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00:00I do have a big problem with the national NBA media being like, yeah, none of this series
00:05matters because our darling Thunder and Spurs are teeing off.
00:09And by the way, that was a great game last night.
00:10I'm not going to go the opposite way and say that I'm not totally invested in that series,
00:14but it's just the lazy narratives I've heard about the Knicks, the Cavs, and of course,
00:20the entirety of the rest of the NBA playoffs has me just kind of hitting everybody with
00:25the double birds today.
00:26But I mean, that's all right.
00:27Yeah.
00:27I mean, when you're watching that game, the funny thing about it is there's so many things
00:29about Wemby that was awesome, and we'll talk about that later.
00:32But in the second OT, Nick, I watched them both just kind of, I don't know, not want to
00:36take that game.
00:37There was a lot of missed shots.
00:38There was a lot of, I was like, the Cavs can hang with this team.
00:42Now, there was definitely stretches in that game where I'm like, Wemby's on a different
00:44level and this is something different.
00:45Was it like the 40-foot three that he just pulled up?
00:47That was pretty cool.
00:48That was pretty cool.
00:50But double overtime in particular, I'm like, there's just a lot of misses going on here.
00:54Neither team is grabbing it right now.
00:56I know they're probably exhausted.
00:57There's reasons for that.
00:58But yeah, I don't know.
00:59I didn't leave thinking it was a JV conference finals over here.
01:03And here's the other thing.
01:03They're not saying it because they don't think the Knicks can hang with the Thunder or Spurs,
01:08which I've heard multiple people say there are three teams left in the NBA playoffs that
01:12can win the NBA finals, and everybody agrees it's not the Cavs.
01:15The Cavs are the one team.
01:17I think Vegas is like plus 2,500 or something insane.
01:19It's because they think the Knicks are so far above and ahead of the Cavaliers because
01:25they beat Chex Notes, the seven seed Sixers?
01:28Yeah, listen to how crazy it's gotten.
01:31My buddy, John Jastrzemski, he does a podcast in New York, and he was on the verge of making
01:38the case that Jalen Brunson is the second best Knick ever while also playing with the
01:41idea that this is the best Knicks team of his lifetime.
01:45JJ's my age, okay?
01:46Best Knicks team of his lifetime.
01:47So better than the team that went to the 94 finals.
01:49Better than the team that went to the 99 finals.
01:51Better than all those 90s teams.
01:52Better than any Carmelo Anthony team.
01:54Like, he believes, the whole heart of heart, and he had reasons for why he was backing
01:57it up, but he believes this is the best Knicks team of his lifetime.
02:01And that's exactly why I need the Cavs to know you have them right where you want them.
02:07Yes, you're tired.
02:08Yes, yes, you just played on Sunday, and that was a grueling physical series.
02:11And yes, they're more rested than you by a factor of about 10 right now.
02:16I get it.
02:16But everybody in the NBA has put the Knicks on a pedestal.
02:21They're putting the Knicks on a pedestal, which means the Knicks themselves, after eight
02:26days of hearing this crap, probably believe in it as well.
02:30You go in there and you take this game, and you put so much pressure on the Knicks.
02:35So much more than they're used to, by the way.
02:37Because again, like, I know that they were in the Pacers last year.
02:40The Pacers were kind of look as the runaway freight train freak team, hot at the right
02:45moment.
02:45Like one of these teams that just pop in the East.
02:47Like the Heat a couple years ago, the Pacers last year.
02:49That's what people think the Knicks are this year.
02:50But like, by and large, everyone expects the Knicks not just to win, but to roll your
02:55ass.
02:56So what you have to do is you got to take this game because the pressure on New York, like
03:01you don't, from the Cavs' perspective, you don't get pressure-free basketball after tonight.
03:05But no one, and I mean no one expects a damn thing from you tonight.
03:10So you go take this game, and all of a sudden, the airwaves will be on fire for the next
03:1548
03:16hours from all the chuds who say the Cavs don't have a damn chance at hell.
