- 1 day ago
From national disrespect to Jalen Brunson’s clutch dominance, Karl-Anthony Towns’ pressure, and why THIS might finally be the year, CP The Fanchise lays it all out about the Knicks' playoff run with Evan & Shaun
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00:00Oh, I'm going to try to address this later, but I'm going through all the articles written about James Dolan
00:05and a potential surveillance program that they have at Madison Square Garden.
00:08But I'm trying to read as much about it before I give you an opinion on it, because there's just
00:13so much.
00:14There's a Wired article that came out about the surveillance that happens at Madison Square Garden.
00:19And then Pablo Torre has a story.
00:21I will say, before we get into it later, I don't love the fact that stories like this come out
00:26on the eve of the postseason.
00:27Only because it looks weird that you're dropping it now.
00:31Like you're doing it for the added attention.
00:35So it doesn't mean none of it isn't true.
00:36Again, we'll get into it later once I get through all the words, because there's a lot of words written.
00:40But it's just odd, and I'm sure a Knicks fan feels that way.
00:43My owner may be nuts.
00:45He may be crazy.
00:46But why are we doing this on the eve of the postseason?
00:48Have you seen some of the pictures, though?
00:50Pictures of who?
00:50There's a grainy picture of a redhead during Nets Knicks in November eating chicken fingers on the bridge.
00:56Very odd.
00:57The Fan Focus is sponsored by Chef IQ Precision Cooking.
01:00Effortless results, chefiq.com.
01:02The Hawks think they know the key to beating the Knicks in their first-round series that will begin tomorrow.
01:07Former Pacers backup center now in the Hawks' Tony Bradley said the key to this series is punching the Knicks
01:13in the mouth first,
01:14citing that he sat there and witnessed the Knicks looking, quote, demoralized after Halliburton shot in Game 1 of the
01:20Conference Finals a year ago.
01:21How would you respond to that, CP, the franchise, joining us today?
01:24I heard it.
01:25And for the Knicks, that should be locker room material.
01:27They need to circle the first two games from last year, that Eastern Conference Finals matchup, and that loss, the
01:33way that they lost, and they were embarrassed.
01:35They need to remember that every single game.
01:37And when they see Tony Bradley, hey, he's got a tangle with my guy, big country Mitchell Robinson on the
01:43boards.
01:43Can Tony Bradley out-rebound Mitchell Robinson?
01:45Because that's what it's going to take for the Hawks.
01:47They're going to have to win the possession battle, game in and game out, to have a chance to beat
01:52the Knicks.
01:52Yeah, I was trying to figure this out yesterday, not only as a talk show host, but as someone that
01:58would love to see the Knicks lose in the first round.
02:00Of course.
02:00It would give me great joy.
02:01From your season tickets.
02:04I'll take my loss.
02:05I'll take it.
02:06And the only thing I could come up with is that this is a really good defensive team.
02:10They've got a lot of length.
02:12They've got a lot of athleticism.
02:13And if they could force turnovers on the Knicks, yeah, I guess I could see this getting ugly in that
02:18regard.
02:19Is that kind of the thing that would have to have?
02:21But boring injury, I always leave that out because that's stupid.
02:24Obviously, if there's a major injury, things could change.
02:25We know that.
02:26But is that advantage that Atlanta has, their length, the way they defend, is that the thing that could kind
02:32of change this series a little bit in your mind?
02:34Or is there something else?
02:34Yeah, to me, that's the Knicks' Achilles heel.
02:37It's going up against those wingy, versatile, athletic defenses.
02:41Those are the ones that typically can slow the Knicks down.
02:44What I didn't like in terms of the way that the Knicks finished the season was that you had a
02:47couple games where they were just sloppy.
02:49Just totally careless.
02:50There's one thing about forced turnovers.
02:52There's another thing about just handing the other team the ball.
02:54And even in that game in Atlanta, I saw the Knicks doing that and said, against a team like that,
02:58you have to be careful with it.
03:01They're a top-10 team in terms of turnover percentage.
03:03And that's part of the possession battle.
03:05If you're going to hand them those opportunities, you're going to have Jalen Johnson, he's their dynamo, getting out in
03:10transition.
