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Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle discuss the high expectations for the Knicks as they enter the postseason with a healthy roster and a championship-or-bust mentality.
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00:00Welcome to the show with Big Mac. Good afternoon, everybody.
00:04Phone number to join, as always, 888-808-1019.
00:08Got a great day for you today.
00:10The commissioner of the NBA, my main man, Mr. Adam Silver,
00:14will join us at 4.15 this afternoon.
00:17So, looking forward to talking to the commissioner
00:19now that the playoffs are upon us.
00:21Obviously, you got the final two playing games tonight,
00:24Hornets and Magic at 7.30, Warriors and Sons at 10 o'clock,
00:28and none of it matters.
00:30Because tomorrow night at 6 o'clock at the Mecca,
00:35Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks begin their run
00:39to their first championship in 54 years.
00:46Knickerbocker basketball, if I may say, sir.
00:49Go, New York. Go, New York. Go.
00:51Good afternoon, Big Mac. How are you?
00:53I'm doing well. Your lips to God's ears, Craig.
00:55I am all pumped up.
00:56This is what we've been waiting for.
00:58Like, let's be honest. We're going to talk to the commissioner.
01:00We know the NBA regular season has problems.
01:02We've been waiting for this moment.
01:04This is it.
01:04Since the end of last year, since we knew this team
01:07and what the East was going to look like
01:09and the expectations of this team,
01:11it's been building up into this moment.
01:13This is it.
01:14It's not about the team that they're playing right now.
01:16They're better than the Hawks.
01:17They should win this series.
01:18It's about them.
01:19It's about what kind of basketball they're going to give us.
01:21And I'm looking forward to getting it started, man,
01:23because you're right.
01:23This should be a run to at least the NBA Finals.
01:27This is an NBA Finals run.
01:28We've been waiting since May of last year.
01:29Or it's a disappointment.
01:30This is it.
01:31Yeah, look.
01:32We're better than the Hawks.
01:33I'm not worried about the Hawks.
01:34This is a four-game, five-game series for me.
01:36But I'm not necessarily worried about the Hawks.
01:37Trust me on this one.
01:38I'm the basketball guy in this town.
01:40I'm not worried about the Atlanta Hawks.
01:42I'll tell you what, though.
01:42Yeah.
01:43Listen, you're right.
01:44We talked a lot this February and March about the New York Yankees running it back.
01:50Yeah.
01:50And you've kind of pushed back on that.
01:51Because, look, they didn't acquire half these guys until the trade deadline.
01:54So we're kind of running back the second half of the season.
01:57Blah, blah, blah, right?
01:58Well, that's what the Knicks are doing as well.
02:00Pretty much.
02:00This is a running back Knicks team.
02:03Obviously, Alvarado is really the only significant addition, to be fair about it.
02:09But we go into the playoffs healthy.
02:11Hey, Mitch Robinson is healthy.
02:13Jalen Brunson is healthy.
02:14And they did a really good job keeping him healthy, specifically.
02:17And now it's let's go.
02:19They did a really good job keeping Mitch Robinson healthy.
02:20I mean, how important he is in these games.
02:23Yeah.
02:23Let's go.
02:24I mean, I don't know how much more confident.
02:26We're going to find out everything.
02:27We're going to find out if running it back was right.
02:28We're going to find out if this team needs significant changes.
02:31We're going to find out if hiring Mike Brown was the right decision.
02:34Everything comes to a conclusion over the next couple of weeks.
02:37I'm excited.
02:38I'm super excited.
02:38I know I'm as excited as you are for the start of the Yankee season, which I totally
02:42respect.
02:43That's your thing.
02:44That's your number one team.
02:46You're a big Knicks fan as well.
02:47People should know that.
02:48But, you know, the Yankees are your number one team.
02:50Yes.
02:51Well, I'm that way about the Knicks.
02:52Yep.
02:52The Knicks have always been my number one team since I'm five years old.
02:55I'm a diehard Knicks fan.
02:57And I can tell you off of last year, and that's a big part of this, you know, going to
03:01an
03:01Eastern Conference final for the first time in a long time and bringing everybody back
03:05and now having health, which to be fair, we did not have last year.
03:09You know, going into the playoffs, Mitch Robinson's ankles were messed up.
03:12As you know, Jalen Brunson was all banked up.