03:19Knicks fans aren't even envisioning a world where they lose this series.
03:22Well, you can talk about pressure.
03:23We can talk about the idea that Knicks fans legitimately think this series, if it goes
03:27six games, they think the sky has fallen and it's a disaster.
03:30They can't come up with a world where the Cavs beat them in this series.
03:34And so, yeah, if the Cavs don't win this series, it's not a collapse.
03:38It is what it is.
03:39You go six, seven games, I don't think people are going to look at it like it's an absolute
03:42disaster.
03:42If the Knicks lose this series, people in New York are going to look at this like this
03:46was a massive disappointment.
03:47They underachieved.
03:49They underwhelmed.
03:50Jalen Brunson isn't it.
03:52All these type of narratives that you'd come up with.
03:53The pressure's heavy on the Knicks side.
03:55Well, and they're ahead of you in the pressure game, right?
03:58Because your pressure had been getting through the second round of the playoffs.
04:01By doing so, you took some of the steam off of you.
04:04And now the fact that nobody believes in you.
04:06Again, for this game, there's really no pressure on the Cavs other than it's game one of the
04:12Eastern Conference Finals.
04:13I do think the Knicks are a full year ahead of you, though, because they blew the golden
04:17opportunity last year against the Pacers, right?
04:20That was supposed to be a moment of like, well, okay, the Pacers are hot right now, but they
04:24beat a bad this, that, and the other.
04:26And then they fired their head coach.
04:28And I mean, we're talking about three weeks ago, Mike Brown being fired if they don't get
04:32through the Philadelphia series, or if they don't get through the Atlanta series, the
04:36paranoia, all that kind of stuff, you have a chance not just to beat the Knicks this
04:40year.
04:41I think you might have a chance to permanently disrupt the Knicks long term, because they
04:47are at a point where you've already fired the head coach.
04:49You can only fire that bullet so many times.
04:51If you cannot, the response is going to be, if you can't get through this Cavs team, right?
04:56In the same way we're looking at saying, it's right there for you, the Knicks are doing
05:00that on steroids.
05:01I don't know what other moves they have to make, though.
05:02That's the problem.
05:03When they gave up everything from Mikael Bridges, yeah, but that's the other part of this, too,
05:08is that at the end of this postseason, I don't know, maybe this series will change it.
05:12But through the first two rounds, Cat has been one of the best postseason players of
05:15all time.
05:16That's just kind of how that exists, if you look at all of his numbers and everything
05:19attached to it.
05:19And so if he continues that, it's not bye-bye, Cat.
05:22But I guess if he melts down, then maybe it'll look a different way.
05:26216-474-0092.
05:27Which team is under more pressure?
05:29I think Jalen Brunson has to have the world of pressure on him.
05:33Yeah, Brunson has taken on this weird persona for himself.
05:36He thinks of himself, and I guess he studies two people, Nick.
05:39He studies Derek Jeter and Tom Brady.
05:41And he tries to emulate those two and how they handle everything.
05:44Just guys with no personality?
05:46Basically, yeah.
05:46And in particular, Derek Jeter.
05:48And in that town, trying to emulate Derek Jeter isn't easy, obviously.
05:53But that's what he goes for.
05:54That's what he tries to do.
05:55He thinks of himself like that.
05:56Well, guess what?
05:57Derek Jeter won a lot of titles.
05:58Like, you have to break through if you're Jalen Brunson.
06:00If he does in this series, doesn't take him to the finals, like, this is big-time stuff
06:04for Jalen.
06:05Kind of a weird knob move, by the way, if I've studied Tom Brady and Derek Jeter.
06:09How do you study them?
06:10Do you read books about them?
06:11Everything down to, like, what they both did financially to help out the teams.
06:15Like, yeah.
06:15Like, this is a well-documented thing that he's been studying the two of them.
06:19So it's going to make it even funnier if they lose in this series.
06:22He wants, like he said, he basically wants to emulate those two players and how they went
06:27through their careers.
