June 6, 2026 • 35 mins
Jason Smith and Mike Harmon are joined by FS1 analyst Ric Bucher to discuss the Knicks being two wins away from the NBA Finals!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
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Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Fix Radio Network. I have nothing left. I can't believe
we have two more hours of the show. I have
nothing left after that game tonight. It is one of
those things where there's been a couple of moments over
the last two hours where I saw the clock and
I'm like, that's all it is.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, that's all. It is.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Kind of like I'm in one of those Marvel movies.
What is it when Quicksilver can just stop everything and
your time in a bottle by Jim Croache can just
roll everything out of the air, folks to safety around
and pushing stuff up, being snarky and being a bit
of a smart ass. Yeah, say same thing here. I
felt that a couple of times there. It's like, wow,
all right, we got two more hours to talk NIXT
(01:09):
if you said to me, and I wouldn't even hesitate,
if you said to me, Okay, you can only attend
one more sporting event the rest of your life, the
rest of you rest of your life at fifty five, right,
you only attend one sporting event the rest of your life.
Hopefully it's a long time. Everything else all one sporting
event the rest of your life.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
I'm not going to hold out for the Mets making
the World Series not happening, not holding out for the
Jets in the Super Bowl. If you said to me,
I can go to one sporting event the rest of
my life, it's Game three or Game fod MSG next week,
and I wouldn't even again, I wouldn't even hesitate to
tell you. That's my answer. All I can tell you
right now, though, is you should have bought those Game
(01:51):
three tickets when I told you you at five thousand
dollars last.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Year, last week.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Yeah, because currently the get in there's a pair. Oh no,
it's one ticket, one ticket for twelve eight Oh, that's it,
twelve eight hundred dollars, and then the next one ticket thousand, fourteen,
five eighty three.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
These have to.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Be the most expensive tickets in sports history for Game
three in Game four, which is its history because his
historically right. We can talk about for a Super Bowl
for some you know final, like this is game three.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah, oh yeah, I think that's the.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Thing that stands out to me. This is game three.
This is not Hey, they can clinch and I'm gonna
be there to see it.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
No, it's just Game three.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
It's just I mean, so, by by way of contrast,
what do you think one ticket for Game four is?
Oh wow, okay, so one ticket Game three you gave
me there was one a little less than thirteen thousand. Yeah,
I'm gonna say Game four is over fifteen thousand. Fifteen
to seven ninety eight is the single ticket.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Let me show you where these are at, by the way, Yeah,
that's why.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
And then we got one year and then if you
want to sit behind the basket for about eighteen grand
I mean the thing is I've sad in those seats
and those bad seats before.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Yeah, for twenty dollars.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yeah, exactly, Like I said, I'm sitting here watching Charles
Oakley getting a fight one game. Yeah, I mean, this
is starting to become and I'm not throwing hyperbole out here,
like you see the monies. Yeah, there's a lot of moneies,
like attending Nick Spurs NBA Finals Game three, in Game
four Madison Square Garden. It's become the sporting event ticket
(03:33):
wise of my lifetime, like nothing is. But yeah, okay,
you want to think that in the future, there's gonna
be other prices that are more. You get a great
Super Bowl matchup, we get Steelers and the Cowboys. Yeah yeah, sure,
but up until now, like this, this has gotta be
the biggest ticket of my life. And it's the NBA
Finals and again not even a clinching game, And this
(03:55):
is the NBA Finals ticket experience of my lifetime, and
it's the Knicks in the Finals, potentially winning next week. Now,
I've seen some economic uh factors thrown in in terms
of what the Knicks uh run has generated.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
And I've seen that from a couple of the the
economic councils, And now I'm down. He took to the
podium to say, it's to this point they've generated well
over two hundred million dollars off of the Knicks run
just to the finals, and that the finals run itself
may be worth.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
At least that Wow.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
So nearly a half a billion dollars of economic activity
related to your New York Knicks. It's gonna save the city. Well, okay,
all that money, all that money is, all those money,
all those moneies are going to be needed to save
to rebuild the city after after the after Game four,
after the Knicks win and they have to rebuild the
(04:56):
city if that guy follows through on his threat, I
mean the guy that ty shirt has been playing this week,
and I mean that they're gonna need all the money
they're making. Oh, this is great for the city, great
for the economy. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
The thing is all that money.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Is ear marked to go for uh, to go to
rebuilding the city, building it back better. After Like the
city is gonna look like what happened to New York
after Thanos attacked.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Like that's what it's gonna look like. Man, you're gonna you.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Got big aliens from outer space, like just taking up
the tops of buildings and and and all of a sudden,
you know, the light posts falling and here comes ebity
maw like that that's taking off your callups' That's what
New York is gonna look like.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Man, I mean think about.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Next there you go you can get some bootleg merch
now for your guy. I hear I New York Knicks
house and Nick house, and yeah, the always Nicks is
what's starting to uh really take off, like the the
always Nick gear is.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
Well.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
I showed you when I was getting in line for
security to take my daughter back to Boise Idoh. I
had multiple people in Nicks sweatshirts and T shirts in
front of me, and I was just like, I can't
escape it, John to escape down and there it is
staring me in the face.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
So you just heard the play by play Wemby's miss
that give the Knicks the one oh five to one
oh four win, the play that everybody's gonna be talking about,
and we broke it down last hour to talk about
it with Rick Buker coming up in a few minutes.
The Wemby turnover on the Spurs next to last possession
where Jalen Brunson misses a shot. Wenby gets the rebound
(06:30):
and is dribbling the basketball and tries to pass to
Steph Castle, who is not even turned around for the basketball.
The ball hits him off the back. Brunson picks it up,
they foul him, goes the free throw line hits the
shot that gives them the winning margin. Here's how the
play sounded. Right now, I'll think the rebound twelve seconds remaining,
stumbling Byson and knocked down by Webby, Runson will shoot
(06:54):
free close with nine.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Point five remaining.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Oh, let me be try thought that pass Castle never
saw it coming, hits him right in the back.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Ah Knicks radio on the call again. I you know,
seeing this plane now as many times as we have
and none of it makes sense. And the fact that
Castle really never at any but it's not like there
was any Hey, I missed you on it, right like
I saw you, you saw me. This is Wemby just
I'm getting rid of the basketball. Yeah, Castle looks like heck,
(07:27):
but there was a panic move he seeing that Wemby's
got the ball, so he turns back up court right
like that's it, Like there's that flash. But I guess
in that moment you can say, well, Wembinamo thought he
was gonna slow down enough to take the outlet pass,
but instead it hits him squarely in the back, and
and Jalen Brunson, who was trying to recover, ends up
being the beneficiary of this.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Uh. Inane situation as he picks the ball up.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
I mean, you can't say anything more than there was
a panic move by Wemby who wasn't ready for that
moment as great as he was down stretch, right, like
to give him all kinds of credit when the Knicks
are up by twelve and there's six minutes left to
go and he's screaming at his teammates on the sideline,
and he's the guy that led them back, right, He's
the guy. And this is where we talked about this
earlier in the game where he only had four shots
(08:15):
in the first half, and I'm sure this was the Spurs.
