The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Local Hour: The Best Knicks Feeling Since Y2K

Episode Date: May 8, 2025

Can the process be faulty if the process JUST won you a title? Can you be a bad coach if you JUST WON A TITLE? Can you have to prove you are a true champion if you are ALREADY A CHAMPION? Today's cast: Dan, Stugotz, Chris, Amin, Jeremy, and Tony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We hope you're enjoying your Air Canada flight. Rocky's Vacation, here we come. Whoa, is this economy? Free beer, wine, and snacks. Sweet! Fast free Wi-Fi means I can make dinner reservations before we land. And with live TV, I'm not missing the game. It's kind of like I'm already on vacation.

Nice. On behalf of Air Canada, nice travels. Wi-Fi available to Air Plan members on EquipFlight, sponsored by Bell Conditions Supply, seercanada.com. Now's a good time to remember where Tequila's story truly began. In 1795, Cuervo invented Tequila. Quervo. What are you doing here? Quervo. Anytime someone says Quervo, I show up. Well, I do know that to be true, but even during ad reads, like... Quervo. I think he could lay out, especially for one of our great partners. Sweet, delicious Quervo I show up. Well I do know that to be true but even during ad reads like Cuervo. I think he could lay out especially for one of our great partners.

Sweet delicious Cuervo. Since then Cuervo has stayed true to its roots. The same family, the same land, the same passion. Cuervo. So enjoy the tequila that started it all. Cuervo. Cuervo. The tequila that invented tequila. proximocuervo.com please drink responsibly. Cuervo. Shadow Show. Shadow Show. Shadow Show. Shadow Show.

Shadow Show. Shadow Show. Shadow Show. Shadow in it. Shadow in it. Hello? Bobby? Yeah.

Que dices? Oh, Danny, como esta? How are you? What happened? Did you not know it was your son? I didn't recognize you. I was expecting a phone call from an inspector, so I thought that that was the call. I was wrong.

What are you getting inspected? A new roof. I put a new roof. I'm trying to get some money from the state, so they got inspected work. Then I get some money back, but I had to put the money up front first. How are you doing today? You don't like putting the money up front? Well, we're trying to tell you, I got no choice.

That's the way the estate operates. If you want to get a refund, you got to pay it first. Show proof of payment, proof of inspection, and then if you're lucky, you're going to get some money back. So what's happening buddy? What happened to the Celtics? Oh, the butcher was on fire last night. He really was, Papi.

Thibodeau got it done last night. Whoa. He got it done. I'm telling you, he's my man. He was on fire last night. I saw that movie before, couple of nights ago. Same shit. Papi, are you aware that sometimes you say,

I'm telling you and then what comes after that is you not telling me much of anything? Well, what do you mean? I get it, I just, you know, I'm sort of, didn't you enjoy the game last night? Well, I want both of the teams to lose and then to get in a small bus accident on the way after the game, but nobody gets hurt.

Who you wanna see? Look at what is happening to the jokers. They choke again, you know? OK, see, it's too much for the joker. And the other sidekick, what's the other guy's name? You tell me. I forgot the guy, the guy from Canada, what's the other guy's name? You tell me. I forgot the guy, the guy from Canada, I forgot that. I forgot his name.

You can come up with it. That's okay, his sidekick. No, no, who's the Joker's sidekick? Tell me. Yeah, all right, the Canadian guy. Go ahead, what's his name? I know, I know, but what's his name? Let's see if we can find his name.

I forgot his name. Come on. What did I say? Bennett? Jason Bennett. That's a good guess. Something like that. That's a good guess.

Yeah, I know. If I were to give you, okay, I'll give you a hint. You ready? Yeah. Jamal? Oh, Jamal. Jamal? Oh Jamal, Jamal Brown? Yes, that's exactly right, Poppy.

It's the Joker and Jamal Brown. I got the Joker right. That's the most important part. It is right, you're absolutely right. All right, I wanna do a little quiz. Can we do a little quiz? Yeah, sure, you can, you can go ahead. What is the name of Oklahoma City's best player?