06:27But the Jeter part of it I've always found to be fascinating.
06:30Because it's like, well, Jeter just kept going to the World Series and winning.
06:32He just kept doing it.
06:34And handing out gift baskets.
06:34That was the other thing that he did.
06:35And that was a nice move.
06:36I just thought that was a good gesture.
06:37It's a classy touch.
06:38Someone spends the night, you give them a gift basket, maybe a signed baseball in there,
06:41maybe some Nabisco crackers or something like that.
06:44Make sure they're, you know.
06:44A nice, like, maybe spicy jam.
06:46Yeah, whatever's in the bag.
06:48I don't know what's in the bag.
06:48Those play really well, especially got a nice spreadable cheese.
06:51Oh, boy.
06:51Well, you just make sure that, you know, people leave satisfied is all.
06:54That's true.
06:54You know, they want that signed Derek Jeter baseball.
06:56It's called a leave behind.
06:57Real estate, or realtors, that's where I was going for it.
07:00Realtors do it all the time.
07:01Is that right?
07:01So Derek Jeter does it as well.
07:02And what was your gift package you used to leave for people?
07:05Disappointment.
07:05Is that right?
07:06You just wrapped that up, put that in a bow?
07:08Yep.
07:09Sorry, not sorry.
07:10You're like, I'm not even calling you an Uber ride.
07:12You're just a disappointment.
07:13Oh, no, no, no.
07:14I was leaving.
07:15And we're talking about, of course, the show daily.
07:18Nothing else.
07:19Nothing more incendiary.
07:21I just think it's going to be really funny.
07:23Like, okay, so locally, the pressure's still on.
07:26And I think it's fair that there are still Cavs fans with one foot in.
07:30And I understand that.
07:31Like, I can't.
07:32I'm not going and implore you to get excited for this game
07:35if you're still a little bit of in prove-it mode with the Cavaliers.
07:38But nationally, oh, there's just no pressure on the Cavs.
07:42Like, do I think there might be some pressure?
07:43Dan Gilbert, feel some pressure here for the money he spent for all?
07:46Yes, I think so.
07:47And do I think they might feel pressure because of that as well?
07:49Donovan's got a lot of pressure on himself.
07:51Yes.
07:51There are certain players.
07:52Evan Mobley's got a lot of pressure on himself.
07:53But I think that extends.
07:54I think the statute of whatever perimeter there is probably cuts off about Wayne County.
08:01Once you get past Wayne County, I don't think anybody in the world is putting any pressure
08:07on the Cavs team.
08:08And again, that will change in this series.
08:11If you go up 2-0 or if you go up 2-1 or if you go up in this
08:15series,
08:15the pressure dynamics change from game to game.
08:19And your best way to get some pressure on you is by taking game one.
08:23But it's also the best way to just throw a lot of heat at the Knicks.
08:27For sure.
08:28And just see if they're honestly equipped to handle it.
08:30Because it's so funny.
08:31We talk about the eight games or how many days they've been off since they beat the Sixers.
08:36And yes, that's part of it.
08:37They also haven't tasted adversity in like three weeks, four weeks.
08:42So that's one of the big things, right?
08:44So both teams have gotten to this playoffs in a different way.
08:47Cavs found themselves through two game sevens and a bunch of adversity through there
08:50and trying to figure out how to play with each other.
08:52The Knicks just kind of found themselves in just having an offense just look better.
08:55And it's not like they did anything to get there.
08:57They changed, oh yeah, great, Cat, you're now a point center.
08:59Congratulations.
09:00They didn't do that much in order to get there.
09:02Now, I am a little worried about what you just said, though.
09:05I am a little worried about the time off versus the one day off for the Cavs.
09:08My friends in the desert just have way too many numbers suggesting
09:11road underdogs in game one after a game seven are 13-30 straight up.
09:15Teams coming off a four-game sweep are 19-4 all-time in playoff series
09:18against teams coming off a seven-game series with six straight series wins.
