35.399 I mean, you don't need a birdie. I spoke about 102 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:38.600 it for like ten minutes on Rosillo's podcast yesterday, and 103 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:41.560 I spoke about it again on the Real Ones pod today. 104 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:46.839 When they're down fourteen fifteen, the Pacers are down, it 105 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:48.759 didn't matter which who's down. But then when the score 106 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:50.800 is that big of a gap and there's five minutes 107 00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:53.040 left in a game at the Garden, if you're sitting 108 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:56.720 on the Chase Bridge, which is where the media auxiliary 109 00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:59.600 go right like the press area for like the Beat 110 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:02.720 writer and some of the local columnists, it's not that big, 111 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:04.600 So most of us are up on this Chase Bridge, 112 00:05:04.600 --> 00:05:07.680 which is level nine at the Garden. For anyone who's 113 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:09.560 never been there, that is about as high up as 114 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:13.720 you can go. It's also where inside the NBA's studio 115 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:18.399 set was right, that's floor nine. Eve level is five, 116 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:20.839 So the locker rooms are on five, the press conferences 117 00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:23.720 are on five, the press workroom is on six, So 118 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:27.000 it's a hike. And if you want to be downstairs 119 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:29.519 where you need to be in time for the coaches 120 00:05:29.720 --> 00:05:33.319 and the players and everything else, sometimes it's like, well, 121 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:34.720 if the game's out of hand, I might as well 122 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:40.040 go now, because the stairwells are just an absolute like 123 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:43.680 just madhouse, especially if the next of one, which looked 124 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:45.360 like they were going to do because it's just this 125 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:48.839 moving party. It's really raucous, and it's fine if you're 126 00:05:48.839 --> 00:05:50.759 a fan, but if you're a reporter trying to get 127 00:05:51.319 --> 00:05:54.639 down to the press room or the locker rooms to 128 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:57.360 get your job done, it's kind of hard to navigate. 129 00:05:57.439 --> 00:05:59.879 So yeah, I was not the only one who left. 130 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:02.480 I got to the press room. Rachel Nichols was there, 131 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:05.480 Chris Mannix was there, some of my Ringer colleagues were, 132 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:06.920 like a lot of us were in the press room 133 00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:10.120 watching those final minutes of regulation thinking Dinicks are going 134 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:13.000 to finish this off, and we were to all just 135 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:15.560 of course flabbergasted and then some people actually rushed back 136 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:17.759 up to the Chase Bridge. I did not. I waited 137 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:20.680 it out. So yeah, that happened. That was a thing. 138 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:23.800 I did not realize that it struck such a chord. 139 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:25.800 I was mostly just giving you guff. I mean, I 140 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:27.959 think I went to ten jazz games this year, and 141 00:06:27.959 --> 00:06:29.879 I think I left at halftime of every single one. 142 00:06:29.959 --> 00:06:32.360 So I'm not one to talk, and I'm. 143 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:34.160 Very it was a different. 144 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:36.480 For sure, and I'm also very aware of the complicated 145 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:39.279 space you have to traverse to the garden. But Zach 146 00:06:39.319 --> 00:06:42.480 Low couldn't run you guys over enough fast enough with 147 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:45.120 Mannix and Nichols, like that was the first thing he 148 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:47.120 talked about. He took the victory lap that he was 149 00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:49.800 the only one left on press row and called all 150 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:50.839 y'all out by name. 151 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:56.759 I mean, you know, I think Zach probably figured whether 152 00:06:56.800 --> 00:06:58.519 he gets down there in time or not doesn't matter. 153 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:00.639 He was going to wait it out, and he's got 154 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:03.480 a life leisurely drive back up to suburban Connecticut to 155 00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:07.199 his estate. You know. So the rest of us spelt 156 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:09.160 like we needed to get downstairs. 