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00:00Joining us right now, live on Shine Time, the greatest, most iconic Nick of all time,
00:08legendary color analyst for the Knicks on MSG, my guy, Walt Clyde Frazier.
00:15Clyde, it's great to see you again, my friend, and thank you for the time today.
00:19Yeah, thank you.
00:21Clyde, I want to get your take on my Jalen Brunson, Derek Jeter comp,
00:25ultimate crunch time player, winner, leader, handles everything about New York.
00:32What's your take on that?
00:33No, I agree with you, man, wholeheartedly.
00:37And I allude to him like Willis Reed as well.
00:42You know, the captain, he's the guy now that carries the Knicks, and like Jeter,
00:48he's all about team first, like Willis.
00:50I remember the interview he was doing recently, and the guy called him a superstar.
00:55And Jalen said, hey, man, I'm not a star, you know, I'm just trying to win.
00:59And that's really his philosophy, always thinking about the team.
01:03A hundred percent, and that's part of the beauty of it.
01:06And Mike Vaccaro's piece and column today in the New York Post was absolutely perfect.
01:12Now, Jalen Brunson, Clyde, towards James Harden in game number one,
01:16what's that like as a guard when you just see you have an advantage, certain matchup,
01:22and Mike Brown kept running it, and Brunson kept executing.
01:26So take us through the mindset for Brunson,
01:29and can the Cavs afford to have Harden out there late in games the rest of the series?
01:34Because honestly, he was kind of like a double agent really helping the Knicks out.
01:39Yeah, it was bizarre, man, that they never tried to, you know,
01:43after he scored 11 straight points, come on, you got to do something.
01:47Try to double team him, call a timeout.
01:49Well, look right here, they're isolating, they're devastating.
01:53Again, he gets the ball deja vu.
01:56The Knicks are open.
01:57So the Cavaliers never tightened up their defense.
02:00The Knicks kept coming back.
02:02At that point, they only needed one stop.
02:04I mean, you were up by 22, you stopped and didn't get a timeout.
02:09You kind of break that momentum, but they never did.
02:12And Brunson, that's why he was the reigning clutch player of the year.
02:16Look at that, man.
02:16He put on a clinic, looking like Sam Jones, banking off the glass, man.
02:23So at that point, I had given up, man.
02:25When, you know, when they were down 22, I go, man, you know,
02:28they're not coming back from this.
02:30So I want you to hit that home,
02:32because I said as much on the show yesterday.
02:34I said as much watching the game.
02:37I had Mike Breen talk to him yesterday, your friend, obviously.
02:40And he thought the same thing, just wasn't going to be the Knicks night.
02:44So take us through that, because I'm watching thinking there's no shot
02:48that we're ever going to see the Knicks come back in this one.
02:51You thought that Cleveland won game one.
02:53Take us through the strength of that comeback,
02:56because I've never seen, Clyde, anything quite like that.
02:59Well, once, you know, the Knick record was 19 points down.
03:03We came back against the Milwaukee Bucks.
03:06They had Oscar Robinson and Kareem up to the bar.
03:09They went five and a half minutes without scoring a point.
03:13So that was similar to that.
03:14And then these guys, so at this point, the Knicks are not doing anything.
03:18Their defense is not tenacious.
03:21Their offense is not clicking.
03:23So how are they going to get back in the game?
03:25You know, and then Brunson started on his act.
03:28Then it became contagious.
03:30And as we alluded, the Cavaliers inexplicably never called timeout.
03:36They never looked a double team.
03:38And before they knew it, the Knicks had taken over.
03:41You know, the guard was alive, and the Knicks were running amok.
03:45It's crazy.
03:46It's absolutely crazy.
03:48I still can't believe that, you know, they didn't call a timeout.
03:52That was wild.
03:52Look, I would have benched James Harden down the stretch.
03:56If you're Kenny Atkinson, can you have James Harden out there in crunch time?
