The New York Knicks simply suffered their worst lack of the season.
They have been up by double digits in opposition to the Indiana Pacers in Sport 1 of the Japanese Convention Finals and failed to shut the deal.
That’s why ESPN pundit and well-known Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith was in no temper the morning after.
Speaking on “First Take,” Smith ripped the Knicks for blowing a 17-point lead halfway by the fourth quarter and shedding in additional time.
“It was a collective collapse of epic proportions. It was horrible. My man (OG Anunoby) and the remainder of the crew. That is unhealthy. That is very unhealthy!” Smith mentioned.
.@stephenasmith is “sick to [his] abdomen” over the Knicks’ Sport 1 loss 😅 pic.twitter.com/EE0jkpK1bI
— First Take (@FirstTake) Could 22, 2025
Smith mentioned there was no excuse for such an epic meltdown, and it’s laborious to disagree with him.
Previous to that recreation, NBA groups trailing by a minimum of 9 factors within the closing minute of the fourth quarter or additional time have been 0-1,414.
The Pacers did one thing unprecedented, and whereas they deserve all of the credit score on the earth for not giving up, the Knicks have been in complete management of this recreation and let it slip by their fingers.
Granted, something can nonetheless occur, and it’s method too early to sound the alarms, however this set a harmful precedent for the rest of the sequence.
The Pacers by no means really feel like they’re actually out of any recreation, whereas the Knicks can have this reminiscence haunting them behind their minds.
NEXT: Lou Williams Reveals Harsh Reality About Knicks In Sport 1