Jose Gonzalez, he's the cueing guy. Yeah, that's exactly right, Papi. I'll talk to you later. Okay, bye. This is the Don Leventor Show with the Stugatz Podcast. So I thought that Stugatz today was taking a step back, but he's stepping up and will be here shortly because this is the best feeling that there has been around the Knicks this century. The last time it felt this good was 10 minutes before LeBron's decision when they thought he was going there. And what is happening with the Knicks has made Stugat

rush in, he's late, but rush in and get stuck in traffic and now he's got to be enraged. He will be here shortly, we are waiting him and I'm genuinely excited about today's show because we've only been on the air 20 years. I have never done a show when alleged Knicks fan Stu Gotz has felt good about his team. Today will be the first time I get to do that, so what you're going to be introduced to is someone I have never seen, I'm assuming, Stu Gotz as his most obnoxious Knicks fan

when he hasn't watched a game in eight years. And what happened to me last night, just like in game one, is again, one of the strangest sports experiences I have ever had as a fan. I go into game one and I'm like, I don't even want to watch this. I don't want anyone on either of these teams to feel good about anything. And more than that, I do not want their fans to have one ounce of pleasure. The remainder of my life. Because it's not the players i hate in fact

i'm embarrassed to say it kind of love jaylen brunson i want to take i mean everyone's got to in fact put on the poll are you fundamentally obligated to fall in love with jaylen brunson right now because jaylen brunson already has a moment in the last series to end it i've never seen jason tatum have give me a play jasonum's made in his life more memorable than how it is that Brunson ended the Pistons. Somebody, anybody.

Dunking on LeBron? You think? I mean, that was a pretty good moment. Put it on the poll at LeBotard Show. Better moment, Jaylen Brunson against the Pistons or Jason Tatum dunking on LeBron? We'll get to Tatum in a second because all of American sports fan expectations need to land today on the back of his neck. You

are a champion and I've almost never said this about a champion. Prove to me you deserve to be one because last season, do what Brunson does. Brunson's the smallest player on the court. I look at you and just physically I know you're the best one. But what are you gonna do? Oh fade away again? Brunson got the foul shots. It's end of game time. It is end of game time. You give the ball to Brunson, Knicks fans know what's gonna happen there. And when he misses a one-foot layup they don't even blame him because they know what he is. He's the best clutch player in the nba empirically does more in the fourth quarter than anybody

the only thing left to have on tatum's resume it's the moat gets incredibly bejeweled for his age where the moments it's end of game time nix fans i know they trust brunson celtics fans i don't know if they trust their best guy. And now it closes in. Now Boston's the best team. Are they the best road team in the history of the league? History of the league? I know they are this year the best road team, but are they the best road team in the history of the league? I think they've won a road game in 11 straight series and multiple wins in 6.

I was trying to think on my way in and I never looked it up because life gets busy but there was a series a few years ago where the eight seed went on the road won the first two games and then the next four games were just won by the one seed. It was the Bulls against Celtics actually. Thank you so I just forgot it but so I don't actually expect the Knicks to win this series I do not but whatever pressure it is that can come to bear on Jason Tatum Game three is gonna feel as pressurized as anything. He's ever lived. New York has been bad at home like legitimately bad at home I mean, I don't trust them at all at home I expect Boston to go in there and smoke them because they've been up by 20 in the last two games and I do not expect

The Knicks to win a third one But I did not expect Boston to be in this kind of trouble and I do not expect the Knicks to win a third one. But I did not expect Boston to be in this kind of trouble. Like, just did not see this coming at all. That Knicks team is okay, but it's got flaws and flaws that could and should be exposed by Boston. Boston is a good deal better than that Knicks team. And the Knicks team can't actually just do it in matchups either, where you say, ah,

I think the Knicks match up okay with the Celtics. Okay, you can think that, but the Celtics are a good deal better than the Knicks. Dan, Tony and I were having this conversation right before the show started. Joe Mazzullo, who we talked about in the past, you know, does his little antics in the press conferences and trying to be quirky and kind of aloof

and better than everyone else. And what we said at the time if you remember was you can do that now but the moment this thing starts to slip away watch out it's starting to slip away and so I asked the question I asked the question Dan Lebatard the Celtics have lost the first two games at home in the playoff series only five teams have come back from that in NBA history to win that Celtics have lost the first two games at home in the playoff series. Only five teams have come back from that in NBA history to win that series. Joe Mazzullo has had this situation happen to him now

twice in three years. Happened in 2023 against the Heat, and now it's happening to him against the Knicks in 2025. And so I ask, at what point does he become Doc Jr.? Right, because to blow a to a to blow home court advantage completely in your first two games I don't know but another coach where it's happened to him twice in his career It's happened twice in this guy's three seasons It is fairly amazing to think that ameen is asking that about coaches who?