157 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:11.199 One more thing on game one, Howard, because I'm wondering 158 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:14.639 if at any point now, as somebody who has been 159 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:17.800 cheering for this franchise since I was ten years old, 160 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:20.759 it has ingrained in me not to believe the game 161 00:07:20.839 --> 00:07:23.120 is ever over, and it's ingrained in me to believe 162 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:25.279 that if something could go wrong, it probably will. 163 00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:28.680 So at no point was I like, all right, that's it. 164 00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:32.319 But when Jalen hit his step back three and it's 165 00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:34.720 one nineteen one oh five with two point fifty one, 166 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:36.800 I just said there's not enough time. 167 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:38.360 Like no part of me was like. 168 00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:40.720 All right, that's it, because I figured something, if something's 169 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:42.000 any could happen, it might. 170 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:45.040 But I just thought, like the Pacers simply. 171 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:47.000 Will run out of time because I didn't think aaron 172 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:49.240 Ne Smith was going to go ray Allen circa nineteen 173 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:51.800 ninety eight. Was there any point in the game where 174 00:07:51.800 --> 00:07:53.600 you're like, Yep, that's it, Nicks one, it's over. 175 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:55.319 Yeah. 176 00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:58.160 Multiple times, including when I left my seat to go 177 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:04.680 down to the press room. I did not see this happening. 178 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:07.199 But who could have predicted, you know, Nie Smith just 179 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:10.600 you know, turning into a flame thrower and you know 180 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:14.199 the knicks, you know, gagging it at the worst moments too. 181 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:16.920 I mean, you know, anenob and Towns each missing a 182 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:19.000 free throw. Like a lot of things had to happen, 183 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:21.600 as is often the case in a in a dramatic 184 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:27.920 NBA comeback, right, So it's it's it's all of it. 185 00:08:27.959 --> 00:08:30.560 I have not rewatched all that sequence, but I mean 186 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:33.720 there's so many just I think unlikely twists and turns 187 00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:38.159 in there. And especially given how much of a clutch 188 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:40.960 team the Knicks are, you absolutely do not expect this. 189 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:42.559 But one of the things I said before the series 190 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:46.960 started was, you know, given what the Knicks have done 191 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:48.600 and what Jalen Brunson has done, he is the clutch 192 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:51.080 player of the year and all that. If this is, 193 00:08:51.320 --> 00:08:54.360 if it's ever close in this series, the Pacers could 194 00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:57.120 be cooked because the Brunson's going to always bring it home. 195 00:08:57.399 --> 00:09:00.559 But I as soon as I thought that in the week, 196 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:02.480 as I was getting all my thoughts down, I thought, wait, 197 00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:05.679 Tyre's Haliburton has hit a buch huge clutch shots in 198 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:08.799 his career already. The Pacers have wiped out massive leads 199 00:09:09.159 --> 00:09:11.200 to win on the road. You don't want it close 200 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:13.600 against them either, Like this is like they're truly both 201 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:16.679 of these teams are built to weather this, and so 202 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:19.960 it sort of becomes a coin flip as to who 203 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:22.799 can prevail in the end. But even all that said, 204 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:25.840 like I mean, all this comes down to Tyree's Haliburton 205 00:09:25.919 --> 00:09:28.639 driving into the lane, turning around, making a U turn, 206 00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:31.840 going back out to the ark, hitting a shot with 207 00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:35.559 his toe on the line, giving the choke sign, going 208 00:09:35.559 --> 00:09:38.080 into overtime, and then having to still like go oh, whoops, 209 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:40.000 chokes signed too early, Guess we better finish this off 210 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:42.120 and overtime now, and still having to then execute then, 211 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:45.200 Like it's it's just so many different things that's what 212 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:48.039 makes this Like that game. Apologies to you and all 213 00:09:48.039 --> 00:09:49.519 the rest of the Knicks fans, but that game is 214 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:52.600 going to go down as an all time incredible game. 215 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:54.879 We're going to be talking about this years and decades 216 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:57.600 from now, just like we talk about Sorry again, Reggie 217 00:09:57.639 --> 00:10:01.000 Miller's eight points and nine seconds or Derek Fisher's point 218 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:03.000 four that I was there for all the years ago, 219 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:07.240 Like this is a playoff classic instantly, and wherever the 220 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:09.159 series ends, like the Knicks could win the series, we 221 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:11.440 will still be talking about Tyree Haliburton. 