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Chapter 1: Who has had the more impressive Playoffs between the Knicks and the Spurs?
This is the Dan Levitar Show with the Stugatz Podcast.
Really interesting to see how torn everyone seems about who's going to win these two championships. You look at ESPN, they had 24 people pick Carolina-Vegas 12-12.
Everybody I talk to, yeah, I kind of think the Knicks have a real good shot because if they make 18 threes and a half like they did against Philadelphia, they can beat anybody on the days that they're making all of their threes, obviously. I had a couple of quibbles with some of the stuff that Nick Wright said that I didn't get to.
One of the things that he is saying while correctly talking about this stretch of Knicks basketball is,
is 11 games, it's not just post-season, it's the best 11 games of basketball statistically anybody has ever played, regular season, post-season, any time, and so of course that's something that anyone is going to notice, but they are doing it against what I could argue are three worse teams than any of the ones that San Antonio just played.
I could put Portland in that conversation with the Atlantas and the Clevelands and the broken Philadelphia 76ers, but I can certainly put Minnesota and OKC as a level of opponent that is realms beyond anybody that the Knicks have beaten. Everything Nick was saying about the Knicks is correct, all right? But I look at the, like, which is more impressive?
The Knicks winning 11 in a row and murdering teams, buster teams, or what San Antonio just did where they manhandled Minnesota after game one and they beat the Thunder in seven. So while they didn't put up the type of numbers the Knicks did... Isn't what Oklahoma City did more impressive?
Well, this is a weird thing that I'm about to say, Zazz, which is I believe the Knicks' toughest opponent was the first one they faced.
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Chapter 2: What was the significance of Tim Payne's follower count increase?
I believe the way Atlanta was playing after the trades in the second half of the season, the way their wings are that athletic, that they're young. And you saw how that series went. Like...
It was closer than the other games because Atlanta had a lot of things, youth, athleticism, that Cleveland felt like it just didn't have when James Harden was the centerpiece of too much of what they were doing. I think they broke the soul of the Cleveland Cavaliers. I think the Cavs are the best team that they've played so far.
But after that 20-point up and down and all of a sudden the game is over and you're looking up the score like, how did the Knicks win? They took their soul. It was over. Let me ask you something. Who do you think, and it doesn't have to be a team that New York played, who do you think was the second best team in the Eastern Conference playoffs?
A team that played the best in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Well, played the best? Yeah, second best. The reason the question's hard to answer is because if you give me healthy Embiid who hasn't played for several months, that's a very difficult team to play.
Chapter 3: How do injuries impact player performance in the playoffs?
But if it's all of a sudden Embiid's got to play five games in ten days and he's all broken by the end of the playoffs because his body can't withstand any of it, it makes... It makes it very hard to answer that question, especially with the way that Boston played. Because my answer would be Orlando. Like, they were up 3-1 on Detroit. They were playing great.
Those games that Orlando played and was up three games to one, that was the second best performance in the Eastern Conference. And... That's who we're comparing the Knicks to against San Antonio. And you see who they had to go through in the Western Conference. That's the point I'm trying to make. I do wonder. I really do, though.
The worst game the Knicks played against the Cavs was the first one. They got a bunch of rest. Jokic has said, don't give me a lot of rest.
Chapter 4: What are the implications of Wembanyama's shot-blocking statistics?
I want to roll through this. And so what you have happening tonight is... I think Nick's analysis on game one is that San Antonio is going to fold up because they're tired and that was a really hard series. But I think New York not playing in this long when you are a team that relies that heavily on the threes, the shooting goes.
And if they get obviously behind by 22 points against the Spurs in the fourth quarter with eight minutes left, it's not going to go the same way that it went against the Cavs. You gotta miss me with the tired stuff. They played Saturday. They got home Saturday night. Today's Wednesday. They're a young team. We're tired. Come on. Miss me with the tired.
I mean, Nick brought it up, but you look at Wemby's numbers rebounding the ball, and the first couple of games, he had 24, then 17, and then he only had a double-digit rebound once after that. So, like, you wear Wemby down, he's not going to go for boards as much as he usually does.
Chapter 5: How does the Knicks' shooting strategy affect their playoff success?
He's going to float out into the perimeter. But if you look at what the Knicks were able to do offā and then they're down 20 early, but then all of a sudden completely come back and then take over the series. They're already used to playing this style, which is, all right, we've had a week of rest. We've already swept. This is normal.