won one title in Boston and we can now still remember even though Doc Rivers is a champion that he's not associated with champion Doc Rivers is associated even though he's won a title with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and Paul Pierce who we'll get to in a second he's got a debt to pay oh boy Doc Rivers is one of the few people on Earth who's a champion in sports and his reputation is you don't know how to win. You fumble away every situation and Joe Mazzullo, I heard Zaslow two days ago ask the question that I didn't even think unfair. Is Joe Mazzullo a good coach? And I wanna ask you guys the question,

does he have the best postseason winning percentage ever? Like how close, like what is Missoula's postseason winning percentage? I know when I say ever, I'm exaggerating, or it sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I am actually curious what Missoula's postseason record is, it's obviously a small sample, but I don't think in a small sample I've ever asked

of a coach who's a champion, is he a good coach? It's a ridiculous question I'm asking. Is it not a mean? You're an expert. Like I am asking an absurd and ridiculous question. Is Joe Missoula a good coach? In fact, Juju put it on the poll, and it's gotta hurt Juju to put this on the poll

as a Celtics fan. I can't imagine how mad juju is right now at this team. Is Joe Mazzula a good coach? Just by the way, I want everyone to know this because I want to sink in. I want it to fall on Jason Tatum's head the following. The New York Knicks and their fans, a fan base that has been frustrated for 25 years and hasn't felt this good in 25 years. They absolutely trust the smallest player on the court to break every team's heart. I will say this, Jay Williams said the other day that he said that Brunson is the best player

the Knicks have had. He has not, okay? I still think Patrick Ewing is that player. However, I will say this, he has a chance to be and he is already the most beloved New York Nick there has ever been In that town there has never been a more popular basketball player than Jalen Brunson is right now What Clyde Frazier would like a word at? Now, Walt Claude Frazier would like a word. At LeBittard Show, who is more popular with New York Forever?

Walt Frazier, and that's fair, I mean, it's fair what you're saying, or Jalen Brunson, because I would say in the internet age where sports are more shared than they used to be, I cannot believe how much my New York friends love Jalen Brunson. I am late to this party. Forgive me for this because I've never had a viewing experience like this forgiven

game one i'm watching nixeltics and i go into the game and i'm like i don't even want to watch this and then i'm okay i'm not and saying to myself i wonder who i'm going to root for at the end of this i do not know so i watched the whole game and at the end of the game in this is the history just recent history verses long ago history it's brunson verses clied frazier really it's

what new york nix team do you remember the one that i remember is the one that made me love basketball more than i used to because the way the nixon heat fought i'd never seen anything like that ever watching basketball. And so I grew as a young reporter in this town to have my heart broken when the Knicks as an eighth seed beat Pat Riley who would become my friend with Alan Houston bouncing the ball on the rim. That broke my heart.

I hate the New York Knicks. I hate their fans more. The Boston Celtics are more recent. As I've seen my friend, Pat Riley, age. Good God, does he hate the Celtics? The last five years is Pat Riley still fighting the Boston Celtics. That man still won't speak to Larry Bird if they're in a room together. I've seen the last five years of whatever this heat thing is,

fight and claw and try, and the architecture can't quite get up to where all the Celtics first round picks are. You can't just, mm, so close and gets past it. But now the gap has spread. And now my friend ages and is 80 and limping around, and he he finds himself you know mocked and Stephen A Smith says fire him and the

Celtics are on top so I'm watching the end of the game and what comes over me at the end of the game is like I can't believe this I I don't want the Knicks to win I don't I'm surprised by this but i don't want the next to win because back when i was a young guy that hate boiled in me as a sports fan and it doesn't reach where i am today where i don't care like that anymore the series the last i'm sure today's sports fan had found boston boston miami to be fascinating and emotional and it was but I'd I like Nick's heat

better just because those dudes were physically fighting Jeff Van Gundy was on Alonzo Mourning's calf like Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson the entire series everyone knew those guys are gonna fight like that's not that's not gonna stay down and so whatever that was as a young man created a feeling that at the end of the game, I'm watching and I find myself rooting for Bill Simmons. No. No, but that happened to me. I couldn't help it.

