Nuggets Offseason Reality Check Plus a New York Dream Come True with Mason

We break down why the Nuggets offseason feels stuck between big rumors and small moves, then bring on Mason to celebrate a Knicks championship and trace how his fandom grew from a video game pick into a full-on identity. We talk roster building, bench depth, and the tiny moments that turn a good season into a title run, then finish with rapid-fire Knicks games that get surprisingly personal. 
• Nuggets trade rumors fading fast and what salary pressure changes 
• LeBron and Kawhi uncertainty slowing down the league 
• Draft night reaction to trading out of the first round 
• Second-round picks Trevon Brazil and Bryce Hopkins as athletic upside swings 
• Veteran minimum signings and why bench stability matters 
• Mason’s Knicks fandom origin through NBA 2K and early favorite players 
• The Porzingis era and the long stretch of rough seasons 
• Brunson as the turning point and why the contract discount matters 
• How OG, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns fit a spacing-heavy offense 
• Bench contributions and why coaching changes the playoff ceiling 
• Looking ahead to repeating and what the East looks like now 
• Games: blind ranking Knicks players, spelling BRUNSON with names, Chalamet vs Stiller movie trivia, and an 82-0 Knicks lineup 

Transcript

Welcome Back And Offseason Snapshot

Brian 0:04

Alright everyone, welcome back to Fandom from Afar. Well, not much has happened since last time we recorded. We were hoping for some big trades. There was big trades in the NBA, but not for the Nuggets. We were hoping maybe to get an impact player in the first round, the NBA draft. And we traded out of the first round and got a couple second round picks. But we did sign a few veteran minimums, so that's exciting. We'll go over that in more detail. And then we'll get to a fun conversation I had with my buddy Mason, who's a diehard Knicks fan. He is obviously flying high still from the Knicks championship, and I had to hear his origin story and kind of more details about his fandom. I just thought that was appropriate with the Knicks being our new NBA champion. So let's get in the nuggets first, and then we'll get to Mason.

Trade Rumors And The Salary Squeeze

Brian 1:00

Let's talk about the trades. There were so many rumors flying around we were we were potentially gonna trade Jamal, we were potentially gonna trade Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, Peyton Watson. We were gonna everyone was on the table except for Jokic. And nothing happened, and uh it's obviously hard to say how much or how close the Nuggets got to any of those trades coming to fruition, but really it seemed like the rumors started dying down pretty quickly, so I'm not sure if the Nuggets were just asking for too much or if there just wasn't interest in the guys. Obviously, each player has his strengths and weaknesses, but I think the league kind of knew that the Nuggets were trying to cut salary, and so maybe the Nuggets were, I guess, kind of bargaining from a sense of weakness, and the league might have been trying to take advantage of that. Now, the league is kind of on hold right now because of LeBron. He has not decided where he is going to play. It's looking like either Cleveland or Golden State, but I think there's still quite a few teams holding out hope that maybe he'll pick them. The Nuggets being one of them, I think they have one of the smallest chances, but from a basketball standpoint, it would make a whole lot of sense for everybody. But it seems like LeBron's kind of leaning towards I want to enjoy my last year, hang out with my buddy Steph, or I want to enjoy my last year and kind of make it a storybook ending back in Cleveland. So everybody's waiting on LeBron, and then everyone is kind of waiting on Kawhi Leonard. He was traded to the Raptors, but now the league has said that because of the investigation into his Clippers contract, that that trade is on hold because the Raptors would have to take any punishment that would have been given out to the Clippers, and so obviously the Raptors are waiting on the trade to see what happens. So the league's kind of on hold. I think once those two things get situated, the Nuggets still could pull out a trade, whether it's Cam Johnson or Aaron Gordon. I really don't think they're going to trade Jamal Murray anymore, but I still think the Nuggets could do something, whether it's big or small. I would consider it big if we traded one of our starters. Now we still have Peyton Watson who has not signed his restricted free agency contract, and there's a lot of interest in Peyton around the league, but the Nuggets have the right to match any deal that he signs, and so Peyton is obviously trying to get as much as possible, but with everyone being in a salary cap crunch, he's I think struggling maybe a bit to get that giant contract that he was hoping for. So that's kind of at a stalemate as well. It's really a wait-and-see game right now. I still think that something could happen. I think most likely the Nuggets are going to try and cut some salary still, which really at this point I would rather them just run it back. And if the season's not working out the way they wanted it to again, then you try and cut some salary. But at this point, I say run it back and hope hope we stay healthy. But as far as trades go, we'll have to see.