09:22Like, tonight is not – there's a reason why Vegas is counting the Cavs out tonight.
09:26This is not set up for the Cavs in a great way.
09:28All right, we're breaking protocol today.
09:30We don't usually take calls in the first segment here.
09:33But, dammit, it's game one of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight.
09:36You want to take some calls?
09:37And I want to feel it, all right?
09:38I want to feel the weight of Cleveland upon me.
09:41I want to feel the good vibes as they roll in.
09:43Or, if you've got a doubt, we'll talk you into it.
09:46That's the kind of thing we're into today.
09:47All right.
09:482-1-6-4-7-4-0-0-9-2.
09:49Let's go with – well, okay, Joe, we are going to get to you.
09:52But, Dom and Medina.
09:53Medina's closer.
09:54So, I'm going to start with Medina here.
09:56Dom, welcome to the show, buddy.
09:57What you got for us?
09:59Hey, thanks, guys.
10:00Yeah, you know, you guys just talked about, you know,
10:02the rest versus rust factor in this all.
10:04And I know you just brought up the record and everything that stands true.
10:08But, at the same time, I mean, the Cavaliers just went through two tough series
10:12where, in my opinion, I feel like they may have faced more tough defenses
10:17than the Knicks have so far.
10:19I just feel like with the Cavs right now, the momentum is definitely on their side
10:24to take game one, at least in this.
10:26And I just – I really do have a good feeling.
10:28I think whether it's game one or game two, we could split, you know,
10:31the first two games here, but another big thing that I was just pondering here
10:35is, you know, I hope we don't look back on this.
10:38Say the Knicks somehow beat us in this, and, you know,
10:41we end up going into the offseason thinking, you know,
10:43what can we do in the future?
10:45I really hope we don't look back on this and think, you know,
10:47what could have been the 2025-2026 Cavaliers?
10:51What could have been in case Harden leaves?
10:54Or, you know, Mitchell, anything happens.
10:56You know, I know it's the NBA.
10:57Anything can happen.
10:57But I really just hope this goes our way, and, you know,
11:00the Knicks fans have been talking like crazy on social media,
11:04on every outlet you can think of.
11:07It would make my week, make my year if we can just shut them up
11:11and take these Cavs to the finals here.
11:13Thanks, guys.
11:13Dom, we appreciate you.
11:14That's the opening call vibe.
11:16There we go.
11:17That was a tone setter right there.
11:18Just like the Cavs tonight.
11:19That's a tone setter.
11:20And I think it's so funny.
11:21Like, I have no – I don't think this Knicks team is to loaf.
11:24Like, I think this team is going to show up in best state they can.
11:28To me, it's about the Cavs.
11:30Like, where are you mentally after Game 7?
11:33Are you still banged up?
11:34Are you still thinking about how exhausted you are?
11:37Or do you look at this as the opportunity that it is?
11:40Which is it is an opportunity to flip this series on its head
11:43and flip the way people think about you.
11:46Sure.
11:46It only is going to take one victory to all of a sudden,
11:48the same people who are saying Knicks in five,
11:50to be like, well, you know, I never really considered the Cavs,
11:55but now I'm thinking about them.
11:56And especially the way that this has all been framed.
11:58Again, like the idea that you get zero rest essentially
12:01versus them having a bunch of rest.
12:02And by the way, one thing to note on that,
12:05historically, these type of situations, Game 1s,
12:08and talking about the road team with one day off, et cetera,
12:11all these things, first quarters actually go really well for these teams.
12:14So don't get fooled if the Cavs go up in the first quarter.
12:16It's quarter two, three, and four you've got to worry about.
12:18No, get fooled.
12:19The legs get tired.
12:20Let's get fooled.
12:20Don't get fooled.
12:21Let's get fooled.
12:21Don't follow yourself in any sort of trap.
12:23Let the Cavs get fooled and then win the game.
12:25I'd love to just go win the game.
12:26I'd love that.
12:27But this is part of the equation.
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