03:15Only six guys even played for the Knicks.
03:16You know, last year, Mike Brown has done a great job this year, you know, managing minutes
03:22and keeping everybody healthy and still playing the core, you know, 30 plus minutes every
03:27single night.
03:27Right.
03:28And I'm excited for it.
03:29And it all starts tomorrow night at six o'clock at Madison Square Garden.
03:33And as much as, you know, we have the Yankees off to essentially a 500 start and the New
03:38York Mets have lost eight games in a row and they have the Cubbies this afternoon.
03:41Obviously, we'll keep an eye on that for you throughout the afternoon as well.
03:44The New York Knicks have a legitimate shot of winning a title.
03:48The New York Knicks, I think, and I think there's four teams that have a claim in the
03:52East.
03:53Obviously, out West, there's maybe three.
03:55You know, you have the Thunder for sure.
03:56They're the best team in basketball.
03:58You've got the San Antonio Spurs.
04:00And I don't think you should sleep on the Denver Nuggets, to be honest.
04:03But outside of that, when you come to the East, you could make an argument that the Pistons
04:09can go to the finals.
04:10You could make an argument, obviously, that the Knicks can go to the finals.
04:14You could make an argument that the Boston Celtics would take them back.
04:17They can go to the finals.
04:19And I think kind of behind those three, I guess an argument could be made.
04:26The Cavs could make a run, sure.
04:28But this is an opportunity the Knicks have.
04:32And I've never gone into a postseason as pumped up as I am for this one because it dovetails
04:39to last year and getting to the Eastern Conference Finals.
04:42And I am all about it.
04:45Don't doubt it.
04:45And you mentioned the Mets and Yankees, and we're at each other's throats.
04:49We're all together.
04:50That's right.
04:51Under the banner of the New York Knicks.
04:52That's right.
04:53The entire city is behind this team.
04:54And I think we have...
04:55It's a unique relationship because I think we're frustrated by them at different times.
04:59But ultimately, I think it's changed over the last handful of years.
05:03Maybe not from last year to this year.
05:05But there's a lot of equity built into these Jalen Brunson Knicks.
05:08There's a lot of him and Cat and what Hart and the Villanova Connection has been over
05:12the last couple of years and moving on from Randall and changing this team and OG and what
05:16they are and what they've been.
05:17This is a team that we've kind of fallen in love with.
05:20And we expect we are finally in the place where the Yankees are, where this is an expectation
05:25now.
05:25It is NBA Finals or bust.
05:27And on some level, that's what's so exciting about it.
05:30We went into the season.
05:31And I remember talking about this at the beginning of the season.
05:33You go into a Knicks season with the expectations of getting to an NBA Finals.
05:36We have, even as good as they've been over the last handful of years, it never felt as
05:40dramatic as it felt to start this year.
05:42And now as the playoff run starts, and yeah, I expected them to be a one or a two seed.
05:47I'm slightly disappointed.
05:48They're the three.
05:49But ultimately, that doesn't matter.
05:50And right now, this is the culmination of expectations of a season that we haven't really
05:56got a chance to feel or taste in 20, 30 years.
05:59It's been a long time.
06:00It's been a long time.
06:01To have expectations.
06:02To have the expectations of going into the season, carry it through the year, and now start this
06:06playoff run with the expectations of championship or bust, NBA Finals, or it's a failure.
06:13That kind of expectations and weight, it's something we haven't experienced as Knicks fans in a
06:18long time.
06:19And I'm looking forward to getting it started tomorrow night.
06:21No, it's going to be great.
06:22Knicks are five and a half point favorites at home against the Atlanta Hawks.
06:25They're the smallest favorites of all the higher seeds, by the way.
06:28I think they are, right?
06:29The Cavs are favored by eight and a half over the Raptors.
06:32That's a 4-5 matchup.
06:33The Nuggets are six and a half over the T-Wolves.
06:36That's a 3-6 like the Knicks are.
06:38And the Lakers are getting five and a half from the Rockets.
06:40So the odds makers don't believe in the Knicks.
06:44The gamblers right now do not believe in the Knicks.
06:46As a matter of fact, they're not even a top three pick, odds-wise, to win the NBA Finals.
06:52NBA players don't believe in the Knicks.
06:54That poll came out.