Draft Night And Second-Round Swing

Brian 4:11

Now the NBA draft, I was excited about the draft. This was a deep draft. There was a lot of guys in the Nuggets range or even before, if the Nuggets could have traded up, people that I think could have helped the Nuggets, whether it was just achieving our goal, becoming more athletic. There were some guys that I think were even more than just athletes, like Cameron Carr, who ended up going to the Lakers. I think he would have been an ideal fit. But the Nuggs ended up trading out of the first round. They did end up taking two second round picks, and they did get athletes. I'm I'm happy with who they got in the second round. It's just that I feel like we could have possibly got some of the guys I was looking at in the first round, but I think we can all agree the Nuggets know just a little bit more than me. So the guys they did take, Trevon Brazil, he played for Arkansas. He is a 6'10 pogo stick, basically. I think I heard he has like a 40-inch vertical. So just him being a lob threat like that is going to be really something Nuggets haven't had in quite a while. And then uh Bryce Hopkins out of St. John's, he has really been impressive in summer league so far. He's kind of like a do-it-all hustle guy, but I I like the way he plays. So if he can bring some energy off the bench and just some athleticism on defense, then you can't ask for much more out of a second round pick. So although I was disappointed that we didn't take anyone in the first round, I am happy with who we got in the second round. We did not accumulate any more assets or trade any of our guys for draft picks, so it really was just the two second round picks. So again, you'll see a theme here. Not much, not much happening for the Nuggets on draft night.

Minimum Signings And Bench Needs

Brian 5:52

Now, signings. We have made a few signings. Nothing big. Obviously, we've talked about that, how the Nuggets really can't do anything big until they cut salary. We brought back Tyus Jones right now. He's our backup point guard. He is a solid veteran, but he is more of a third string guard. If we go into the season with Tyus Jones as our backup, I will be I'll be surprised and I guess also a little disappointed because he Tyus Jones, like I said, he's solid. He he was a better player when he was younger, obviously. He's only, I think, 31 years old, but he's definitely lost some of his athleticism. But as we saw in the playoffs last year, he can handle the ball, he can get into the lane, and obviously the Nuggets need that. And so it could be worse. If if we would have let him go and only had Jamal Murray on our team right now, I would be panicking. But at least we do have the safety net of Tyus Jones on a minimum contract. Can't really ask for more. Probably our best signing so far in my eyes is uh backup center Marvin Bagley. He was the number two pick in his draft, so he had high potential. He's kind of bounced around the league a little bit, but I think for what the Nuggets need, he's somewhat perfect. He can play both center and power forward. He's athletic, he plays with energy. I like I like him. I think he'll be a good backup center. It didn't quite work out with Big Val last year, so I here I go again, get my hopes up for a backup center, which when you back up Jokic, it's the hardest position in the league because comparing yourself to him is going to be a no-win situation. But I think Marvin has skills. I don't think he's more he's more of an offensive player, but I think he can be a big part of our bench unit, and I'm kind of excited that we got him, and especially we got him on a minimum contract, so hopefully he can kind of show out and be good value. And then our third signing is Alpha Diallo. He was the European Defensive Player of the Year. I had never heard of him before, but if he is the anything defensive player of the year, we will take him. The Nugg need defense, the Nuggets need athletes. So I couldn't tell you anything about his game. Seems like he's a pretty athletic small forward. And if his focus is on defense, then we will take it. We proved in the playoffs last year that we had almost nobody that could play defense, and so with all of our signings, our draftees, we are adding athleticism, and I like that. So we still have a couple open roster spots. I hope we bring back Peyton Watson. I hope we bring back Spencer Jones. Obviously, we're kind of on hold for LeBron right now. That would be the dream scenario. I just think him with our starting five, him with our bench unit, it just fits so perfectly. And then obviously, watching two of the smartest basketball players ever in LeBron and Jokic on the court together would be beautiful. But most likely we are probably going to trade somebody to cut some costs so we can avoid the second apron. I hope not. My hope is that we bring back everybody, give these guys a chance. They really never got a chance last year. It was always someone was hurt, if not two starters were hurt. And so this group really didn't get a shot. I was excited about this group last year. Injuries are terrible, but who knows? Maybe we can get some injury luck, and this group can win us a championship. That's what I'm hoping for right now. So that's the quick version of our offseason so far. There really hasn't been much happening, but that's okay. I I think the nuggets are in a good spot.

Knicks Championship Celebration With Mason

Brian 9:30

Let's get to my conversation with Mason, a diehard Knicks fan. All right, we have Mason back with us today. Mason is probably the guest who's appeared on the podcast the most, and you know we had to bring him back because his team, the New York Knicks, just won the NBA championship. Welcome back, Mason.

Mason 9:57

Appreciate it. Still definitely sounds crazy hearing that. Yeah, I'd say it probably doesn't seem real yet until you see the summer league just started. It's like 25 days ago or something, we won a championship. I'm like, wow, we're still to enjoy it.

Brian 10:08

Did you watch the parade?

Mason 10:10

I did. Nice. It's nice.

Brian 10:11

Yeah, it's just like just an hour-long celebration of being like, oh yeah, we're awesome.

Mason 10:15

For sure.

