It takes a special kind of frustration to make Stephen A. Smith walk off his own set, and the New York Knicks finally pushed him there. After watching his beloved Knicks get dismantled at Madison Square Garden, the longtime fan unloaded in classic fashion on ESPN’s First Take, delivering a blistering warning about the Detroit Pistons before storming off in disgust.

“Because Detroit is here. And by the way, they’re younger, and by the way, they’re balling, and by the way, they got size and athleticism and tenacity, and they don’t like you. They’re looking at you like, ‘we don’t like you’…This is what they’re doing, and the Knicks are doing nothing. MSG, we’re watching our home team get punked. They’re just punked. That just is not good.”

The source of his fury? A dominant 126-111 statement win by the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, who improved to 41-13 behind a masterclass from rising star Cade Cunningham. The underdog MVP candidate torched the Knicks for 40 points and 13 assists, systematically carving up the defense and silencing the Garden crowd.

While Jalen Brunson and the Knicks struggled to match Detroit’s physicality and pace, Smith’s frustration reflected something deeper than one loss – it was about tone, toughness and the perception that the Pistons are no longer a feel-good story. They’re a problem.

This isn’t Smith’s first Knicks meltdown, echoing his 2019 ‘straight trash’ tirade or draft lottery fury. In November 2019, he exploded, calling the Knicks “straight trash! They stink!” while defending coach David Fizdale amid their struggles, and even during the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, Smith ranted in disgust over the Knicks landing the No. 3 pick, calling it “the equivalent of being kidnapped” for fans.

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Detroit started strong, dominating the home team from the opening tip. The Knicks ended the first half trailing by 10 points. But the Pistons pulled away in the third quarter with 90-79. Duncan Robinson’s back-to-back threes at the end of the quarter were like a dagger to the Knicks at the end of the 3rd.

The home team tried to fight back in the last 15. They rallied to 120-109 but ultimately fizzled out. Brunson was the shining light for the Knicks with 33 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns ended the game with 21 points and 11 assists.

Detroit Pistons sweep the New York Knicks 3-0 in regular season

The result from Thursday means the Pistons outplayed the Knicks in all three regular-season games in 2025-26. They’ve outplayed the New York-based franchise by an average of 28.7 points. The Knicks sit fourth in the East right now with a 35-21 record.

Cade Cunningham, in particular, is grabbing headlines in his breakout season, earning MVP shouts from across the league. The latest to laud him was Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, following his sensational display at MSG.

The Knicks and the Pistons are not scheduled to play again in the regular season, but they could still meet in the playoffs. If they maintain their current seeding, they could clash in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Despite their recent performances, the odds favor the Knicks over Detroit if they meet in the postseason. However, the Pistons have improved from 14-68 last season to 41-13 this year. The Pistons embody the NBA’s ultimate glow-up—proving doubters wrong one blowout at a time. If these squads collide come April, expect fireworks, redemption arcs, and maybe another viral rant at MSG.