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00:00The Knicks and these insane NBA Finals and that legendary finish at ballgame last night.
00:06None other than my friend, actor, podcast host, Knicks superfan, my guy, Michael Rappaport.
00:14Shine time.
00:15My goodness.
00:16What time is it? Shine time.
00:18It's shine time. It's OG time.
00:20It's OG time. It's Knicks time. It's, it's, this is, first of all, thanks for having me.
00:25Congratulations on the show.
00:27I've always been a fan of yours and like what you do.
00:30And I like your, we, we support the same ice cream places and the same teams.
00:35What can I say? I mean, what can I say?
00:37Last night was historic.
00:39This Finals has been historic.
00:42I've never been a part of a franchise, whether it's the Giants, the Jets, the Mets, the Yankees, the Rangers,
00:50the Islanders, the Devils, where everybody is collectively.
00:54I mean, everywhere you walk around New York, from little kids wearing their, their little, you know, being put in
01:00their jerseys to, you know, the 70 something year old men in jerseys, which is, which is a look.
01:05I've seen, I saw a guy in a full, a full, a full uniform with, he had on the uniform
01:09and over sweatpants.
01:10So he had the shorts over the sweatpants.
01:12So I was like, this is a fan.
01:13Only in New York, only the Knicks.
01:15Only the Knicks can do that.
01:16And that is different than any other New York team.
01:18And it's different because of what you just said.
01:21The other teams, you're split in New York.
01:23In New York City, it's just the Knicks.
01:26And in Manhattan, it's just the Knicks.
01:29And we've suffered as Knicks fans for so long.
01:33And, you know, it's called the city game.
01:36It's the world's most famous arena.
01:39And we've been through so much as Knicks fans, especially, I think, if you're 30, over 30, and I'm way
01:45over 30, I'm 56.
01:46You know, there's been so much embarrassment.
01:50I was thinking the other day, I was like, you know, when you've had, when we've had debates in the
01:52past, the embarrassment.
01:53You could say, well, we did this, we did that, but what have you won?
01:57Well, we did this, we did that, but what have you won lately?
02:00So from, you know, Bernard King blowing out his knee to Charles Smith to Patrick Ewing to John Starks to
02:08the O.J. Chase to, you know, all the, you know, the Frankie Nicolina to, you know, to all of
02:15it, all of it, you know.
02:16Yeah.
02:16All the suffering and all the coaches and all the heartbreak and disappointment and excuse making and, you know, having
02:22to sit there, you know, dealing with Bulls fans and Reggie Miller and all of it.
02:27And we're so close right now.
02:29But I will tell you this, Adam.
02:32Last night, I started having, like, bad feelings, bad thoughts in my head, but we did it.
02:38We did it.
02:39So I want to piggyback off a bunch of the great things you just said, because I think all those
02:44scars adds to what transpired last night.
02:48So take us through your emotions, because I, I've celebrated like I've never celebrated before.
02:54I said it earlier in the show, that to me as a sports fan was my greatest moment of pure
03:00fandom.
03:01Wow.
03:02Now.
03:02Last night.
03:03Last night.
03:03Wow.
03:03And I'm with my kids and my wife and we've never celebrated my kids and I a championship together and
03:10it's the Knicks and I've, I've never seen the Knicks win a title.
03:14So you factor in all of that.
03:16My dad passed away in July.
03:17He was a diehard fan of the Knicks.
03:20We just absolutely love those teams in the late 60s, early 70s.
03:24So all and the moments and the improbability and I thought it was over.
03:29I mean, I thought the game was over.
03:31And then for OG to do what he did and how he did it, that to me was my personal
03:36favorite moment of fandom.
03:38Take us through your emotion last night.
03:41It wasn't great, Adam, at halftime.
03:43It wasn't good.
03:45You know, I started thinking 2-2.
03:46And I'm not going to say what I was thinking, but you can imagine what I was thinking.
03:49It wasn't good thoughts.
03:50I can read the thought bubble.
03:51It wasn't good thoughts.
03:53It was not good thoughts.
03:54And it was like, here we go again thoughts.
03:58But, you know, I knew, and I was telling my wife, who's not a crazy fan like me, I was
04:02like, they're going to fight.
04:04They're going to come.
04:05Whether or not they could get close, you know, is to be determined.
04:09But they're going to, they are going to, they're going to come, they're going to fight.
04:13And they superseded all expectations and to win it in remarkable fashion.
04:20And it was elation.
04:22It was excitement.
04:25And walking around today was, the party's still going.
04:29Like, just the experience of walking around with New Yorkers and people honking at me.
04:32Let's go Knicks and doormatting kids and strangers.