Brian 10:16

Well, cool. So we will eventually talk about the championship, but I want to hear about how you became a Knicks fan.

How NBA 2K Created A Fan

Brian 10:25

There was obviously many years of non-championship seasons. And so I want to hear kind of how you got started being a Knicks fan. We'll talk about maybe any players or games that stuck out to you back then, and then we'll work our way up towards this magical year.

Mason 10:40

Yeah, so I may have told the story before, but NBA 2K13 was the first 2K I ever got, and me and my brothers all it's all we played. So I just basically picked the Knicks because one, I like Carmelo. He was fun and flashy, and then they just had all the old vets that were still good, and the Knicks were good in that game. It's probably the only year in a 10-year stretch that they were actually decent. So I mean they had Tyson Chandler, Amari Stodmeyer, old Amari Studmeyer, Jason Kidd is like your sixth man off the bench. I mean, they just had a bunch of studs. Oh, yeah, they were the first. They just had the J.R. Smith, the Iman Schumperts off the bench, the young guys. So I just fell in love with them. It was a fun team.

Brian 11:13

That's funny because didn't isn't that how you picked out the Giants too? Because you really like Saquon on the football video game? Yeah. I love it. Okay.

Mason 11:20

Well, you had good timing. They were they were good that year. They were good. And my brother would always pick the Thunder, and that was the last year of Harden on the Thunder. So you know, Russ, KD, and Harden. It was it was competitive, but I mean they he definitely had a good team. That's awesome.

Brian 11:34

I love I love the origin from the video game. Yeah. Well, so out of that crew, who you said you like Carmelo, anyone else kind of stick out of maybe they weren't the best player, but they that you just loved them.

Mason 11:45

I mean, there was a ton of guys. I think Marcus Camby, I know it's an odd one. I just love big defensive guys. He was a beast. Steve Novak played a long time for the Knicks. And in that game specifically, I think he was like a 53 overall, but he had like a 99 three-pointer. So yeah. It was like a cheat code. He was terrible. No one else knew about him, but he just was a hundred percent from the three-point line. That's awesome.

Brian 12:04

Crazy. I remember Novak, I remember him just being like a little like three-point white guy shooter, and he was awesome. Did was that the year they went to the playoffs? Like, did they have a good run?

Mason 12:15

I think they were a first run exit, but they were like a five seed or something.

Brian 12:18

Oh, that that's a Carmelo special. Yeah.

Mason 12:20

Says the It was good compared to where they were. So yeah, exactly.

Brian 12:23

I'm just still a bitter nuggets fan. What about? So you started like an then. Can you think of maybe a certain game, or even maybe it was the playoffs that year where you kind of locked in and you're like, this is my team.

Mason 12:37

Yeah, I think it was that game was kind of sparked the interest, or that year for sure. And then it was a you know a really rough couple years, and I was kind of just kind of peeping back and forth. My parents weren't big NBA fans, my brothers weren't like begging to watch it either, so it was kind of just me looking and keeping up with the Knicks. But really, it was when Porzingis got drafted 2016, was when I kind of really became a fan. I love Porzingis. I think his rookie year just was really cemented me as a fan for sure. Oh yeah, he was so unusual. He was super fun to watch.

Brian 13:01

Seven three, but he could dribble like a guard and shoot. He was like Wimby before Wimby.

Mason 13:05

Yeah, there was I mean there were stretches where he had like a crazy block and the other end comes down and hits a transition three, and you're like, what am I watching? This guy's huge, you know, and doing this.

Brian 13:12

That was the first I really noticed him too. Is he had like that knack for kind of the weak side block when people didn't see him coming and he would just swat it into the stands? Like, yeah, he he was good. Did you buy any jerseys or memorabilia for that those teams like that you still have? Or like how how how do you feel about those teams now?

Mason 13:34

Well, basically, I have I still have some jerseys. I have Mitch Robinson a jersey when he got drafted, a rookie Mitchell Robinson jersey, which is pretty cool. I have a Frank Nilakina jersey because I was a big Frank Nilakina fan.

Brian 13:44

Yeah.

Mason 13:44

I think it's worth more now after the finals, but like you could you couldn't have paid someone to take it off of you two months ago. And then again, I just have a bunch of Knicks t-shirts and stuff, but I love it. Frank Nilakino was the first guy that I was because again, once the Porzingos was there, Nilakino was the next year, man. I was so bought in. Of the 2018 draft class, we got the worst one.

Brian 14:01

But at the time I thought we had won the lottery, you know. He was supposed to be like 3 and D guard, like kind of ball hander. Like he was supposed to be good, but yeah, you know, it doesn't work out. So you said there was a few dark years. What or were there a team that maybe you had high hopes for that you're like, ooh, we can actually contend, or did that not happen until this most recent group?