03:11And then they're going to want to hoist up threes.
03:12They have nothing to lose.
03:13So they're going to go to Nikhil Alexander-Walker, who's top three in corner three-point percentage.
03:18C.J. McCollum, going to those guys.
03:21And those two guys specifically have postseason experience.
03:23Yes, yes, to a certain extent.
03:25To an extent.
03:26Right.
03:26And so that's where the Knicks have to be careful there.
03:29Now, I get the vibe based on what you just said and also a conversation in the newsroom.
03:33Outside of the obvious, Cat Brunson, you think Mitchell Robinson might be like a key to a big run here,
03:37don't you?
03:38Big time.
03:39Big time.
03:39How can he not be?
03:40Well, I know.
03:41When I think of game six, that party that you had at the Garden against the Celtics, the image in
03:46my mind is the Mitch possession.
03:48I don't know if you feel the same way.
03:49I mean, you guys killed him by 80 that day.
03:50But Mitch guarding everybody within a nine-second span and then blocking a corner three, he is that kind of
03:57dynamo where he can change the series.
03:59And looks healthier this year, obviously.
04:00He looks great.
04:01And you've got to give a lot of credit to the Knicks medical staff.
04:04They went.
04:05No back-to-backs.
04:06He skipped the first ten or so games of the first part of the season, the beginning of the season.
04:11He looks great with the offensive rebounds.
04:13He's back to himself.
04:14He's guarding on the perimeter, blocking shots on the perimeter.
04:16Like, I would have no issues with him getting switched out to Jalen Johnson on the perimeter.
04:21Right.
04:21And to me, that's advantage Knicks.
04:23Yeah.
04:23He's been great.
04:24And he called those guys out.
04:25He called out his team later in the season when their effort, their focus just wasn't there.
04:29And he's been leading by example.
04:31Yeah, he was vocal on social media a few times this season.
04:34But he is, he's an incredible X factor.
04:36And then you wonder, like, does Quinn Snyder pull the let's get him off the floor by fouling him bit?
04:41Which we saw a little bit in the postseason because, obviously, free throws is the bugaboo.
04:44And he was being hacked, in my opinion, not just to get a possession by him hitting free throws,
04:49but by forcing Tom Thibodeau then, and now Mike Brown, to get him off the court.
04:53That's what kind of defender he is that they were hacking him to get him off the court last season.
04:58Yeah.
04:58It's a Missoula strategy.
04:59Every coach is going to go to it.
05:00You have to.
05:01You have to.
05:02And it's part of that winning the possession battle.
05:04That's the way that you guard against Mitchell Robinson being so dominant on the court.
05:07We talked probably about three weeks ago now about switching to starting five because of the issues that it's had.
05:14Yeah.
05:14And Mike Brown would stand there after games and say, yeah, it's not good enough, but would never make a
05:18change.
05:19Obviously not going to make it now.
05:20But where have you kind of stood on shaking up the starting five because of the slow starts that they
05:26have gotten off to?
05:27With the exception of pulling Hart for Robinson, I really wasn't on board with it.
05:31Because I think Hart just gives you those intangibles that nobody else on this team can give you.
05:36Going after the 50-50 balls in the playoffs is going to be vital.
05:40A secondary playmaker to go along with Jalen Brunson.
05:43They don't have that many guys that can playmake around the perimeter.
05:46Josh Hart can do it, especially in transition.
05:48If they can get the stops and get him out in transition, he can push the ball ahead to bridges,
05:52and they can get some easy buckets that way.
05:54As I mentioned on the rebounding.
05:56And then the three-point shooting.
05:57We'll see what happens come game one.
05:59But he finished the season red hot, 40% shooting from three.
06:03We saw Tibbs stick with Hart for a long time.
06:05Mike Brown has stuck with Hart for a long time.
06:07And look, if it's not working, if he's not spacing the floor well,
06:11if he's not doing the things to impact the game, quick hooks.
06:13You can go to Shamit.
06:14You can go to Deuce.
06:15You can go to Mitch, depending on what the matchup dictates.
06:18Yeah, and they're healthy, which wasn't a guarantee earlier this season that they'd get here healthy.
06:22Now the question is, can they get through it healthy?
