Chapter 1: What is discussed at the start of this section?
It's the Boomer and Geo podcast from WFAN. All right, Monday, Monday, Monday, New York City. What is up? Coming to you live from the Built Forward Tub Studio. It is the Boomer and Geo program on the Fan and CBS Sports Network. Great to have you with us. It's Monday. That means there is lots to discuss. We will get into this morning. A lot with the NFL as we always do.
They are moving and shaking as we move into March now. We will get into the Mets and the Yankees because we've got spring training kicking into gear. Guys heading to the WBC. Rotation starting to be announced, at least in terms of opening day starters. Matthew Schaefer again last night. We will get to him and the surging Islanders.
But yesterday or, yeah, yesterday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks make it back-to-back wins. And I will tell you, Mr. Boomer Esiason, quite impressively as well. Good morning. How are you? Yeah, good morning, Jerry. I'm doing great. And yes, that's the Knicks team that we're going to see and the team that we saw Friday night in Milwaukee. That's a contender team.
That's a team that plays defense. That's a team that actually took 48 three-point shots yesterday. It's insane. But really, for me, it's always about defense and it's always about... Holding a team under 100 points in the NBA is quite an accomplishment. And, of course, San Antonio, you know, they weren't shooting the ball very well.
And quite frankly, the Knicks, you know, they needed these last two wins. They needed it all to calm down around them. But that's the playoff Knick team. You know, that's the team that I was saying that there was two weeks ago we were talking about this saying, I'm not going to get all worried about up and down and performances. And I know that Cleveland and Detroit kind of own them this year.
But the point is, is that if that team that we saw yesterday against a very good Spurs team who has beaten OKC quite a bit this year and has obviously, you know, this super freak in Wemenyama, if they're going to play defense the way that they did yesterday, that actually shows you that they are capable of doing it.
So to me, as a Knicks fan and watching this yesterday, and it was great watching it because it was intense. They got off to a horrendous start, and you thought that they were going to get blown out of the building. But then all of a sudden, they turned it on. They started hitting some shots.
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Chapter 2: How do the Knicks perform defensively against the Spurs?
And then when you take a look at the amount of shots that were taken per guy, again, Carl Anthony Towns, only nine shots, but yet another double-double. Josh Hart had a double-double. You look at their top six players today. I think everybody had at least nine or more shots. Nobody had a 30-shot performance. And it was really well-balanced, and they played exceptionally well defensively.
And that's exactly what we would want as Knick fans. So they can do it. It's in there. We saw it yesterday. And now the question is, is where are they going to end up in the pecking order when it comes to the playoffs? playoffs. And still, you know, 20 games to go or whatever. But to your point about Carl Anthony Towns, you know, no two games are the same.
Like yesterday, when you look at the shot distribution, when Mikkel Bridges is hitting like he's hitting and playing the way he's playing, you know what? More shots are going to go to him. And they should. And you talk about the defense. He had four, maybe even five steals in this game, and he had the one that led to an open court dunk. They had the runs you mentioned in the front.
They didn't get out to a good start. That run between the first and second quarter goes 26-2, and then even in the fourth quarter. So I was doing a short show from Maryland yesterday to get us to Nets pregame, and I'm following the game on my phone. I'm like, man, you know what? You look in the fourth quarter. Here comes San Antonio. They're down nine, and in a blink,
It surged back to 20 as they go on that 13-1 run. And I'm with you. That is the team that back in December when I sat here with Willie Colon, I said, this is the team that can win the Eastern Conference. And if that's the version of the Knicks you are going to get, then you're going to be in for a ride come May and June. So 17 three-pointers made by the Knicks.
I think it was only eight or nine by the Spurs, and the Knicks didn't shoot well from the free-throw line either. This could have been even a bigger blowout than it turned out to be. But again, I look at the opposing team's score, and you look at the opposing team's players, and then you say to yourself, this was more smothering defense than it was.
I'm more impressed with that than I am the offensive part of it. Although the... As they would say, and I don't want to get into all these different cliches, the ball distribution and all that other crap. But when you saw Jose Alvarado on the court. Took doors out of my mouth. Yeah. I mean, like you could see the energy that he brings. And again, you know, he's had to adjust.
And now I think he's starting to feel a little bit more comfortable. And Diarua is another one. You know, he hit four three-pointers. Two really big ones in the fourth quarter, I thought. Exactly. To kind of stem the tide a little bit and to slow things down and to get the momentum back on the Knicks side.