Mason 14:24

I think the Julius Randle when we signed him. Oh, yeah, that was the stretch we made the playoffs the first year, and I mean, think just Julius Randle being there. We won, you know, I think we were at maybe a sixth seed and we competed in the first round and were pretty good. Then the next year we got better, and I thought we had a decent shot to be better, and we just kind of plateaued as like a 500 team. But still, Julius Randle is kind of like the savior for a few years.

Brian 14:45

Randall seems to be a beast wherever he goes for the first year or two, and then for some reason falls off, and every fan base falls out of love with him and he gets moved on. But yeah, I remember him.

From Dark Years To The Brunson Core

Brian 14:55

I you and I talked about him quite a bit. He was good. Well, let's talk about getting more towards this modern team. I guess when did it start kind of coming together as the team that won the championship? Who was kind of the first piece?

Mason 15:10

I mean, I think Brunson was one was the first time. Was it the first piece? Okay. Yeah. He was the first guy that signed. And that same season we traded for Josh Hart. So I mean, our team our core was was him and Josh Hart. We had Isaiah Hart and sign for a little bit.

Brian 15:22

That's when they started building the Nova Knicks.

Mason 15:24

Yeah, that's kind of when it started. I mean, like the past two years we got Kat, we got Pikail Bridges. OG OG was like two and a half years ago.

Brian 15:30

So I mean it's all been pretty recent. So it really did start with Bronson. Yeah. And obviously, what are your thoughts on his contract? Like that was the whole big thing that he took a big discount. And obviously, with the Kawhi scandal, then everyone's like, oh, what how did they pay him under the table? But it really just seemed like maybe he took a discount because he wanted to be with his dad.

Mason 15:50

I think so. I think it's just a lot of they took a chance on him initially. I mean, they took him on you know on a big deal, and all the media shamed the Knicks. Like, hey, you took a backup point guard on a huge deal when in reality they just had the same thing work out with Randall. Yeah. And they took a guy on a contract to like, hey, you can't pay Julius Randle 20 million. He brought you to the playoffs like three years in a row, single-handedly. Yeah, like I think the Knicks kind of took a shot at him and maybe kind of, you know, it's kind of a mutual respect going back and forth.

Brian 16:13

But yeah, and like it wasn't like there was a ton of other teams trying to give him the max because what is he, six foot? Six'1. Like I feel like yeah, he still has to prove himself at that size, but but hey, you guys are smart.

Mason 16:26

You did it. We'll we'll see what happens because I think you know the Celtics, all the stuff that just happened, they broke up Jalen Brown. I think Jalen Brown and Tatum were making 70% of their salary cap. So how can you win with that? You know, it's I think Brunson realized you gotta have pieces around you because it's just how it works nowadays. You gotta have depth.

Brian 16:42

I was trying to look through our old texts and I couldn't find it. But do you remember how you felt for the OG trade?

Mason 16:50

I think I was a little like underwhelmed. I was because I was a big RJ fan and I liked quickly. But obviously that worked out good. Yeah.

Brian 16:57

And then what about the bridges for five first round picks?

Mason 17:01

I'm still ecstatic about it. Yeah.

Brian 17:03

Because if they're an end of the first round pick, like those players hardly. It's gonna be worth nothing. Yeah, exactly. So I've I'm just so impressed with how they built it. One thing I was thinking about today, do you think you guys would have won the championship with Tibbs as your coach still?

Mason 17:18

I don't think so.

Brian 17:19

Yeah, I don't think so either.

Mason 17:20

I don't think our bench would have played any minutes in these games. It seems like most of our comebacks came back came off of our bench. Yeah. We had pieces that made, you know, made big plays.

Brian 17:28

It seems like Mike Brown just kind of had that magic touch. He knew exactly how to relate to the guys, how to get the most out of them.

Mason 17:33

Yeah, I also don't think we would have made any in-season moves like Shamit basically made the team because uh Brogdon retired before the season.

Brian 17:40

Oh, yeah.

Mason 17:41

Two days before the season. So like we wouldn't even have had Shamit, and then we went and got Alvarado for nothing.

Brian 17:46

Oh yeah.

Mason 17:47

Just a couple seconds. Yeah, definitely impressive.

Brian 17:52

It's so fun to look back and be like, oh, that move worked out great.

Mason 17:54

That move worked out great. Thanks, Malcolm Brogdon, for retiring. Yeah, Shamit who worked out great.

Brian 17:58

That would have been a big difference. Because obviously Brogdon, just the way his last few years went, he probably would have been hurt most of the year. And that would have been a good one.

Mason 18:05

He was really good. I mean, yeah.

Brian 18:06

But okay, well, so let's start, let's talk about this year.

Why This Knicks Team Finally Clicked

Brian 18:10

It wasn't like you guys were dominant all year long and everyone was like, oh, look out for the Knicks. Can you think of a time where, because you watch the games where someone like me who's just casually paying attention wouldn't wouldn't notice, but like can you think of a time maybe where you're like, oh, this team actually they can contend, like they could win it all.

