Hour 2: Knicks Face Game 3 Pressure and a $100K Ticket Selling Dilemma

**Craig Carton** (0:00)
Game three tonight, Madison Square Garden. And if you're not pumped up or you're letting a presidential visit bother you, then there's something wrong with you today.
All amped up for the game tonight. You made a point before I go back to these calls, Big Mac, that there is a flip side to the coin of no team in NBA history has won the first two games on the road and then not closed out and won the championship. So you think there's a different side to that?

**Chris McMonigle** (0:28)
Well I mean that's a fact, no team in the NBA finals has ever been down 0-2 after losing both games at home and come back to win the series.
The coronation, like you put it, that means well, the coronation is coming. And while I do agree, because I trust this team like almost no other team I've ever rooted for, the idea is now the pressure does switch slightly to where the Knicks can't lose anymore. Like, it's no longer, like...

**Craig Carton** (0:53)
Can they lose a game?

**Chris McMonigle** (0:54)
No, they have to win the series.

**Craig Carton** (0:56)
100%? The biggest collapse of all time.

**Chris McMonigle** (0:59)
Bingo. And there is that added pressure. I know we feel like they're immune to the pressure. I get it. I think they are too. I'm not trying to tell you this is now a bad spot for the Knicks. I think they're in a great spot. And I don't think there's a way in hell any team in the history of basketball has beaten them four out of five times. Like, I feel that confidently about it. But you have to acknowledge that it does change a little bit now that they're the team who has to win. Wemby was better, the West was better, the Spurs were favored. They were, they're on the road, they don't have home court advantage. Like, there were reasons why, even if they lost but put up a good fight, now there's none of that. Now they better be champions or it's the biggest collapse in the history of basketball. It's the biggest NBA finals dud, choke job in the history of the NBA. There is an element that that scares me slightly.

**Craig Carton** (1:45)
What is wrong with you? What are you doing? Why? You're worried about something that has never happened happening to the Knicks?
That's a concern of yours now?

**Chris McMonigle** (1:54)
Yeah, I think there's no doubt. There's a little bit of the idea that...

**Craig Carton** (1:56)
That's PTSD from the Yankees, you know, that's all you're suffering right now, kid.
Yeah, because you lived it. As a tired fan of the Yankees and Tourette's eyes.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:04)
They lose tonight. That pressure builds.

**Craig Carton** (2:07)
Will you stop? Why would you?

**Chris McMonigle** (2:09)
No, no, no, I won't stop. I won't stop. No, no, I'm not going to stop.

**Craig Carton** (2:11)
You think they're going to lose tonight?

**Chris McMonigle** (2:13)
I don't think they're going to lose tonight. Are you concerned they're going to lose? Of course we're going to talk about it. There's no chance in hell they lose tonight.

**Craig Carton** (2:19)
I don't think there is.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:20)
There's not a world where that happens.

**Craig Carton** (2:21)
They've won 13 straight games.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:23)
I'm with you, but we have to talk about what happens if they lose.

**Craig Carton** (2:25)
But they don't lose, they never lose.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:27)
I agree, they don't know how to lose. I agree.

**Craig Carton** (2:28)
I've never seen anything like it.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:30)
I've never seen anything like it either, but we have to just talk about the other side slightly.

**Craig Carton** (2:33)
There is a pressure issue. Okay.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:35)
Now there's a lot of pressure on them. You can't lose this series.

**Craig Carton** (2:38)
They're not going to. I agree with you.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:39)
I agree they're not going to.

**Craig Carton** (2:41)
This team has not had a bad loss since the home loss against Atlanta.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:46)
I know. Yeah, the road loss in game three wasn't great. They did have to lead with a couple of minutes left. Correct.
I'm just saying you have to be open to talking about all that.

**Craig Carton** (2:54)
Yes, it's possible that they could lose the game. They're humans. Yes, 100%.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:57)
Okay.

**Craig Carton** (2:58)
But this team, it's very unique.

**Chris McMonigle** (3:00)
Now it's different. Now they have to win.

**Craig Carton** (3:01)
There'll be pressure on game four. There's no pressure tonight.