Stephen A. Smith Goes on Breathless Rant Thrashing Knicks’ Blunders That Turned Around Game 5 for 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers sent a stern message to the New York Knicks tonight. They just aren’t ready to go home yet. In Tyrese Maxey’s best playoff performance, the Sixers pulled off a stunner at Madison Square Garden. The Mecca of Basketball experienced one of the finest games of the postseason thus far. The thriller finished with an overtime fiasco.

Knicks fans could only suffer in their teams’ upsets. The MSG went silent for the final moments when the Sixers stapled their authority over the game. Fans were understandably upset, but they might not be venting like Stephen A. Smith, a long-time devotee to the Knicks.

The celebrated ESPN analyst was beside himself watching the Knicks’ numerous errors in what could have been a series-winning Game 5.

Stephen A. Smith is irate with his Knicks

Smith was infuriated after the Knicks lost tonight. He posted a video to X expressing his candid feelings right after the upset at MSG. The 56-year-old held his face in his hands. Clinching his fists in an attempt to calm down didn’t do much, as Smith’s rant began only seconds later. “Damn it! Why did Mitchell Robinson foul Tyrese Maxey on that three-point shot?  Why did Josh Hart make the turnover of the outlet pass? Why did he not convert both free throws instead of just one!” Stephen A. Smith blabbered into the camera angrily.

While he did praise All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, Stephen A. Smith wasn’t pleased with his approach in overtime and expected him to be more inclusive. “Did you not notice you had four teammates on the court to pass the ball to instead of taking every damn shot?” he said.

Stephen A. Smith was referring to New York’s overtime strategy. It relied on making Brunson the focal point and, somehow, the only point of attack. The Knicks took 10 shots in those five minutes. Eight of them came from the former Dallas Maverick. Indeed, he had just scored 40 in back-to-back games, but Smith expected more diversity with postseason advancement up for grabs.

Stephen A. Smith also pointed fingers at HC Tom Thibodeau for his rotations, specifically the way he used Donte DiVincenzo and Miles McBride. Despite the upset at home, the Knicks still hold a major advantage. They will travel back to the tough and unforgiving crowd in Philly for Game 6. With a 3-2 lead in the series, the Knicks will rely on wrapping up the series as soon as possible. They have cracked the Wells Fargo Center once. After such a poor technical performance, New York will be out for revenge.

Maxey and Joel Embiid‘s Sixers stand in their way. In the highly riveting Eastern Conference matchup, who will go through? Let us know your views in the comments below.