06:24You start the postseason healthy, that's perfect.
06:26Now you've got battles to get through this thing healthy.
06:29And that's going to decide things.
06:30We all remember two years ago.
06:31I mean, injuries derailed him.
06:33It was a big part of it.
06:33Let's get to some of your phone calls.
06:35888-808-1019.
06:36CP, the franchise, hanging out with us on the eve of the NBA postseason.
06:40As the Knicks will start it off tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden.
06:426 o'clock on Amazon Prime.
06:44Let's go to Andrew in Brooklyn.
06:47Good afternoon, Andrew.
06:48Hey, Sean, CP.
06:50What's up, y'all?
06:50Andrew.
06:51What's up, man?
06:52Yeah, so y'all mentioned it with Mike Brown.
06:54And one thing that impressed me with his coaching job this year was, especially at the end of the season,
07:00saying to himself, I've got to get Brunson and Cat going together.
07:04That, you know, the Brunson hero, bro, which is very reliable, could get you past the first two rounds, but
07:09it's not going to win you a chip.
07:10But I'm just going to pivot real quick.
07:12I've given up on seeing Phoenix and Brooklyn version of Bridges' offensive game, but how much do you stop getting
07:19him going this series since it's the first round to get his shot going to win the chip?
07:24Thank you for the time, y'all.
07:25Appreciate y'all.
07:26Thank you, man.
07:27I think along with Carl Anthony Townsman, Cal Bridges is a guy, he just seems like a confidence guy where
07:32you have to go to him early to get him going early.
07:35And that is, you know, getting him out in transition and getting him those shots early in the game because
07:40that impacts his defense, and then he's more engaged.
07:43He's locked in.
07:44I think one of the challenges that he's had, what Carl Anthony Towns has had, is that there's a lot
07:48of mouths to feed in that Knicks starting five.
07:50We mentioned Hart.
07:51When Hart gets the ball in his hands, he wants to make a move.
07:53Brunson, Towns, you know when OG gets the rock.
07:56He's going for it.
07:57So I think Cal Bridges has had issues this year, just finding his role.
08:02He's certainly not the Brooklyn guy where you guys had no options.
08:05It was a terrible team.
08:06It's a very different scenario.
08:07It was a very different scenario.
08:08You didn't have to say that, but thank you.
08:09That felt personal.
08:10It still is.
08:11Very different scenario.
08:12But, look, he's also going to be tasked with chasing Nikhil Alexander, walking around TJ McCollum.
08:17So I think defensively, he's going to be very important.
08:19That's where he's most important.
08:21Most important.
08:21Most important.
08:22We have to forget about him being the Phoenix or Brooklyn version.
08:25He needs to be the defender.
08:27I mean, I think back, we talked about last year's playoffs with Mitch and that game six.
08:31Mikel Bridges had the walk-off defensive stop.
08:34Yes, he did.
08:35And I remember when that happened, rightfully so, because I would hear it from Nick fans.
08:39He's worth every pick.
08:40And I get it.
08:41That's why he's here.
08:42He's here to win postseason games.
08:44So if he can make those impactful defensive plays, not just at the end of games, but throughout games, then
08:50he's worth it.
08:51But here's also what I say about Mikel Bridges is, let's say Brunson's not having his typical efficient night.
08:57And let's say Towns is just checked out or the wing is just taking him out.
09:01When you look down the hierarchy of shot creators, Mikel Bridges is next in line as a guy who can
09:06put the ball on the floor, pull up into a mid-range.
09:09And so, to Andrew's point, they still need him to be engaged on the offensive end.
09:13Sure.
09:13Let's go to Mike in Clifton Park.
09:16Good afternoon, Mike.
09:18Hey, guys.
09:18How's it going?
09:19Hey, Mike.
09:20Good.
09:20So, listen, my feeling is this year's Knicks team with Mike Brown beat last year's Knicks team with Tibbs.
09:29And so I think the Knicks team is better.
09:31But the issue is I think the competition in the East is better this year.
09:36Detroit has gotten better.
09:37I think Boston is better.
09:39Cleveland, I think, could be better.
09:42So, if they don't make it back to where they were last year, I'm thinking, no, it may not be
09:47a coaching issue and the pressure shouldn't be on Brown.