04:02I mean, he's never been, Clyde, a prolific playoff performer,
04:05even when he was terrific and tremendous, and he was playing in Houston.
04:10How would you handle Harden if you're Kenny Atkinson?
04:13See, that's a great question.
04:16The thing is, Harden's reputation is on the line now.
04:20It's been on the line when he came to the Cavs.
04:22Like you alluded to, he's never been a superb player in the playoffs.
04:26So if I'm Kenny Atkinson, I put Harden back in the game.
04:30I don't punish him.
04:32I encourage him.
04:34Like, if that were me, like, when we're in the playoffs and we're playing the bullets,
04:39right, Red Holtzman pulled me in the corner, hey, Clyde, forget about offense.
04:44Just focus on defense on Earl.
04:47Forget about offense.
04:48Don't think about offense.
04:50We want you on.
04:51So if I'm Kenny Atkinson, I go to Harden and say, hey, man, I'm putting you back in there.
04:59Hey, this is why we acquired you.
05:01Look at your career.
05:02I know what you've done.
05:03You can do it.
05:04So I leave it all up to him.
05:05And then this is what Coach Brown did to Bridges.
05:08Remember when Bridges was floundering?
05:10Yep.
05:11Everybody said, take him out of the lineup.
05:13He didn't take him out.
05:14Put him out there and now look what Bridges is doing.
05:17So this is where Harden is now.
05:19He's come to the fork in the road.
05:22I think fork in the road is the right way to phrase it.
05:24Yeah.
05:25I agree completely.
05:26His legacy is on the line.
05:28If he gets torched again, he's done.
05:30His career is over.
05:32This is all people are going to remember is this series.
05:35You know, not what he did in the regular season, but what he did in the playoffs.
05:39I agree with you completely.
05:40Legacy on the line is not hyperbole in any way, shape, or form, Clyde.
05:43No doubt about that.
05:44I'm fascinated to get your take on the start of this game because I don't think that that's
05:49a random loss.
05:50I think that's a choke.
05:51That's a collapse.
05:52Donovan Mitchell said as much.
05:54One of the worst losses in NBA playoff history.
05:56You know, maybe lost in the sauce.
05:58Knicks didn't play great.
06:00I expect them to play much better.
06:03And now that they've played a game and don't have the layoff to come out really piping hot
06:08tonight, maybe a Carl Anthony Towns kind of game.
06:10How vital is it for both teams to get off to a great start?
06:15What kind of ebb and flow do you see tonight?
06:17Well, all the pressure's on the Cats.
06:20You know, they can ill afford to come out like a days ago.
06:23They've got to come out on top of their game.
06:25And the Knicks know this.
06:27So they know they've got to weather the storm.
06:29The Cavaliers, it's all about pride now.
06:32You know, none of the Cavaliers slept well after that game.
06:36None of those guys slept well.
06:37If or would have, should have, could have.
06:40So if you could go in their locker room before the game, you can hear a pin drop tonight.
06:47Everybody's there.
06:48Guys sitting in front of their lockers, thinking about what they have to do, knowing what they
06:52have to do.
06:54Very quiet.
06:55Usually you come in the locker room, the music's blasting.
06:58Guys telling you where they were last night, who they're going out with tonight.
07:01You go in their locker room now, you can hear a pin fall, man.
07:06They know this is it.
07:07This is it.
07:09I think the Knicks are winning this series.
07:11So I'm curious, with that as a backdrop, who would you rather see the Knicks play in
07:15the finals, if and when the Knicks advance, San Antonio or OKC?
07:20Neither one.
07:26Who wins that series, Clyde?
07:28Who do you think wins that series?
07:30I think, I was thinking the Spurs were a year away.
07:33I didn't think they were ready this year.
07:35You know, like we saw that two years ago with OKC.
07:38They weren't ready.
07:40But if I had to, I'd like to play the Spurs because they haven't been there.
07:44Their lack of experience in the playoffs.