They wanted to come out aggressive with their guards and
be able to put pressure on Brunson. And it worked,
right the Aaron Fox was terrific out of the gate
at eleven points in the first quarter. Castle harassed him
the whole game. Dylan Harper was fantastic. So okay, right, okay,
this worked, and now the flip side was now Wemby's
(08:35):
probably fresher, you know, not taking as many shots, not
having the offensive responsibility because they know they need him
fresh at the end of the game. And it worked
because Wenby brings them all the way back right, brings
them all the way back and he plays great, But wow,
that turnover. I still can't believe that he did that,
as great a player as he is, Like, that's that's
that's something that I did not have that on my
(08:56):
Bengo card.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Anything else they could have done.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
They could have called time out, he could have dribbled
the ball up up the floor, he could have done anything,
and they didn't do any They didn't do any of
those things.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
They just gave the ball back.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
To the next Yeah, you had your chance right there,
opportunity twelve point four left on the clock as the
corals the rebound, and you think you're gonna get at
least one good look, maybe a fast break opportunity with
Castle if he throws it up over the top, let's
go get it. But Brunson breaking back underneath. But yeah,
just for what he did in the second half. And look,
(09:30):
I'm not a fan of the pacing. I can't bank
on us coming back from a fourteen point deficit in
the second half. Call me crazy, you're crazy, but they
were able to chase down the knicks down the stretch
and then in a couple of key moments, comes up small,
takes the jump shots, it has that last ditch opportunity
(09:52):
that we chronicled a little bit early as well, and
misses that jump shot to close it out. It was
great to see the second half fire, whether you know
the little thing that was on the bench that got
shown at least three times in the second half, or
just you know, being more aggressive and going to the basket.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
Right.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
He had that big three point play where he.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Got the feed and came swooping in before Brunson hit
that jumper on the ensuing possession to make it a
one oh four to one oh four game. But the
aggressiveness was there down the stretch. But even the best
have that brain freeze in the moment and you know,
as they always say on NFL broadcast, Jason Boy, he'd
really like to have that, always would any interception. I'd
(10:36):
like to But I got to.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Ask you a question. I gotta ask you one question. Yeah,
I got I ask you a question. Do you think
now after Game.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Two, Wemby's a little bit more concerned about the series
because I think after they lost Game one all he
said was I played bad. It's that simple. We have
plenty of time to fix things. All the experts said,
this is going to be a long series. Dude, Game
two is the entire series. Do you think Wemby now
understands it? Oh, maybe a greater sense of urgency might
(11:05):
have been the way to go instead of really getting
that at the six minute mark of the fourth one. No,
that's really where he triggered in there. I mean he
realized it that. Do you think he understands out losing
the first two games at home going on the road
to try to win four for the next five.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Like, do you think he gets that? Oh?
Speaker 1 (11:21):
You know, maybe maybe now is a little bit Uh,
I just have a little bit more of a sense
of urgency. Well, to be fair, I mean, as we
talked about it after after game one, he's a guy
who's very measured in his words, his verbiage. Right, spent
the time with the monks, all of that stuff. He
finds his piece except when he's throwing bow's in the
low post. But you know, you're you're looking at the
(11:44):
all of their comments. I mean, you're not gonna throw
flowers at your opponent after one game right at the
end of the series. Yeah, but you're gonna you need
to understand that I I you can say we gotta
do it. We've been doing it this way all year.
When the finals come and you're playing the best team
you've played, Oh, by the way, you're not just I
mean really, because so many people are that the Knicks
(12:06):
have not played a team like the Spurs play. I
think you got that question backwards. I think you have
that statement backwards. Now Spurs haven't played a team like
the Knicks. And you can't just sit here after Game
one of the finals go yeah, we've been through it,
We're good. This is the NBA Finals. This is the
best team you have played all year. You can't continue
to give games away. I think we can win this
and we win a series. And there were I mean,
(12:27):
I wanted just a little bit of hey man, we
gave this game away, and not just hey we should
have won. Everything is fine, but we gave this away,
and we got to make sure forty eight minutes we
are solid.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
They were solid. The fish that might have.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Been behind the back, behind the curtain, they might have
been behind the Now you do that publicly.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
You do that publicly so everybody can see it.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
They were on fire the first eight minutes of the game,
and they were on fire the last eight and the
last eight minutes of the game in between, the Knicks
had enough to win.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Like where where was that all game?
Speaker 1 (12:57):
I thought the Spurs would be up by twelve or
fifteen and a half times like that should be tonight's game,
and maybe the Knicks will come back in the second
half like they've done so much. Did the Knicks up
in half instead with the late run chasing you down?
I mean, then they couldn't close. I mean, really, I
I don't know. Maybe now the Spurs stirs have that
that believe or that they understand that, oh wow, we
really you know, had to really get that the end
(13:19):
of our season is right in front of us, and.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Now in the face we should have admitted that. I
can't believe that I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
After Game one, we had so much time, we got
so much. You got two extra days. Now you're off
Saturday and Sunday, so you'd be good for Monday, You'll
be good. You'd be good for the rest of the way.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Now you're good. Now you're good, just some time.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
You just wont I mean, it was in this moment
that you're gonna hipped from radio host to Knicks guy
outside of New York. Bar Wenby was defiant after Game one.
We we gave it away. I played bad, no worries well.
But but saying I played bad, I don't. I wouldn't
disagree with him. I saw folks trying to give him
his flowers because of his stat line. I'm like, did
(13:56):
you watch the game? But what I want to say,
you know, the thing is the Knicks didn't play well either.
It's not like if the Knicks no, no, these two games
are not You're not hanging either of these games. But
if the Knicks had played Game one where they shot
fifty percent from the floor and they were you know,
twelve of twenty three from three point range and Brunson
scored forty and Cat went twenty seven and twelve, I
(14:18):
would say, okay, but the Knicks were bad.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Like outside a Cat, the Knicks were bad. Brunson was bad.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
He had a great fourth, but he was bad. So say, oh,
I was bad. Guess what the Knicks were gonna play better?
So Wenby played better in game two? But guess who
else played better? The Kicks play better? Yeah, but you
know what he could say this time though, It's like, wow,
I mean Brunson was seven of twenty five. Yeah, yeah, okay,
there you go, exit out about a Fresca exit Swollen.
I'm just asking that question for whim. I'm just asking
that question for Winby, just asked it for uh. Coming
(14:43):
up next, we will ask that question of a man
who I'm sure is shaking his head every time he
joins us Fox Sports won NBA Insider or Extraordinary Rick
Bucker stops by? What does he expect in Madison Square Garden?
Does the series go back to San Antonio? Keep it
right here. Our post game of Nick Spurs is continuing
to roll. We'd hear from Wemby later on this hour
(15:05):
as well. Jason and Mike.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
This is Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
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(15:30):
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Speaker 3 (15:45):
Subscribe, hit that thumbs up icon and comment away.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Fox Sports Radio, The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon, and I know our next guests just
shake his head, going, I can't believe what I'm gonna
have to talk about.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
I can't believe.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
This is where we're at. The Knicks lead the NBA
Finals now two games. Nickson going back to Madison Square
Garden with us now Fox Sports One Insider extraordinary Rick Buker,
who said after Game one, incredible start for the Knicks,
but I need to see Game two before I really
(16:28):
get a sense of what to expect the rest of
the series. Rick Buker, you just saw Game two. What
do you expect now the rest of the series.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
Jason, it's your world.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
We're just all living in it, my friend, I get.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
One series every fifty years, Rick, That's how it goes.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
I just start practicing New York Nicks NBA Champion.