09:49But it's like, how do you increase the talent level?
09:53And those are my thoughts.
09:54And thanks a lot, guys.
09:56First, I want to think about that for a second.
09:58Is the East, because we talked about this towards the beginning of this discussion about the differences in the Eastern
10:03Conference from what we thought in October to where we are now.
10:07Going into the playoffs last year, let's not forget this.
10:09The Celtics were healthy and better.
10:12The Boston Celtics last year were better than the Boston Celtics of this year.
10:17I think that's a very agreeable statement.
10:20Yes.
10:21Were the Cavs, I'm trying to think of how to word this, were the Cavs better going into the postseason
10:28last year than the Pistons are now?
10:29Like, how would you kind of compare the top of the East from last year to this year?
10:34I think the Cavs were better just based on their prior experience.
10:38Yeah.
10:38With Mitchell, with the Twin Towers, and with Garland.
10:41The expectation was that they should have went to the NBA Finals or the Conference Finals at the very least.
10:46But I think that's why you can't really translate regular season success into what the postseason is going to look
10:53like.
10:53You can't.
10:54Because think about this about Cleveland.
10:56They won 64 games last year.
10:57That's right.
10:58The Pistons won 60, which is, by the way, an unbelievable number.
11:00I didn't see it coming.
11:01So I don't know if I can say this is better than last year.
11:04It's different.
11:05Well.
11:06Very different than last year.
11:07I think the Celtics were the better powerhouse.
11:10But I think just distribution-wise in the East, I think there's just more, I guess we can call them
11:14pesky teams.
11:15Yeah.
11:15Parody.
11:16But you know what I mean?
11:16Teams that can compete and give you deep series.
11:18Play your game of fear factor.
11:20Nick's challengers in this postseason.
11:22Rank them one through four.
11:23Who scares you the most?
11:26Detroit.
11:27Just because of what they did in the regular season?
11:28Detroit.
11:29But, you know, even like, you know, we'll see what happens with Charlotte and Orlando.
11:33You know, styles make fights.
11:34See, Charlotte, CP, I'm telling you right now, if Charlotte wins tonight, I don't know if they'll beat Detroit.
11:39That's going to be a series.
11:40It's going to be interesting.
11:41And a lot of Knicks fans want them to take a deep into the series, please.
11:45I'm sure.
11:45But even the Celtics, you know, I've circled the Knicks on the calendar.
11:47I know that was a great game.
11:48Jalen Brown doesn't play.
11:50So, I mean, where are you at with the Celtics?
11:54Fantastic season.
11:54Jalen Brown playing at an MVP level and Tatum, not Tatum of old, but still impactful and still at an
12:00all-star level.
12:01My question with Boston is, can they defend this Knicks team, this Knicks offense?
12:05And also, that supporting cast, Baylor Shireman played over his head in that game against the Garden, was lighting it
12:12up from three.
12:13Do we trust them in the playoffs?
12:14Do we trust the Hugo Gonzalez's of the playoffs, the Luka Garza's, the Mays Cater's?
12:19They're supporting cast.
12:20It's not what it was last.
12:21It's different.
12:22It's not Porzingis.
12:23It's not Drew Holiday.
12:24And Derek White is not the same guy.
12:25No, I agree with you.
12:26He's not the same guy.
12:27That's why the Celtics are so different.
12:28I think the fear of the Celtics is more the cinema of them on a revenge tour because of what
12:34happened.
12:35And I get it.
12:36That would scare me, too.
12:37Like, you know, Tatum goes down, even though they seem to forget.
12:39You guys were up 3-1 when Tatum went down.
12:42Let's be honest.
12:42They were winning that series anyway.
12:43They were winning that series.
12:44I agree with you.
12:45Now, Sean fights with me and says, well, the Celtics could have come back.
12:47Sure they could have come back.
12:49I don't think they would have.
12:50It was a championship team.
12:51It's still hard to close a team at.
12:53I understand, but you were one win away.
12:54The Knicks were one win away from closing that series out if Tatum didn't get hurt.
12:58But that's the cinema.
12:59That's the nature of, wow, Tatum went down.
