- 5 months ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Was that James Dolan or Vince Lombardi?
00:03A speech for the ages.
00:05Shine Time starts right now.
00:17Wow!
00:18How happy are you to make this?
00:20Oh, it's awesome.
00:21It's awesome, right?
00:22It's so fun to be a part of it.
00:24Is this the best sign you have ever made here?
00:26Well, last year we made Nick's sign too
00:28and it had the players name.
00:29And that was a lot of fun.
00:30How many are you making?
00:32We're hanging 40.
00:33They get printed there.
00:34They get laminated here.
00:35Laminated.
00:36So it's protected.
00:37And then right now I'm cutting it down to size.
00:40And that's after that it gets completed.
00:44Go Knicks!
00:46Oh, baby!
00:47The City That Never Sleeps getting ready for the next chapter
00:49and the Knicks championship party
00:51that honestly is never gonna end.
00:54The parade is coming up on Thursday.
00:56The Knicks did the talk show circuits on Monday.
01:01Everyone's buzzing.
01:02I still can't get enough.
01:04Everyone's on a high.
01:05And then, of course, this.
01:08The newest unearthed storyline
01:10for the next championship run right now
01:12is Nick's owner James Dolan's riveting speech to the team
01:16and the staff leading up to the playoffs.
01:18It occurred a little over 10 weeks ago
01:20and it went viral on the New York Post Sports website
01:23Monday afternoon.
01:25Owners really shouldn't talk to teams and players
01:30because they don't know shit.
01:31I believe that this team can go all the way.
01:37And in my 30 years of doing this, I've never felt closer
01:44to achieving that goal than right now.
01:47Was that James Dolan or some kind of combination of Jim Valvano
01:52meets Vince Lombardi?
01:54That was unbelievable.
01:55And we're gonna play all the different elements of this speech
02:00throughout the course of Shine Time.
02:01But that's where we start
02:03because then you think about how it ended.
02:07This team can win it all.
02:10And the belief that James Dolan had in this squad.
02:15And I think it's important to kind of go through
02:17the chronological order here, okay?
02:19This was 10 weeks ago.
02:21This was with five games left in the regular season.
02:26And then, after the speech, the Knicks won four straight games,
02:32including that Thursday night game at Madison Square Garden
02:37against the Boston Celtics.
02:39One where we made a monster deal going in.
02:42Said if the Knicks won, it's one of those games
02:45that can fuel them to a run to a championship
02:48and certainly to the NBA Finals.
02:50The Knicks won.
02:52Signature player for Boston did not play.
02:54I did not care.
02:56If you remember the next day on Shine Time,
02:59we said the Knicks are absolutely unequivocally winning
03:03the Eastern Conference.
03:05And they did.
03:06And it's kind of amazing when you watch
03:09what James Dolan said to the team
03:11on the New York Post Sports YouTube page,
03:13and you watch it now after the Knicks won a championship.
03:18It's kind of crazy.
03:19It's kind of amazing.
03:21And you think about what the Knicks were able to do
03:24right after that speech.
03:25They win every game that mattered down the stretch
03:28of the regular season.
03:29Then they deal with adversity down two games to one
03:33to the Atlanta Hawks.
03:35And then you see them finish the postseason
03:39on a 15-1 run.
03:42Who does that in the playoffs?
03:45And they won it all.
03:46And backed up James Dolan.
03:48And the way they won.
03:49And the way this team was so lovable and likable
03:52and together.
03:53And never got too high.
03:55And had all these comebacks.
03:57And dealt with adversity brilliantly.
04:00Down two one to Atlanta.
04:01The OG injury.
04:03Remember that?
04:04You forget.
04:05OG Ananobi got hurt before game three
04:08in the Philadelphia series.
04:09After he got hurt in game two against Philadelphia.
04:12He didn't play game three, game four.
04:14The Cleveland comeback.
04:16And then coming back in every single game.
04:18When you look at it against the San Antonio Spurs.
04:21To win a championship.
04:23And that belief.
04:24And what James Dolan said.
04:26Was just remarkable.
04:29And Dolan said during the course of this.
04:32That you know.
04:33You heard the quote in the bite right there.
04:35He's an owner.
04:37Owners don't usually talk.
04:38And the owners don't know anything.
04:40Right?
04:40But he wanted to impress upon his players.
04:43That he believed.
04:45He believed that this team.
04:47Had the talent in place.
04:49The right chemistry.
04:51And eventually.
04:52They got the right coach.
04:54Dolan addressed.
04:55One of the most controversial moments.
04:57Leading into the season.
04:58Firing Tom Thibodeau.
05:00And hiring Mike Brown.
05:02We changed coaches.
05:05Last.
05:06At the end of last season.
05:07Because.
05:09We believed.
05:11That Leon and I.
05:13believed that you.
05:15The team.
05:16And the rest of the organization.
05:18Needed to be heard.
05:21Needed to work together more.
05:23Not just led.
05:26Or dictated to.
05:28And coach Timbs was a great coach.
05:30Brilliant.
05:31Etc.
05:32But we thought.
05:33That you needed.
05:34A coach.
05:36Right?
05:36That would.
05:37Pull you together.
05:39That would have you.
05:40Play as a team.
05:42It's great stuff.
05:44And great camera work.
05:45As they pan to.
