It's the Mike Francesa podcast on the Bet Rivers Network.

Hello again, everybody, and welcome to the Mike Francesa podcast, part of the Bet Rivers Network on this Wednesday morning as we get ready for a, well, a very busy time right now in sports, but also a very, very big game five this night, this night in Boston where,

obviously the city is forlorn, worried about its future, worried about its present,

thinking about its past, and wondering if the ghosts that have been such an instrumental part of the

lore that is the Boston Celtics will show up this evening and help them keep this series

alive. Now, the devastating, we all know it was bad. By the time i was leaving the building the buzz was

about the achilles i told you that uh when i did the podcast the other night after the game

he's already had surgery as we know we'll discuss his future and we wish him the best i mean

we might have seen the best game he ever played that night.

That's how good he was.

He was completely unstoppable in that game.

And nobody wants to see any player, no less a great player, go down by injury.

Nobody, unless you're just an out and out fool, nobody roots for injuries.

Nobody likes injuries.

But the script of this series has been completely flipped.

This is no longer about a defending champion.

This is no longer about anything except the pressure that is now firmly on in New York Knicks to win this serious.

You know, the Knicks now are supposed to.

The expectations have been ratcheted up.

The pathway is there.

Cleveland, a bitter disappointment in the postseason. Injuries, yes, but also they just weren't strong enough. They weren't good enough.

They really just collapsed and give Indiana credit and give Rick Carlisle, who I've always had very, very, you know, a very great amount of respect for.

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