Mason 18:31

Yeah, I think Christmas, the Christmas Day game, they played the Cavs. Okay, and I think we had a couple guys out of our starters, and Tyler Koelick had to come in and play real minutes and drop like 20 points, 10 assists. We just light it up on Christmas, and of course, you know, it's a game when everyone's watching. I think all of our role guys had big games. I'm like, I'm sitting there like, okay, if our role guys can step up in these huge games, I know our starters can bring it. And again, it's a seven-game series in the playoffs.

Brian 18:55

Yeah, we've been successful before, so yeah, it's got to give you confidence when your third string point guard comes in and puts up.

Mason 19:00

That was the biggest killer last year. When last year in a big game, our bench comes in automatically. It you know, it's when Jokic comes out, it's the bench minutes kill you. Disaster. It's hard to watch. So it's it was really reassuring to watch the bench come in and play good minutes, and they could go, they could play a whole quarter with just the bench and we compete. You know, that's obviously good to see.

Brian 19:18

And you guys were solid, but did what'd you finish at as the third or the fourth seed? Third seed. Third seed. Because I remember we got together when the playoffs first started, and I think you were excited, you were hopeful, but like there was always the big bad thunder and the Spurs looming and stuff like that.

Mason 19:35

There was always the big bad Cavs and Celtics, too. Yeah. I wasn't even thinking about I was thinking about maybe the second round before he could even get to the West.

Brian 19:43

But but then they just didn't lose. Except for the night that we got together to watch. But what is it about this team? Like it's it's obviously the starting five, but what what clicked?

Mason 19:57

Like what made it different where they just could not be beat? I think you know, Carl Anthony Towns took a step back in his role, but it almost improved the team. He was almost a point forward instead of a center. I think it helped everybody just get spacing. We have a lot of like OG can drive every time, and and he's willing to drive too, but he kind of loses we kind of lose his value if he just sits in the corner, which he can shoot well too. But I think it allowed everybody to have more of an offensive game, even Mikael Bridges, who can you know he had a game in the playoffs, he had zero points, and everyone's like, what the heck?

Brian 20:24

Yeah.

Mason 20:25

The next game followed up with a 20-point game, and looks like he wasn't even missing. You're like, What happened to Mikhail Bridges? Again, the paint just got spaced out, and it's a one-on-one. He has a mid-range jumper. He can still score. I mean, he was in Brooklyn, he was scoring 24 a game two years ago. Yeah, you forget it. Like, he can score.

Brian 20:40

So I was really impressed with OG. Like, obviously, I watched them the farther and farther they went, the more I watched him. I was like, man, I had no idea OG was like such a well-rounded player. For some reason, I was just thinking of him more as like he can play good defense and he could maybe drive a little bit, but he he does everything.

Mason 20:55

Like, yeah, he's pretty amazing. Cat really isn't a back to the basket player. Yeah, he's not, and I think they were trying to play that with Tibbs, and I think we kind of realized, like, hey, space him out, almost run a five out. You have five guys that can shoot, five guys that can drive, like let them all do their thing.

Brian 21:09

And yeah, I was I was impressed with Kat. Like, I I've never been a huge fan of his game. Like, I think I told you when they traded for him that I'm not a fan, but I was impressed with him. Like, he like you said, he he stepped back to the right amount to fit in with everybody. He wasn't trying to be the star, he wasn't even trying to be the second best player, he just did whatever was necessary, and it was perfect. Like, I I couldn't help but be impressed, even though I'm not not a huge cat fan still, but he he's good and he was perfect for you guys.

Mason 21:38

So I can't I can't say game one of the finals. I mean, he was awesome on defense. I was like, what happened to Cat? Like he used to be an offensive all star, and now it looked like the opposite. It's like yeah, he shot five shots and was playing great defense. Like the whole identity has changed this, you know, this that series for sure.

Brian 21:52

So the starting five is obviously ridiculous. Who who were some of your favorite bench players and like what did they bring to the team?

Mason 21:59

Obviously, Mitch. Robinson's fun. I feel like his energy he just brings energy. Much different than Kat. I feel like obviously the free throws, you you hate to see them as free throws or stretches. You're like, I can't believe this dude plays in the NBA. He shoots 25% from the line or something. But you know, sham everyone had their everyone had their role. McBride was awesome during the regular season, had a couple good playoff games, but the finals didn't do much. But again, it was ever every night it would be a new guy to step up and give you 12. Yeah. Give you 13, like great points.

Brian 22:25

It just seemed like all the pieces fit together just whenever you needed them. Yeah. Man. I'm just jealous. I'm I'm just I'm in envy that I got to feel this way a few years ago and I'm I miss it. Well, what about so remind me their path? Did they start out with the Hawks? They did. And then they lost a few games. They were now 2-1. And then they won like 13 in a row. Yeah. They had that huge winning streak because who did they play next? Sixers. Sixers they didn't they didn't lose. And then it was the Cavs, they didn't lose. So yeah, they just really turned it on after that Hawks series. Was it anything different that they were doing, or was it just do you think they just matched up really well at those teams and just dominated?