06:55I think there's an embedded anti-New York kind of mantra to that.
07:00So I don't pay much attention to that.
07:02The Hawks got a couple of players to pick them to go to the NBA Finals.
07:05Which is stupid.
07:06Just stupid.
07:07There is, on the national level, and having done a national show on Fox for a few years,
07:12I can tell you that there is an inbred, kind of like a West Virginia inbred,
07:17bang your cousin with bad teeth type of scenario, where people just hate New York.
07:22So they're trying to find a reason to not pick the Knicks to win.
07:26And I'm not saying the Knicks should be favored.
07:28I think the Thunder should be the favorites to win it all.
07:30Of course.
07:30All right?
07:31Obviously, we're the three seeds.
07:32So if you want to make an argument that the Detroit Pistons should have a better odds of winning it,
07:38I respect that.
07:39If you want to make an argument that Celtics, they're a better seed as well,
07:42that their odds should be better, I got no problem with that.
07:44But there are people in the national media that are taking such ridiculous shots
07:49that the Knicks have no chance of winning or even getting to the NBA Finals.
07:52There is an anti-New York agenda.
07:55Now, look, we are big mouths.
07:56We are obnoxious.
07:57So I understand where it comes from.
07:59And we'll say the same about other teams.
08:01But man, oh man, I am so pumped up for playoff basketball this weekend.
08:05And I'll tell you something else.
08:06There's a weird scenario happening right now that you and I, I can't remember a situation
08:14that we were in as Knick fans that has presented itself the way this weekend is presenting itself.
08:19Let me walk you through it real quick, okay?
08:21Do you recognize for the first time, I think ever, that we as Knick fans are rooting for
08:30the Philadelphia 76ers?
08:33The Philadelphia 76ers played the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
08:37The 76ers are an easy out for the New York Knicks.
08:41I don't care if they beat plays or not.
08:43It's a wrap for them.
08:43You would feel differently after they beat the Celtics, I would think.
08:46I would not.
08:46Okay.
08:47I want the Sixers to beat the Celtics.
08:49Of course you do.
08:49Yes.
08:50Of course.
08:50Oh, you want the Sixers?
08:51I want the Sixers to beat the Celtics.
08:53Of course we do.
08:54All right.
08:55But I'm just saying right now they feel even more appealing if they go through a hard-fought
08:59series and beat the Celtics.
09:00We're going to feel slightly different.
09:01I'm not.
09:01I want to be very clear about this so I don't change my opinion.
09:04I'm not saying you wouldn't think they would still win that series or have a series
09:07you'd rather see than the Celtics.
09:08That I agree with.
09:09I'm just saying going into that series, you're feeling one way about the Sixers.
09:12Yeah.
09:12If they come through that series.
09:13I feel the same way.
09:14And I want you to hold me accountable to that.
09:16I'm not going to waver on that at all.
09:18Okay.
09:18I'm not a Sixers fan.
09:19I hate the Sixers.
09:20I hate Philadelphia.
09:21Philadelphia only is two things worthy of our consideration.
09:25And that's soft pretzels and water ice.
09:27And they are great at both of those things.
09:29They broke the Liberty Bell.
09:32Betsy Ross was a whore.
09:33And George Washington preferred New York.
09:36He did.
09:36He preferred New York to anything in Philadelphia.
09:39And you can fact check me on all four of those things.
09:41Okay?
09:42Okay.
09:42Betsy Ross.
09:43Betsy Ross.
09:43Whore.
09:44Okay.
09:44That's it.
09:44She was a common street walking hoe.
09:47That's what Betsy Ross was.
09:49You think Martha Washington let her in the house?
09:51She was like, G-Dub.
09:53Listen.
09:54That Betsy Ross.
09:55She's like Janice Rossi.
09:57Janice Rossi and two R's a whore.
09:59Yeah.
10:00That's what Betsy Ross was.
10:02Yeah.
10:03She showed up one time saying, I'm sorry.
10:05George left his wooden teeth in my house.
10:06Maybe.
10:07Never again.
10:08May cherry tree my ass.
10:09That was from her.
10:11Betsy Ross ruined that marriage.
10:12That's why we changed the circle flag to the square flag.
10:16Yeah.
10:17Because of Betsy Ross.
10:18I got you.
10:19Lincoln's wife was like, we got to do right by GW.