Speaker 5 (16:55):
How does that sound?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Man, I don't I don't even know how to act
right now. I really after two zip going home like
I have no idea how to act. I'm as stunned
right now that this is where I'm at mentally as
I was Wemby trying to pass the ball to Steph
Castle who had his back turned on that turnover at
the end of the day. That's how stunned I am
right now.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Yep, it's I mean, we saw more of what we
saw in Game one in terms of the Knicks. We
talked about it, the Knicks just not beating themselves and
san Antonio doing exactly that, just not a lot of mistakes,
but just enough to keep the door open for the
(17:35):
Knicks to.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Get this one.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
And I think actually the Spurs making the comeback that
they did and still losing the game the way they
did the momentum. Look, I think san Antonio can go
into New York. I think they're capable of winning one,
but the idea that they would go in and there
and win two, for what the way the Knicks have
performed and what they have and Madison Square Garden just
(18:00):
being absolutely bonkers, I just don't see a path at
this point where the Spurs are able to win this series.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
That just that that may not sound all that shocking.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
Considering that the Knicks are up to oh after taking
two on the road, But as you just said, it
still feels shocking.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
To be able to say that.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
You keep turning, I keep turning the page, going wait
a minute, we can't be where we are right now,
but indeed we are, and they just they have a
look at champions. They've They've done it two different ways
on the road. They've made the plays necessary. Can't say
enough about Karl Anthony Towns and the role that he's
(18:41):
played Michale Bridges, but honestly, just everybody with the Knicks
has has delivered. They have the look of guys individually
who have been up the mountain and for one reason
or another falling short, and they see this as their
opportunity and clearly they are not going to let this
(19:03):
go to waste. It has been genuinely impressive. And the
Spurs have been impressive too. You know, the the gutty
comeback that they made. Honestly, I thought that with about
eight minutes left, I think it was.
Speaker 5 (19:20):
The I don't know.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
They had so many corner threes that they knocked down
with one second left on the shot clock that whether
it was Mickel Bridges or it was Landry Shammitt. Yo.
They delivered, they delivered, and and I'm actually genuinely happy for.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
I'm genuinely happy for you.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
And I'm happy for the New York Knicks.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
They deserve to be There's no question they deserve to
be where they are right now.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
You know the thing is, I know we'll get into
Wemby in a second, but I expected this to be
a little bit of a different experience for because Karl
Anthony Towns and the Knicks are a worse matchup for
the Spurs than that then if the Knicks had to
play the thunder right and Wenby's matchup with the thunder.
But I didn't expect Carl Anthony Towns to be this good,
(20:14):
this aggressive, this much of a leader both ends of
the four through the first two games. He's the finals
MVP right now.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
It's you know, it's funny you bring that up, because
I was just thinking, you know, a lot of people
are thinking, I mean, Jalen Brunson will probably get it
just from the momentum, but I agree with you. There's
there's been no one more valuable to what the Knicks
have done than Karl Anthony Towns and and it's and
it's weird. I mean, honestly, he sounds like a leader.
All the goofiness is gone, like he's the transformation.
Speaker 5 (20:47):
And the way we will look at.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
Carl Anthony Towns going forward is going to be completely
different as a result of the way that he's he
has played in this series. We talked about it at
one point about you know, one of the elements and
the underlying elements, is just that the size that the
Knicks have, aside from Karl Anthony Towns being able to
(21:10):
matt't on someone to say, keep in check with Wemby,
but play him close enough that there's not this huge separation.
Wemby's not creating this huge separation because of what Karl
Anthony Towns has been.
Speaker 5 (21:21):
Able to do at both ends of the floor.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
But you saw, in really crucial situations offensive rebound after
offensive rebound. I think they beat him in that.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
Category like ten to five.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
And a big part of it is you just have longer,
bigger wings. I've said that the San Antonio Spurs Achilles
heel is the fact that after you get past Wemby.
You're talking about sixty five sixty seven guys and ot
ananubi Annobi and Michale Bridges and the length that they
provide and the rebounding, the offensive rebounding that they've provided,
(21:57):
and their ability to get shots off has been the
difference maker.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Rick.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
The stat that just stands out. And we've watched these
two games, you know, and we go through him with
the fine two come the fact that Jalen Brunson shooting
thirty four percent from the field, He's nineteen to fifty
six and you're up to two.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Like that, that's just the amazing testament to what we saw.
I mean, Bridges just hitting shot after shot. You mentioned
Shammitt because he's become a show favorite, particularly when we're
talking with you, but just seeing the secondary guys and
even though you know, Brunson has the glory moments, had
the fourth quarter in Game one and then he hits
the game winning free throw here, but like they've won
(22:39):
for large chunks in spite of some of his deficiencies.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
Yeah, no, I mean they've they've made the game really
hard on Brunson.
Speaker 5 (22:48):
But the thing that the Knicks have is.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
They know where Brunson is going to take his shot,
and they know that he's going to take the shot,
and that gives you just a little a bit of
an edge in terms of anticipating when he misses. Like,
you know, they've played with them all year long, so
when he misses, they know generally where those missed shots
are going to go and and they're able to get
to them and get second chances. And this often happens
(23:15):
with in the finals and with championship teams, is the
stars sort of cancel each other out and then it
becomes how does your fifth, sixth.
Speaker 5 (23:25):
And seventh players play?
Speaker 4 (23:28):
And for the Knicks, those guys have come through and
hit big shot after big shot, and to me, that's that,
along with the fact that this really becomes when you
get to this point, it becomes can.
Speaker 5 (23:42):
You score at three levels?
Speaker 4 (23:44):
And the Knicks from mid range, Mikail Bridges is comfortable there,
Brunson obviously is comfortable there. When you look at the spurs,
Wemby's not quite there, you know, dearon Fox, you would
hope would give you that and did down the stretch,
which is what made a difference. But he was missing
easy shots early and they just haven't been able to.
(24:08):
To me, that's really offensively has been the difference between
these two teams is that the Knicks are matching them,
going toe to toe with them from three point range.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
They're able to get to the rim.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
The number of guys that have been unafraid of to
attack Wimby at the rim and have been able to
score has really been the eye opener here. The Knicks
have been fearless in going at the rim and getting
the job done and have beaten them as far as
the mid range is concerned. So we're looking for a
(24:41):
difference offensively and the reason why they've been able to
compensate for Brunson not shooting well, it's that they've got
other guys that can score at three levels.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Fox Sports One NBA insider Rick Buker is our guest
Jason Smith Mike Harmon live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
All right, we got to get to the turnover, Rick
and and watching that play, like, you know, breaking it down,
thinking back to our conversations that the Spurs are a
young team who's gonna close for them. They have the
ball with ten seconds left and Wenby tries to throw
(25:14):
it to Steph Castle, who hadn't even turned around, Like
that was a panic move by Wemby, and I wonder,
like I see that, and I go, that's not a
team ready for the moment as good as Wenby is,
Like he's brought the ball up before. Like there's so
many things they could have done. They could have called
time out. Wenby could have dribbled, he could have stopped.
He could have called Castle to get the ball. But instead,
I'm so panicked that I'm chucking the ball up court
(25:37):
to a guy that hasn't even turned around, and that
that just blew me away, Rick when I saw that.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Yeah, but you know what, there was a number of
situations where they played too fast. I mean, I'm I'm
watching the game and I'm like, slow down.
Speaker 5 (25:52):
No, true, it's.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
Like one possession game. You don't need to go that fast.
And they they actually d Dylan Harper a couple of times,
survived it or they got a foul call. But I
thought that they they played they and this has been
their issue I throughout the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
It was it was an issue against Oka. See there's just.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
Times where they get sped up and they try to
play too fast. And you saw that with the Knicks
like they they they do not speed them up and
and that really has been the difference maker in this series.
You're you're You're absolutely right. They're just and it's understandable.