That happened to me. That's the- Oh, no way. So with all the friends you have and all the different places, you chose Bill Simmons as the friend to go for? Well, because this, the other thing too is to root against the Celtics

would be to root against the Celtics would be to root against Mike Schur to break Mike Schur's heart and and to like Mike Schur has to be really scared right now because God Almighty Celtic fan got cocky the last two years. So instead of Mike Schur you're like you know I'm gonna I'm gonna pass Mike Schur and I'm gonna go to Bill Simmons is he at the top of the Celtics pyramid? Well I think for sports fans they associate that media member with that team more than anybody Mike sure may or may not Have called last night's performance utterly embarrassing. Yeah. Well, so so Celtics fan. So imagine this I have seen Generations of Knicks and Celtics fans grow loud and obnoxious like I've watched it. It's been fascinating to watch

and obnoxious, like I've watched it, it's been fascinating to watch. Mike Schur used to run Fire Joe Morgan. Fire Joe Morgan at the beginning of the internet age, all these comedy writers on the side were just making fun of sports writing, how terrible it was, how awful the analysis was. All these people in comedy writing were miles smarter than anyone doing the sports writing. Those people from Fire Joe Morgan are still the same kind of fan. Mike Schur is a crazy person. Every day I'll get something from an umpire who missed a strike in Seattle call and I'll get a chart because he's watching everything and his brain doesn't work like anyone else's.

Mike Ryan, Tatum had how many? Mike Schur, who cares? Bums, the Knicks suck. This is so much worse than losing to the Heat. Alright, I'm just going to say this. Tatum is shooting one for 12 for six points in two fourth quarters so far. He's 12 for 42 in the series, but in two fourth quarters, Brunson time, six points as they cough up 20 point leads. Not only that, you can say that Mikael Bridges has been outplaying Jason Tatum in this series, right? Is that a crazy thing to say? Like you talk about the five first round picks, you look across of what he's been doing defensively too. It's like, Mikel Bridges has a couple legs to stand on. Look, I don't know.

He does have two legs to stand on. Put it on the Polat Labrador show. Does Mikel Bridges have a couple legs to stand on? I don't know if he'll ever earn five first round pick status, but two defensive game winning plays in a row. I mean, what do you want? I mean, that's the way you make people forget about how many picks you went for, for a very long time.

They win this series, like he has his fingerprints all over it indelibly. But Dan, I gotta go back to, this is a team, the Boston Celtics, who thought and you believed as of two days ago, hey man, that's just tears. Hey man, they broke the math on the sport. Hey man, they just know they're smarter than everybody else and Brad Stevens built a team that nobody else could compete with. Hey man, that's the best team over the last two years. And what you're seeing now is, oh, yeah, you can't build an entire thing on feast or famine.

You have to be able to adjust because they're not robots. You have to be able to just say, this isn't working. We need to attack the basket more. We need to make a bigger effort again to the free throw line. We need to vary it up a little bit. And what's happened is these guys have failed have failed because they play for a coach who encourages them, who tells them we're not playing wrong. We're just missing shots we usually make or we're just making shots we usually miss.

The thing is when you play that math game of like we're going to try to put up as many threes as possible and then you get a cold streel- streak like this I mean like this could last the whole series like KP's out we don't know what's happening. Wait a minute wait a minute so let's ask this question real quick can it last the whole series because it is a lot of small sample size theater and I mean I think we're headed toward I may have this wrong I started down this path yesterday and we never got there basketball has been very predictable uh... throughout my lifetime

and i'm wondering if the randomness of threes is going to make it so it's about to become vastly less predictable come this time of year because of things like this the celtics have missed more three pointers in this series than any team has ever missed into games consecutively that's that crazy so into games are shooting twenty five percent no team in two games consecutively. That's crazy. So in two games they're shooting 25%. No team has ever shot and missed 75 threes in two games. But Dan, that highlights my point,

which is the idea that no team has done that. Why? Because typically they say, guys, it's not going. Let's try to get something, go to the basket, get some easy ones, get to the free throw line, and then try to play out of that. But the Celtics say no. We're just gonna keep barreling through it

because the numbers will bear out. But again, it is not a numbers game. It is a human game. Humans are playing this. And yes, I'm not saying, I'm not an ogre. I'm not saying three-pointers are bad or whatever. I'm saying two things. Number one is, hey, if it's not going in,

maybe try something else. Just until you can get back to it. But the second thing, and this is important, the biggest, I made this joke yesterday, I didn't really explain it when I said, you guys missed the Tyrone Hill 18 footer, right? But the reality is, the importance of the three-point line rests with your role players.

