The New York Knicks are in serious trouble. It was their second one-possession collapse in three games following a 109-108 blowout loss in Game 3 to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith completely dismantled the Knicks on the latest First Take episode, delivering one of the most powerful speeches of his career and putting every single person in that organization on notice.
Stephen A. Smith had a lot of New York Knicks
Stephen A. was of a calm nature. He arrived at the first take desk loaded with items and left nothing on the table. “Get out of the way,” he said. "I'm just one of many to apologize. I'm so upset by what I'm seeing right now. I'm losing my mind."
The harshest words were directed at Mikal Bridges, and honestly, it was deserved. Bridges went scoreless in 21 minutes during Game 3, finishing a brutal minus-26, and committed four turnovers. He did not attempt a shot after five minutes of the second quarter, and coach Mike Brown benched him for most of the second half.
Stephen A said directly: "Mikael Bridges is scoreless. I'm seeing a bunch of zeros, a bunch of donuts everywhere. Four turnovers, three shot attempts, two assists, one rebound, no free throws, no points, no steals, no blocks. That's why we gave up five picks in the first round."
The context makes it even more damaging; Those five options were the cost of acquiring Bridges from Brooklyn, a trade that now leaves New York with no assets to pursue stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Knicks management and coaching staff in the crosshairs
Stephen A. Didn't stop with the players. He took aim at the front office and coaching staff with equal intensity: "If the New York Knicks lose this series, head down. I'm telling you this right now. I'm sick and tired of that damn Leon Rose." He said the decision to fire Tom Thibodeau now looks like a catastrophic mistake, especially after the Knicks were swept by a young Hawks team in the first round.
Coach Mike Brown is now on the hot seat. Brown benched Bridges for parts of Game 3, but CJ McCollum's pull-up jumper with 12.5 seconds remaining sealed Atlanta's victory and gave the Hawks a 2–1 series lead.
As Stephen A clearly stated: "It's going to be another head coach in New York City. If they lose this series." The Knicks can't afford to go down 3-1. Game 4 is now a must win.