I mean I said it to the people that I
(26:35):
was watching the game with. I said, you know, this
is the first time they're in the playoffs and they're
now in the finals, and it's a point where it's
not you're not going to win the game on anyone
and one possession, but you can certainly lose it. And
the Spurs that's exactly what happened to them tonight. They
just they didn't play it close enough to the vest,
(26:58):
to the vest when it really mattered, and ultimately it
came back and bit them.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
Rick Jason's trying to decide does he pay the thirteen
thousand for Game four at the Garden or should he
go with the budget option of Game five. No, Rick's
gonna get me pass this. Rick's getting me pass this
because we've known each other for so long. Oh yeah, Rick,
let me know wherever the passes are for Game four?
Speaker 5 (27:20):
Why is that?
Speaker 4 (27:22):
Why is that even a question? What?
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Well, I'm just trying to say, will they actually steal
a game to where there is a game five.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
Well, but we got game five is back in San Antonio.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
That's what I mean. You can get in fro under
two grand there.
Speaker 4 (27:42):
So I don't know if I should share this, but
I will so. Matt friend of the program, my son,
right he's in New York on an internship right now, and.
Speaker 5 (27:54):
I got to give him credit.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
He because he started out his college career down in
San Antonio, knows people from the Spurs and he he
texted one of them and said, Hey, I don't know
if you know, but I'm in New York and I
just you know, if you have time, I'd love to
get lunch or dinner with you, knowing knowing that they
would say no, but hoping that they would say, you
(28:17):
know what, we can't do lunch or dinner with you,
but here's a ticket you can get the game three
or four. It didn't work, but I had to give
him kudos because he came. Absolutely it was a very
smart move by one Matt Buker.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Yea, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, he's I think if you're
Matt Buker, you have to watch Roofman with Channing Tam
and understand. Oh, if I like live above the store,
and like, if I find a way to get into
Madison Square Garden and live in the rafters and then
about the game for free? What was at the Phoebe
Bridgers contra right, That was like a dollar fundraiser kind
of thing, And folks are like, well, if I go
to that and then I could just live in the
(28:51):
rafters for three days, I.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
Can go for a dollar hey, by any means necessary.
That's that's the mantra.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
He's on Twitter at Rick Buker. That is at Rick Buker.
Check out the On the Ball podcast. He's got three
hours and forty five minutes on Karl Anthony Towns and
the excellence of execution that he has had so far
in the NBA Finals.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
Station might that might not be enough?
Speaker 5 (29:16):
That might that might not be.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
Enough, might be a two parter, don't know, take it
easy money. We'll talk to you Monday after game here.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best
friend Mike Harmon. Nick's going back to Madison Square Garden
up to Zip Ben Stiller jumping into Mike Brown's post
game starting to starting to get annoying. Though, well, I'm
pretty sure. I mean, I know the Fokker's movie is
(29:59):
coming in all right. But he also had the whole
thing where Mike Brown was very excited. His wife was like, hey,
Ben Steeler's there to go get his autographed No, I
think Ben Steller's had to say, yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Whatever you need, mikeever you need, what does your wife need?
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Do you see money? What do you want? Anything you want,
We'll get her into our next movie. But with a
knicks up two zip.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
Right.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
There's so many different things you can say about the
first two games, how great Karl Anthony Towns has been,
Jalen Brunson's fourth quarter, right, Wemby's turnover tonight, all of
the different things. But I'm gonna get to the sentence
that's gonna really sum it all up, and you have
to say, no matter how you thought this series was
coming into it, this is the truth.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Right.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Brunson wasn't great, tonight, Kat was terrific. Kat goes to
the bench with four fouls. What did we see? Mitchell
Robinson comes in and gives them pretty good minutes, right,
came in the first half and they couldn't do hack
a Mitch because I actually made two free throws. I
still would have gone back to the well. I don't
think I would have given up on that quite as
ear easily as they did.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
But that's okay.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Brunson's not making threes. Landry Shamitt steps up another big game.
He had thirteen right, Miles McBride five points in the
second half, had a big jumper to push their lead
out to five. You have seen the supporting cast step
up when other guys have had bad games. Tonight was
a horrible night for Josh Hart. Five fouls, no points,
(31:17):
doesn't matter. Mchal bridges tonight eight for thirteen, twenty points.
He's gonna score twenty points the next game. Probably not,
but he did tonight. No matter what the Knicks needed,
they have had the reservoir where a player has stepped
up to give them what they needed. The bottom line
with this series, the Knicks have been the better team.
That's the only thing that you can say. No matter
(31:39):
what you thought coming into this series, or the Spurs
are great, oh, the Knicks haven't played a team like
the Spurs. No, you gotta flip that question around. Spurs
haven't played a team like the Knicks. The first two
games of this series. The Knicks have been the better team.
You can't you can't cut it up and say, well,
we did this, we did this if we needed. The
Knicks have been the better team. And that's really the
(32:00):
absolute of the first two games of the NBA Finals
one O five, one oh four, the final. Here, the
close out and messed moments in the two games. Yeah,
obviously the brunts and thirteen point fourth quarter in game one,
and then here where you have the opportunity to make
a play or melt down, Spurs melt down and you
(32:22):
have the big turnover bridges and what you saw from
Shaman off the bench. You talk about all the role
players and what they've been able to do, and yeah,
it's two oh right in the end, we could do
the analytics gymnastics that they wanted to do in the
Eastern Conference. You know, when we're talking about Kenny Atkinson
or whatever and their stretches. I mean it's been anne
(32:44):
even two games, right, You've had great stretches where the
Knicks offense is humming and then it disappears, and in
that moment you see the Spurs with the void, and
they had a nice comeback tonight down fourteen, and it
looked like they were finally starting to click, and then
just as fast as a game, it went right. And
for the Knicks, Look, I don't think that necessarily the
(33:07):
narrative coming into the series was terribly unfair given Look,
they throttled each team, So that's that's certainly that and
winning as many games in a row as they did.
But in each of those series, you could point to
the obvious flaw. Yeah, like there's James Harden. Law, go wow,
I like he went right to James Harden. Where's James?
(33:28):
There is James Harden. There's a flaw right law right there?
He lets you down left and right with the Spurs
right now, it's you know, as we were talking with
Rick Buker and you and I've talked about them a lot,
is you're not seeing someone stepping up to take the moment.
I thought you'd see that more from darreon Fox, who
had a much better game too, but when you needed
(33:50):
him in a couple of big moments down the stretch,
he didn't. And when min Yama down the stretch, he's
played a lot better in the second half, but in
the big moments, has the the brain freeze moment with
Steph Castle and then misses the fifteen foot jumper. So
the moments that you gotta have, and he flips a
head and he flopped. He tries to flop on the
jumper at the end when Mitchell Robinson stays away from it.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
He tries to flop at the end.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Well, I mean Mitchell did come into his landing zone eventually.
Problem is Wemby was already on the ground before Mitch did. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
that was That was a big thing. That was a
big thing.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
Look, the Wemby turnover is the moment of the game, right,
and we've talked about it with you to talk about
it next hour. But if you said, Okay, what is
the second biggest moment of the game or the biggest
moment outside of Wemby's turnover, I'm gonna tell you it
wasn't at the end of the game. It wasn't brunt
(34:45):
it in the free throw. It wasn't brunt it in
the fallaway jumper like he did. The biggest moment in
this game. That wasn't a Wemby turnover. Came in the
middle of the second quarter.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
Second quarter? What was it? We'll tell you coming up next.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Jason Smith, Mike harmon Twitter at how about a fresca
at Swollen Dome?
Speaker 3 (35:04):
What is that?
Speaker 5 (35:05):
Moment?