Mason 23:04

I think the Sixers and B was definitely banged up. Oh yeah.

Brian 23:07

Oh, shocking.

Mason 23:08

He played the first game and he they were pretty good. Yeah. But I think Maxie, again, he couldn't get to the rim. We put a good we put a big wing on him and it, you know, got those six pterodactyls on him. And I think the Sixers will be different now, but they didn't have a guy besides Maxie or Nepal George was streaky. They had Edgecombe was a rookie who was streaky. Sure. They just didn't have anybody that could consistently score on us.

Brian 23:27

And it's one of those things where you guys swept both teams so it looks like it was easy, but you guys may have just been that good. Yeah. I felt the same way when the Nuggets won, everyone was like, Oh, you didn't play anyone. It's like we made them look bad. Like we we were playing really well, but I don't know. It's it's all revisionist history. But then when when you guys were in the finals and it was Spurs versus Thunder, did you have a preference on who you wanted to play?

Mason 23:51

I definitely wanted the Spurs. Okay. Just because experience. Yeah. I think it I think it does matter.

Brian 23:55

And I think that came in into play.

Mason 23:57

I don't think if it comes down to it, like Brunson can't guard anybody on the Thunder. Uh I think he could, I think he could play softball on a guy like Champagny or somebody. I just think you know that the Thunder are experienced, and Chet wasn't going to have a bad series again. I was like, I I'd be afraid of them. So I think it definitely worked out. So you never know. They were playing good, so you never easily beat the Thunder. You never know.

Brian 24:18

But they're so good for being so young.

Mason 24:20

Spurs won. I was definitely excited to see that.

Brian 24:22

I'd say you must have been confident going in. And then how uh how did you feel as the series went on? Like it seemed inevitable towards the end, but in the beginning, were you nervous at all, or was it kind of playing out like you thought it would?

Mason 24:34

I mean, I think we were the underdog still to the media, so it kind of felt like there was no pressure. Yeah, we even thought we'd been sitting at home for a week and the Thunder were they just beat the Spur, you know, they beat or beat the Thunder. We were we were kind of the underdog, so I I was like, it's like a quiet confidence. And then you beat game one and then you're like, okay, okay, that's one game. You won game two, okay. And it felt like we weren't playing great either. I mean, that was Josh Hart scoring, I think, 20 points in both of those, you know, in one of those games, shooting great from three. That doesn't normally happen.

Brian 25:00

Yeah, because Brunson didn't really do much in the first two games, right?

Mason 25:03

Yeah, they were they were playing well on him, and then he just took over. So like winning games that we felt like we shouldn't have won, I was like, okay, this is this just feels right, you know.

Brian 25:10

I was so impressed with the Knicks fans like taking over the San Antonio arena. That's crazy. Like, especially what'd you guys win in game six? Five. Five. When it was like more than half the stadium was Knicks fans. Like they just didn't want to miss it.

Mason 25:23

That was they were trying to, they basically were like, if you weren't in this, you know, the 150 mile radius, they were selling your voiding your ticket.

Brian 25:30

Yeah.

Mason 25:30

You can't you're not from Texas, you can't come to this game.

Brian 25:33

Did you think about trying to go?

Mason 25:34

I don't have the money for that, but I wish that probably sucks. The tickets were like $10,000, the cheapest ticket.

Brian 25:39

Well, yeah, that's why you can't blame the Spurs fans. It's like, oh well, I could pay for my next five years of season tickets by giving up this one game.

Mason 25:45

No, I was I was enjoying it.

Brian 25:46

Yeah, that's cool.

Legacy Talk And Can They Repeat

Brian 25:48

So just looking back on it, what what do you think you'll think about this team five years from now, ten years from now? Like, how do you think they're gonna be remembered?

Mason 25:58

I mean, obviously the stars, you'll remember the stars. I'll remember just I think the roster construction at the time, I think it was perfect. You know, we were challenging the Celtics, we built a team to beat the Celtics and the Cat. Like we had we had a team that was fit to beat everybody on our side, and then again, we get to the finals, it's a seven-game series, best of seven. I think we matched up well against the Spurs too. But the years before we had lost, it felt like those teams just still had an edge over us. We couldn't stop them.

Brian 26:21

Sure. No, yeah, the roster construction, like like the moves that we talked about, there's everyone kind of built towards the next one and they all fit perfectly together.

Mason 26:28

It's risky, but again, the you know how much we have been 10 plus years of taking lottery picks and it was nothing. So it's oh yeah. Some point you got to take a risk and just go all in and see what happens.

Brian 26:38

Because it this happens, and and if you get one championship, yeah, that that feeds your fandom for 50 years.