07:46So I think that would give the Knicks an advantage.
07:48And you can't overestimate the playoff experience, man.
07:52It means everything.
07:53You know, you hear people talking about it, but you have, the only way you can get it
07:57is to experience it.
07:58So that's where the Spurs are now.
08:01You obviously were part of the star of legendary Knicks teams.
08:06You're obviously around doing the games, these Knicks.
08:10What makes this Knicks team so special?
08:13How do they compare to your Knicks teams?
08:17Well, first of all, they like each other.
08:19There are no ego problems.
08:21They share the ball.
08:24You know, they communicate.
08:25They have a coach that communicates.
08:27You can talk and give ideas like we did with Red Holtzman.
08:30He'll listen to you.
08:32So they've got a tremendous leader like now in Brunson.
08:37The talent is there with Cats.
08:39But more than that, they have some depth.
08:41You know, a lot of the teams we're playing now, the Cavaliers don't have our depth.
08:45So they're a very deep team.
08:47And defense has been their best offense most of the time.
08:52But they can also go on offensive runs.
08:54The metamorphosis we've seen in this team the last eight games, I've been shocked.
08:59I was like, who are these guys, man?
09:02You know, the way they're dishing and switching, moving without the ball, going around.
09:07You know, they did it at the right time.
09:10It reminded me of our 73 team.
09:12We were injured most of the season.
09:15And then towards the playoff, we started getting healthy.
09:17And we came into the playoff with a lot of momentum.
09:20And that's what I see the Knicks are doing now.
09:23What's been the most impressive part of the metamorphosis, as you said, and the change?
09:26Is it Carl Anthony Towns, what he took to Mike Brown?
09:30What's been the biggest change, most impressive change?
09:33Well, there have been several.
09:34There's been OG.
09:36OG, look at guys.
09:38They can't guard him, just takes him to the hoop.
09:41And Bridges now, how he's gotten his game back, playing his regular game, shooting the ball,
09:47shum it off the bench.
09:49And I love when we're on the road and wherever we go, deuce, deuce, deuce, they're crying.
09:55You know, so deuce has been loose.
09:57So right now, they've got 10 guys playing good basketball.
10:02I realize I'm asking this to the goats.
10:05If Jalen Brunson wins a championship this year, would he, should he be considered the greatest Knick of all time?
10:15I don't know about the greatest, but one, obviously, one of the greatest Knicks of all time.
10:20You know, I always say the greatest was Willis, because everything I learned, I learned from the captain.
10:26And the captain's say, it's Ewing.
10:30And Ewing say, it's Ewing.
10:35So he'll probably have to talk to Patrick about that.
10:40But you would consider him, if they win a championship, on the Mount Rushmore, one of the greatest in the
10:47history of the franchise?
10:49Oh, yeah, no question.
10:50Maybe even if he doesn't.
10:52If he continue to go like this the rest of his career, he still has to be, like, one of
10:57the greatest Knicks.
10:58You know, just like with Patrick.
10:59He just didn't win a championship, they'll say.
11:01But, you know, he's putting up the numbers.
11:03He has the respect.
11:05And I've never seen, like, the only number you see is number 11.
11:10That number is ubiquitous with Knicks fans, man.
11:13Everybody wears number 11.
11:15That's it.
11:16You might see a number three, but I've never seen it like that, man.
11:20He's a beloved guy.
11:21He's well-deserved.
11:23You know, he's a family guy.
11:25Brought up the right way.
11:27He says all the right things.
11:28Like to do the right things.
11:29So I have nothing but respect for him.
11:32You reference the Knicks fans.
11:34Look, I'm turning 49 next month.
11:36I've never seen a championship.
11:37You understand the connection between the fans of the city and the Knicks better than any human being on the
11:44planet.
11:44What would a parade this year look like and feel like?
11:50We'll need the National Guard.
11:54We'll need the National Guard, man, to protect these guys.