05:46Mike Brown.
05:47Who's there.
05:47And listen.
05:48Mike Brown.
05:49And we.
05:50We hated.
05:51When.
05:51Leon Rose.
05:52And James Dolan.
05:53Fire.
05:53Tom Thibodeau.
05:54And we talked about it.
05:55I was wrong, and Mike Brown did a brilliant job bringing the team together and playing the bench
06:02and developing a bench. I mean, I went to the Christmas game with my son. That was the Tyler
06:08Colick game. I mean, Tom Thibodeau would have never played Tyler Colick. Tom Thibodeau would
06:13have never developed Landry Shammott. Tom Thibodeau, and I love Timbs, and he should be celebrated and
06:19appreciated, but he wasn't the guy to get this team over the hump. And Mike Brown, in terms of
06:26chemistry, in terms of at the end of the day, making sure that guys believed, and they were all in,
06:32and everyone was on the same page, and the likability and camaraderie, and that matters,
06:38the togetherness, and it's Jalen Brunson's team. But you know what? After game three of the Atlanta
06:43series, the offense is going to go through Karl-Anthony Towns, and the team's going to be
06:47better. You know, Mitchell Robinson, adjusting to his role last couple years as a backup and
06:52coming off the bench with Karl-Anthony Towns. Mikkel Bridges, give Mike Brown credit. Jose Alvarado,
06:59give Mike Brown credit. And I love what Dolan said, and this was so important, and you saw this
07:05throughout the course of the playoffs, the belief in the team. You, the team, need to be heard,
07:12not just led or dictated to. And I think the most important part of that is you go back,
07:18and it's such a reference point, right, to when the Knicks were down 2-1 to Atlanta.
07:23And Chris Gent, one of Mike Brown's assistants, and Karl-Anthony Towns, they talked to Mike Brown
07:30about, here's what needs to change in terms of Cat's role. And then look at Karl-Anthony Towns,
07:36and what he did and what the offense did the rest of the postseason. Just unbelievable. The greatest
07:43point differential in NBA postseason history. That is when you have a coach who's willing to
07:50change. And I love Tom Thibodeau. But he was not agreeable to change, not agreeable to developing a
07:57bench, not agreeable to understanding in-game. Go back to the Pacers series last year. Well, okay,
08:04this plan isn't working. Let's do this. There's no way Mike Brown went into Game 2 of the NBA Finals
08:11thinking, end of the third quarter, pivotal stretch, I'm going to have out on the floor
08:16for four-plus minutes, one starter, Mikael Bridges, and four reserves. And bring that lineup back for
08:23the start of the fourth. There was no way, with that as a backdrop, in the legendary classic
08:28game number four of the NBA Finals, that you were going to see four starters in the lineup
08:34and Bridges on the bench. That is, at the end of the day, the genius of having someone like Mike
08:41Brown coach this team. And the genius of James Dolan and what he said. Because that, to me,
08:47is so important. And Leon Rose picked up the phone and fired his best friend. And James Dolan,
08:53who obviously, a lot of people, myself, at the top of the list, I've been highly critical of James
08:59Dolan throughout the years in terms of just randomly firing coaches. And you felt like it
09:04was James Dolan's just, his fingers all over it. And he was just going to just signal change and put
09:12up a bat signal. And he was just going to get impetuous and just get unnerved and feel like you
09:17have to make a change for the sake of change. And, oh, it was going to be a mess. No,
09:21it was Leon Rose,
09:22who knew the right thing to do for this basketball team. So watching that speech back and that portion
09:29with regards to coaching, seeing how the whole thing developed, obviously the way Jalen Brunson
09:36led and played in that zero-zero mentality didn't matter if they were up big in a series, up big
09:43in
09:43a game, down big in a game. Carl Anthony Towns with the, you know, let's just keep fighting
09:49approach. And that all stems from Mike Brown, because with Tibbs, everyone was a little tight,
09:55let's be honest, right? And I love Tom Thibodeau. But go back to game one of the Indiana series
10:02versus game one of the Cleveland series. Think about what happened, obviously, in the greatest
10:08comeback in NBA Finals history. Mike Brown, right guy, right time. James Dolan's words,
10:15absolutely ahead of the curve. Probably the most Page Six worthy stuff that came out of the speech
10:21had to do with some lofty sacrifices, Dolan asked of his players.
10:27Because we have 10 weeks, 10 weeks in your life to achieve something that will stay with
10:34you the rest of your life and the rest of my life. But you're going to have to give it
10:43your all.
10:45You need sacrifice and you need to eliminate all the distractions around you.
10:53I'm going to tell you now, stop talking to the press. Instead, talk to each other. I suggest
11:05that you go home and you talk to your families, you talk to your girlfriends, your wives, etc. And you
11:13tell them about the next 10 weeks, about how you're going to be different the next 10 weeks.
11:22And how your families are going to sacrifice for the next 10 weeks.
11:27I had this idea that maybe you should give up sex for the next 10 weeks.
11:33You don't have to give up sex for the next 10 weeks.
11:40But like Spartans, you know what Spartans are?
11:45They denied themselves so that they could have an edge. Get the edge.
11:53You need to start, you need to up your practice. You need to pay more attention to your diet.
11:58You need to pay, you need to sleep better. You need to be ready for every game.