So, again, this is all that – and by the way, I was reading this morning about, you know, Diarra and how whether or not they're going to continue to – He should always play. He should be in the rotation. I think he deserves it. I think he looks like he belongs out there. He plays good, solid defense as well. So maybe, just maybe, they've started to turn the corner a little bit.
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Chapter 3: What are the implications for the Knicks' playoff chances?
And that's when all the questions are really answered because all of this is great. We know they're a playoff team and we see the upside like yesterday. Everything gets decided and answered when we finally get to the postseason, and what does this team look like? Can they defend like they did yesterday in a best-of-seven series? Do they get out-physicaled by Detroit?
Can they beat Cleveland in a best-of-seven? And I think yes to both of those, quite frankly. To me, one of the probably best stories for the team itself, and I'm not talking about the Knicks for this other team, is just how good the Boston Celtics are without Jason Tatum. Amazing, actually. I mean, yeah.
So they're number two in the Eastern Conference right now, and the Knicks are a game and a half behind them. Think about that for a second. They're missing their best player, and yet here they are. They're sitting with 40 wins, and they are second in the Eastern Conference. That is quite the accomplishment because I don't think anybody thought that they would be where they are today.
No, I think most people thought they'd be a playoff team. They'd hang around. They'd be in that second four in terms of the Eastern Conference. But the season Jalen Brown has had has been pretty incredible. And for them to be where they are, that's why you're starting to see in a lot of places Joe Mazzulla, best coach in the league. I mean, look what he's done.
And there is conversation about Jason Tatum getting back here at the end. I don't know that he's going to. But if I'm a Celtics fan, as much as you want him on the floor, it's almost like, why fix what's not broken? Well, remember, so he had his surgery. Was that early June or late May? I would say it was more like the surgery was probably late May. All right.
So, you know, you're talking about could he get back here after a year? I mean, that's about the time. I mean, depending. I'm sure he is. May 13th. May 13th. So, okay. And that was the second round of the playoffs or the first round? The Celtics was the second round. Second round of the playoffs. Look, I could see him back for the second round of the playoffs.
A year removed from an Achilles, I could see it. So the question on him would be... The question is, would they actually try to play him before the season was over just to get him... Well, so I read last week, unless he gets on the floor in significant real-game type of action in practice, it's not even a thought.
What I'm trying to see is where he's at right now in terms of... Man, that would be a year. I mean, I would think... I would think that he's probably doing some... Running and stretching. Yeah, so it says as of Saturday, he's begun participating in five-on-five in practice. Well, there you go.
So now not cleared, not cleared to play yet, and obviously I don't think that they've got any date in mind. But if on February 28th, now today's March 2nd, if he's already practicing five-on-five, is it fair to say that April 1st he couldn't be back? So it's about nine months. What's about nine? Ten months. Ten, yeah. He's ten months in. Yeah. It's about right.
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Chapter 4: What factors influence a player's draft status?
He didn't do anything but enhance his draft status. I think the Bain kid, while he's got a great motor and everybody talks about how he is just quick as a cat, there's something to be said about short arms at tackle and at edge. I'm just telling you. And he came in with, I mean, the third shortest arms in the history, I think.
of the combine, or it was something like two guys who had arms shorter than him basically didn't make it in the NFL. That's why they look at all these different aspects of who you are as a player, both physically and mentally. Yes, and I saw the— He may turn out to be like John Randall, like just an absolute beast on the field, but the arm length is serious.
I had that down as third, by the way. I had secondary second. I had a pass rusher third. And then I had someone opposite of Garrett Wilson. But you need a quarterback for that to even matter. I would also say they need a leader and linebacker. They need another stud linebacker. That's why everybody's got them taking possibly Arvell Reese. But I don't know that...
Chapter 5: How do college coaches prioritize player development?
That Texas Tech edge rusher, man, he looks just like Miles Garrett. On the conversation we were just having, Kevin in Oakland, New Jersey. What's up, Kev? Hey, guys. How are you? Great job, as always. Good morning. Thank you. Hey, Boone, this is more for you, and I guess it's two parts.
I feel that the college coaches don't really give a crap about developing these guys because it's like, you know, do I want to develop the guy for the next, step, the NFL, or do I need to get wins and make sure that I'm still making my five to ten million a year? And, you know, it's a feather in their cap.