10:21I'm changing the flag to where it should be.
10:23In any event.
10:24All right?
10:25In any event.
10:26Yeah.
10:26I want the Sixers to beat the Celtics.
10:28Well, of course, yes.
10:28We need a little Philadelphia brotherly love on that one.
10:31Mm-hmm.
10:31And then it's smooth sound all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
10:33I'm not overly worried about the Celtics, to be telling you honestly.
10:36They're a damn good team.
10:37They're extremely well coached.
10:38You could argue he did the best job in the NBA this year.
10:40Like, they've done.
10:41They're a really good team.
10:42They're getting Tatum back.
10:43But it's not quite the same group.
10:46And I just, I don't know.
10:48They're all beatable.
10:49We're beatable, too.
10:50Oh, of course.
10:51All right.
10:51Quick baseball thing for you.
10:52I know the Mets are playing the Cubs in a little bit.
10:55But I think you owe me an apology, Big Mac.
10:57I owe you an apology.
10:58I think you owe me an apology.
10:59And frankly, I think a lot of you Mets fans owe me an apology as well.
11:02I owe you an apology.
11:02So let me hear.
11:03All right.
11:03So we had a bit of an argument, our first official sports argument, a couple days ago,
11:08earlier this week, when it came to me suggesting to you that Francisco Lindor needs to be
11:13punished.
11:14Needs to be punished for not his batting average, which obviously is like a 150, whatever it
11:20is right now, but because his head's up his ass.
11:22Yes.
11:22And he's making mental mistakes a guy of his caliber cannot make, especially when your team
11:27is struggling, right?
11:28Which he kind of made another one since we've had that argument.
11:30Yes, he did.
11:31Not charging that ball.
11:32Not charging that ball to Oscar Hernandez in the ninth inning.
11:35And you and I kind of went back and forth and had a bit of an argument.
11:37Yep.
11:38Where you're like, oh, you're going to punish an adult, a great player.
11:40And I'm like, yeah, you punished him.
11:41And back and forth we went.
11:42And no need to have it now, right?
11:44Well, I want to congratulate Carlos Mendoza for listening to me.
11:48Carlos Mendoza has punished Francisco Lindor because today's game against the Cubs, guess
11:55who is not leading off for the first time this season?
12:00Francisco Lindor.
12:01That's tough love?
12:02No, it's not.
12:03That's this close to being benched?
12:05And that's Carlos Mendoza saying, I'm not just going to keep running you out there batting
12:10lead off if I can't trust you.
12:13Francisco Lindor has been demoted in the lineup from first to third.
12:19Yeah.
12:20And think about who's replacing him.
12:21Yeah.
12:22A guy with 15 strikeouts this year who's also batting about 100.
12:27Yeah.
12:27Benji's not up to the start.
12:28Carlos Benji is leading off for the Mets.
12:31That's not.
12:32I'm not apologizing.
12:33There's no apology.
12:34Oh, that's a clear cut apology.
12:36It's not.
12:36There's no reason for apology.
12:37I was right.
12:38He needed to be punished.
12:39He's not being punished.
12:40This is the opposite of what you said.
12:41This is about his batting average.
12:43This is taking a look.
12:44This is trying to shake things up.
12:45No one's.
12:46Come on.
12:47He's not being punished.
12:48He's being moved down the lineup.
12:49That's a punishment.
12:50This is.
12:51What did Joe Torre do to A-Rod?
12:53He moved him down to the lineup.
12:54Was that not a punishment?
12:55No.
12:56What?
12:56That was you stink right now.
12:57We're going to hit you eighth.
12:58And by the way, it was the worst thing Joe Torre ever did.
13:01It worked out.
13:02But he's got two regrets in his managerial career with the Yankees.
13:05One, not taking Jabba off the field.
13:07You're talking to the wrong guy, Craig.
13:08You're talking to the wrong guy.
13:10In Cleveland.
13:11He's got two regrets in his entire.
13:12I'm with you on that one.
13:13Actually, three.
13:14Three.
13:14Since we're bringing him up.
13:15Three.
13:15Take Jabba off the field when the midges came.
13:17With the midges are attacking.
13:18Hitting A-Rod eighth.
13:19And not trying to run on Veritek when Wakefield was in the game and Veritek was catcher.