12:06When we win the championship, right, we will get rings. And when we get rings, so will they.
12:15I will buy a ring for each one of your significant others. It's because their contribution is going
12:22to be very important to this team win. I have goosebumps right now up and down my body. I mean,
12:29it's just amazing listening to that. And I want to start, right, with how James Dolan started that.
12:35You win a championship, it's going to stay with you for the rest of your life.
12:40And it's because you're a champion forever and you're going to deliver a championship to New York
12:46City. You're going to win a championship for the New York Knicks. You're going to end a 53-year
12:53draft. It's a team and a run that's going to be celebrated and revered as the greatest of all time.
13:01You think about people like me, my age, my generation. You never saw a championship.
13:08This, I mean, Dolan absolutely got it. Absolutely positively nailed it in terms of how it's going
13:15to stay with you as a player for the rest of your life. And you see that and the video
13:21comes out
13:22on the New York Post Sports YouTube page the same day the Knicks are making the rounds and they're doing
13:28all the different talk shows and they're going into restaurants and everyone is serenading them
13:34and they are going to be, Knicks fans are going to be celebrating forever. Every single player on
13:41that Knick team is going to be stamped as a winner in New York City forever. That's the way it
13:48works.
13:49That's the way it works always in New York. But for this Knick team, it's on speed. It's on steroids.
13:57This is the single most meaningful championship in my lifetime for me and really for everyone who
14:03roots for the New York Knicks. Then I love what he talked about with those four things that he wanted
14:10the team to do. Don't talk to the press. Talk to each other. And that wasn't saying shut down and
14:16don't,
14:16you know, talk to Steph Bondi and don't talk to the beat reporters and don't do press conferences.
14:22Dolan said that with a point and a purpose. Communicate with each other. Be each other's best
14:28friend. The likability, the camaraderie, the chemistry, how you deal with each other,
14:34that's going to help you dealing with adversity. And again, we're seeing this speech after the Knicks
14:40win a title. And then you think about those moments where the Knicks showed that in terms of talking
14:45to each other. Carl Anthony Towns or Jalen Brunson employing the team, begging the team to stay
14:53focused and just keep up the intensity and the mentality. And Kat saying the shots are going to
14:58fall. I mean, that's this all rings true. You think about game one of the NBA finals when Kat was
15:05mic'd up. Unbelievable stuff. Pay attention to your diet. Make sure you're ready to go. Get enough
15:12sleep. I mean, these are things that are important to anyone in terms of diet, in terms of exercise,
15:18in terms of sleep. And then he joked, at least I think he was joking, about abstinence. And for 10
15:27weeks,
15:27maybe you just want to make sure, like the old gladiators, you abstain from sex for the next
15:3510 weeks. Hey, whatever gets to the championship. And Carl Anthony Towns talked to our friend and
15:40colleague Howard Stern on SiriusXM today. And, you know, without using the word sex, he said,
15:46let's just say, you know, my fiance was happy over the last 10 weeks. Our associate producer,
15:52Tommy Cohen, upon seeing this, he has also vowed no sex for the next 10 weeks after James Dolan's speech
15:58and after the Knicks won a championship. I will tell you, the way Dolan delivered it
16:04and watching it after the fact was so important and so emotional. And the close to the address, honestly,
16:15just watch it.
16:19I believe in you guys. I believe in this whole group. This is not just a player thing. This is
16:25an
16:26entire organization thing. We've been working at this for years to get ourselves to this point.
16:31And now, 10 weeks. Can you do? Can you focus for 10 weeks? If you do that at the end
16:39of 10 weeks,
16:40we're walking out of here with rings, right? And we're walking out of here with a moniker on
16:45ourselves that will never ever pull away. Me too.
16:5210 weeks, 10 weeks of focus, 10 weeks with a moniker as a result of a champion, a Knicks world
17:00champion, a Knicks championship team forever. And Dolan nailed it. And watching that after seeing the
17:07Knicks win on Saturday night, man, I'm ready to run through a wall. And here's what's crazy.
17:15It's Dolan for years, for decades. James Dolan was the worst. The worst owner in sports.
17:26And it was always crazy to me, right? Because you had James Dolan, the Rangers owner,
17:32James Dolan, the Knicks owner, and they were like two separate people where you had Glenn
17:38Sather and the general managers and the hockey people for the Rangers. They could run the club
17:43how they wanted to run the club. And, you know, they made a run to the Stanley Cup final against
17:48Anaheim. The Rangers could function. The Knicks, they couldn't. And Dolan also couldn't get out of the
17:56way. Even when things were good, and you could put that in air quotes, like with Carmelo Anthony
18:02and the Melo trade, you had Donnie Walsh. I love Donnie Walsh, great basketball guy. And they're
18:08trying to make the Carmelo Anthony trade. And Dolan gets involved and says, take this, take this,
18:13and we'll give you extra picks, extra players, whatever you need. Dolan, think about Isaiah Thomas,
18:19the lawsuits, Eddie Curry, firing coaches, Phil Jackson. And I nailed that on Phil Jackson.