11:58You know, this doesn't even compare to when we played.
12:02When we played, there was no social media.
12:05And when we played in the old garden, there are no women or kids at the game.
12:10It's all guys.
12:12You know, there's a smoke cloud hanging over the scoreboard.
12:15You can't get to a phone.
12:17All the guys are calling the bookie to bet on the game.
12:21So only when we moved to MSG, where we are now, guys started to bring their girlfriends.
12:28You know, like 67, 68, 68, 69.
12:33Then we have matinees.
12:35They might bring some kids.
12:37And then Bradley came to read the bush.
12:40So it was the place to be.
12:42They started showing up with women and different things.
12:45The celebrities started to come out.
12:46But we still have nothing like you see with what these Knicks have right now.
12:51You can't go anywhere.
12:52I can barely walk the street.
12:54You know, if they get to the final, win another championship, forget about it, man.
12:58A hundred percent.
12:59And the fans deserve it, man.
13:02These are the best fans, the most provocative, the most knowledgeable, the most caring.
13:06Look at how we take over arenas.
13:08We took over Philly.
13:10We go to Atlanta.
13:12You know, I'm sure they're going to be in Cleveland.
13:14So no other team has that.
13:16No other has that fan base like the Knicks.
13:19All right.
13:19Let's jog them at the Rolodex for a second.
13:21What did you wear?
13:23Because obviously your outfits are iconic to your Knicks parade.
13:27And what do you plan on wearing if and when the Knicks win a championship?
13:34It'll be something provocative.
13:35I can't remember what I wore during the championship.
13:38But, you know, I have to be styling and profiling for sure.
13:43So I'm living vicariously now with what the Knicks are doing.
13:47You know, I'm at all the games.
13:48I'm just not playing.
13:50So, you know, I'm there giving them encouragement that they can do it.
13:54And it's so nice to see all the other Knicks legends there as well.
13:58You know, it's like a family reunion.
14:00I see Patrick.
14:01I see Candyman.
14:02I see Spree.
14:04I see Allen, man.
14:05It's encouraging Bernard.
14:08So I'm sure all of these guys, they don't really know all of our legacies.
14:11But to see that kind of teamwork and cohesion, you know, it has to inspire them.
14:16Do you pick out the outfit for tonight or for these playoff games in advance?
14:20Will you pick something out if there's a parade in advance?
14:23How will you handle that?
14:24A lot of pressure, Clyde.
14:26Yeah, I know.
14:27First of all, I check out the weather.
14:29I have to see what the weather is.
14:32Once I see the weather, I start trying to pick out an outfit.
14:35So the pressure is on every game.
14:37I got to step out, you know.
14:39So I enjoy it, you know.
14:41Like I tell people, this is how I used to roll, man.
14:44When we go on the road, I used to have a meat coat on.
14:47And I wore it like Al Capone.
14:49I'd throw it over my shoulders.
14:51You know, come in like, hey, man, we're in New York, baby.
14:54We're in New York.
14:55This is how we do it.
14:56So we had so much fun.
14:57I love that.
14:58That's something I've never replaced.
15:00You know, when you retire, it's something that gives you that challenge every other day
15:04to go out and be a champion, to rise to the occasion.
15:08So that's the void that once you retire, you can't feel that void.
15:14Clyde, you're the best.
15:15This was a treat.
15:17I have chills up and down my body.
15:18We appreciate the time.
15:20Love listening to you.
15:21Love watching you.
15:22This Knicks team is really special, as we've talked about.
15:26Enjoy the ride, and we'll do it again real soon.
15:28Okay, I hope so.
15:30Clyde Frazier.
15:31He is the absolute best.
15:32Friend of the show.
15:33Phenomenal.
15:34Phenomenal.
15:35ĐŒĐ”ŃŃĐ° from the board don't know.
15:36Silence of the help.
15:37Have faith.
15:37Stay tuned for it.
15:38You
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