04:35It's all about the Knicks.
04:36That's New York.
04:37And that's Knicks basketball.
04:39We've never experienced this in terms of that ultimate joy and jubilation.
04:42And, look, as a Yankee fan, experienced so many great moments.
04:46I mean, obviously, 96 and the Aaron Boone homer.
04:49Reggie Jackson hit three home runs.
04:51Of course.
04:52That's probably my earliest memory of a sports.
04:55Well, that was the year I was born.
04:56So, you know, it's all different for me.
04:58You don't got to throw that at me.
05:00I mean, you look fantastic.
05:02You don't have to grub and make insult for injury.
05:04But that, for me, was the first, like, that's, like, the memory that I had.
05:07And I'm not a big baseball fan, but, like, watching that as a kid, me and my brother and my
05:11mom, like, I remember that.
05:13So, I'm not going to go there in terms of calling it over, obviously, because it's not.
05:18It's not over.
05:18And the Spurs have, in a lot of ways, they're down three games to one, outplayed the Knicks in this
05:24series.
05:24And have had the lead in the fourth quarter with two minutes to go in all four games.
05:29But I want you to go here, if you can, Michael, a parade.
05:34The Knicks winning a championship.
05:36What would it mean to the city?
05:38What would it mean to you?
05:40What would it look like?
05:41What would it feel like?
05:42On so many levels, you are the quintessential New Yorker and New York sports fan.
05:47Can you go there?
05:48Yeah, I can go there.
05:49I can go the way what it would feel like and the elation and the emotion.
05:53And, you know, I don't like to be corny because there's so many other things and all that stuff.
05:59But, like, you know, like tears because it's been so long.
06:03And, you know, it's been so frustrating and so disappointing.
06:07And, like I said, embarrassing.
06:08So, if we do get there, and it ain't over.
06:10We have to fight.
06:11And I know these players, one thing, they don't think it's over.
06:15No, no.
06:16The Knicks don't think it's over.
06:17And the Spurs don't think it's over.
06:19Correct.
06:19Because these have been slugfest, win, lose, four games.
06:22It's been very, very, very close despite the 29-point lead.
06:26But if we win, I just, the one thing I do hope is that if we do win the championship,
06:31when we do win the championship, is that everybody celebrates.
06:34And, young people, I hope you don't make any decisions that can change the course of your life.
06:39Enjoy it.
06:40Celebrate.
06:41Cheer.
06:42But don't make decisions.
06:43And don't embarrass New York.
06:45Don't embarrass the Knicks.
06:46And don't be selfish and take away the joy of what so many people.
06:50Because I'm just so concerned that somebody's going to.
06:52You always hear about, when this happens, you know, this kid did this.
06:55And this person fell.
06:57And I'm just concerned about something bad happening to one of these.
06:59They're young people.
07:00Absolutely.
07:00It's very well said.
07:01And I want to hit you on Brunson.
07:03Because he has meant everything.
07:05I mean, your smile, even as I just mentioned his name.
07:07I mean, it just evokes, you know, such positivity.
07:10What has he meant to you as a Knicks fan?
07:13And where would he rank as an all-time Knick?
07:18Look, to me, it's still Clyde, right?
07:20That's my opinion in terms of, you know, where you're going to start talking about Mount Rushmore.
07:25Clyde's number one.
07:26Could Brunson be two?
07:27Then Willis.
07:28Then Patrick.
07:29You know, you referenced Bernard King.
07:30Where would Brunson rank if and when the Knicks win?
07:33You know, it's hard to say where, who, how.
07:38Clyde's game seven.
07:39What Patrick did.
07:40We didn't get the ring.
07:40But he'd definitely be on the New York Knicks, you know, the top four, top five guys.
07:48And he'd certainly be the number one guy in recent history.
07:52And the way, forget the way he plays, the way he carries himself, the understatedness of his personality, the understatedness
07:59of his game.
08:00You know, the fact that he's a six-foot-two point guard.
08:04There's no spicy sauce in his game.
08:07Every now and then he'll shake somebody.
08:09There's no dunks.
08:10There's no deep Steph Curry threes.
08:13You can be like Jalen.
08:15You can go to the park and be like, I'm going to work on my little step back mid-range.
08:19You know, what he does is attainable.
08:20You're not going to be like LeBron.
08:21You're not going to be like Steph.
08:23You're not going to be like Mike.
08:24But you can â anyone can go to the park after a Knicks game and try to be like Jalen
08:30Brunson because what he does is it's attainable.
08:33And the fact that his father was such a part of the Knicks in those teams and the story and
08:40the personality of all these guys, it's so indicative.
