The New York Knicks are heading to the Eastern Conference Finals after completing a second-round sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers, and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith now believes the franchise can finish the job.
New York closed out the series with a dominant 144-114 win on Sunday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The victory extended the Knicks’ playoff winning streak to seven games and continued one of the most dominant postseason stretches in franchise history.
Following the game, Smith made his stance clear during ESPN’s “First Take.”
“Philadelphia 76ers, my condolences. We’ll talk about them later,” Smith said. “New York Knicks going to the finals. I think they can win the championship. Yes, I do.”
The Knicks have surged through the postseason behind strong performances from Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Miles McBride, and Josh Hart. New York has now advanced to its second straight Eastern Conference Finals and owns an NBA-record plus-194 point differential through its first 10 playoff games.
Stephen A. Smith Picks New York Knicks To Win NBA Championship
GettyNew York Knicks Head coach Mike Brown
Smith doubled down on his prediction when questioned by ESPN analyst Jay Williams during the segment.
“KP, before you go, I just want to make sure I’m hearing correctly,” Williams said. “Are you taking the Knicks to win the title?”
Smith responded without hesitation.
“I’m taking the Knicks to win the title,” Smith said. “I’m taking the Knicks to win the title. We win in a chip. We win in a chip.”
The comments came after another overwhelming Knicks performance against Philadelphia. New York tied an NBA postseason record with 25 made three-pointers and built a 43-24 lead after the opening quarter.
Miles McBride led the way with 25 points and seven made threes. Brunson added 22 points and six assists, while Towns and Hart each scored 17 points.
The Knicks also completed their first best-of-seven playoff sweep since 1999.
According to postseason records referenced after the game, New York has won seven consecutive playoff games by an average margin of 26.4 points. The Knicks have also outscored opponents by 185 points during that seven-game stretch, the largest scoring differential across seven straight playoff games in NBA history.
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks Continue Historic Playoff Run
GettyNew York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson
Players credited the team’s mentality shift following a first-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks earlier in the playoffs.
“I feel like our mindset shifted,” McBride told SNY. “We know we’re the better team, but we can’t just come out there and expect to win.”
Brunson said the team’s chemistry has continued to improve throughout the postseason.
“I think the more we’ve played together as a team, the more we’ve grown,” Brunson said. “We’ve continued to get better.”
The Knicks have accomplished much of their recent success without forward OG Anunoby, who remains sidelined with a hamstring strain.
Even so, New York dominated Philadelphia throughout the semifinal series. The Knicks outscored the 76ers by 89 total points over four games, marking one of the largest point differentials in a non-first-round playoff series in NBA history.
The atmosphere inside Philadelphia’s arena also became a storyline during the series, with large groups of Knicks fans taking over the building during Games 3 and 4.
“It’s a really cool feeling,” Brunson said after Sunday’s win. “It’s something that I will always think is one of the coolest things in the world, when you hear Knicks fans in opposing arenas.”
The Knicks will now await the winner of the Detroit Pistons-Cleveland Cavaliers series in the Eastern Conference Finals. Detroit currently leads that series 2-1 entering Game 4.
For now, Smith has already made his championship pick clear as New York continues its playoff run.
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