13:01And you see the way they're pumping this up on NBC, like the return tour and all the comments Jalen
13:06Brown's made.
13:06But from a basketball standpoint, and you talk about how they're so different bench-wise, the depth of that team.
13:12And then even just the matchup, like, they wouldn't scare me from that regard.
13:16They don't scare me.
13:17It's Brown, it's Tatum, and it's Pritchard.
13:19Pritchard as a shot creator.
13:21He's a pain in the ass.
13:22Nasty.
13:22But overall, I don't think their defense is as strong as it was last year without Holiday, without Horford, without
13:28Porzingis.
13:28I don't think it's that strong.
13:30And Cleveland, like, I've kind of viewed them as frauds, and they only added to that by adding the biggest
13:35fraud of them all and James Harden.
13:36You know?
13:37Got to prove it.
13:37Got to prove it.
13:38Look, Spider's Spider.
13:40But with the Twin Towers, they've never scared me.
13:43Hopefully they take Detroit deep into a series in the second round.
13:46But other than that, I wouldn't be fearful of Cleveland either.
13:48And where would you put Atlanta on this list?
13:50Because I know that there was a pick-your-opponent feeling going into the first round.
13:53It could be Toronto.
13:54There was even a chance it could be Orlando.
13:56Yeah.
13:56Where would you put Atlanta in there?
13:58Toronto would definitely have been top of the list.
14:00Amen.
14:00That would have been a sweep.
14:02I'll put Atlanta right underneath.
14:04I don't see how this thing goes past five games, to be honest with you.
14:07If it does.
14:07I think the Knicks are ready to roll.
14:09Look at that confidence.
14:10Yeah.
14:10No homer shades.
14:11No pom-poms.
14:12This Knicks team, they're locked and loaded, man.
14:14They're locked and loaded.
14:15So, I was leaning, I was thinking about this last night.
14:18I was like, how am I going to predict this series?
14:20Specifically.
14:21I don't like to screw around.
14:22I want a specific prediction.
14:23And I think you'll appreciate this.
14:24I call this the Joe Bedingo.
14:26All right?
14:26Joe B, whenever a Knicks series would start, would say the same thing to me.
14:30Do you realize, bro, we have never won a series where we lost game one at home, bro?
14:35And he would always mention it.
14:36And every time, obviously, the Knicks would lose a game one at home, he would turn out to be prophetic.
14:41We saw it last year.
14:43I kind of have this weird, weird feeling.
14:46Oh, boy.
14:47It's bad juju.
14:48Come on.
14:48No, it's good juju.
14:49Okay.
14:50All right.
14:50You're going to lose game one and then win the next four.
14:52And then, but did you not hear the next part?
14:54And then win the next four.
14:55You're going to finally break this stupid but true Joe Bedingo point, which has been true,
15:02that you can't win a home series when you lose game one.
15:04Why are you shaking your head?
15:05It's a compliment.
15:06I don't like it.
15:07Because I said they're going to lose a game.
15:08I don't like it.
15:09It's not setting a good tone.
15:10Yeah.
15:10You are setting up for a Monday afternoon show with doom and gloom.
15:15Do we need to fire Mike Brown?
15:16Do we need to go get Giannis?
15:18Is this team ready for it?
15:19I can't.
15:20You heard Tony Bradley about punching them in the mouth in game one.
15:23Right.
15:23Tony Bradley's wrong about that.
15:25See, what he got wrong about that is it wasn't that the Knicks lost game one.
15:28It was that it was an all-time collapse.
15:30And it was pulled out of the rear end.
15:32It was an unspeakable collapse.
15:35That's not what I'm saying would happen.
15:37I mean, I've seen plenty of postseason series over the years,
15:39especially with the upset team, where they steal game one.
15:42Yeah.
15:42And it's like, oh, we have a series.
15:43And then the good team says, okay, that was adorable.
15:46And they slap you right back and win the next four.
15:48That's what I can kind of vibe with this series.
15:50So I actually agree with you that I think the Knicks are going to win in five.
15:53I'm just saying that it may start off badly.
15:55That's all.
15:56You know what?
15:57I feel like we're getting very positive CP vibes here.
15:59All right?
16:00You want to make it negative?