They're there to be a deterrent, to help defense, The importance of the three-point line rests with your role players. They're there to be a deterrent, to help defense, helping on your stars, allowing your stars to have forays to the basket, to exist in the mid-range, to post up, to do all these things that the most talented among us get to and can do at a high level, right? That's what's happening, or what should be happening. When you look at a Warriors game and you marvel at, oh my God, Steph Curry hitting all these shots, the reality is everyone exists to give Steph Curry the space to do whatever he wants, right?

And that's on the ball and off the ball. We're moving and we're passing and we're cutting and we're getting baskets. And if they're so concerned with stopping that guy, guess what, Draymond, you're going to have Jimmy Butler cuttin' back door, guess what, you're gonna have Kevon Looney duckin' in, guess what, you're gonna have John Camingo on the lot. All these things happen because they're worried

about the three-point line, not because, oh, we're gonna do shoot threes all day long. That's the big issue. It's this dogma, it's zealot three, right? This belief that this is the only way and anything else is you're playing dumb basketball. There's no body movement for the Celtics offense. That's really frustrating to watch because even at the end

of the game, that final possession where Jason Tatum is going one-on-one against Mitchell Robinson, there's nothing else happening. So as he's trying to get by one-on-one and using moves, there's no other options for him. And if you look at it, there was a stretch where they went up 16 with like 830 to go. Seven of their next 10 possessions ended with a three point attempt. When you're up 16 with that much time left, it's not just missing threes,

it's the time you're deciding to take them. And that's the part of the Celtics offense that's a little bit confusing. Everything's expensive now. Groceries, gas, even your streaming bill. If you forget to cancel that free trial. The last thing I need is credit card debt. But here's the thing. You can start building credit with your everyday purchases and on time payments.

All with no annual fees, no interest and and no credit check, at chime.com slash dan. Chime's Credit Builder Visa Credit Card is simple. You use your own money, pay it off, and your credit improves. Better credit makes life easier, whether it's a car loan, an apartment, or just not getting laughed out of the bank. Turn your everyday purchases and on-time payments into steps towards making your financial goals with Chime's Secured Credit Builder Visa credit card. Get started today at Chime.com slash Dan. That's Chime.com slash Dan. Chime feels like progress. The Chime Credit Builder Visa credit card is issued by the BankCorp Bank NA or Stride Bank NA. Spot me eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Chime checking account required to apply. Out of network ATM withdrawal or OTC advance fees may apply. Timing depends on

submission of payment file late payment may negatively impact your credit score. Results may vary go to chime.com slash disclosures for details. Okay, so I thought I was good with money turns out I was really good at ignoring it. Like how am I spending this much on delivery or Uber or that one shoe store that I buy too many shoes from? Then I started using Monarch Money and dude, it's a financial wake up call.

Monarch's not just some budgeting app. It's basically your money command center, puts everything, accounts, credit cards, investments into one place so you're not guessing anymore. And listen, I found stuff I didn't even know I was paying for. Since I started using Monarch, I'm tracking my spending, actually saving, and yeah, even having money check-ins with my wife and we're looking at each other and we're like, yeah, okay, we're all good. It makes the hard stuff way easier and over a million households use Monarch. It was named the best budgeting app of 2025 by the Wall Street Journal. So it's not just me hyping up. It's legit.

It's real, real deal Holyfield and get control of all of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code Dan at MonarchMoney.com in your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first year at MonarchMoney.com with code Dan. Folks, listen up. If you run anything online these days, a podcast, a merch store, whatever it is, you're basically forced to wear 12 hats. Marketing? Sure. Customer service? Why not? And now you're supposed to be your own IT department. Kinsta is managed WordPress hosting, which means you get blazing fast site speeds,

top tier security and a dashboard that doesn't look like it was built in 2006. And if something goes sideways, real humans, not bots to help you 24 seven, no scripts, no sorry. I don't understand replies. Kinsta takes the stress out of tech stuff so you can actually focus on your business or in our case more time watching games, arguing nonsense, and delivering the hottest take possible. No messing with settings, no panic troubleshooting, just smooth sailing. Tired of being your own website support team? Switch your hosting to Kinsta and get your first month free and don't worry about the move. They'll handle the whole transition for you. No tech expertise required. Just visit Kinsta.com slash Dan to get started.