08:45Like the 1970 Knicks, they represented the grit, the toughness, the hard work, the eclecticness, the understatedness of New York
08:56City.
08:56And these guys are like a modern-day version.
08:59I call them the nerderbockers.
09:00They're like nerds.
09:02They're just â they're not showy.
09:04And they're just so likable.
09:05And the fact that we have three guys, you know, from the Tri-State area with Cat, with Jalen, and
09:13with Jose Alvarado, who's a â
09:15What a story.
09:16Six-foot Puerto Rican point guard.
09:18That's amazing.
09:19Who played incredible last night.
09:20Yeah.
09:21When Landry Schambett went back to being just Landry Schambett, another guy stepped in.
09:25But you would never think a point guard from Brooklyn with all the point guards that have played in New
09:29York City.
09:30It's just an incredible â an incredible team.
09:33And just the understatedness and the fact that they genuinely like each other.
09:37You nailed it.
09:38And their chemistry, and we've talked about it throughout this run.
09:40I think that's part of it.
09:41And why they're able to go in that 13-game heater in unprecedented fashion in the playoffs.
09:46And their likability is off the charts.
09:49I mean, I want my team to win a championship and, you know, you root for the uniform.
09:53But when you love a team and the players love each other and they're so likable, it kind of takes
09:59it to a different level.
10:00Completely.
10:01And they represent the great things about New York.
10:06They represent, when you talk about the hardworking, the diversity, just the toughness, the grit, the pride.
10:16They are the best of New York.
10:19Like, what they represent.
10:20And it's something to strive for.
10:21Because New York, we know it's the greatest city in the world, but there's so many flaws.
10:24But they represent what it really could and should be.
10:29And it's something to be proud of as a basketball fan.
10:32And basketball courts are such a part of the architecture of New York.
10:36Whether they're being used for basketball, pickleball, there's basketball courts all over the five boroughs.
10:42Within, like, one or two miles everywhere, there's a basketball court.
10:45Like, so, I just, it's just everything.
10:48It's just everything.
10:49And it's just been so long.
10:53And just to be really proud of them.
10:55You directed, produced, when the Garden was Eden.
10:57Yep.
10:58So, I'm fascinated to get your take on the similarities, the differences.
11:02Because there are both these teams, you know, the 70s Knicks that won a championship and revered and cherished forever.
11:09And these Knicks, I think there are a lot of correlations and similarities.
11:13You're the right person to ask.
11:15How do you see it?
11:17Very similar.
11:18You know, Clyde, off the court, he had this image.
11:22On the court, he was an understated player.
11:25You know, there was nothing fancy in his game.
11:27Same with Jalen.
11:29Again, there's the cohesiveness of the guys.
11:32And that team came together at a time when the city needed it, when the country needed it, when the
11:40NBA needed it.
11:41And the personalities, like any great championship team, but this is our great championship team,
11:46they truly represented the city and the personality of New York City.
11:52And there were guys from all over the country with Bill Bradley, with the great Dr. Dick Barnett, and Willis
11:58Reed from the South.
11:59And then they just came and read Holtzman, a New York City Jewish coach.
12:03I mean, they really represented the melting pot of New York City.
12:06And this team, I think, represents it also in the same way.
12:09And just the genuine likability without â and I think the likability is because they're so chill and they're so
12:16genuine.
12:16Like, OG after the game last night.
12:18That was amazing, wasn't it?
12:19It's not a â you can't put that on.
12:21No, that's â he's just even keel onto the next.
12:24And Jalen Brunson's not cool.
12:26He's wearing those sunglasses because I feel like Jalen Brunson's actually shy.
12:29He looks cool, but he's an understated, you know, sweet guy.
12:34Josh Hart, like, these are like â they're like nerds, you know, like, they raz each other.
12:38I just â I just love it.
12:39I just â it's just really something to be proud of as a fan of basketball and New York.
12:43If you had a message to Knicks fans and New Yorkers today on the heels of that game last night,
12:51before game five coming up Saturday in San Antonio, what would it be and why?
12:56Well, my message for the Knicks fans is, you know, enjoy it, embrace it, hug your kids.
13:03I think it's breeding some bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Knicks fans, which is fantastic.
13:08And, you know, and I would also say a win, lose, or draw to enjoy the game, respect the city,
13:15and respect yourselves.
13:17And don't make the city look bad.
13:18Don't make the Knicks look bad.
13:20And don't make yourself â and don't do anything that could change the course of your life
13:24with a stupid decision, climbing on something or doing something to somebody.
13:27Very well said.
13:28Now, it's interesting.
13:29We've talked a lot about Victor Mbonyama, who has become an enemy of the states.
