I think it's a fair question, you know, but the Knicks weren't good, and the Nets did a wonderful job of setting up and their facilities and all the money they put in.

They've done a great job there.

So but then, the Knicks have always been this this mythical mecca, right?

So it makes some sense to me that in the right situation, the right player would want to go there.

Uh, and you're right, kids.

Kids has got them the best of the best defense in the league.

Opponents.

Three point percentage.

The best opponents.

Field goal percentage, the best.

But they don't have a lot of scoring, you know, they still struggle to score a little bit.

So if you if you're a big time player, wants to put on big time numbers in a big time city, I can see that happening.

I'm glad he said two years because I don't think it's going to happen intimately.

Yeah, I mean, who, right now everything is so crazy and up for grabs.

But I am interested in what you just said.

You just said.

You think the Nets are the favorite to win the championship quickly?

If you look out West, you know the top two teams in the West right now, our Phoenix in Utah, the Lakers are banged up beyond belief.

LeBron is not going to play tonight, the first game he'll miss this year going into this All Star break.

But I had Jalen on TV this morning and he said greeny.

If the Lakers get healthy, no one even takes them to six games in the playoffs.

Do you see it that way?

So I love Jalen Rose and he knows a lot more about basketball than I do, that's for sure.

But I disagree.

And, you know, in talking over the last week to two weeks with people associated with the Nets and people who are observing the Nets.

And the big thing here is, I don't think any of us expected James Harden to do what he's done.

And by that I mean fit in so seamlessly be so willing to toe the line.

He's from what I understand.

He is like locked in lockstep with all the conditioning guys there he is committed.

He doesn't care about numbers, and by doing so, I think he's made them the most dangerous team in basketball now the defense.

I know that their defensive ratings and their defensive shortcomings are there.

But defense to me is so much about effort, and I think their talent enough.

And we've seen it when they've been engaged greenie in games at the end of games, when they're engaged and they're locked in defensively, they're pretty hard to.

They're pretty hard to score against.

So if they get everybody healthy and that would be the if and maybe that's what's stopping jail.

And I don't really know if you get all three of those guys in particular healthy, I think they win.

Yeah, I mean, I tend to agree with you.

Hambo just put a number up here.

Vegas actually still favors the Lakers.

We'll see what all winds up green and Jackie.

Yeah, healthy.

Yeah.

Green and Jackie Mac on the Goodyear hotline helping you discover the road ahead.

Goodyear more driven.

Now let me get to what I really wanted to talk to you about today.

So yesterday we did a whole big thing on Wilt Chamberlain because it was the 15 59th anniversary of the day.

He scored 100 points in the game, and I Hambo, uh, sent me a whole bunch of numbers on him.

Now I've known them all of my life.

I'm well aware that Wilt Chamberlain should have his own record book.

Um, but I hadn't looked them over in some time.

And it has become very fashionable now to list the best players of all time, list them in some sort of form, maybe a Mount Rushmore form and all the rest of that.

And as I was going through all of these numbers, I found myself thinking well, Chamberlain's accomplishments, his numbers, his statistics so dwarf those of anyone who has ever played the game, that it made me question myself and why I don't put him.

I'm, for example, like the all time Mount Rushmore of all time great players.

And so I wanted to talk to someone like you with the great historical perspective about the way you believe Chamberlain should be viewed when we put together our list of the absolute smallest list of the greatest players of all time.

Well, it's funny.

It's funny you ask about this because I was just talking to someone this about the other day you mentioned Wilt's 100 point game.

Do you realize there were no journalists at that game?

It was played in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the New York guys are like, need a night off.

You know, Philly guys.

Now we're not going to go to that game.

So there were no journalists there, so it was a different time, different place.

But we all know what stands in the way of Wilt Place in his legacy in the game.

And it's Bill Russell.

Bill Russell wins 11 championships in 13 years.

Well, Twins two.

There were great friends, great rivals, and Bill Russell was the one that said, I think I'm the only person that understands how great you truly are.

That was Russell speaking, but we care about winning.

We care about championships, and I think that's where things get colored for.

Wilt thou Wilt was an unstoppable offensive sport.

I was just talking to Lenny Wilkins yesterday about this, he said.

He was the most unstoppable player you've ever seen, and he has no doubt in his mind he would be every bit as dominant in today in 2021 as he was back back then.

But because Russell and those Celtics and you, can we have the argument all day long?

If you put Wilt on the Celtics, did they still win 11 out of 13?

A lot of people will say yes, but Russell was the most dominant defensive player the game had ever seen, and that became the identity of his team.

He was actually a decent offensive player, but nothing like will.

But he was a team guy.

He was a winner.

And that's why when we do the Mount Rushmore, we immediately go to Russell and sometimes forget about this larger than life personality that could score.

It will that could wake up one day and say, I think I'd like to lead the league in rebounding.

I think I'd like to lead the league in assists.

I mean, just incredible, incredible talent.

He did that.

He did wake up one year and say, I'm going to lead the league in assists and he did.

In 1968 he led the league in assists.

He is the only 7 ft or to this day to average more than forces per game for his career.

That's correct.

And I think Nicola Yokich may join him there.

Right?

That's another story for another day right now.

That's right.

And and so you know in Chamberlain again, I'm with you.

And when I put together my mat Rushmore, I have Russell on it.

And then Hambo sends me these numbers.

Will Chamberlain held the record for most rebounds in a game 55 rebounds In November of 1960 he was playing against Bill Russell and the Celtics.

He grabbed 55 rebounds in a game against Russell, Right?

So there's this whole theory and Wilt Chamberlain and the psychological games that Bill Russell may or may not have played with Wilt and And the way it goes is that you know Russell one on one knew he would have trouble stop stopping Wilt, of course, but a lot of times when they were playing games, you know, the the Celtics would be ahead.

They'd be comfortably ahead and then Wilt, you know, would start going in the fourth quarter, and Russell would let him think he owned him, and Wilt would have big fourth quarters.

But the Celtics would still win now you can buy into that or not.

That's up to everybody's choice.

But there was a bunch of the art of war was one of Bill Russell's favorite books, and he read it, you know, he read it from cover to cover, and I think he had a psychological advantage over Well, thank you for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.

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