18:27I said, Phil Jackson's going to be the worst thing that ever happened to this organization. You know
18:30why? Phil Jackson didn't want to be here. Phil Jackson had no—and by the way, he was a legendary
18:36coach. He was not an executive. He wasn't a roll-up-your-sleeves kind of guy. Scout players,
18:41you know. It was a terrible decision. And Dolan just kept, if you remember how Phil Jackson got here,
18:47just kept offering him more money and more money and more money until he said yes,
18:52and it was a disaster. And here's Derek Fisher. And here's Frank Nilekina to run the triangle.
18:57And then Hornacek and Finsdale. These were awful years. Took years off my life. And now,
19:08this, everything's changed. And if you want to also talk about the sphere, and maybe
19:13Dolan was paying too much attention to that in a great way, and the sphere in Vegas is unbelievable,
19:20and that's Dolan's baby. And he brings in Leon Rose. And Leon Rose, legendary basketball agent at CAA,
19:29he didn't need this job. He wanted the job. And I've always assumed that if Leon Rose takes the job,
19:37he either has it verbally or written into a contract, ironclad that he has full autonomy,
19:45obviously. Otherwise, why would he take the job? So everything that Dolan did,
19:52starting with Leon Rose, was an A++. And James Dolan has changed, obviously. And people change,
20:02even after years and decades of awful basketball under James Dolan. Leon Rose changed everything.
20:10And Leon Rose equaled Jalen Brunson. And Jalen Brunson took less money. And the players around him,
20:17and Leon and World Wide West making the trades, and bringing players in. And here's O.J. Ananobi,
20:23and Carl Anthony Towns, and Josh Hart, and saying F them picks, and going out and getting
20:27Jalen Brunson, Mikkel Bridges. And you know who deserves credit? James Dolan. And for year after year
20:35after year, I would constantly say, James Dolan, the worst. Worst owner in sports. Like there was a real
20:45case on evidence, on likability, on being ignorant, arrogant, stumbling block, roadblock to success.
20:54Forget winning a championship. That wasn't on the radar. You have to give credit where credit is due.
21:02James Dolan changed. He absolutely, the last four years, he's a different owner. He deserves so much
21:11credit. And you felt it with Leon Rose and the ensuing moves. And it was a team you could be
21:16proud
21:16of again. The Thibodeau firing, you just wonder aloud, and then you could take a breath and say,
21:22okay, Leon's got it. Jalen Brunson's got it. As it turned out, I was right about that,
21:30James Dolan has it. It's one of the most amazing 180s I've ever seen ever in sports.
21:38If you asked a Knicks fan before Leon Rose what they thought of James Dolan,
21:43they would have simply said, and probably used more colorful words, he's the worst.
21:48Now, and especially after watching that video, after the Knicks win a championship,
21:56he's the best. And I can't believe we're saying it, but we have to call it like it is.
22:01Thank you, James Dolan. Thank you for the speech. Thank you for Leon Rose. Thank you for the
22:08championship that will last a lifetime. It's been 53 years between titles for the Knicks,
22:15and anyone raised in the 90s can remember how close this city was to finally getting there.
22:20It was Patrick Ewing, the warrior, who almost brought Knicks fans that moment. And on Saturday
22:25night, couldn't help but be so happy for him as everyone else.
22:32It's over. It's over. Mick fans, this is not a dream. Your long, long wait has ended.
22:39Go ahead and cry. After 53 years, the Knicks are finally NBA champions once again.
22:46Does it feel like it's a long time coming? It has been a long time coming. The last time we
22:50were here in 99,
22:52I had tears of sorrow. Today, I have tears of joy. You know, it's a dream come true.
23:00We have had this goal. I mean, you know, myself as a player, myself as part of the organization,
23:07we've had the dream of getting to this point and winning the championship and we finally have
23:12achieved it. The last time we were here, Tim and David was having a party against us. But tonight,
23:17it's hard. Man, listening to Patrick Ewing, watching Patrick Ewing, that picture with Patrick
23:25Ewing and Jalen Brunson and Mike Breen said on that call, Knicks fans, it's okay to cry. And
23:31we had a ton of emotional moments Saturday, Sunday, Monday, today. That picture of Ewing and Brunson
23:39both holding the Larry O'Brien trophy. If you're of a certain age and you can appreciate Patrick
23:45Ewing, that was amazing. So the parade is Thursday. So we made a list of those who should be at
23:52the
23:53parade and at the very least should be celebrated by all Knicks fans, okay? I want five guys to be
24:01celebrated for their contributions to this championship. I want to start with Julius Randle.
24:09I said a couple of years ago after the Knicks lost that they can never win a championship with
24:16Julius Randle. And I was right. But that doesn't minimize what Julius Randle meant to the Knicks
24:25when he signed with the Knicks. His effort, his offense, how he loved New York, loved being a New
24:33York Knick. Five seasons with the Knicks. He was an offensive machine. He crashed the boards,
24:41likability off the charts. Look, obviously can be a bit of a black hole on offense. Ball goes in,
24:48it doesn't come out. I never thought they could win with him in terms of celebrating and having a
24:54parade. But Randle really got the ball rolling in terms of credibility. And also, again, you have
25:01to remember, there were plenty of stars that had no interest in joining New York and joining the
25:08Knicks. We could talk about LeBron and the decision. Obviously Kyrie and Kevin Durant. Julius Randle
25:14wanted to be here. He should always be celebrated. You think about, obviously, Dante DiVincenzo and
25:22he was in that deal for Carl Anthony Towns with Julius Randle. And I thought the Knicks appropriately
25:29sold on Dante DiVincenzo. They sold at the right time in terms of, at the end of the day,
25:35selling on a high. But that doesn't minimize this and who Dante DiVincenzo was and what he did when
25:42it mattered the most. And bang, bang, bang. That was unbelievable. As a moment, every Knicks fan
25:51remembers where they were. Obviously, Dante and Brunson, the best of friends, and Josh Hart and
25:57Mikel Bridges. And listen, we'll always feel bad for Dante in that regard, that he couldn't live
26:05this out with the rest of his Nova guys. But I'd love to see the Knicks bring him back as
26:11a reserve
26:11in some way, shape, or form. But Dante DiVincenzo, his effort, his energy, his clutch gene, the fact
26:18that his brothers from Villanova won this championship. Make sure you give him flowers as well.