13:33And, by the way, that's good for basketball.
13:36Of course.
13:37You know, P.J. Brown and, you know, obviously Reggie Miller and Tim Hardaway and Michael Jordan and Scotty Pippen.
13:44I mean, we could go through it all.
13:46Trey Young recently.
13:48All of them.
13:48But I love this for Wemby, you know, because I hate him.
13:52And, you know, I respect his talent.
13:53He's a freak.
13:54He's an alien.
13:55But I've kind of had enough of him.
13:57And he didn't play well down the stretch last night.
13:59And I loved every second of that as a diehard Knicks fan.
14:03Some would say that when he had that, you know, elbow to cat, that's when the sports gods kind of
14:09turned.
14:09Yes.
14:09Favoring the Knicks, I know I would say that.
14:12So, what's your take on Wemby in general and Wemby now as an enemy?
14:18I love the enemies.
14:19I love all the guys you mentioned.
14:21I love hating them.
14:22The only one that I never got over the hate, Adam, is Reggie Miller.
14:27I tried, and I saw him when he retired, and he said, you still going to talk crap?
14:31And I said, no, no, no, no, no.
14:33And then when, during the pandemic, when I watched The Last Dance, I was like, I'm just going to just,
14:37I can't, I'll never like you.
14:39I don't like you as a broadcaster.
14:41I just, it's just, I can't get over it.
14:43He's not at that level yet.
14:46But we need enemies.
14:47You need good guys.
14:48You need bad guys.
14:50He's earned it.
14:50He's 22.
14:51He's great for the game.
14:53He's a freak.
14:54He's had incredible moments.
14:56He's very French.
14:57We'll never see an athlete on an off day sketching.
15:01That's unbelievable.
15:02In a park.
15:02Who let him in the park, by the way?
15:04I want to know.
15:05How did he make it to the park?
15:06I don't know.
15:07I don't know.
15:07But it's fantastic.
15:09I mean, I love that he's very, very honest, and he's introspective in his answers.
15:14And he, you know, it's like, I don't hate him.
15:20Like, I don't hate him like some of the guys we mentioned, but he's a good foil.
15:24He's a good antagonist for this series.
15:27All right.
15:27Let's end tying in a little pop culture here with Taylor Swift.
15:31I want to get your take on Taylor being at the game last night.
15:36I personally had no issue with it, but I'm dying to get your take.
15:40And also, Taylor and Travis getting married at Madison Square Garden.
15:45They're getting married at Madison Square Garden?
15:47Yeah.
15:47In Madison Square Garden?
15:48That's according to the New York Post, yes.
15:52She's getting married?
15:53Yeah.
15:54In the world's most famous arena?
15:55That's right.
15:56Ollie Frazier?
15:57That's right.
15:57Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant?
15:59Here comes Willis.
16:01Here comes Willis.
16:02And Taylor and Travis Kelce are getting...
16:05Listen, she was just at a Cleveland game.
16:08I know her man's a Cleveland guy.
16:10They're both hard.
16:11Now, I met Taylor.
16:12She was very, very sweet.
16:13You know, she seems like she's having a good time always.
16:16And, you know, it wouldn't be the finals in New York City if we didn't have, you know, Taylor Swift.
16:24I would say, yes.
16:27I don't have a problem with Taylor Swift.
16:28I think it's crazy she's getting married in the Garden.
16:30That's wild.
16:31That, to me, is nuts for her.
16:33Is that for her fans?
16:34Like, are the fans going to the Garden to, like, watch her?
16:36I would assume no, right?
16:38No.
16:39It's just they picked the Garden.
16:40That's the venue, according to reports.
16:43Not what I would do in general.
16:45Not what I would do if I was Taylor Swift.
16:47But sit down.
16:47Can you name five of the players who are actually on the court right now, Taylor?
16:51Like, they were going nuts.
16:52But I would go nuts, too, if I was sitting on the wood last night at that game.
16:55Everybody was entitled to go crazy.
16:57I'll give Taylor Swift a pass.
16:59What, you can't stand her?
17:00No, I love Taylor.
17:01Are your kids Swifties?
17:02Absolutely.
17:03One of my girls is.
17:04One's not.
17:04I absolutely love Taylor Swift.
17:06I met her at a Knicks game.
17:07She was very, she was big, she said, I'm a big fan of yours.
17:09I don't know if she mistook me for somebody, but we got selfies and everything.
17:12So she was sweet.
17:14Michael, you're the best.
17:15We appreciate it, man.
17:15Shine time.
17:16What time is it?
17:17Shine time.
17:18Michael Rappaport.
17:19He's the best.
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