PMT DB
PMT DB
Madison Square Garden witnessed absolute history on Wednesday night. The New York Knicks were down by 29 points, looking like they were ready to fold against a San Antonio Spurs team that couldn't miss in the first half. Then, the vibe shifted. Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and even Jose Alvarado willed this team back from the dead to move within one game of an NBA Title. PFT points out that while the get-in price was astronomical, you can't put a price tag on a night that legendary.
PFT CommenterA $5,000 ticket to Game 4 of the Knicks-Spurs Finals was actually a bargain
The $5,000 get in price was actually a bargain if you went to that game and you're a Knicks fan because what you got was probably the best night of, of your life... sports will not get any better than that, than if you paid five grand to go to Madison Square Garden last night.
Big Cat was mesmerized by the Knicks' refusal to quit. This wasn't just a fluke comeback; it’s the identity of a team that has spent the last two postseasons proving that no lead is safe when they are on the floor. While the Spurs looked like world-beaters for 24 minutes, they completely unraveled when the lights got brightest.
Big CatNo lead is too big against the Knicks
There's no lead that's too big... against The Knicks. It's not like a fluke. It's, this is what this Knicks team is. They are a team that, that, that will step up in big moments and not give in.
On the flip side, PFT didn't mince words about the Spurs' collapse. San Antonio is loaded with talent, but their youth showed in the worst way possible. Between De'Aaron Fox's questionable late-game decision-making and Victor Wembanyama's visible frustration, the Spurs proved they aren't quite ready for the crown.
PFT CommenterThe San Antonio Spurs are the stupidest good team in the NBA
The Spurs are the stupidest team. They're the stupidest good team that I've ever seen. And they're consistently stupid in big moments.
A huge part of that Knicks engine is OG Anunoby. Big Cat is tired of the "role player" label being stuck on him when he’s out here making every winning play on both ends of the floor. He’s a star, plain and simple.
Big CatOG Anunoby is a certified star in the NBA, not just a role player
[OG Anunoby] is a certified star. Not superstar. Not superstar, but Star. Star... He's so good. And he just, his motor is just, he just never stops every, he's always making the right basketball play.
Spencer Hawes in Studio
Former NBA big man Spencer Hawes joined the show after attending Game 4 at the Garden. As a childhood friend of Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson, Hawes had a front-row seat to the heartbreak. He offered some perspective on Wemby's physicality and the "temper" that PFT noticed during the game. Hawes argues it's less about being a dirty player and more about a giant human being finally reaching his breaking point after getting hacked all night.
Spencer HawesVictor Wembanyama is not a dirty player, he just gets frustrated by physical play
I don't think he's a dirty player. I think I personally, I love the elbow in the Minnesota series. I think everybody's got a breaking point. It kind of reminds me when I was a kid and... you're so much bigger than the other kids... they beat you up. They're hanging on you, they're grabbing you and you just, you kind of get to your breaking point. And I think as he gets older, as he matures, he will learn how to channel that better.
While the momentum is firmly with New York, Hawes is still holding out hope for a miracle comeback from San Antonio. He's calling for Spurs in seven, but Hater Hank is already calling the series over, mostly because he's sick of seeing Taylor Swift and the Knicks celebrate.
HankThe Knicks vs. Spurs NBA Finals series is officially over
The series is over like, it, it, it's over. There's, they're like you said PFT, there's no way that the Spurs have what it takes to close three more games... It's only a matter of time.
Bret Bielema on Pig Farming and Playoff Expansion
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema stopped by to talk about the upcoming season and his beloved Fighting Illini. He brought a legendary story about growing up on a pig farm and how he once had to manually help a hog deliver her piglets while his "city kid" college teammates nearly fainted.
Beyond farm life, Bielema has some strong thoughts on the state of college football. He’s a fan of the NFL model and thinks the college game should start looking at similar structures for stability.
Bret BielemaCollege football needs to adopt a draft, a salary cap, and performance-based scheduling to fix the sport
The NFL has some three good things that go on for 'em. They have the draft, they have a salary cap and they have a scheduling that rotates every year based on your performance. Those are three really good things that have made the NFL what it is. And I think the more we pay attention to that in college football, I think the better we be as well.
He also touched on the shifting landscape of NIL and the transfer portal. While he's happy kids are getting paid, he worries about the long-term reality for 18-year-olds who might be making millions now only to struggle when the pro dream doesn't materialize.
Bret BielemaNIL is setting up some 18-year-old players for failure
I think we're setting them up for failure, right? So like one of these kids that, you know, makes a hundred his first year... and his senior year, he makes 1.5 million. And maybe he makes it in the NFL, maybe he doesn't and he is gotta go to work for, for a national rental car for 85,000 and he can't process it. Right? That's the the thing that's coming.
Stanley Cup and Mount Rushmore
Shifting to the ice, the guys looked at the Stanley Cup Final where the Golden Knights are struggling. Big Cat thinks it's time for Vegas to pull the trigger on a goalie change, as Carter Hart has been a turnstile in the first five games.
Big CatThe Golden Knights should start Adin Hill in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final
I think this might be the time And it probably was the time before game five to go to the guy who won you a cup in Adin Hill... Carter Hart is the first goalie to concede four plus goals in each of the first five games of a Stanley Cup final.
The show wrapped up with a special preseason Mount Rushmore of non-alcoholic drinks with Hank's dad, Mr. Lockwood. Big Cat went for the obvious 1-1 pick, arguing that water is the literal building block of life and therefore the ultimate beverage, even if it is "boring."
Big CatWater is the 1-1 pick for the Mount Rushmore of non-alcoholic drinks
How has water not been picked? Water's the thing we... I'm sorry, did you say drinks that you like That tastes good... No, we're picking the, the essentials for everyday activity... It literally, it separates us from every other planet in the world.
When the conversation turned to non-alcoholic beer, PFT shut it down immediately. He's tired of the lies and thinks we should all just admit that if you aren't drinking for the buzz, you shouldn't be drinking fake beer.
PFT CommenterNon-alcoholic beer stinks and you shouldn't drink it
I'm sick of people lying about how good non-alcoholic beer is. It's just not, no, just don't drink, don't drink beer.
Good luck to Memes and Zac as they head to San Antonio to hopefully witness a Knicks parade in the making.