Speaker 3 (35:06):
Straight ahead here Jason and Mike Fox
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Fix Radio Network. I have nothing left. I can't believe
we have two more hours of the show. I have
nothing left after that game tonight. It is one of
those things where there's been a couple of moments over
the last two hours where I saw the clock and
I'm like, that's all it is.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, that's all. It is.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Kind of like I'm in one of those Marvel movies.
What is it when Quicksilver can just stop everything and
your time in a bottle by Jim Croache can just
roll everything out of the air, folks to safety around
and pushing stuff up, being snarky and being a bit
of a smart ass. Yeah, say same thing here. I
felt that a couple of times there. It's like, wow,
all right, we got two more hours to talk NIXT
(01:09):
if you said to me, and I wouldn't even hesitate,
if you said to me, Okay, you can only attend
one more sporting event the rest of your life, the
rest of you rest of your life at fifty five, right,
you only attend one sporting event the rest of your life.
Hopefully it's a long time. Everything else all one sporting
event the rest of your life.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
I'm not going to hold out for the Mets making
the World Series not happening, not holding out for the
Jets in the Super Bowl. If you said to me,
I can go to one sporting event the rest of
my life, it's Game three or Game fod MSG next week,
and I wouldn't even again, I wouldn't even hesitate to
tell you. That's my answer. All I can tell you
right now, though, is you should have bought those Game
(01:51):
three tickets when I told you you at five thousand
dollars last.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Year, last week.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Yeah, because currently the get in there's a pair. Oh no,
it's one ticket, one ticket for twelve eight Oh, that's it,
twelve eight hundred dollars, and then the next one ticket thousand, fourteen,
five eighty three.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
These have to.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Be the most expensive tickets in sports history for Game
three in Game four, which is its history because his
historically right. We can talk about for a Super Bowl
for some you know final, like this is game three.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah, oh yeah, I think that's the.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Thing that stands out to me. This is game three.
This is not Hey, they can clinch and I'm gonna
be there to see it.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
No, it's just Game three.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
It's just I mean, so, by by way of contrast,
what do you think one ticket for Game four is?
Oh wow, okay, so one ticket Game three you gave
me there was one a little less than thirteen thousand. Yeah,
I'm gonna say Game four is over fifteen thousand. Fifteen
to seven ninety eight is the single ticket.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Let me show you where these are at, by the way, Yeah,
that's why.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
And then we got one year and then if you
want to sit behind the basket for about eighteen grand
I mean the thing is I've sad in those seats
and those bad seats before.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Yeah, for twenty dollars.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yeah, exactly, Like I said, I'm sitting here watching Charles
Oakley getting a fight one game. Yeah, I mean, this
is starting to become and I'm not throwing hyperbole out here,
like you see the monies. Yeah, there's a lot of moneies,
like attending Nick Spurs NBA Finals Game three, in Game
four Madison Square Garden. It's become the sporting event ticket
(03:33):
wise of my lifetime, like nothing is. But yeah, okay,
you want to think that in the future, there's gonna
be other prices that are more. You get a great
Super Bowl matchup, we get Steelers and the Cowboys. Yeah yeah, sure,
but up until now, like this, this has gotta be
the biggest ticket of my life. And it's the NBA
Finals and again not even a clinching game, And this
(03:55):
is the NBA Finals ticket experience of my lifetime, and
it's the Knicks in the Finals, potentially winning next week. Now,
I've seen some economic uh factors thrown in in terms
of what the Knicks uh run has generated.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
And I've seen that from a couple of the the
economic councils, And now I'm down. He took to the
podium to say, it's to this point they've generated well
over two hundred million dollars off of the Knicks run
just to the finals, and that the finals run itself
may be worth.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
At least that Wow.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
So nearly a half a billion dollars of economic activity
related to your New York Knicks. It's gonna save the city. Well, okay,
all that money, all that money is, all those money,
all those moneies are going to be needed to save
to rebuild the city after after the after Game four,
after the Knicks win and they have to rebuild the
(04:56):
city if that guy follows through on his threat, I
mean the guy that ty shirt has been playing this week,
and I mean that they're gonna need all the money
they're making. Oh, this is great for the city, great
for the economy. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
The thing is all that money.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Is ear marked to go for uh, to go to
rebuilding the city, building it back better. After Like the
city is gonna look like what happened to New York
after Thanos attacked.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Like that's what it's gonna look like. Man, you're gonna you.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Got big aliens from outer space, like just taking up
the tops of buildings and and and all of a sudden,
you know, the light posts falling and here comes ebity
maw like that that's taking off your callups' That's what
New York is gonna look like.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Man, I mean think about.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Next there you go you can get some bootleg merch
now for your guy. I hear I New York Knicks
house and Nick house, and yeah, the always Nicks is
what's starting to uh really take off, like the the
always Nick gear is.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
Well.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
I showed you when I was getting in line for
security to take my daughter back to Boise Idoh. I
had multiple people in Nicks sweatshirts and T shirts in
front of me, and I was just like, I can't
escape it, John to escape down and there it is
staring me in the face.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
So you just heard the play by play Wemby's miss
that give the Knicks the one oh five to one
oh four win, the play that everybody's gonna be talking about,
and we broke it down last hour to talk about
it with Rick Buker coming up in a few minutes.
The Wemby turnover on the Spurs next to last possession
where Jalen Brunson misses a shot. Wenby gets the rebound
(06:30):
and is dribbling the basketball and tries to pass to
Steph Castle, who is not even turned around for the basketball.
The ball hits him off the back. Brunson picks it up,
they foul him, goes the free throw line hits the
shot that gives them the winning margin. Here's how the
play sounded. Right now, I'll think the rebound twelve seconds remaining,
stumbling Byson and knocked down by Webby, Runson will shoot
(06:54):
free close with nine.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Point five remaining.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Oh, let me be try thought that pass Castle never
saw it coming, hits him right in the back.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Ah Knicks radio on the call again. I you know,
seeing this plane now as many times as we have
and none of it makes sense. And the fact that
Castle really never at any but it's not like there
was any Hey, I missed you on it, right like
I saw you, you saw me. This is Wemby just
I'm getting rid of the basketball. Yeah, Castle looks like heck,
(07:27):
but there was a panic move he seeing that Wemby's
got the ball, so he turns back up court right
like that's it, Like there's that flash. But I guess
in that moment you can say, well, Wembinamo thought he
was gonna slow down enough to take the outlet pass,
but instead it hits him squarely in the back, and
and Jalen Brunson, who was trying to recover, ends up
being the beneficiary of this.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Uh. Inane situation as he picks the ball up.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
I mean, you can't say anything more than there was
a panic move by Wemby who wasn't ready for that
moment as great as he was down stretch, right, like
to give him all kinds of credit when the Knicks
are up by twelve and there's six minutes left to
go and he's screaming at his teammates on the sideline,
and he's the guy that led them back, right, He's
the guy. And this is where we talked about this
earlier in the game where he only had four shots
(08:15):
in the first half, and I'm sure this was the Spurs.