26:23Obviously, Tom Thibodeau. And Tibbs still getting paid by the Knicks. I would love to see Tom Thibodeau
26:31at the parade. I would love to see him celebrated. I think that, you know, you think of the Buck
26:36Showalter-Joe Torrey arc and comparison with Tibbs and with Mike Brown. Sometimes you just have to know
26:44when a coach is not going to be the one to win you a championship. And I was wrong. I
26:50thought they
26:51were capable of getting there with Tom Thibodeau. He never developed the bench. He was too rigid in
26:57terms of game to game, quarter to quarter, not making adjustments based upon what you see on the
27:03court. But Tom Thibodeau, listen, you want to talk about credibility? Again, I've referenced
27:09throughout the course of this show and this run, the buffoonery, the nonsense, the awful coaches,
27:15Fisher to Hornacek to Fisdale. And Tom Thibodeau equaled credibility. And remember,
27:20he was a Jeff Van Gundy former assistant and a clone in a lot of ways. Things really went sideways
27:26when Dolan got rid of Jeff Van Gundy. Van Gundy left. You could debate how that happened. But Van
27:31Gundy couldn't stand working for the Knicks anymore. Thibodeau, right guy, right time, should always be
27:37given flowers. How about Patrick Ewing? And that scene with Patrick Ewing, with Jalen Brunson, I mean,
27:43Patrick Ewing was the man. And I talked to John Starks yesterday on my Sirius XM radio show, and he
27:51said
27:51for him and for Patrick, Saturday night was one of the great nights of their lives. Think about that
27:57for a second. Think about 94, how close the Knicks were. Think about what transpired in game six, game
28:05seven. Think about, you know, the finger roll against Indiana. Think about Reggie Miller, Michael Jordan,
28:12Hakeem Olajuwon blocking them. Patrick was hurt in 99. This, and Patrick's part of the team, part of
28:18the organization at every game. Stark said to me, it's wonderful. Mike Brown, Leon Rose. Not only do
28:25they want these guys around, they want them contributing advice and coaching and wisdom.
28:30So absolutely Patrick Ewing should be celebrated. And Mike Breen, who's always celebrated, should
28:39absolutely be celebrated like no other. I mean, I don't know if you want to chant Mike Breen's name
28:45at the parade, but you should. If you want to just see him on the street and go bang, bang,
28:50bang. But how about Mike Breen? For all these years as the voice of the Knicks, also the voice
28:56of ABC, ESPN, the lead play-by-play voice. And it never overlapped in terms of the Knicks being
29:03in the finals and Mike Breen getting to call a Knicks championship. And he's a diehard Knicks
29:09fan, grew up a Knicks fan. He also knows how to call a Knicks game nationally neutrally while
29:17still absolutely loving the team. It's an art. Mike Breen is the best. Mike Breen is a terrific
29:23human. I've known him forever since I was an intern at WFAN, and he was doing the Imus
29:29show in 1997. He is an unbelievable human being, a great play-by-play voice. You know,
29:37at some point they'll build the Jalen Brunson statue. I'd like a Mike Breen statue outside
29:42of Madison Square Garden. He was the voice of the Knicks forever, still is the voice of
29:47the Knicks forever, and called the championship, and told everyone it's okay to cry. Man. Celebrate,
29:55validate, stamp, appreciate Mike Breen, Tom Thibodeau, obviously Julius Randle, Dante DiVincenzo,
30:03Patrick Ewing when you see the parade coming up on Thursday. Is it too early to talk about
30:09repeat for the Knicks? Well, no. That's literally what I get paid for. And if you missed it yesterday,
30:14here's what I have to say about the Spurs' chances of getting back to the finals in 2027.
30:20Dylan Harper's unbelievable. Castle's fantastic. Wimby has a lot of growing up to do. And yeah,
30:26he won a game six and he won a game seven in OKC. In terms of trust, I trust Shane
30:32Gillis Alexander
30:33Moore. I trust the coaching staff and the general manager when it comes to the Thunder versus Mitch
30:42Johnson, who couldn't coach his way out of a paper bag. It's as simple as that. Spurs are going to
30:47have a golden opportunity with their youth to run it back, obviously. But I'm telling you right now,
30:53I would take the Thunder over the Spurs over the next five years in the Western Conference.