Like Bobby Ross could have said, hey, Boomer might have gotten drafted earlier if it wasn't a jackass running his mouth in the elevator. Yeah, that was me, a jackass running, and I told that story a thousand times. That is funny. I think you bring up a good point, though. But I will say this, that, yeah, here's the thing.
College coaches want kids who are developed and have been developed somewhere else. They'd like to have the James Madison quarterback or whoever it may be. I'm just picking them out because they're a smaller team. And that kid plays two years at James Madison. Let's go throw a bunch of money in him and bring him in because he's already played college football.
He's a little bit older, a little bit more mature, and we'll spend a million and a half to $2 million on bringing a guy like that in. Right, understood. But I do think, to Kevin's point, if you have a system of you want the quarterback to run first, pass second, and that's successful for you, that's not going to translate most likely to the NFL.
Why does that coach care if they're winning 10, 11, 12 games a year and going to big bowl games? I think every coach in college would love to say, I'm going to have my quarterback for at least three years. Of course.
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Chapter 6: What are the implications of the Jets' quarterback choices?
If they could get it and they could get the guy on the field for three years, they would love that. And as long as the guy was productive his first year, the next two years they should be able to take off. Look what Carson Beck did. Better pay up now. He was at Georgia. left Georgia, goes to Miami and gets Miami all the way through the playoffs of the championship game. Sure.
So, you know, he's one of these guys in this draft. Now he's a little bit shorter than you'd like, but the fact of the matter is he seems to be a winning player. The question is who's going to draft him and whether or not he's going to have a real opportunity to be able to become something. We'll take a break. On the other side, we've got CeeLo one more time.
Well, we've got a few more times from CeeLo, but he'll be coming in a couple of minutes. It's the Boomer and Geo podcast from WFAN. All right, Geo's out. He'll be back tomorrow. Bill Ford, Tufts Studio, Monday morning. Beautiful day. Cold, but a beautiful day. And I am declaring winter over. It is now officially spring. Winter is done.
We are hitting the 60s later this week, and next week, like you had said, we're finished. The snow is melting away, and I think we are good to go. It's a little later than I declared winter, or rightfully declared it over last year in January, but March 2nd, and we change the clocks on Saturday night. That's good. No, it's not good. What's the matter? You're shaking your head.
I looked literally seven hours ago, and I saw one day it was almost going to hit 80, and now gone. Well, perhaps change it from LA to here. No, I was looking at here both times, but these things happen. These two forecasts do fluctuate. Well, they don't know. So, anyhow, nice to see you here this morning, Chris. How are you? It's good to be seen. I made sure I was in here first this hour.
You know, I don't want any more trouble. I did notice. So, here we go. And this report is sponsored by Chef IQ, precision cooking, effortless results, chefiq.com. A pair of big runs, one in the first half, another in the second half, powering the Knicks to a big win over the Spurs Sunday at the Garden. Bronson started to score on everyone else, and the Knicks have controlled.
Bridges, another steal. Mikael Bridges dishes. Shabbit, my goodness. The unexpected Landry Shabbit poster. Not too often, Ryan Rucco, ABC. The Knicks on their way to a 114-89 victory, snapping San Antonio's winning streak at 11. Mikael Bridges beyond the steal there, had a team-high 25 points. Jalen Brunson at 24, all five starters and double figures.
And Moe Dior was a star off the bench with 14 assists.
including four threes um we'll get you the audio a little bit later in the show teammates urging him to just keep shooting just keep shooting yeah they were enjoying his performance yesterday you heard the shamit dunk there but here he was talking team defense after the victory physicality was really encouraging tonight um i've been saying all year we're at our best defensively when we're dictating and not reacting and i think we did a good job of
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Chapter 7: What are the implications of the Mets' decision to start Freddy Peralta over Nolan McClain?
He did. And he did go back at Craig. And Craig was kind of getting on Stanton about the chips thing. And C-Mac wasn't happy. Oh, you can on the C-Mac. He's got to protect his Yankees. Yes. Well, I saw he got into it with a couple of people on X over Stanton. X callers. Yes, the callers too.
The other thing I'm going to say is you can't count the last half hour of the show in terms of how many words C-Mac gets in. Because Craig's gone. Because Craig's gone. That doesn't count. Craig's been staying now. So they don't have the C-Mac hour? C-Mac is very popular. That's why. He's got Ryan's coattails.