They wanted to come out aggressive with their guards and
be able to put pressure on Brunson. And it worked,
right the Aaron Fox was terrific out of the gate
at eleven points in the first quarter. Castle harassed him
the whole game. Dylan Harper was fantastic. So okay, right, okay,
this worked, and now the flip side was now Wemby's
(08:35):
probably fresher, you know, not taking as many shots, not
having the offensive responsibility because they know they need him
fresh at the end of the game. And it worked
because Wenby brings them all the way back right, brings
them all the way back and he plays great, But wow,
that turnover. I still can't believe that he did that,
as great a player as he is, Like, that's that's
that's something that I did not have that on my
(08:56):
Bengo card.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Anything else they could have done.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
They could have called time out, he could have dribbled
the ball up up the floor, he could have done anything,
and they didn't do any They didn't do any of
those things.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
They just gave the ball back.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
To the next Yeah, you had your chance right there,
opportunity twelve point four left on the clock as the
corals the rebound, and you think you're gonna get at
least one good look, maybe a fast break opportunity with
Castle if he throws it up over the top, let's
go get it. But Brunson breaking back underneath. But yeah,
just for what he did in the second half. And look,
(09:30):
I'm not a fan of the pacing. I can't bank
on us coming back from a fourteen point deficit in
the second half. Call me crazy, you're crazy, but they
were able to chase down the knicks down the stretch
and then in a couple of key moments, comes up small,
takes the jump shots, it has that last ditch opportunity
(09:52):
that we chronicled a little bit early as well, and
misses that jump shot to close it out. It was
great to see the second half fire, whether you know
the little thing that was on the bench that got
shown at least three times in the second half, or
just you know, being more aggressive and going to the basket.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
Right.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
He had that big three point play where he.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Got the feed and came swooping in before Brunson hit
that jumper on the ensuing possession to make it a
one oh four to one oh four game. But the
aggressiveness was there down the stretch. But even the best
have that brain freeze in the moment and you know,
as they always say on NFL broadcast, Jason Boy, he'd
really like to have that, always would any interception. I'd
(10:36):
like to But I got to.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Ask you a question. I gotta ask you one question. Yeah,
I got I ask you a question. Do you think
now after Game.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Two, Wemby's a little bit more concerned about the series
because I think after they lost Game one all he
said was I played bad. It's that simple. We have
plenty of time to fix things. All the experts said,
this is going to be a long series. Dude, Game
two is the entire series. Do you think Wemby now
understands it? Oh, maybe a greater sense of urgency might
(11:05):
have been the way to go instead of really getting
that at the six minute mark of the fourth one. No,
that's really where he triggered in there. I mean he
realized it that. Do you think he understands out losing
the first two games at home going on the road
to try to win four for the next five.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Like, do you think he gets that? Oh?
Speaker 1 (11:21):
You know, maybe maybe now is a little bit Uh,
I just have a little bit more of a sense
of urgency. Well, to be fair, I mean, as we
talked about it after after game one, he's a guy
who's very measured in his words, his verbiage. Right, spent
the time with the monks, all of that stuff. He
finds his piece except when he's throwing bow's in the
low post. But you know, you're you're looking at the
(11:44):
all of their comments. I mean, you're not gonna throw
flowers at your opponent after one game right at the
end of the series. Yeah, but you're gonna you need
to understand that I I you can say we gotta
do it. We've been doing it this way all year.
When the finals come and you're playing the best team
you've played, Oh, by the way, you're not just I
mean really, because so many people are that the Knicks
(12:06):
have not played a team like the Spurs play. I
think you got that question backwards. I think you have
that statement backwards. Now Spurs haven't played a team like
the Knicks. And you can't just sit here after Game
one of the finals go yeah, we've been through it,
We're good. This is the NBA Finals. This is the
best team you have played all year. You can't continue
to give games away. I think we can win this
and we win a series. And there were I mean,
(12:27):
I wanted just a little bit of hey man, we
gave this game away, and not just hey we should
have won. Everything is fine, but we gave this away,
and we got to make sure forty eight minutes we
are solid.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
They were solid. The fish that might have.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Been behind the back, behind the curtain, they might have
been behind the Now you do that publicly.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
You do that publicly so everybody can see it.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
They were on fire the first eight minutes of the game,
and they were on fire the last eight and the
last eight minutes of the game in between, the Knicks
had enough to win.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Like where where was that all game?
Speaker 1 (12:57):
I thought the Spurs would be up by twelve or
fifteen and a half times like that should be tonight's game,
and maybe the Knicks will come back in the second
half like they've done so much. Did the Knicks up
in half instead with the late run chasing you down?
I mean, then they couldn't close. I mean, really, I
I don't know. Maybe now the Spurs stirs have that
that believe or that they understand that, oh wow, we
really you know, had to really get that the end
(13:19):
of our season is right in front of us, and.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Now in the face we should have admitted that. I
can't believe that I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
After Game one, we had so much time, we got
so much. You got two extra days. Now you're off
Saturday and Sunday, so you'd be good for Monday, You'll
be good. You'd be good for the rest of the way.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Now you're good. Now you're good, just some time.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
You just wont I mean, it was in this moment
that you're gonna hipped from radio host to Knicks guy
outside of New York. Bar Wenby was defiant after Game one.
We we gave it away. I played bad, no worries well.
But but saying I played bad, I don't. I wouldn't
disagree with him. I saw folks trying to give him
his flowers because of his stat line. I'm like, did
(13:56):
you watch the game? But what I want to say,
you know, the thing is the Knicks didn't play well either.
It's not like if the Knicks no, no, these two games
are not You're not hanging either of these games. But
if the Knicks had played Game one where they shot
fifty percent from the floor and they were you know,
twelve of twenty three from three point range and Brunson
scored forty and Cat went twenty seven and twelve, I
(14:18):
would say, okay, but the Knicks were bad.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Like outside a Cat, the Knicks were bad. Brunson was bad.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
He had a great fourth, but he was bad. So say, oh,
I was bad. Guess what the Knicks were gonna play better?
So Wenby played better in game two? But guess who
else played better? The Kicks play better? Yeah, but you
know what he could say this time though, It's like, wow,
I mean Brunson was seven of twenty five. Yeah, yeah, okay,
there you go, exit out about a Fresca exit Swollen.
I'm just asking that question for whim. I'm just asking
that question for Winby, just asked it for uh. Coming
(14:43):
up next, we will ask that question of a man
who I'm sure is shaking his head every time he
joins us Fox Sports won NBA Insider or Extraordinary Rick
Bucker stops by? What does he expect in Madison Square Garden?
Does the series go back to San Antonio? Keep it
right here. Our post game of Nick Spurs is continuing
to roll. We'd hear from Wemby later on this hour
(15:05):
as well. Jason and Mike.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
This is Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific. Fox Sports Radio is taking over YouTube and
you can be a part of it. Just go to
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(15:30):
from your favorite shows. Two Pros and a Cup of Joe,
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Speaker 3 (15:45):
Subscribe, hit that thumbs up icon and comment away.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Fox Sports Radio, The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon, and I know our next guests just
shake his head, going, I can't believe what I'm gonna
have to talk about.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
I can't believe.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
This is where we're at. The Knicks lead the NBA
Finals now two games. Nickson going back to Madison Square
Garden with us now Fox Sports One Insider extraordinary Rick Buker,
who said after Game one, incredible start for the Knicks,
but I need to see Game two before I really
(16:28):
get a sense of what to expect the rest of
the series. Rick Buker, you just saw Game two. What
do you expect now the rest of the series.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
Jason, it's your world.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
We're just all living in it, my friend, I get.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
One series every fifty years, Rick, That's how it goes.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
I just start practicing New York Nicks NBA Champion.