Mason 26:44

Like in the course, still together for sure, at least next year. Yeah, you know, you have a chance to run it back through almost your entire roster.

Brian 26:50

So, how are you feeling about that? Because we we were talking before we were recording, no, no, none of the top teams really did anything extraordinary.

Mason 26:58

They really lost guys more than they got guys, yeah.

Brian 27:00

Like Boston giving up Jalen Brown. So I would say you guys are the favorites in the East. I don't know if you feel that way, but do you do you think you can repeat? Obviously, there hasn't been a repeat champion in quite a long time.

Mason 27:12

Yeah. As of now, I'm gonna say no. I think we have seen eight champions for a reason. I think it's it's really hard to get back.

Brian 27:17

You have to have that perfect health luck, perfect like things break your way in the playoffs.

Mason 27:21

But I I do think teams, you know, even the Hawks, Hawks, the Cavs, the Sixers, they all got better. The Raptors can get, you know, pending Kawhi stuff. Like, that's four or five teams that are immediately much better than they were last year. So again, I think I think I think it's difficult to get back, but all you can ask for is to be in the mix, though, and for sure.

Brian 27:40

You guys got a shot. So well, you you mentioned people lost players. You guys lost Mitchell Robinson. Did you replace him yet? It's Drummond. Oh, that's right, that's right. How are you feeling about that?

Mason 27:54

Again, I don't think he's the defensive presence, but he does the same. I mean, he gets offensive rebounds the same level, I would say. Yeah. And he can make a free throw. Yeah. So that's fair. Even maybe shoot a three.

Brian 28:04

It really is fascinating, though. You guys really didn't lose much. Yeah. So there's no reason to think you can't hang in there and compete again. So it'll it'll be fun. And maybe we'll have to do a season preview for all the craziness that happened and stuff like that. But right now we just need to bask in the glow that your team is the champions, and that's exciting. So yeah. Well, cool,

Games: Blind Ranks And Movie Trivia

Brian 28:24

man. I have a few games. Like, you know, I can't bring you on without playing a few games. So we're gonna talk about your Knicks fandom, probably in ways you've never done before. Let's start out with an easy one. Blind rank. I'm gonna give you five Knicks players. You have to blind rank them, and if you mess up, then I'm just gonna consider that terrible player your number one player. So let's let's let's try this out. Carmelo Anthony. I'd put him at four. Four. Okay. Pretty good. Playing it safe. Let's go with OG. I think I now have to put him at three. You're putting OG at three? I put him at three. Okay, very good, very good. And uh who do I have here? Jalen Brunson. I put Brunson at two. Ooh, interesting. You're expecting someone, I think. I think so. Yeah. Let's see if you get him. This might be him. Uh Jeremy Lynn. Five. Yeah, for sure. I was hoping you had saved uh high spots for him. And last one is Patrick Ewing. One. Yeah, he so what does Brunson have to do to be considered the greatest Nick of all time, do you think?

Mason 29:37

Honestly, I think it's just doing it for a little bit longer for time. Okay. I think he's only been here four years.

Brian 29:42

Obviously, a championship speaks for itself, but but do you think most Knicks fans would still consider Ewing the top Nick of all time?

Mason 29:49

I think I think so. Maybe if he if we do well for another couple years and Brunson's still, you know, scoring 25 a game and he's the face of New York, I think it'll change.

Brian 29:56

It gives him such an advantage that he was the best player on the championship team. So yeah, if he puts in a few more years, I think he'll climb at the top. Alright, so this one is called the name game. I am going to give you a letter, and you have to give me a NYX player from the last 20 years that either his first or his last name starts with that letter. And if you match the player that I wrote down, then you automatically win the game. The word we're spelling is Brunson. So the first letter is B. Okay.

Mason 30:34

I'll take bridges first, Kale.

Brian 30:36

So it was so hard for the B's not to be like super obvious. I wanted to put Brunson. I want to put Brian. Brunson or Bridges. I did not. I put Andrea Bargnani. There you go. So Bragg and Zero Games Play, but he was a Nick. Now let's try R.

Mason 30:54

Trying to think.

Brian 30:56

Ron Baker. I almost put him, but I didn't. Well, you almost got me. I put Quentin Richardson. Nice. Yeah. And this was the toughest one. You. I could only find one player whose first or last name turned out. In the last 20 years.

Mason 31:14

I don't know if I'm going to get it then.

Brian 31:15

Yeah, I I wouldn't expect you to. This was this was like a role player that played for a bunch of different teams. Not a name you think of very often.

Mason 31:24

Did you play recently?

Brian 31:25

No, it's been a bit.

Mason 31:26

I probably wouldn't get him.

Brian 31:29

Bano Udritch. Yeah. That was the only one I could find. In.

Mason 31:35

I'll do Steve Novak.

Brian 31:37

I almost put him too. I put Joekim Noah.

