FIRST TAKE | “Knicks is a good team that can win the NBA Finals” – Stephen A. ignores LeBron, Lakers

FIRST TAKE | “Knicks is a good team that can win the NBA Finals” – Stephen A. ignores LeBron, Lakers

Was down there with us good stuff for the second time this season the Knicks and Sixers face off in the last meeting Jaylen Brunson led the Knicks 29 in the win tonight however there’ll be a few key injuries Sixers will be without Joel embiid Tobias Harris while the Knicks

Without three key contributors Kevin Pelton of espn.com put together four tiers of teams contending for the NBA title this season he has both the Knicks and Sixers in tier three as title hopefuls while the Lakers are in tier four as a long shot okay Tim legler tell

Me this yes played in the NBA a long time covered the NBA a long time what do you think’s better for the league if the Lakers end up going on a run or the Knicks it’s easy for me it’s the Knicks yeah me to yeah it’s easy and here and

Here’s why I say that I go back to just two years ago the Lakers won 33 games and late in the year I was leading off shows with segments about the Lakers right because they’re always going to generate that kind of Interest upe down year they have have I think probably the

Most voluminous fan base outside their Market of of any team in the league I think that goes without saying you know for the Knicks it’s mostly centralized to New York I think you add another team to the mix of a market that size it’s just better for the league and there’s

There’s no place quite like the garden when there’s this kind of electricity that’s going on with this team right now you’re not talking about the Knicks if they’re sub 500 the second half of the year they’re not making it into any segments the Lakers are going to continue to still drive the narrative

Because there’s that much interest no matter what is going on with this team particularly with LeBron James there you combine those two things and the Lakers don’t need any more like the interest is there all the time 247 365 it’s not the case for a team like the New York Knicks

And for a market that big to now Infuse them into this discussion this late in the season where we’re talking about potentially you know a conference final run maybe out of the Knicks which I think is within their possibility for me that’s an easy one it’s the it’s the

Nick just adding another team to the mix of interesting teams particularly in a market like this in a city like this that loves basketball to the extent that they do in New York okay I know what you say legs I know what you say Molly oh you don’t I

Know what Stephen A would say okay okay uh what do you think Adam Silver would say what do you think Bob Iger the head of Disney would say they would say the Lakers because uh as David CERN once said the most ideal matchup for the NBA Finals

Would be Lakers versus Lakers last year when the Lakers played the Warriors in the playoffs they played six games five of the games were the highest rated in the last decade in the second round when the Lakers played the Warriors a couple of weeks ago in that double overtime

Game it was the highest rated regular season game that wasn’t on Christmas in five years the world the country the league lives on the Lakers that’s why we’re talking about them today when they’re not even playing the Lakers are the premium brand in the league and they

All the league always wants them to do well and as somebody from the Midwest who sometimes feels like they try to give attention to teams like the Timberwolves and the Thunder it can be very frustrating but the reality is is that the Lakers Drive everything I have been around the world doing basketball

Stuff I’ve had the opportunity to go to China to go to Brazil to go to Manila the Lakers are the jerseys that I see um and so therefore the Lakers success will always drive the NBA success whether anybody likes it or wants it or wants it to change or whatever that’s just

Reality is it the Lakers or is it LeBron and listen I understand they’ve always had the big Nam magic and Kobe and Etc but is it is it more is it more that LeBron’s still there there Molly last week I was in the LA PC or La Studios which is basically right

Next to the Kobe statue when they opened it up to the public for the first time I stood there at the window uh safely on the fourth floor and watched the people pour onto that statue at 900 a.m. on a it was like a Wednesday or Friday

Morning okay it was two weeks ago whatever it was uh with all due respect to the Bing bongs and whatnot that is the fan bases are not comparable but let me say this would is it fair to say that n number two is the Knicks right if

We’re going to go Lakers number one number two would be the Knicks I understand they haven’t performed just in terms of grand recognition I think the Warriors are probably number two right now I think it would be great for the business of the NBA and the average fan doesn’t really

Care about the business of the NBA and they probably shouldn’t it would be great for the business of the NBA for the Knicks to reach the finals but if you were asking Adam Silver with truth serum would he rather see the Lakers against the Knicks or the Lakers against

The Celtics he’d probably say Lakers against Celtics I know that that’s offensive and I’m not insulting the Knicks fans but I’m just telling you what I believe the answer would be I I just looked at it differently I guess from my perspective I just think the Lakers are going to drive that number

Regardless if they’re good or bad they’re always going to be in the mix nothing really changes yeah if you go on a title run you’re just following them longer it becomes interesting LeBron on the big stage all that I get it I’m just saying you you have this entire Market

This massive Market that now you’re injecting into the conversation that typically second half of the year you don’t hear much out of and the interest is is pretty much died down and now you can potentially carry this all the way through the rest of the season you know

Into April into May potentially late may I just think that’s better for the league right now to add that to the mix because we’ve lacked that from the New York Knicks and they finally have a team that I think not only is just you know creating a conversation because we’re

Forcing it they’re actually living up to it because of their style of play is something that people also really enjoy watching that Jaylen Brunson is developed into that guy that people are starting to wrap their arms around as being a legitimate superstar in this league yeah they just have to stay

Healthy and like when you talk about the market Wendy and I get it we’re I’m biased like growing up here but you’ve got Connecticut you’ve got Jersey you’ve got the buroughs you’ve got Upstate New York and part of the reason the franchise isn’t what it’s supposed to be

As Marquee is because they haven’t won we’re talking what was it 99 or like 2000 since they were in a Conference Finals or a finals 25 26 years it’s the same thing we had I get the let me just say one thing this was the same thing

With the Super Bowl stuff it was like oh Patrick Mahomes are going to become a dynasty no I wanted to see Lamar Jackson or Detroit I wanted to see them in the mix like some new Blood let’s give some other people a chance so I’m just saying like I understand

Interally are known right I in my time covering the NBA which is 20 plus years I’ve never seen a Conference Finals game at MSG I think it would be awesome to go to a Conference Finals or Finals game at MSG I think the city would be alive the

Question right here is which is better for the NBA and I’m just giving you the honest answer of what the the businessmen would say oh yeah it’s not the Clippers um all right that was a joke uh coming up on first take as the Sixers wait for a potential Joel embiid

Return from injury could Philly be lesty Tower our Slayer Lane Tower is under attack your tower has been destroyed Tey Tower your tower has been destroyed Ally has been defeated our base Tower is under attack your team destroyed a tower is under attack speci foree speee for speee for speee foree spee for

For deated enemy dou kill your team has destroyed a tower reborn for the battle your tower has been destroyed Dragon Lane Tower is under attack an ally has been defeated our Tower is under attack our Slayer Lane Tower is under attack smile your tower has destroyed your tower has been destroyed

Your tower has been destroyed our base Tower is under attack your tower has been destroyed our base is under attack your team has destroyed a tower executed fore for speeech speech for spee fore speech foree speee spee for speech speeech speech foree

FIRST TAKE | “Knicks is a good team that can win the NBA Finals” – Stephen A. ignores LeBron, Lakers