Speaker 5 (16:55):
How does that sound?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Man, I don't I don't even know how to act
right now. I really after two zip going home like
I have no idea how to act. I'm as stunned
right now that this is where I'm at mentally as
I was Wemby trying to pass the ball to Steph
Castle who had his back turned on that turnover at
the end of the day. That's how stunned I am
right now.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Yep, it's I mean, we saw more of what we
saw in Game one in terms of the Knicks. We
talked about it, the Knicks just not beating themselves and
san Antonio doing exactly that, just not a lot of mistakes,
but just enough to keep the door open for the
(17:35):
Knicks to.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Get this one.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
And I think actually the Spurs making the comeback that
they did and still losing the game the way they
did the momentum. Look, I think san Antonio can go
into New York. I think they're capable of winning one,
but the idea that they would go in and there
and win two, for what the way the Knicks have
performed and what they have and Madison Square Garden just
(18:00):
being absolutely bonkers, I just don't see a path at
this point where the Spurs are able to win this series.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
That just that that may not sound all that shocking.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
Considering that the Knicks are up to oh after taking
two on the road, But as you just said, it
still feels shocking.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
To be able to say that.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
You keep turning, I keep turning the page, going wait
a minute, we can't be where we are right now,
but indeed we are, and they just they have a
look at champions. They've They've done it two different ways
on the road. They've made the plays necessary. Can't say
enough about Karl Anthony Towns and the role that he's
(18:41):
played Michale Bridges, but honestly, just everybody with the Knicks
has has delivered. They have the look of guys individually
who have been up the mountain and for one reason
or another falling short, and they see this as their
opportunity and clearly they are not going to let this
(19:03):
go to waste. It has been genuinely impressive. And the
Spurs have been impressive too. You know, the the gutty
comeback that they made. Honestly, I thought that with about
eight minutes left, I think it was.
Speaker 5 (19:20):
The I don't know.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
They had so many corner threes that they knocked down
with one second left on the shot clock that whether
it was Mickel Bridges or it was Landry Shammitt. Yo.
They delivered, they delivered, and and I'm actually genuinely happy for.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
I'm genuinely happy for you.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
And I'm happy for the New York Knicks.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
They deserve to be There's no question they deserve to
be where they are right now.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
You know the thing is, I know we'll get into
Wemby in a second, but I expected this to be
a little bit of a different experience for because Karl
Anthony Towns and the Knicks are a worse matchup for
the Spurs than that then if the Knicks had to
play the thunder right and Wenby's matchup with the thunder.
But I didn't expect Carl Anthony Towns to be this good,
(20:14):
this aggressive, this much of a leader both ends of
the four through the first two games. He's the finals
MVP right now.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
It's you know, it's funny you bring that up, because
I was just thinking, you know, a lot of people
are thinking, I mean, Jalen Brunson will probably get it
just from the momentum, but I agree with you. There's
there's been no one more valuable to what the Knicks
have done than Karl Anthony Towns and and it's and
it's weird. I mean, honestly, he sounds like a leader.
All the goofiness is gone, like he's the transformation.
Speaker 5 (20:47):
And the way we will look at.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
Carl Anthony Towns going forward is going to be completely
different as a result of the way that he's he
has played in this series. We talked about it at
one point about you know, one of the elements and
the underlying elements, is just that the size that the
Knicks have, aside from Karl Anthony Towns being able to
(21:10):
matt't on someone to say, keep in check with Wemby,
but play him close enough that there's not this huge separation.
Wemby's not creating this huge separation because of what Karl
Anthony Towns has been.
Speaker 5 (21:21):
Able to do at both ends of the floor.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
But you saw, in really crucial situations offensive rebound after
offensive rebound. I think they beat him in that.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
Category like ten to five.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
And a big part of it is you just have longer,
bigger wings. I've said that the San Antonio Spurs Achilles
heel is the fact that after you get past Wemby.
You're talking about sixty five sixty seven guys and ot
ananubi Annobi and Michale Bridges and the length that they
provide and the rebounding, the offensive rebounding that they've provided,
(21:57):
and their ability to get shots off has been the
difference maker.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Rick.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
The stat that just stands out. And we've watched these
two games, you know, and we go through him with
the fine two come the fact that Jalen Brunson shooting
thirty four percent from the field, He's nineteen to fifty
six and you're up to two.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Like that, that's just the amazing testament to what we saw.
I mean, Bridges just hitting shot after shot. You mentioned
Shammitt because he's become a show favorite, particularly when we're
talking with you, but just seeing the secondary guys and
even though you know, Brunson has the glory moments, had
the fourth quarter in Game one and then he hits
the game winning free throw here, but like they've won
(22:39):
for large chunks in spite of some of his deficiencies.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
Yeah, no, I mean they've they've made the game really
hard on Brunson.
Speaker 5 (22:48):
But the thing that the Knicks have is.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
They know where Brunson is going to take his shot,
and they know that he's going to take the shot,
and that gives you just a little a bit of
an edge in terms of anticipating when he misses. Like,
you know, they've played with them all year long, so
when he misses, they know generally where those missed shots
are going to go and and they're able to get
to them and get second chances. And this often happens
(23:15):
with in the finals and with championship teams, is the
stars sort of cancel each other out and then it
becomes how does your fifth, sixth.
Speaker 5 (23:25):
And seventh players play?
Speaker 4 (23:28):
And for the Knicks, those guys have come through and
hit big shot after big shot, and to me, that's that,
along with the fact that this really becomes when you
get to this point, it becomes can.
Speaker 5 (23:42):
You score at three levels?
Speaker 4 (23:44):
And the Knicks from mid range, Mikail Bridges is comfortable there,
Brunson obviously is comfortable there. When you look at the spurs,
Wemby's not quite there, you know, dearon Fox, you would
hope would give you that and did down the stretch,
which is what made a difference. But he was missing
easy shots early and they just haven't been able to.
(24:08):
To me, that's really offensively has been the difference between
these two teams is that the Knicks are matching them,
going toe to toe with them from three point range.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
They're able to get to the rim.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
The number of guys that have been unafraid of to
attack Wimby at the rim and have been able to
score has really been the eye opener here. The Knicks
have been fearless in going at the rim and getting
the job done and have beaten them as far as
the mid range is concerned. So we're looking for a
(24:41):
difference offensively and the reason why they've been able to
compensate for Brunson not shooting well, it's that they've got
other guys that can score at three levels.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Fox Sports One NBA insider Rick Buker is our guest
Jason Smith Mike Harmon live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
All right, we got to get to the turnover, Rick
and and watching that play, like, you know, breaking it down,
thinking back to our conversations that the Spurs are a
young team who's gonna close for them. They have the
ball with ten seconds left and Wenby tries to throw
(25:14):
it to Steph Castle, who hadn't even turned around, Like
that was a panic move by Wemby, and I wonder,
like I see that, and I go, that's not a
team ready for the moment as good as Wenby is,
Like he's brought the ball up before. Like there's so
many things they could have done. They could have called
time out. Wenby could have dribbled, he could have stopped.
He could have called Castle to get the ball. But instead,
I'm so panicked that I'm chucking the ball up court
(25:37):
to a guy that hasn't even turned around, and that
that just blew me away, Rick when I saw that.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Yeah, but you know what, there was a number of
situations where they played too fast. I mean, I'm I'm
watching the game and I'm like, slow down.
Speaker 5 (25:52):
No, true, it's.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
Like one possession game. You don't need to go that fast.
And they they actually d Dylan Harper a couple of times,
survived it or they got a foul call. But I
thought that they they played they and this has been
their issue I throughout the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
It was it was an issue against Oka. See there's just.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
Times where they get sped up and they try to
play too fast. And you saw that with the Knicks
like they they they do not speed them up and
and that really has been the difference maker in this series.
You're you're You're absolutely right. They're just and it's understandable.