13:23They should have tried to steal some bases in that game.
13:25Okay.
13:25Okay.
13:26Outside of that, Joe Torre was perfect.
13:28That was one of his biggest mistakes, hitting him eighth.
13:30And this is nothing about that.
13:32This is trying to shake up an offense that's dormant.
13:34We're punishing him.
13:35It's trying to get a different look.
13:36Yeah.
13:37It's trying to maybe.
13:37So you're a different look with a guy batting less than him.
13:40You get the kid some fastballs.
13:42Maybe he gets going.
13:43Okay.
13:43You move him down in the lineup.
13:44If you take the pressure off, lead him off.
13:46Like, I don't know.
13:47Clutching at straws.
13:48He's a manager searching for answers and he has none.
13:51And this is the best he can come up with.
13:53And I don't necessarily think it's a great idea, but we'll see.
13:55I think that's a bit of an apology.
13:57I accept your apology.
13:58I'm not apologizing.
13:59Well, you're a diehard Mets fan.
14:00Love to get your take on Francisco Lindor being demoted to third in the lineup.
14:04First game this year.
14:04He has not let off for the New York Mets.
14:06He also told Mets fans that they should just relax.
14:09It's going to be fine.
14:10In an interview he did in Chicago with Barstool earlier today.
14:13So we'll get to that.
14:14And, of course, you have the New York Knickerbockers opening up tomorrow night at 6 o'clock.
14:18Love to get some Nick talk going.
14:20And we said since we started the show in January, I was not going to get too up or down
14:24January, February, March.
14:26Because the New York Knicks season did not officially start and does not officially start until tomorrow night.
14:32The regular season outside of seeding meant nothing.
14:37This is a team that needs to do better than they did last year, which was the Eastern Conference Finals.
14:43And then they got smoked, obviously, by Indianapolis.
14:46But this season for the Knicks officially starts tomorrow night.
14:51The Lindor of demotion officially starts this afternoon.
14:55And the New York Yankees need a win against Kansas City.
14:57We got everything covered for you.
14:59888-808-1019.
15:01And do not forget, at 415 this afternoon, the commissioner of the NBA in studio, Mr. Adam Silver.
15:09Which now allows me to make another announcement on this show.
15:13Okay.
15:13I think you're going to like this one, too.
15:15I'm going to like this one, too?
15:15Yeah.
15:17We have another huge guest coming in, I believe, next week.
15:21But if not next week, the week after.
15:23Okay.
15:23I'm confirming the dates with them now.
15:25We had Rob Manfred in studio.
15:27Check.
15:27Bang!
15:28Adam Silver's coming in studio today.
15:32Bang.
15:32Check.
15:33I thought you were the check guy.
15:34Well, you said bang.
15:35Bang!
15:36Check!
15:36Ha ha!
15:38And I reached out today and got the positive response.
15:42Roger Goodell?
15:43Gary Bettman will be joining us as well.
15:46Gary Bettman joining the show?
15:47So we got three of the four commissioners on this show.
15:50And I'll reach out to Roger Goodell in the NFL next week as well.
15:53No, but Gary Bettman.
15:54That's not happening, but I will reach out.
15:56Okay?
15:56Gary Bettman.
15:57Yes.
15:58Every commissioner who's willing to do interviews will join this show.
16:01That's correct.
16:02Within the first six months of having it.
16:03Yeah, that's right.
16:04Let's go.
16:05Yep.
16:05And Gary was kind enough to reach my aunt and say, I'd love to come on.
16:08And I'm doing that with his peoples right now.
16:11But I just wanted to give you that for those of you hockey fans.
16:13Like, you never talk hockey.
16:15You're right.
16:15But the NHL playoffs are starting.
16:17And I thought it'd be smart and good for you hockey fans.
16:20Because I know a lot of you do exist.
16:22That we will bring the first and only commissioner in NHL history on our show.
16:27It'll be the next two weeks.
16:28I'm not sure exactly what we're in yet.
16:29But I want to confirm that for you as well today.
16:31Okay?
16:32Sounds good.
16:33Manfred.
16:33I am pumped.
16:34Silver.
16:35Bettman.
16:36Nick, playoff basketball is a day away.
16:39There you go.
16:39All right.
16:39So you know the numbers.
16:40We'll get all your calls coming right up.
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