31:00So obviously, we're early here in talking about, you know, who's going to win a championship for the
31:072026-2027 season. Still have the draft next week. We have trades. We have free agency. We have the
31:13summer of Giannis. We have the summer of LeBron. We have maybe another summer of Durant. But hey,
31:19this is literally what we do. If you take a look at the odds for winning a championship as we
31:25speak
31:25on DraftKings, the San Antonio Spurs are the favorite, just ahead of Oklahoma City. Boston,
31:34plus 550. The Knicks, plus 650. Whenever Jalen Brunson and the Knicks get out of their amazing
31:42haze of celebration, sometime maybe in August, someone will show Jalen Brunson this board from
31:49DraftKings. And Jalen Brunson will use that as motivation and a chip that the Knicks are being
31:54disrespected. I don't think this is disrespectful for a few reasons. And stay with me on this.
32:01Number one, the last eight years in the NBA, eight different champs. So on precedence,
32:07especially when you start considering salaries, salary caps, second apron, third apron,
32:12you see a different champion over the last eight years. So chances are the Knicks won't repeat.
32:22I think the Knicks have a great opportunity, though, to repeat. I think that when you look at it,
32:28they should, will run it back. There's no reason to make massive changes. You don't have to think
32:35about, well, let's see if we can get Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo to win a championship,
32:40because the Knicks just won a championship. You don't have to worry about it. They did it.
32:46And they're going to have the ability to do it again. Look, things change when you're a champion
32:53and then you have an ensuing season. There's knowledge. You're also the team that is going
32:58to be the hunted. You know, you're going to get the best shot from everyone. If you rest on your
33:03laurels on a random Tuesday in New Orleans, Pelicans bite you. That's just how it's going to go.
33:08But I think the Knicks, in theory, should be better, more confident than the regular season.
33:13And then, obviously, the know-how with Jalen Brunson and company. And I expect the Knicks
33:18to absolutely run it back. The only guy in the rotation who's, you know, a free agent is
33:24Mitchell Robinson. And unless someone pays him more, I would say Mitch is going to come back.
33:30I think he wants to come back. I think the team wants to have him back. As long as the
33:33dollars
33:34and cents make sense, I expect the Knicks to basically, for all intents and purposes,
33:39bring everybody back. Why wouldn't they at this stage? I don't think it's offensive to put
33:45the Boston Celtics ahead of the Knicks because of the omnipresent Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors.
33:52Look, if Giannis goes to Boston and they're the favorites in Vegas, I'm okay with that.
34:00Now, Giannis going to Miami would not make the Heat the favorite, okay? It just wouldn't.
34:05They would have to give up Hero and company. If he goes to Boston, even if they trade Brown,
34:11you know, you want to say with Tatum, year-plus removed from the injury, and obviously that
34:18organization, everyone top to bottom for the most part, has championship, you know, fiber
34:23and mentality, and they've won a chip before. You put Giannis in a place like Boston, you
34:28want to make the Celtics the favorite? I don't think that's insulting to the Knicks. Miami would
34:33not. Look, I also think you have to follow and monitor other teams as well. Do, let's say,
34:40the Pistons make a trade for Kevin Durant? Pistons can't shoot. If they get someone like Durant,
34:47or they get a scorer, let's say, Austin Reeves, maybe they're the team that brings in De'Aaron Fox.
34:54They get someone who can be a second scorer, second option. Look, I have no issue with that.
35:00I also think watching a team like Orlando, which is close, the Atlanta Hawks, what if they're involved,
35:07as rumors and reports indicate, with regards to being the third team with Boston and Milwaukee,
35:13and what if they get Jalen Brown? And you point him on the Atlanta Hawks. Look, in theory,
35:20the team today, because there is no Giannis trade yet, that I think is the biggest threat in the East
35:25to the Knicks, the Indiana Pacers, because Halliburton's going to come back. They have Siakam.
35:31I love Rick Carlisle. He's won a championship before. And, you know, Zubats, who I love,
35:37he better be even better because they gave up that first round pick. If it was top five,
35:41they would have had an opportunity to get an unbelievable player who could have been a
35:45difference maker. Look, if they would have held on to that top five pick and this draft is going
35:50to be loaded, Indiana could have been that team. But I actually today think it's just erroneous
35:58to put anyone else in the East ahead of the Knicks. And I think the Knicks absolutely have a great
36:06opportunity to run it back with the talent, the coaching, the togetherness, and Jalen Brunson will
36:13make sure that everybody is focused and motivated and they don't spend the season coming up
36:20watching highlights of the comebacks against the San Antonio Spurs. Now, I think right now the best bet
36:28to win the title next year is Oklahoma City. I just don't believe in the Spurs. And I know,
36:36look, I believe in Harper. I love Castle. Wemby's got a lot he's got to figure out.
36:42That arc for Victor Wemby-Yama going from hero to villain, I don't think I've ever seen something
36:48like that and it happened so quickly in these playoffs. Or even regular season to postseason
36:54where everyone and their mother, including mine, loved Victor Wemby-Yama. But then he elbows Nas
37:00Reed. You know, and I told you on Shine Time that after he celebrated that Western Conference
37:06Finals, it felt like it was relief and they won a championship. But they didn't. And then you saw
37:12Wemby and the Spurs not only fail in the finals and they led against the Knicks. 72% of the
37:19minutes
37:20played in the NBA Finals. They embarrassed themselves. And Wemby was a big problem.