Mason 31:41

Nice. That was fun. That was a year when we were supposed to be good. Yeah. I remember the hype for that. D Rose, Joe Kim Noah. Like, we have the best team ever. They just couldn't stay healthy.

Brian 31:51

Alright. S. Hmm. I'll do Iman Schumpert. Ooh, close. One of my favorite guys. Close. You mentioned this guy earlier. I put Landry Shamit. Nice. I wanted to make sure to have at least one modern guy on.

Mason 32:04

Yeah. Oh. I think you gotta go OG, right? OG and Obi.

Brian 32:09

I didn't want to be too obvious. I wanted to put him, but I didn't want to be obvious. I put Obi Top in.

Mason 32:12

Nice.

Brian 32:13

And last one, this is your last chance to win. In. I'll do my go Frank Nelkina. I think you got it right. Yeah. Nice. When you mentioned him earlier, I was like, oh, now he has him on the brain, he might get him. Very good, very good. You win that one. Alright. Third game. I'm going to call this one Shallow Maybe. Because Timothy Chalamet obviously got a lot of camera time during the playoffs. He's I think he's a legit fan. Like there's photos that came out of him.

Mason 32:41

Yeah, he's been he's been pictures of him at games 10 years ago.

Brian 32:44

Yeah, exactly. When he was like 12 years old. And so I I think I don't think it was for the camera. I think he's a legit fan. And so I'm saying Shallow Maybe because this game is you're gonna tell me whether Timothy Chalamet or other Nick's super fan Ben Stiller are in a movie. Okay. So either Timothy or Ben Stiller. So first one, Interstellar.

Mason 33:06

Yes, Timothy.

Brian 33:08

You know it's Timothy? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, you got that. How about the watch? I don't think I've heard of that. I tried to pick some obscure movies after Interstellar.

Mason 33:20

I've never heard of it, so I'm gonna say no. Well no, one of them are it is for sure.

Brian 33:26

You have to tell me if it's either Timothy or Ben.

Mason 33:29

I mean my guess would be Ben. You would be correct.

Brian 33:32

It was like him and Vince Vaughn, they did like a neighborhood watch program. It was Zany Hilarity. How about Happy Gilmore 2? Dude, I've never seen the first one. Lot of cameos in that one. It could be either one. I feel like it'd be Ben Stiller. You are correct. Yeah. He had a funny character in the first one where he played like this nurse at a retirement home. And so he he came back for the second one. Man, you're three for three. Alright, this was a big movie. Ladybird.

Mason 34:01

My guess is Timothy. I feel like that sounds I feel like I remember seeing that recently.

Brian 34:05

You know your Knicks fans well. You were four for four. And last one is called Bones and All. My guess beats Stiller. Almost had the perfect game. Man. Got that one. Never heard of that one. Four out of five. It came out in 2022 starring Timothy Chalamet. Apparently, it was about two young hitchhiking cannibals.

Mason 34:27

Nice.

Brian 34:27

Yeah. I don't know how I missed that one. Alright, so four out of five. I still consider you a winner for that game. And then our last game today, I don't know if you played it, but a couple weeks ago, the game 82-0 became super popular. Yeah. So I would love to hear your Knicks only lineup that would give you the best chance of going 82 and 0.

Mason 34:48

It's definitely not 82 and oh. I'll tell you that now. I'll tell you that now.

Brian 34:51

I think it'd be hard, but let's let's hear your best shot.

Mason 34:54

I would go, you know, this is all in prime, obviously. I think it's all more recent guys. Yeah. I think Brunson at the one. Honestly, I'd put OG at the two. I'd put Carmelo at the three. I'd put Kat at the four, and I'd put Ewing at the five. Ooh, I like it. I think Kat would be a good spacing for a four.

Brian 35:13

I think it's a good team. I don't know what 82 and 0 would say, but I think that's right up there. I don't think 80 would have a shot, but no, but still that that's that's a legit, legit starting five. It balances well, mix of offense and defense. That's pretty good. It's kind of a different way of doing Mount Rushmore. For sure. Well, cool, man.

Best Knicks Lineup And Goodbye

Brian 35:30

I'm excited for you. Maybe the Giants will cut win one for you and you'll come back on for that, but I doubt it. But I just every game I watched during the playoffs, I was just excited for you because I know how it feels. Like that's that's why you stay up and watch the games. Like for us here on the East Coast, those playoff games end pretty late. Yeah, not going to bet at you know, those games are ending at 11 45 midnight. Yeah, exactly. So it's worth it. It's worth it. And I just I can't wait for next season. But I thought it was appropriate that we get you back on here so we can celebrate this passing.

Mason 36:01

It's nice to not be excited for summer league. It's like the first the first time ever where I'm like not, you know. Yeah, you don't care what's going on. What's our young guy who's in summer league? We don't have any.

Brian 36:12

Well, awesome. Thanks for coming back on, and I'm sure we'll have you on again.

Mason 36:15

Yes, sir. Appreciate it. Thanks.