16:00No, no, no.
16:01Not negative.
16:01But now I'm going to take it to dream world, CP.
16:04All right?
16:04Hey, they got to get to the finals.
16:06Yeah.
16:06All right.
16:06We obviously know whatever.
16:07Cross that bridge.
16:08When they get there, who are they playing in the finals?
16:09We know Oklahoma City's a behemoth.
16:11Yeah.
16:12Who do you want in the finals to realistically voice?
16:16That kind of question is that.
16:16To realistically San Antonio.
16:18What do you mean what kind of question?
16:19He gave you a good answer.
16:20But what do you mean?
16:21Because I.
16:21Like, he's being honest.
16:22You don't want Oklahoma City.
16:23No.
16:24So who do you think the Knicks could beat in the NBA football?
16:26Oh, okay.
16:26So it's Spurs or the Nuggets.
16:27But I don't think the Nuggets have the defense to get there.
16:30Yeah.
16:30I thought before the season, Denver, I can't have that confidence now.
16:34Yeah.
16:34All right.
16:34So you're answering it in terms of who you would want to play based on the matchup.
16:37Yes.
16:37I thought it was some kind of, like, fantasy.
16:39No.
16:39No, no, no, no.
16:39What Western Conference city you and your wife want to go to?
16:42Look, if you get there, you're going to want to dream.
16:44Who's your dream scenario of a realistic team that gets it you'd think the Knicks could beat
16:47and actually win this freaking thing?
16:49Yeah.
16:49Give it to Spurs.
16:50Spurs and Nuggets.
16:51Spurs and Nuggets.
16:52I have a very tough time.
16:54And a part of it with San Antonio is the lack of experience.
16:56Like, this is their moment to learn.
16:58And I think it's going to be very valuable.
16:59And then they'll be a behemoth.
17:01Like, they will win a championship in the next couple of years.
17:03I have a tough time believing anybody's knocking off OKC.
17:06I don't see it.
17:07It just feels not impossible, but just very unlikely.
17:11Unfortunately for them, it's going to take the Tatum or Halliburton, something bad happening
17:15like the SGA or something.
17:16Oh, like an injury?
17:17Yeah.
17:18But as we've seen in NBA playoffs, you can't rule that out.
17:20Right.
17:20Yeah.
17:20Right.
17:21Yeah.
17:21And even on their night off, they're winning.
17:22Yeah, I know.
17:23I know.
17:24I know.
17:24Because they're so deep.
17:26Right.
17:26That lottery pick thing is hilarious to me.
17:29I was saying the other day, if they win the lottery, what I would do if I was them is
17:33I would trade out to a team that is desperate and just get set up with more picks for the
17:38future.
17:38Like, you're almost pumping it down the road saying, I don't need this right now as great
17:42as it would be.
17:43Right.
17:43I don't need it right now.
17:44I'll just add five more picks in the next seven years where I'm good.
17:48Yeah.
17:48I think that's how I'd handle it.
17:49Absolutely.
17:50I mean, they locked in their big three.
17:51They still have Case and Wallace where it's like, all right, if he goes, we've got Jared
17:55McCain still on a rookie scale deal.
17:56Thank you, Philly.
17:57Thank you, Darryl Morey, for this gift.
17:58So, yeah, you're right.
17:59And they picked the big man from Georgetown last year, Sorber.
18:03Yeah.
18:04He didn't even play this year.
18:05Right.
18:05He's on a red shirt.
18:06So, if Hartenstein goes, they've got somebody else in the wings.
18:09I mean, it's just the rich getting richer, man.
18:11They've done a tremendous job.
18:14This isn't a negative question, though, but you kind of alluded to it.
18:17Like, God forbid they lost game one to the Knicks fan.
18:19There would be all this crazy talk.
18:21First of all, I would try to calm them down.
18:23It's one game.
18:23It's a best of seven.
18:25Yeah.
18:25But if this season doesn't go finals or Boston, we all agree they got to get to the
18:29finals.
18:30Do you really think they would make major changes?
18:32Like, they're telling this court, you better do this, or we are actually going to do something
18:37crazy?
18:38I think they will look to make changes.
18:40What they can do, it gets trickier.