That's K-I-N-S-T-A dot com slash Dan. Dan Libertard. Some 500 seasons it's been lonely. Now the best player is on our side. Been losing and losing for much too long but now we're back with New York Pride Stugats Jalen you've got us on our feet J, we're still doing fine. This is the Don LeBathardt Show with the StuGards. I would say a couple of things to what it is that you guys are saying there

because they're not gonna change what they do and they shouldn't. This team, hold on,. I mean hold on a second Okay in the last six years. This is the second time the second time in 564 games regular season playoffs that the Celtics have gone Too straight shooting 25% from below three The second time in 564 games.

They won the championship last year and won it easily because they are better at this version of this ugly thing that Barclay always feared the Warriors of Stephen Clay would become and basketball would become. Everybody more and more on the perimeter and it's no more beauty of the game, it's just awful you miss seventy five percent of your threes nobody even wants to watch it the watch when i'm watching the celtics they are historically great shooting team and i'm here to tell you those numbers will

revert to the mean because they're great at that thing and also Jason Tatum is a slicer and they'll figure out how to get more points at the he will play more aggressively he will get foul calls the Knicks are not going to run away with this series because the Celtics going to shoot 25% from three the rest of the series on uncontested looks from three like it those are uncontested that's not great like bridges Bridges was great last night his perimeter defense is great that teams perimeter defense is great bridges nearly outscored the Celtics by himself in the fourth quarter he was great but the

Celtics won a championship last year easily because they do that better than anyone and the threes they've missed it ain't cuz the nicks are making a mess up they're just missing them i think you go on process over results but i'm going to process over results more than you are my brother process all that's a little bit of a process of what's going on right now you know what process look alright let's do it was that look like

somebody get me a calculator get me some spreadsheets get me some materials that i can process off a mean here this you know what this is the future of sports debate right here main process off right here let's do a process off you and me last night's game this a better way to do this you know what shy wait for nick right to do this should make the right process off what you let's set this up this way let's game this a better way to do this you know what should i wait for nick right to do this should make the right process off what you let's set this up this way let's do this this way

nick right is going to join us and i believe that nick right uh... is legitimately the best sports media person doing it right now combining analytics and smart and funny and understanding that this is all pro wrestling and it needs to be entertaining i think right now in our business there's no one better doing sports television in sports commentary the nec right

and i want to challenge him right now you know what let's build this up nick right wants to be new rivals and nemesis is with me now and pablo because mean and p Pablo are going to be furious when they hear that I say that Nick Wright is the best furious he wants to compete and be better than everyone well Nick Wright we're gonna about to surprise you with a process off and we're not going to give you any notice and our whole crew is gonna start the new game show process off where we

talk about the result of last night's game and I bet you we can trap and bury Nick Wright when he tries to come for the king. We're not doing the process off right now. I want to prepare for the process off I want to have a process before ready or I want to have a problem but we're gonna be even more ready with planning and coaching and coach Amin who I'm pretty sure and I don't know where Stu gots is yet probably still in traffic he's gonna come in hot because of traffic, but Amin, I think a show or two ago,

you told me you were not a Knicks fan. That's right. Oh, this old thing that I'm wearing right now? Oh, this was completely different. I actually, as Chris, I had this on the topic list for days now, which was completely different. I actually asked Chris I had this on the scale on the Topic list for days now which was old clothes right like Zazz came in wearing stuff from like 2015 acting like we should be impressed I present to you right now a

1994 Anthony Mason replica Jersey, which I discovered I forgot about this take the back it's autographed by the late Anthony Mason heat legend Anthony Mason I might add once a Nick always a Nick I might shock some people in this room right now who are not young enough or not old enough to know this do you guys know who the brother of Anthony Mason is do you guys know the name of his brother Steve Mason? Jackie Mason, it's former Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler But there no their brothers legally they're legally a blindside situation I want you guys to look it up. You guys didn't know that that put it on the pole at LeBow tarcho. He's an in J. Fiedler. Is it is it? No, I didn't have that one You're not you're too young to know put it on the pole at LeBow tarcho Or is it possible that Anthony Mason and J Fiedler are brothers?

