Hour 1: LeBron to the Sixers: Craig and Big Mac on the Knicks' Rivalry

**Craig Carton** (0:06)
It's The Carton Show with Big Mac on a gorgeous Friday afternoon in New York City. Phone number to join as always, 888-808-1019. Have a great show for you today as the basketball world can finally move forward after I bitched and moaned about it yesterday.

**Chris McMonigle** (0:25)
You got your wish.

**Craig Carton** (0:26)
I got my wish, and I couldn't be happier that LeBron James has chosen those losers in Philadelphia to join a losing franchise, no chance of winning a championship, and I couldn't have picked a better team or city for LeBron James to go to. LeBron James, if you're just tuning in, signs a two-year, $8 million deal, so clearly was not about the money, to end his career a loser in Philadelphia. Don't get it twisted, folks. You're going to hear a lot of people today talking about, well, wait a minute, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecomb, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joe Alambida's a great starting five. Number one, it's a good starting five. That same starting five without LeBron did, oh, that's right, they got swept. They got swept by the New York Knicks. Can you name a single guy in the Sixers' bench? No, you can't. LeBron James is not gonna play more than 60 games because he doesn't at this stage of his career.
He's barely a 50% shooter from the floor. He's barely 70% from the free throw line. A career low in rebounds. And oh, by the way, he's 43 years old. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
He is so jealous and envious of the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden. He decided to play in MSG South, a billing that we have taken over in two of the last three years. Oh, I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. And that embarrassment for a governor of Pennsylvania, who goes on a no Kings rally a year ago, not only welcomes King James to Philadelphia, but proclaims today as LeBron James Day in the state of Pennsylvania.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:17)
LeBron James Day.

**Craig Carton** (2:18)
This can't get any better for us as New York Knicks fans. Good afternoon, Big Mac. How are you?

**Chris McMonigle** (2:23)
I'm not doing as well as you, but...

**Craig Carton** (2:25)
Oh, what a great day. What a great day. I'm with you, though. I love it.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:29)
I love it in every aspect, especially from being a Knicks fan, man. I think this is perfect. One, just in the NBA, you need a villain. And this is the team. Look, I know you're immediate with, they can't win, they can't do this.

**Pete** (2:39)
I don't know.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:39)
They can't. I don't know. They've become... That's a legitimate team.

**Pete** (2:42)
Sixers are not a threat to the Knicks at all.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:44)
Oh, okay. I think they are. But I love the threat. And that's where we come from as far as the way I see it. I think this is the time for a Nick fan to be obnoxious. I love the fact that there's, let's go.
Let's see if there's a villain out there because last year, the Knicks went through the postseason with such ease, particularly the Eastern Conference, as they swept away Cleveland, they swept away Philadelphia. Atlanta was an afterthought. They were the perfect stepping stone they needed to find their way to kill everybody else.
There's no rivalry. I know Halliburton back with the Pacers created a rivalry, they haven't been able to get over that hump previous iterations of this Knick team. But the idea that LeBron James is coming to Philadelphia, the process with Embiid and all the fun we had over the last couple of years, like you said, beating them in the postseason. I love that he's joined this team. I love the expectations, whether you have them or not, you know the rest of the league is, the expectations of Philadelphia are going to be, they're going to be the top team in the East right there with the Knicks to compete for a championship in Eastern Conference. I love it. I can't wait for the matchups. I'm so glad they waited, Craig, because I want all these games to be in prime time against the Knicks. Well, you have to give it to LeBron a little bit, right? Because he could have went to a couple of soft landing spots. This is Philadelphia and there's going to be major expectations to win. He didn't go to just a home town.

**Craig Carton** (3:59)
Why would there be expectations to win?

**Chris McMonigle** (4:01)
They just traded for Jaylen Brown.

**Craig Carton** (4:02)