222 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:11.600 In that moment. 223 00:10:11.879 --> 00:10:14.519 I'll be honest, I couldn't sleep, like I kept going 224 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:17.720 over the final few possessions, and I did go back 225 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:21.440 and watch Howard and ultimately as much credit as the 226 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:25.000 Pacers deserve, and Niece Smith and Halliburton and Rick Carlisle's 227 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:28.240 a hell of a coach. Og Annobe stopped closing out. 228 00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:31.399 Josh Hart slipped twice. Josh Hart was caught on a 229 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:35.799 back door cut with his feet firmly planted on the floor. 230 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:38.600 Jalen with a couple of bad turnovers down the stretch. 231 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:41.000 Kat misses a free throw. Og misses a free throw. 232 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:44.399 Credit the Pacers. The Knicks were gassed. So as we 233 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:47.919 move over to tonight, here's my first question. Can Tom 234 00:10:47.960 --> 00:10:49.639 Thibodeau get ten minutes out. 235 00:10:49.559 --> 00:10:52.240 Of Precious Atchua? Can he get eight minutes out of 236 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:56.399 Landry Shamitt? I know his deal right, but they were gassed. 237 00:10:56.720 --> 00:10:58.759 Kat was limping up and down the floor at the end, 238 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:02.240 and again Og never fails to close out, and he 239 00:11:02.279 --> 00:11:05.600 did on multiple occasions. So I get like, this is 240 00:11:05.639 --> 00:11:08.240 who Tom is. It's who he's always been. I understand that, 241 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:11.039 Precious that you is not a bad player. He's got 242 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:13.399 some pieces on his bench that he can throw in 243 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:15.799 there for four or five minutes. He also has to 244 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:17.679 be better with his challenges, and I think he has 245 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:18.799 to be better with his timeouts. 246 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:20.240 I thought he was out coach game one. 247 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:23.480 Is there any chance he extends the bench a little 248 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:25.600 bit so they're not so gassed at the end. 249 00:11:28.440 --> 00:11:35.159 You know, Tibbs is fairly stubborn about these things. He 250 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:38.200 trusts who he trusts in that rotation, and yeah, I 251 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:42.559 mean we've seen the pattern over and over again. I 252 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:45.279 do think so a couple of quick things. What is 253 00:11:46.679 --> 00:11:48.480 a concern for the Nicks in general coming into the 254 00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:51.279 series would be and certainly after Game one, the Pacers 255 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:55.000 play at this just frantic pace and they're gonna get 256 00:11:55.039 --> 00:11:58.120 up and down the court, and the Knickers are used 257 00:11:58.120 --> 00:12:00.519 to playing much more deliberately than as much as the 258 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:03.720 Knicks are certainly conditioned for long minutes because Timms plays 259 00:12:03.720 --> 00:12:07.039 them all, you know, among the highest minutes in the league. 260 00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:10.440 It's it's it's ad their pace. It's not running up 261 00:12:10.440 --> 00:12:12.919 and down at the PACER's pace, which is which again 262 00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:15.279 it's frantic, and I do think and also the Pacers 263 00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:18.000 move the ball quite a bit, right, like you have 264 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:21.360 to defend multiple actions in every possession, unlike what they 265 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:24.080 faced with Boston or Detroit. So there's there is a 266 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:27.879 potential fatigue factor here on in every other day series 267 00:12:28.559 --> 00:12:31.639 for the Knicks. On top of that, yeah, the shorter rotation. 268 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:34.919 So to the question of Precious at Cheua in particular, 269 00:12:35.399 --> 00:12:37.320 you know, Town's had a pretty big game. He had 270 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:40.600 some some missteps of key moments late, but Town's had 271 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:43.679 a pretty big game against them, and Miles Turner was 272 00:12:43.720 --> 00:12:46.240 not you know, or or Siakam many their bigs were 273 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:48.759 not really the answer. So I do wonder if they 274 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:52.279 might just dust off Precious a Chua anyway, And you know, 275 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:55.919 he's he's closer to like Tobias Harris size really and 276 00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:59.080 you know, Tobias Harris had had some good, you know, 277 00:12:59.159 --> 00:13:02.480 stretches again, and you do need to give Towns different looks. 278 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:03.960 And sometimes when you get a guy who's just strong 279 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:08.559 with the lower center of gravity, that can have an impact. 280 00:13:08.600 --> 00:13:14.000 So we'll see. I think your instinct is right, given 281 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:17.720 everything we just talked about, like they probably should extend 282 00:13:17.720 --> 00:13:19.440 the rotation at least by one more player. 