37:25Playing his worst would have mattered the most. Awful on offense in Game 1. Awful on offense in the
37:30first half of Game 2. Terrible down the stretch of Game 2 with the missed jumper, the turnover,
37:36the foul, and the missed jumper at the end. Great in Game 3. Terrible. Just awful in Game 4. Awful
37:43in Game 5.
37:44I mean, just atrocious in the fourth quarter stats. Terrible, not to mention. You know, he was a thug.
37:51He was a chump. He was a losing ball player. He was a whiner. He was delusional in press conferences.
37:58And he didn't shake hands. And people, you know, they love to throw shade during this run at the Knicks,
38:03which is a joke. You beat the team you're supposed to beat if other teams fail. And the Knicks kicked
38:08everyone's ass and went 15-1 down the stretch and busted out the brooms on a couple of different
38:13occasions. I never want to hear about the Eastern Conference because the Spurs, maybe as we look
38:18back at it, and we talked about it in real time on Shine Time, the fact that J-Dub and
38:23his backup
38:24Mitchell, not healthy. So if you're asking me today who I would pick for the NBA Finals,
38:32it would be OKC and the Knicks, just like I did last year. I think Giannis, where he goes,
38:39that's important to follow. I think what happens with the Pistons and a second shooter,
38:45that's important. I think Halliburton getting back to being Halliburton, that is gigantic.
38:53Following the Magic, following the Miami Heats, following the Atlanta Hawks, if they get Jalen Brown.
38:59But let's also not lose sight of some other teams. Like, what do the Denver Nuggets do?
39:05What happens in Los Angeles with the Lakers, with LeBron, with Austin Reeves?
39:10What happens with DeAndre Ayton? What happens with the Minnesota Timberwolves,
39:16who they were injured, if you remember, when you consider DiVincenzo and company for that second
39:22round series? So, I'll tell you, I think the Knicks being fourth, I would have had them third,
39:29being fourth on the list behind Boston with the Giannis rumors. I'm fine with that. The Knicks will use
39:36that in some way, shape, or form as motivation. But in so many ways, the Knicks should have a better
39:42regular season. I really want to see Leon Rose run this thing back, bring back everyone. They're all
39:48their contract, except for Mitch, bring everybody back. And that's not, you know, spur of the moment
39:53on my part, or, you know, hey, I'm still drinking the high and the Kool-Aid after winning a championship.
39:58I think it's logical for every different reason that we've laid out for you. So, I don't think this is
40:05necessarily a one-and-done situation for the Knicks. It's very difficult in the NBA as it is right now
40:11to go back-to-back. But the Knicks are going to have a real fighting shot because of the owner,
40:17because of Leon Rose, because of Mike Brown, because of Jalen Brunson. In theory, after Mike
40:24Brown unlocked something in Karl-Anthony Towns and how to use him, Kat should have the best regular
40:30season of his life. Mikkel Bridges winning a championship, he should be able to take a breath.
40:36He should have the best regular season, 2026, 2027, of his life. You know, maybe the magic,
40:44you know, will go away when it comes to someone like Landry Shaman. You'll find another Landry
40:50Shaman, if that's the case. So, I'm excited about what's next year for the Knicks. We might have
40:56another parade in New York after Thursday. Let's shine on football now. Texas Tech quarterback
41:02Brendan Soresby plans to apply for the NFL supplemental draft, a stunning reversal in the saga
41:09over the eligibility after he admitted to betting on college sports. Soresby's decision to leave Tech
41:17and pursue the NFL, it's a monster about face, as he has been granted a temporary injunction by a Texas
41:23judge on June 8th. We went nuts here on Shine Time. That's cleared a path for him to play,
41:29and he was planning on playing for the Red Raiders in 2026. But there was so much noise and negativity,
41:36right? And all these teams and rivals and athletic directors were saying,
41:41we won't even play Texas Tech. I don't think at the end of the day that Texas Tech was prepared
41:46for that. So, I want you to think about this. Remember, Soresby had been ruled ineligible by the
41:52NCAA after it discovered he had placed more than 9,000 bets, totaling at at least $90,000
42:00on professional and college sports over four years while he was enrolled in college at Indiana,
42:07Cincinnati, Texas Tech, including at least 40 wagers involving Indiana football when he was a freshman
42:14with the Hoosiers in 2022. Flurry of legal activity over the past week further muddled the path to
42:21eligibility. Cody Campbell, chairman of the Texas Tech Board of Regents, said in a lengthy statement
42:27on Monday night that Soresby would not be part of the Texas Tech football team this fall and called
42:32the supplemental draft the only viable and fair path for Soresby's future. Campbell said that Texas Tech
42:40will not seek the return of any money paid to Soresby through the NIL agreements with the
42:45university and Campbell referenced the NFL supplemental draft deadline of June 22nd in a statement
42:51saying there's no practical way to resolve all the various and pending legal disputes to ensure his
42:58eligibility prior to this date. A couple of things. Number one, good. He should not have played
43:06college football ever again. That is a no-brainer. We talked about it on every level of this story
43:13and the fact that, you know, a judge in Texas gave him an injunction and said he could play
43:19and cited hardship. That was always a joke, pathetic, embarrassing, a disgrace,
43:24amateur hour, and should have never happened.