18:42This is a team that's nearing the second apron.
18:44And we just talked about OKC's depth.
18:46The Detroit Pistons have depth.
18:48They haven't even cashed in half of the assets that they have, should they want to make a
18:51move to improve themselves.
18:53The whole Giannis thing, I just think it's a buyer beware situation if you're going to try
18:58to deplete your depth.
18:59I've been saying it on the show numerous times.
19:01For a guy like that, with the calf injuries and the lower extremity injuries, with a ton
19:04of mileage, hey, if it's Kawhi Leonard, maybe.
19:08Well, that's different.
19:09Yeah, you just have to give him money under the table.
19:11Yeah, give him a little money.
19:12Maybe that aspired situation, he gets his contract voided, and him and Uncle Dennis come here
19:15in a package deal.
19:16That I would entertain.
19:17But Giannis, I don't know.
19:19I don't think Giannis ages well.
19:21And I also think, like, I was saying this at the top of the show, and I was being honest
19:25but also sad about it, that as a fan of a sports team, when you think things are good and
19:30you
19:30have a chance every year, something just gets taken away and things go bad.
19:33And it's happened with a lot of teams in this town.
19:35The Rangers, they were on great runs.
19:36All of a sudden, they're writing letters and they're rebuilding.
19:38My next team.
19:39I thought, hey, at least I'll be fun for a few years.
19:41And it comes crashing down.
19:43The Mets.
19:43They're in the NLCS.
19:44Now, all of a sudden, it looks like they suck.
19:46Evan, the Jets made back-to-back conference championships.
19:48They haven't sniffed the playoffs since.
19:50That was like a decade and a half ago, but yes.
19:53So I was saying to the Knick fan is cherish the moment.
19:55It doesn't mean it's going to go away next year, but cherish it because, as certainly
19:58you guys know, you can go a long time without seeing it.
20:01And in saying that, it reminds me that this core should just get its full look.
20:05And so I don't think I'm ever going to be a believer, even if this season ended early,
20:08second round, or wherever it ends.
20:10And it's on the table they could lose to Boston, sure.
20:12I don't know if the antidote is, I'm going to blow it up and try something different.
20:16To me, it would be, this is a good team.
20:18I may never win a championship, but I'm going to continue to run it out there with the hopes
20:22that I can.
20:23Like, I don't know if I'd have the mindset of, they better win, or I'm going to do this
20:27thing crazy, or I'm going to do that crazy.
20:28I don't know if I would ever get to that place with this team.
20:30Yeah, there is this win or else, or around the team.
20:33You know, the owner came right here, sat here, and put that out there.
20:36You even hear it in the sentiments around Jalen Brunson.
20:39It's starting to get a little sour, like that honeymoon that he had, that cloud that he
20:43was under when he came in, rightfully so.
20:45So, it's starting to dissipate a little bit.
20:47And so, the fans are getting anxious.
20:49Listen, it's been 50 plus years since they won it.
20:51They had a chance to get there last year.
20:53So, I can understand it.
20:55But I'm with you.
20:55I think standing pat is the way to go.
20:58There's, continuity is never a bad thing.
21:00And you have three draft picks coming up over the summer.
21:03Whether they field all of them or not, add some more depth, and you take it from there.
21:07I think if they lose or they struggle, Cat has become the whipping boy.
21:11Cat is the guy.
21:12And it's everywhere.
21:12It's not just local.
21:13You heard the lectures that Shaquille O'Neal gives him.
21:15Give me your confidence level right now in Karl-Anthony Towns as we enter the postseason.
21:20One to ten.
21:21In this series, ten.
21:22Yeah.
21:22He owns a conquist.
21:23I mean, he's killed him.
21:25Second round against the Celtics.
21:28Seven.
21:29Say eight.
21:30And if they were to make it to Detroit, six.
21:35So, it's like a declining number as we go on.
21:37He's got to prove it.
21:38He just hasn't done it.
21:39And it's the same thing that they had in Minnesota.
21:41The same question marks that they had in Minnesota.
21:43If he was better than he was, he wouldn't have gotten traded.
21:45He'd still be there.
21:46That's a fair point.
21:47Right.
21:47So, he's got to prove it, man.