283 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:22.879 Okay, so you make some good points regarding the pace, 284 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:26.559 because ultimately early on in that game, I think what 285 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:30.519 people forget is Indiana could not miss they just made 286 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:32.480 I think they made their first ten shots, but the 287 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:35.759 Knicks were able to keep up. But they were playing 288 00:13:35.840 --> 00:13:38.679 up and down and it was and it was working 289 00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:41.440 for the next they were actually playing well offensively. And 290 00:13:41.559 --> 00:13:44.120 New York can run, They've got fast wings, Jalen can 291 00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:47.200 get up and down kats not necessarily flee to foot. 292 00:13:47.960 --> 00:13:50.519 But if Tom isn't going to extend his bench by 293 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:53.080 a player or two, what do they have to do 294 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:55.919 to be careful that even if the pace is working. 295 00:13:56.360 --> 00:13:59.279 Understanding that going up and down with a bench that 296 00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:02.919 goes eleven deep fifteen plus minutes a night with eleven 297 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:06.159 players eventually will catch up to you, how do they 298 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:09.519 stop themselves from getting in this up and down game 299 00:14:09.559 --> 00:14:11.440 back and forth, even though at times it works to 300 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:13.159 make sure that they have enough gas. 301 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:13.320 At the end. 302 00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:19.559 I don't know. I think you can be as deliberate 303 00:14:19.639 --> 00:14:22.120 as you want, But if the other team is pulling 304 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:24.600 the ball out of the basket and immediately sprinting up 305 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:29.960 court and you know, basically going seven seconds or less 306 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:32.759 Mike dan Toni style, which so many times the other 307 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:35.159 night I've flashed in my head. And it's funny, because 308 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:37.840 of course, the sun's paced back then, which we thought 309 00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:40.480 of as so frantic and they're gonna shoot as soon 310 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:43.720 as they get their first open shot. Their pace would 311 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:46.320 be slow by today's NBA standards, but that's what it 312 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:48.879 looked like to me watching the Pacers go like they're 313 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:50.679 just gonna get up court and the first good shot 314 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:55.600 they got, boom, it's going. And it's easy to get 315 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:59.480 caught up in that. But I do think, yeah, the 316 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:01.960 Knicks have to try to do things their way. They 317 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:05.399 need just to slow it down. They need to make 318 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:08.600 the Pacers work as much on defense as possible to 319 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:12.840 maybe hopefully put a dent in their stamina at the 320 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:15.679 other end. But yeah, the Pacers, they're gonna say, fine, 321 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:17.840 we're you know, we're gonna run nine ten or eleven 322 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:20.200 deep or whatever. We'll have fresh bodies out there. So 323 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:23.840 I'm not sure what the exact answer is there. 324 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:27.639 All right, last thing on tonight, what's your gut say? 325 00:15:27.919 --> 00:15:30.720 I completely agree with and I think a lot of 326 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:34.679 this does come from Jalen Brunson specifically, and Tom Thibodeau 327 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:38.159 as well. But Jalen has this like stoicism about him 328 00:15:38.279 --> 00:15:40.440 where he doesn't get high, he doesn't get low. 329 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:42.360 After they beat the Celtics. 330 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:44.679 He's the one that was yelling at his teammates to 331 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:47.120 get into the locker room like nothing has gone down yet. 332 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:51.200 So I agree that I think this group can compartmentalize 333 00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:53.559 and put Game one out of their minds. And I'm 334 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:55.639 not asking you to pick, because I know you don't 335 00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:57.039 do that, But what's your gut tell you? 336 00:15:57.120 --> 00:15:58.399 Well, do you have a lean for tonight? 337 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:03.960 Yeah? I mean I reflexively, you know, go with the 338 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:07.039 home team, especially if they just lost a game, right 339 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:09.879 like you know, the Knicks losing, the Knicks going down 340 00:16:09.879 --> 00:16:12.960 oh two, which would stun me. But that said, when 341 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:15.240 the Knicks stole Game won from Boston, I thought, oh yeah, 342 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:16.639 of course Boston's gonna win Game two. 343 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:17.039 Oops. 344 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:19.600 And it's same same thing with the Pacers and Calves. 