Jayesh Pagar
The New York Knicks are in serious trouble. After a gut-wrenching 109-108 Game 3 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night, their second one-possession collapse in three games. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith absolutely unloaded on the Knicks on the latest First Take episode, delivering one of the most blistering rants of his career and putting every single person in that organization on notice.
Stephen A. Smith Had Enough of the New York Knicks
Stephen A. was quiet strightforward. He came to the First Take desk loaded and left nothing on the table. “Move out the way,” he said. “I’m just a bunch of sorry a**s right now. I’m so sick of what I’m seeing right now. I’m losing my damn mind.”
The sharpest words were kept for Mikal Bridges, and honestly, it was deserved. Bridges went scoreless in 21 minutes during Game 3, finished a brutal minus-26, and committed four turnovers. He didn’t attempt a shot after the five-minute mark of the second quarter and was benched for most of the second half by coach Mike Brown.
Stephen A. went straight at it: “Mikel Bridges is scoreless. I’m looking at a bunch of zeros, a bunch of donuts all over the place. 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 first-round picks.”
The context makes it even more damning; those five picks were the cost of acquiring Bridges from Brooklyn, a trade that has now left New York without the assets to pursue stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Knicks Management and Coaching Staff in the Crosshairs
Stephen A. didn’t stop with the players. He fired at the front office and the coaching staff with equal intensity: “If the New York Knicks lose this series, heads need to roll. I’m telling you that right now. I’m sick and tired of that damn Leon Rose.” He added that the decision to fire Tom Thibodeau now looks like a catastrophic mistake, especially with the Knicks being pushed around by a young Hawks squad in the first round.
Coach Mike Brown is now in the hot seat. Brown benched Bridges for stretches of Game 3, but it was CJ McCollum‘s pull-up jumper with 12.5 seconds remaining that sealed Atlanta’s win and gave the Hawks a 2-1 series lead.
As Stephen A. put it bluntly: “It’s going to be another head coach in New York City. If they lose this series.” The Knicks cannot afford to go down 3-1. Game 4 is now a must-win.