I don't know about that, but I do know Craig has been staying until like 6.15, 6.20 now. Oh, 6.15, 6.20. Wow. Well, I think it was supposed to be 6 o'clock. Okay. And C-Mac does the hour. leading into the Lugauer, whatever we call it, after hours. And I think he's been staying a little bit longer. I think they like one another. 6.15, 6.30, that's beyond four hours. I mean, you cap it at four.
So he's going to be, I mean, you can't jet credit. I give him credit, but I give him credit for it. I mean, I'm not saying, yeah, but the thing about it is, is the guy he works with not only works the extra hour, but also works on Saturday mornings. He's from home on Saturdays, though. Oh, he is. Yeah. I think that's actually a good spot for him, you know, at home. I don't mean that.
I mean the Saturday show. He gets to do it from home. He can do all his Yankee stuff, all his baseball stuff. It's a good spot for him. He gets all his Yankee stuff off of his chest. Absolutely. That's long been a tradition around here with the solo weekend show. Evan did it. Joe still does it. Mike and Chris. Al can't figure out. You've got 25 hours a week. You need Saturday too?
Is it that he needs it? Yeah, he's contractually obligated. Oh, is that true? Let Al explain. But he agreed to that. I just don't understand why you wouldn't want two days off from the sports talk. You think C-Max can draw a hard line in the sand with the company on his contract? Well, I don't think they went to him and go, we want you to team with Craig, but only if you work a Saturday show.
He was doing that prior.
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Chapter 8: How does the conversation shift to the World Baseball Classic?
Yeah, he was doing that prior. But what I'm saying, like, hey, you're going to be afternoon driving. By the way, you're going to work five hours while your partner's working four hours. Why would you want to work on Saturday as well? That's almost 30 hours a week. I wouldn't say he wanted to. I think that was the deal. Yeah. Ask Evan about his history with the Saturday show and negotiations.
I always thought Evan loved that Saturday show. Like, loved that Saturday show. I think there became a time where it was a bargaining chip on both sides of the table. But it also gets in the way of his family stuff. Yeah, well, that's what I mean. Initially, when he was, you know, a young whippersnapper, but now he's married with kids. Right. And C-Mac not dealing from a position of power.
Right. That's what we're getting at. Here's the deal. Yes. You're working Saturday. Correct. Yeah, but in some ways, he is working from a position of power. He's in Afternoon Drive. That's what I'm saying. Who else are they going to team Craig with? But it's the carton show. With C-Mac. Who else are they going to team Craig with? I say, do you have another name, like, that you thought?
You're asking me? Yes. Why? You've been in that pool. Are you guys trying to make him dig a hole for himself? He does. You know, you amplified it again. Take it to social media. But when you were in the pool with the sharks, you know what it's like. You got to mix it up. You got to mix it up. It's exactly right. And you have that experience. Sure. All right, Chris, we'll see you next hour.
Thank you very much. It's the Boomer in Geo podcast from WFAN. All right, nice to have you with us on a beautiful but cold Monday morning. Geo will be back tomorrow, the Boomer in Geo program. as we've been all over the place today. That's right, and it is time for the Boomer and Geo Electric Play of the Week. It's time for that, and it's sponsored by Cooper Electric.
Our knowledge is electric, and I think we've got to give it to Matthew Schaefer. I mean, two goals last night, two goals two games ago, and he is on fire right now. Well, give it to Matthew Schaefer. Fair. I was going to go with Darren Buchanan of Rutgers, but yes, I think Matthew Schaefer is a much better choice given the fact that it's the NHL.
I mean, it could have been anybody on the Knicks yesterday, too. Mikael Bridges had quite the game. Yes, very, very true. And that's what we were talking about earlier this morning in regards to the Knicks. If you didn't hear it, you could always go back on the Odyssey app, and we opened up the show with the Knicks and their impressive performance yesterday against the Spurs at home. Mm-hmm.
And this was the Knick team that we've all been waiting for. I really felt like it was McHale Bridge's best game of the year. And their defense was smothering, which was great. And then you see other parts of the team actually have – Pretty big impact within the game, and I thought it was a really well-balanced game because there weren't a lot of guys that took too many shots.
I think the most shots, probably Brunson, maybe 17, but everybody in Carl Anthony Towns only took nine shots. Correct. But he had another double-double. Most of the shots came from, you're right, Bridges, Brunson, and then Hart and Dior had 14 apiece. So it was balanced is what it was yesterday.
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