345 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:21.679 But it's been that kind of postseason where the Pacers 346 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:23.879 beat the Calves in Game one in Cleveland, and I thought, 347 00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:28.159 of course Cleveland's gonna win Game two again. Oops. For 348 00:16:28.200 --> 00:16:30.799 your sake, I hope I'm I'm right this time. But yeah, 349 00:16:30.799 --> 00:16:33.799 I absolutely expect the Knicks to win. It wouldn't even 350 00:16:33.799 --> 00:16:36.720 surprise me if it were, you know, a pretty big gap, 351 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:40.320 not a blowout. But just like win and win handily, 352 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:41.799 Like I don't think we'll see the same kind of 353 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:47.440 drama in the final minutes, but you just you just 354 00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:49.480 never know. I mean, I had a piece earlier this 355 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:52.919 week basically saying like, welcome to the NBA's age of chaos, 356 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:55.440 and it referenced all the things I just mentioned and 357 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:58.080 many more. You know, whether it's Dallas jumping up in 358 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:03.399 the lottery, whether it's just the volatility in the standings 359 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:06.440 in the playoffs and two sixty win teams going down 360 00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:10.240 in the second round, and just across the board, like, 361 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:14.319 there is so much unpredictability about the NBA right now, 362 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:16.440 and it cuts both ways, right There's aspects of it 363 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:18.680 that make it really fun. There's a lot more suspense, 364 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:20.880 and there really is this sense of you just never 365 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:24.200 known a given night what may happen. The flip side 366 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:27.599 of it is being sixty win team guarantees or nothing, 367 00:17:27.599 --> 00:17:29.359 and that could be pretty frustrating for those teams and 368 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:34.039 their fans. And it does just feel like it's harder 369 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:36.680 to get to wrap our heads around, you know, any 370 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:39.880 of it. So but this is where we are. This 371 00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:41.519 is this is you know, like I say, not just 372 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:43.400 the age of parody. But it's the age of chaos. 373 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:44.599 It is. 374 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:46.880 It is all right, moving out this way before we 375 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:50.559 get to the nuts and bolts of the Western Conference Finals. 376 00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:54.960 Your reaction to Shay be An awarded MVP and any 377 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:57.279 inside information as to why we all had to wait 378 00:17:57.319 --> 00:17:58.720 for so long for that announcement. 379 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:02.480 It's weird how everybody latched onto that. I don't think 380 00:18:02.519 --> 00:18:04.680 this is all that much later than usual. I haven't 381 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:08.960 looked up the dates. Maybe you have. The MVP always 382 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:12.440 comes after all the other major awards. You know, the 383 00:18:12.440 --> 00:18:14.799 only thing that's still left right now is you know 384 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:17.279 I think so we have the all defensive teams yesterday, 385 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:20.200 we'll have all MBA tonight and then we'll be done. 386 00:18:20.759 --> 00:18:24.240 But MVP always comes after all the other big awards, 387 00:18:24.279 --> 00:18:27.880 aside from the two I just mentioned, and could they 388 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:31.079 have done it during Denver OKC. So, like, all I 389 00:18:31.079 --> 00:18:32.880 can tell you is this, there's a bunch of different factors, 390 00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:34.920 right they announced The way things go these days, they 391 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:38.559 announce all the awards, the major awards on T and T. 392 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:41.359 So it's got to be on a Turner night in 393 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:43.960 the playoffs, and Turner and ESPN divide up all these games, 394 00:18:43.960 --> 00:18:47.200 So that's one consideration. Another consideration is, as I understand 395 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:50.519 that the league does not like doing awards major awards 396 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:54.160 in the second week of a series. I think because 397 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:56.480 it could become awkward, like you're not going to be 398 00:18:56.799 --> 00:19:01.000 to give shade like the MVP before games against the Nuggets. 399 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:05.680 That would have been, you know, a little uncomfortable. And 400 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:07.799 I don't know they had a window the first week 401 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:10.519