Do we have Sandra Bullock teaching Anthony Mason? This is how you set a screen. You get through line wide and you don't move until your guard moves. I will continue to prepare for the process off in a second. I mean you are right, okay? Poor Zengis is an important player for them. He stretches everything. We talk a lot about Drew Holliday as the third best player on that team and also the best third player on a team because of how he plays defense. And it is impressive to see Brunson do it against Drew Holliday because he brings it every time. And Brunson is going into the face of what the Celtics have been its champions and he's

doing what Brunson does, Tatum is now at a moment and I mean I want you to help me with this historically, comparatively, give me some perspective, give me some analysis on what has ever existed like Jalen Brunson as a surprise because we've seen the growth of Jimmy Butler here, ooh I didn't think he was that good. Nobody knew Jalen Brunson was this. The Knicks seem to have known that he was something, but even they didn't know he was this.

No one knew he was this, and it's the smallest player on the court. Dan, I'm gonna answer your question, but first, an update from Jeremy. So it seems J. Fiedler's father was Anthony Mason's coach, but it doesn't seem like he's legally Anthony Mason's father, so I don't know that they're related brothers either.

All right, I'm gonna look it up. Brothers, maybe. No, not brother or brother. But he's like my third son. I don't think he is my third son. What do you mean, I died gay, Roger? Thank you for bringing him back. This was my father earlier in the show.

It happens all the time when I rattle him. What do you mean, I died gay, Roger? You know, I'm sure. Didn't you enjoy the camp last night? We've got to do Stump the Meach with that. We have to ask, we have to ask Meach, what is, what is my father trying to say here? What do you mean? I get it.

I get it. I get it. Do the whole thing. Let's see if somebody hearing it for the first time after the what do you mean? And before surprise, if anyone would understand what's being said on that bridge. What do you mean? I get it.

You know, I'm certain. Didn't you enjoy the camp last night? I'm certain. Brunson's historical comp. Okay, so we've got, as far as nobody saw it coming. That's a surprise. I know Jokic, yes, I know, I guess, I know Jokic, no one saw that coming,

but I'm talking about go back in time throughout history and on Brunson, guy gets traded from Dallas to New York and who expected this? I'm calling him the most beloved player in Nick's history right now. Right, so I can't speak to beloved, I don't know what metric there is for that, but if you want guys like that,

Jokic obviously has a draft pick, Steph Curry, although being a top 10 pick, was a guy that a lot of people had question marks around and the first few years in the league, he was a good player and a good shooter, no one saw him sending to this level. Steve Nash is another guy who was drafted and traded and then given up by, surprise, surprise,

Dallas Mavericks as well, right? Where it's like, hey, you're not quite good enough. I think the Brunson thing, what makes it interesting was I remember going to Jalen Brunson's very first game as in the NBA. He was, they're playing the Suns and I saw Rick Brunson for the game. And I said, hey, congratulations on your son

being drafted and everything, this must be cool. And he's like, yeah, no, it's pretty cool. And he was like, yeah, I don't think he's gonna get any minutes, though. He was already tempering his expectations on Jalen Brunson's playing time. And lo and behold, he actually played that night and played really well

and so i was like oh that's pretty cool there was no expectation from anyone that this guy will be a face of the nba there are people who thought he was going to be a good nba player because he was a smart guard and he was a winner in college i mean i know there's a clip from stephen a smith going around going viral where he said there are no nba players on this villanova team this is back then

and that was kind of the general consensus is that maybe there are no NBA players But these guys are none of these guys are gonna be stars There's gonna be good solid role players will find a place here and there and so yes in that sense Brunts is ascension is a little unprecedented but like I said There are other guys who have gone through this where they were discarded and kind of not believed in and then they found stardom true stardom Somewhere else all those Villanova guys are now all on the nix except for dante I have just been uh informed that stugatz has arrived in the Building and I am here to tell you he's glowing. He looks 10 years younger. He is radiant

He is beaming this begins the rejuvenation of Stu gots the Knicks matter This is I mean is anyone going to dispute that this is about as good as the Knicks have felt since Larry Johnson hit that Four-point play against Indiana, and I don't even know if that was this century. It was not this century was 1999 I was pre y2k Dan. We got three 9-eleven pre y2k We're so worried about computers are gonna explode god's the total the dates it's gonna be his nineteen hundred all over again but it on the pole at levitard showed you know what y two k was trust me amin and i are old enough to realize that in the year two thousand as it approached uh...

everyone thought that at new year's all our computers and i just so that you know shouldn't be worried about a i had all when i tell you how ignorant we were in two thousand about what the computers might do to us we thought at the time when this when the clock struck midnight uh... and and why to k that all of the computers would stop working and the world would no longer work

gaza donnie uh... ch, Chris, I'm telling you, they told us the computer's gonna think it's 1900 and then all the planes are gonna fall from the sky. Like everything was gonna crash, power was gonna go out. They told us the end of the world is coming. And people were working round the clock to fix it. It's not one of those things where we thought it was gonna be bad.

