Brian Windhorst calls out Knicks legend John Starks after he almost smacked Evan Mobley in head

On Tuesday evening, the New York Knicks went up 1-0 in their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a thrilling comeback victory in Game 1. While the Knicks trailed by 22 points in the fourth quarter, Jalen Brunson spurred a rally that only saw New York force overtime, where they won the game.

As usual, Madison Square Garden was packed out with celebrities and former Knicks players, including point guard John Starks, who was a hallmark of the 1990s iteration of the team.

After a Landry Shamet three-pointer to tie the game with under a minute left, Starks nearly ran onto the court in celebration, and one of his fist pumps came close to hitting Cavs forward Evan Mobley in the back of the head, generating criticism, including from ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst.

“Starks by the way is coming on the court last night. Starks and Marbury are aiding the Knicks on defense last night. They’re on the court, get them off the court!” said Windhorst on First Take, via Awful Announcing on X, formerly Twitter.

.@WindhorstESPN is right. John Starks almost smacked Evan Mobley while he was fist pumping after that game-tying Landry Shamet 3 in the 4th. https://t.co/zW9h1VGLOy pic.twitter.com/9CMiJmWcUb

— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) May 20, 2026

Thankfully, Starks did not end up making contact with Mobley, and what could have been a very ugly situation did not end up playing out.

The Knicks are currently experiencing their first real run of success since the days when Starks, Patrick Ewing, and others were leading the charge, and New York is now just three wins away from a trip to the NBA Finals, something they haven’t achieved in the 21st century.

It will be interesting to see how the Cavs bounce back after controlling things for most of Game 1 and then snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Game 2 is set for Thursday at 8:00 pm ET, once again in the Garden.

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