The thing for the Knicks that gives them an advantage offensively against San Antonio is the fact that Cat plays on the perimeter. But some of what Oklahoma City did to wear down San Antonio they're talking about is being super physical with him, with Isaiah Hardenstein, and other guys in the paint. That's going to be up to Mitchell Robinson. Like, those minutes matter. Questionable.
He's playing. The finger. Is it his finger? It's not really his finger, right?
Chapter 6: What role does Mitchell Robinson play in the Knicks' defense?
It's technically his pinky, but it's his fifth metatarsal down here, which didn't happen in a game or a practice. Where does the finger end and the hand start, Dan? Have you guys seen this guy shoot free throws? It doesn't matter if he has hands. He could be that ticketed one-armed woman. He doesn't need his hands for anything.
White-armed paper hanger.
He's right about that. That kind of thing. Morally Abhorrent makes its return. World Cup is a week away. And four years ago, we had a podcast soccer series that was just, man, all of this is unethical. Enjoy your soccer. And so Morally Abhorrent is going to make its return in the postgame show today. And I don't know.
Chapter 7: How does social media influence athletes' public perception?
Do you know this defender for Wellington Phoenix named Tim Payne? Have you heard what's going on with him? I have not. I thought we might have. You went to the microphone as his inner monologue and didn't know what you were going to say. He was going to support that you knew, and we all thought you knew, but you have no idea what I'm talking about right now.
The most anonymous player in the World Cup has now developed quite the following out of nowhere. Yeah, how would I know that? Well, this is a really cool story. There's a really influential soccer personality out of Argentina that set out on a mission. Let us find the most anonymous player in the World Cup, and let's turn this player into an overnight sensation. I like it.
And so this influencer settled on Tim Payne, who's had a career that has seen him go... Around a lot of clubs, he actually plays every position on the pitch. He's a very versatile player.
Chapter 8: What humorous mistakes can occur in sports interviews?
He even played for Portland Timbers, too. Not the Portland Timbers, their secondary squad. He had about 4,000 followers on Instagram, and seemingly overnight, this is what his follower count is now overall.
4.7 million he's become an absolute sensation there are spanish songs about him there are murals they played last night at inter miami's new stadium new stadium against haiti haiti looked pretty good by the way if you want to head over to the drafting sports app now live in all 50 states and put a little quid on scotland finishing last in that group it might be worth it haiti in in in
The United States, they're a tough out. We learned from CONCACAF. But either way, Tim Payne was a part of this New Zealand squad. He is now a hugely famous dude. Inter-Miami used his likeness to say, hey, Tim Payne is playing in Miami tonight. Come out and watch Tim Payne versus Haiti. The All Blacks of New Zealand, their rugby team, is super popular, right? Yep.
The All Whites of New Zealand, the soccer team, not as popular. Tim Payne has more of a social following than the national rugby team of New Zealand, to put that in perspective. And this was all largely driven in South America. So here is Tim Payne trying through some Spanish to thank his newly found Spanish audience for this fame.
Just want to say a massive thank you first to you, Valen. It's been a pretty crazy 48 hours to say the least. I just wanted to also express that I'm very grateful to be presenting my country at this World Cup and I appreciate all the love from all around the world.
OK, a valiant effort, but I have to correct this poor man. He meant to say thank you for all the support, but instead he said thank you for all the chicken. Yeah, I caught that. No. Yeah, I caught that. Apoyo is support. Apoyo is chicken. And his Spanish, he's trying, but he just said he just told Argentina thank you for the chicken. Yeah, how do you like fame now, Tim Payne?
This is what it's like. One mistake, you're done. Dan's going to jump all over you. So I got a question. So respect to Tim Payne. So he sucks, right? Yeah, he's not a good player. Respect, though. Respectfully. He's a national team player for New Zealand. Not a great soccer country, but he's a pro. But he hasn't really had success on the club level. He thanked the influencer by name.
The whole mission was to find the most anonymous dude playing in this World Cup. So when Inter-Miami says, hey, come watch Tim Payne at the new stadium, you're coming to watch a guy who's not that good. But you're going to watch a celebrity. And we're living in a culture that is so driven by celebrity that celebrities go into politics successfully now. So, yeah, he's become a huge sensation.
So much so that sportsbooks out there have Tim Payne-specific props. Take the under? Probably. Because they know people are suckers. I'll tell you something. If I had 4,000 followers on Instagram and I woke up the next morning and I had 4.7 million... I don't think I would like that. Yeah, it's crazy life-changing. It's a sensation. There's got to be a whirlwind.
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