AI Summary
5 min readThe Knicks had not lost in 46 days. They were up 2-0 in the NBA Finals. Fans had the parade route mapped out. Then came Game 3, and Victor Wembanyama woke up: 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and the Spurs held on to win, cutting the series lead to 2-1. The immediate reaction from Knicks fans and media was that the momentum had shifted. Ben Maller’s response, delivered across a full hour of his overnight show, is that the entire concept of momentum is a fiction—and that the Knicks were never as dominant as their winning streak suggested.
The Myth of Momentum
Maller’s central argument is that momentum does not exist in sports, at least not in the way fans and analysts use the term. He treats it as a post-hoc narrative fans invent to explain outcomes they did not expect. "The Knicks didn't lose the momentum," he says. "Mike Brown could not hold the momentum if you gave him a Ziploc bag and a written tutorial on how to keep the momentum. Why? Because it doesn't exist, you dummy."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:04) **Show Open & NBA Finals Setup** - Ben Maller opens the show, setting up Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs, and previews the main topics: the Knicks' lost momentum, Mike Brown's officiating complaints, and the $1 million courtside seats.
- 2 (03:14) **"Hold Off on the Parade" - The Momentum Myth** - Maller argues the Knicks didn't lose momentum because it never existed; the series was always close.
- 3 (10:30) **Blame Game: Carl Anthony Towns' Lethargic Performance** - Maller starts the "Maller Investigative Bureau" by blaming Towns for a poor game.
- 4 (12:24) **Mike Brown's Officiating Conspiracy Rant** - Maller plays and dissects Knicks coach Mike Brown's post-game complaints about a 24-8 free throw disparity in the second half.
- 5 (15:11) **Big Market Victim Complex** - Maller mocks the irony of a New York team claiming to be victims of the league.
- 6 (17:34) **The $1 Million Courtside Seats & Celebrity Culture** - Maller discusses the $1 million price tag for two courtside seats and the celebrity atmosphere at MSG.
- 7 (21:18) **Celebrity Outrage: DJ Khaled on His Phone** - Maller reveals the celebrity controversy: DJ Khaled was on his phone the entire game, angering fans.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Ben Maller talks about what happened to the Knicks momentum in the NBA Finals as they lose to the Spurs in Game 3 at MSG, if the fix was in against the Knicks as Mike Brown complains about officiating, people paying a fortune to watch the Knicks lose, and more!
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More from this podcast
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