21:49I like the way that he finished the season.
21:51It seems like his mindset is in the right place as compared to earlier in the season when
21:54he didn't know his role.
21:55Seems locked into his role.
21:56But they need him to level up a little bit more.
21:58I don't think it should be a problem because of this matchup and because of how much success
22:03he's had against Atlanta and Okonkwo.
22:05But one of the things you notice when he struggles is that he just disappears.
22:10And there was a stretch of games, not that long ago, about a month ago, where he did not
22:13take a three-point shot five games in a row.
22:16And I think it was five games in a row, a combined eight first-half shots.
22:18Just absurdity.
22:20I almost think that that would be a warning sign early that we're getting the disappearing
22:23cat.
22:24And it's very tough to go on a deep run if you're getting the disappearing cat.
22:27You have to go to him early.
22:28Run the offense through him early in that high post.
22:31Have the guys cutting.
22:32Let him feel good.
22:33Making those passes.
22:34Two-man game with him and Jalen Brunson.
22:36Pop out for threes.
22:37And put pressure on Okonkwo.
22:38Because look, Okonkwo, he's going to let it fly from three.
22:40And they're going to try to spread the floor with Karl-Anthony Towns out there and force
22:43him to guard on the three-point line.
22:45But put pressure on Okonkwo early.
22:47Maybe go to Towns inside and attack the basket.
22:49See which way the referees call it.
22:51Are they going to save Okonkwo?
22:53Or are they going to call those real fouls?
23:24That's right.
23:24Yeah, I'm positive to get to the Eastern Conference.
23:26I'm positive.
23:27The Pistons story.
23:28You got to show me that those three games, it's different, man.
23:34Like I said, the wing depth.
23:35I saw Thompson.
23:37Killer.
23:37Yeah.
23:37Ron Holland killed the way that they harassed Jalen Brunson in that series.
23:42It's going to put pressure on Karl-Anthony Towns to deliver.
23:44I can't tell you that.
23:45I can't guarantee you that.
23:46He's going to deliver in a big spot.
23:48I haven't seen it yet at that stage.
23:51You know what?
23:52I'll take that back.
23:52Game three against the Pacers when they were down 17 in that fourth quarter.
23:57He won the game for them.
23:58I'll give him that credit.
23:59He was fantastic.
24:00But against Detroit, defensively, that is next to OKC and elite defense.
24:06Those are the top two elite defenses in the league.
24:08I got to see it done on that stage.
24:09I have thought all year, because sometimes in sports, sometimes in the NFL,
24:13there's these two great teams, and I'm like, something will happen.
24:15They won't play in the championship game.
24:17And I remember saying this to you guys in January.
24:19I was like, something's going to happen with the Knicks and the Pistons.
24:21We're not going to see it.
24:23And by the way, it could be Detroit getting knocked off.
24:25It could be the Knicks getting knocked off.
24:27And I've stayed steadfast that we're just not going to see this matchup.
24:31But boy, it'd be fun to watch.
24:33I kind of hope we do get it for that reason.
24:35One more thing, CP.
24:36You're four years into your marriage.
24:37It's 2030.
24:38Who's had the better career, Cade Cunningham or Jalen Brunson?
24:41It's an inside show.
24:43Jalen.
24:43Jalen Brunson.
24:44OK.
24:44Jalen.
24:45Jalen Brunson.
24:45Put him on the record.
24:46Have this debate.
24:46We set up a pre-schedule debate.
24:48OK.
24:49April of 2030, we're bringing Tommy Lugauer back.
24:51And we're going to argue the careers of Cade Cunningham versus Jalen Brunson.
24:54There you go.
24:55And we'll see where we're at.
24:56Locking in the vault.
24:57Cade took a big step this year, bro.
24:58Locking in the vault.
24:59We're going to be locking in the vault.
25:01Man.
25:01Jalen Brunson.
25:05KFTV, you guys, all you guys do a great job.
25:07So we appreciate you coming by.
25:08I appreciate you guys.
25:09Anytime.
25:10CP the franchise.
25:11Knicks on Saturday night.
25:12We'll come back.
25:13We'll get back to your phone calls at 888-808-1019.
25:15And we'll set you up for the sports weekend.
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