I mean I said it to the people that I
(26:35):
was watching the game with. I said, you know, this
is the first time they're in the playoffs and they're
now in the finals, and it's a point where it's
not you're not going to win the game on anyone
and one possession, but you can certainly lose it. And
the Spurs that's exactly what happened to them tonight. They
just they didn't play it close enough to the vest,
(26:58):
to the vest when it really mattered, and ultimately it
came back and bit them.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
Rick Jason's trying to decide does he pay the thirteen
thousand for Game four at the Garden or should he
go with the budget option of Game five. No, Rick's
gonna get me pass this. Rick's getting me pass this
because we've known each other for so long. Oh yeah, Rick,
let me know wherever the passes are for Game four?
Speaker 5 (27:20):
Why is that?
Speaker 4 (27:22):
Why is that even a question? What?
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Well, I'm just trying to say, will they actually steal
a game to where there is a game five.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
Well, but we got game five is back in San Antonio.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
That's what I mean. You can get in fro under
two grand there.
Speaker 4 (27:42):
So I don't know if I should share this, but
I will so. Matt friend of the program, my son,
right he's in New York on an internship right now, and.
Speaker 5 (27:54):
I got to give him credit.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
He because he started out his college career down in
San Antonio, knows people from the Spurs and he he
texted one of them and said, Hey, I don't know
if you know, but I'm in New York and I
just you know, if you have time, I'd love to
get lunch or dinner with you, knowing knowing that they
would say no, but hoping that they would say, you
(28:17):
know what, we can't do lunch or dinner with you,
but here's a ticket you can get the game three
or four. It didn't work, but I had to give
him kudos because he came. Absolutely it was a very
smart move by one Matt Buker.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Yea, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, he's I think if you're
Matt Buker, you have to watch Roofman with Channing Tam
and understand. Oh, if I like live above the store,
and like, if I find a way to get into
Madison Square Garden and live in the rafters and then
about the game for free? What was at the Phoebe
Bridgers contra right, That was like a dollar fundraiser kind
of thing, And folks are like, well, if I go
to that and then I could just live in the
(28:51):
rafters for three days, I.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
Can go for a dollar hey, by any means necessary.
That's that's the mantra.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
He's on Twitter at Rick Buker. That is at Rick Buker.
Check out the On the Ball podcast. He's got three
hours and forty five minutes on Karl Anthony Towns and
the excellence of execution that he has had so far
in the NBA Finals.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
Station might that might not be enough?
Speaker 5 (29:16):
That might that might not be.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
Enough, might be a two parter, don't know, take it
easy money. We'll talk to you Monday after game here.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best
friend Mike Harmon. Nick's going back to Madison Square Garden
up to Zip Ben Stiller jumping into Mike Brown's post
game starting to starting to get annoying. Though, well, I'm
pretty sure. I mean, I know the Fokker's movie is
(29:59):
coming in all right. But he also had the whole
thing where Mike Brown was very excited. His wife was like, hey,
Ben Steeler's there to go get his autographed No, I
think Ben Steller's had to say, yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Whatever you need, mikeever you need, what does your wife need?
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Do you see money? What do you want? Anything you want,
We'll get her into our next movie. But with a
knicks up two zip.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
Right.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
There's so many different things you can say about the
first two games, how great Karl Anthony Towns has been,
Jalen Brunson's fourth quarter, right, Wemby's turnover tonight, all of
the different things. But I'm gonna get to the sentence
that's gonna really sum it all up, and you have
to say, no matter how you thought this series was
coming into it, this is the truth.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Right.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Brunson wasn't great, tonight, Kat was terrific. Kat goes to
the bench with four fouls. What did we see? Mitchell
Robinson comes in and gives them pretty good minutes, right,
came in the first half and they couldn't do hack
a Mitch because I actually made two free throws. I
still would have gone back to the well. I don't
think I would have given up on that quite as
ear easily as they did.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
But that's okay.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Brunson's not making threes. Landry Shamitt steps up another big game.
He had thirteen right, Miles McBride five points in the
second half, had a big jumper to push their lead
out to five. You have seen the supporting cast step
up when other guys have had bad games. Tonight was
a horrible night for Josh Hart. Five fouls, no points,
(31:17):
doesn't matter. Mchal bridges tonight eight for thirteen, twenty points.
He's gonna score twenty points the next game. Probably not,
but he did tonight. No matter what the Knicks needed,
they have had the reservoir where a player has stepped
up to give them what they needed. The bottom line
with this series, the Knicks have been the better team.
That's the only thing that you can say. No matter
(31:39):
what you thought coming into this series, or the Spurs
are great, oh, the Knicks haven't played a team like
the Spurs. No, you gotta flip that question around. Spurs
haven't played a team like the Knicks. The first two
games of this series. The Knicks have been the better team.
You can't you can't cut it up and say, well,
we did this, we did this if we needed. The
Knicks have been the better team. And that's really the
(32:00):
absolute of the first two games of the NBA Finals
one O five, one oh four, the final. Here, the
close out and messed moments in the two games. Yeah,
obviously the brunts and thirteen point fourth quarter in game one,
and then here where you have the opportunity to make
a play or melt down, Spurs melt down and you
(32:22):
have the big turnover bridges and what you saw from
Shaman off the bench. You talk about all the role
players and what they've been able to do, and yeah,
it's two oh right in the end, we could do
the analytics gymnastics that they wanted to do in the
Eastern Conference. You know, when we're talking about Kenny Atkinson
or whatever and their stretches. I mean it's been anne
(32:44):
even two games, right, You've had great stretches where the
Knicks offense is humming and then it disappears, and in
that moment you see the Spurs with the void, and
they had a nice comeback tonight down fourteen, and it
looked like they were finally starting to click, and then
just as fast as a game, it went right. And
for the Knicks, Look, I don't think that necessarily the
(33:07):
narrative coming into the series was terribly unfair given Look,
they throttled each team, So that's that's certainly that and
winning as many games in a row as they did.
But in each of those series, you could point to
the obvious flaw. Yeah, like there's James Harden. Law, go wow,
I like he went right to James Harden. Where's James?
(33:28):
There is James Harden. There's a flaw right law right there?
He lets you down left and right with the Spurs
right now, it's you know, as we were talking with
Rick Buker and you and I've talked about them a lot,
is you're not seeing someone stepping up to take the moment.
I thought you'd see that more from darreon Fox, who
had a much better game too, but when you needed
(33:50):
him in a couple of big moments down the stretch,
he didn't. And when min Yama down the stretch, he's
played a lot better in the second half, but in
the big moments, has the the brain freeze moment with
Steph Castle and then misses the fifteen foot jumper. So
the moments that you gotta have, and he flips a
head and he flopped. He tries to flop on the
jumper at the end when Mitchell Robinson stays away from it.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
He tries to flop at the end.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Well, I mean Mitchell did come into his landing zone eventually.
Problem is Wemby was already on the ground before Mitch did. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
that was That was a big thing. That was a
big thing.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
Look, the Wemby turnover is the moment of the game, right,
and we've talked about it with you to talk about
it next hour. But if you said, Okay, what is
the second biggest moment of the game or the biggest
moment outside of Wemby's turnover, I'm gonna tell you it
wasn't at the end of the game. It wasn't brunt
(34:45):
it in the free throw. It wasn't brunt it in
the fallaway jumper like he did. The biggest moment in
this game. That wasn't a Wemby turnover. Came in the
middle of the second quarter.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
Second quarter? What was it? We'll tell you coming up next.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Jason Smith, Mike harmon Twitter at how about a fresca
at Swollen Dome?
Speaker 3 (35:04):
What is that?
Speaker 5 (35:05):
Moment?
Speaker 3 (35:06):
Straight ahead here Jason and Mike Fox
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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