No. Fix what, Ami? Because like, how do you go into everybody's computer and be like, oh, instead of 1999, it's gotta be two in front of the zero zeroes. No, it wasn't even, because Tony, it wasn't 1999. The problem was, when they started making computers, the dates were like, you know, 5-11-98.

They didn't have 1998. And so, when zero zero hits, the computers didn't know that that meant, oh we're now into a new millennia. They thought, oh no, we started back at 1900. So what ended up happening was they had to reprogram systems all over the world to go from two digit dates to four digit. I cannot believe. I am so happy to announce, ladies and gentlemen,

all of you have seen Amin grow up from a young new media person into- Rising star? An elder! Ladies and gentlemen, Amin Elhassen, an elder telling the kids about what Y2K was and enjoying the holy hell out of it because he is an elder.

Dan, we don't call him elders anymore, we call him unk. Congratulations. Oh, Dan Leventhal, an unk. Yeah, I had him with us. Yeah. Yes, yes, one of those is in trouble right now. I'll try to stay away from those problems. The little red baseball hat in Bruce Springsteen's

back pocket on the Born in the USA cover, hat hall of fame. That wasn't a bandana? Blues Brothers fedora. No he wore a bandana a lot of times during that tour but no that's the Mandela effect. I have purposely not talked once about the Panthers we'll get to that in a second. I don't know where Roy is I think he's still in traffic I would assume after not being afraid and uh-huh where the Panthers not afraid of anything you get beat by the backup goalie. Seems like it's kind of insane in Toronto.

Wouldn't wanna play a game seven there. I would love to ask the question to Zaslow today. Might one say that the Maple Leafs took that ass? Wow. Perhaps? May have? So far, so far long series, but yeah, it doesn't look good right now.

I am looking at Stugats in the control room, look at him. He has come in into the control room and he is as happy as I've ever seen him. You thought he was stepping back. He's stepping in, he's stepping out, and he's stepping up. Nick's fan, Stu Gots, someone I've never seen in my life. I've worked with him 20 years,

has never felt this good in 25. He's hidden from me for 20 years. Today, Stu Gotts wins! WFAT! Stu Gotts will be in here shortly for a process off with Nick Wright. I would love Stu Gotts to join the process off as one of the kings of debate in this country.

Dan, if I may serve up an appetizer for later, while you think of your process. Yeah, because there's another process you need to think about. Two days ago, Dan Leventard was burying the Oklahoma City Thunder. It's over, they lost the game. He's the best player in the world.

What are they gonna do? They beat him by damn near 50, Dan. The highest plus minus in the history of NBA playoffs. Plus 51 for Shane Gileser's Alexander in three quarters. In three, he didn't even play the fourth. I have never seen a playoff game where a team has 87 points at the half. No one has, it's never happened before.

Yes, okay, yes, I've never seen it. 87 struck me as an unusual number. I also wasn't aware that the Oklahoma City Thunder, by the way, an extraordinary basketball team, truly capable of winning the championship, hadn't lost back-to-back games since 2023. They don't lose two in a row because they're great. You beat them once, it's a surprise.

And they had, was it December? Was it November? They do not lose back-to to back games because they're great. Because they're better than everyone. That's hard stop, right Amin? That's hard stop. The Oklahoma City Thunder are better than everyone. Yes.

I mean, I said that to you months ago. I said, remember you mocked me about it two days ago. Amin says they have no flaws, but then here comes this guy from Serbia. And I said, Dan, Dan, it's a playoffs. What's that sound? Did you do a fake lebatard? Let me hear some fake lebatard. Argue with my father over here.

Let, let's hear, let's hear what this sounds like. What do you mean? I died getting ready. Well, dad, didn't you see Jason Tatum? He couldn't get anything done. He didn't. You enjoyed the game last he couldn't get anything done the even you enjoy the camp last night i did it was amazing the math was just not nothing last night but over time it'll work out i get it

you don't agree that i get it what was that our own version of a high