43:279,000 bets for a ton of money. I'm going to say it again.
43:32Again, Soresby is a gambling addict. I feel very comfortable saying that, especially knowing
43:40and he knows what he had to lose and he couldn't help it and or didn't care.
43:49He couldn't play ever again on the collegiate level. And I don't think Texas Tech, and maybe
43:55they just had their heads in their derrieres or their heads in the clouds. I don't know how
43:59they didn't understand that this was going to be the fallout. You had schools lining up
44:04saying, we won't play against you. In all sports, not just football. I think maybe Texas Tech
44:10was on Planet Illusional thinking, well, he's cleared by a judge. He's going to play. This
44:15was as bad as it gets. You can't, if you're a college football player, if you're a quarterback,
44:22gamble that much on college football, college sports, professional sports, on your own team
44:27and play in college football. That's not how it works. Which brings me to the supplemental
44:33draft. The first time that this was a topic on Shine Time, we laid out six different teams
44:41that in theory should put in a bid, second round pick, third round pick, supplemental draft
44:48for a guy who could have been a first round pick, had he been clean, had he played in 2026,
44:56easily could have been projected to be a first round pick in 2027. If I'm an NFL team, I would
45:04not put in a bid on Brendan Sorsby. And I understand the talent, and I understand there are a lot
45:10of
45:10teams that could use a starting quarterback, a backup quarterback, a developmental quarterback.
45:13I don't think he's worth it. He clearly has a gambling problem. Normally, I would bang the drum
45:21and say the NFL or any professional sports league, Roger Goodell, should not suspend someone for what
45:26they did in college. This is different. This is sports gambling. This is sports gambling and a major
45:32sports gambling scandal. At the most important position in sports in 2026, and if Sorsby's in an NFL
45:40game, at some point, whatever network the game's on, they're going to go to a commercial for draft
45:46kicks. So they can't have any funny business. And the league wonderfully, go ask Calvin Ridley
45:55or Jameson Williams or anyone else, they have been terrific when it comes to making sure every
46:00player knows the rules. And if you violate it, discipline, major discipline is going to follow.
46:07I wouldn't touch him. And I would not be surprised if the NFL tries to strong-arm teams to not
46:14taking
46:14him in the supplemental draft. I think that if they do, he's going to be suspended. I'm officially
46:20at the stage because Sorsby was so out of touch with reality. He should have instantly said,
46:28after the ruling by the judge, I'm going to the NFL. It was over. He misread it. I don't think
46:35he knows how to read anything other than his favorite sports betting app. And that's a damn
46:42shame. So I wouldn't touch Sorsby with a 10-foot pole. You think in college they frown on sports
46:49betting? Wait until you get to the NFL. If he gets to the NFL. Sorsby needs major help.
46:56Sean, it's a baseball. Don't look now for the Dodgers. It's starting to look like, well,
46:59the Dodgers. They started their homestand on a strong note. Home runs from Kyle Tucker,
47:06Miguel Rojas. They defeated the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. And how about the nights that
47:11Kyle Tucker had? When you take a look at his homer, threw a runner out at the plates. And all
47:17of a
47:18sudden, as we've all been in this haze of we're only paying attention to the NBA, just in case you
47:26haven't fully been paying attention, the Dodgers are unbelievable. And I know what happened against
47:31the White Sox over the weekend. I know what happened with Mookie Betts and Yamamoto. I don't
47:36care. Take a look at the standings in the NL West, just in case you haven't been fully focused.
47:41The Dodgers lead the Padres by eight games. You can't even find the San Francisco Giants.
47:48The Dodgers and the Braves, for all intents and purposes, have the same winning percentage.
47:53The Dodgers are going to be just fine. The Dodgers are going to win a championship.
47:58The Dodgers are the Dodgers. And I'll say it again as we get set for, you know, the end of
48:04June
48:04into July baseball. You know, we start taking the temperature before the All-Star break and then the
48:09trade deadline. No one is beating the Dodgers. But wait, there's more.
48:15It's not the Phoenix Open.
48:19What a night. Just a brilliant group of people still singing from the break. The song's been over
48:28for minutes.
48:33I mean, you gotta love it. With the World Cup and the Scottish have invaded Fenway Park. It's
48:39unbelievable. Those fans were great. And listen, that's an easy song to sing. And, you know,
48:45the Scottish are coming. The Scottish are coming. Boston and Fenway Park, New England's living room.
48:49But, I mean, it's just at the end of the day, look at it. Right? I mean, they can't get
48:55enough.
48:56This is the beauty here of the World Cup and where we are doing shine time in New York City.
49:01You got all these fans who are here for the World Cup from different countries. And they're going to
49:07the New Jersey delis. And, you know, they're at the bars and the restaurants in New York City.
49:13And it's fantastic. And, listen, this is the first time since Alex Cora got fired that we've
49:22even bothered to show anything related to the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox are the absolute
49:27most unwatchable team in Major League Baseball. So, hey, if you want to start singing along with
49:35the Scottish at Fenway Park, beats watching the Boston Red Sox.
49:40That's the show. If you miss any portion of the show, just do what I do and rewatch the
49:44show over and over. Go to the New York Post Sports YouTube page, California Post Sports
49:47YouTube page. Search shine time. We'll see you tomorrow on shine time.