KNICKS WERE AN INFIRMARY! 😩 Stephen A. blames NYK’s Game 7 loss on injuries | First Take

KNICKS WERE AN INFIRMARY! 😩 Stephen A. blames NYK’s Game 7 loss on injuries | First Take

I mean I just don’t know what to say man I mean and you know I think about sh Shay out in LA and he talked about the paces with it but who did they go against did they go against the nick players or or or the patients that were wearing the Nick uniform I just I saw injuries everywhere you see what I’m wearing man I mean you know they just it’s so close man it’s so close okay you know just going be okay you know just you just Tred you just tried we got so close and then everybody gets hurt everybody get hurt it’s all right though I’m still proud of the New York Knicks we were almost there we were almost there okay we’ll be back we’ll be back sh sh you hear me sh Shay we’ll be back it’s okay brother I got you I got you so here’s what I need to know did you check into the infirmary or are you joining the medical staff to help the wounds combination of both I mean my heart is aching you know but I’m proud I’m proud of the N you should be proud about that lady they did it the right way in the building that’s what we doing now we ain’t doing nothing now we ain’t doing nothing now sh we ain’t doing anything now all right proud all right you know what I’m saying I mean you got I mean who who’s going to get injured next you know what I’m saying that the the ball boy hey hey hey legs I was proud of my kids when they could tie their shoes when they could go to the party by themselves I was proud I’m proud of professional oh my go how you doing Sten you know I don’t like you right now man I really really don’t man I really really don’t that damn sh sh I like oh my God you know everybody engine one of the greatest shooting halves in the 77 year history of the NBA led by a balanced attack Indiana ended up shooting 67% for the game that’s the highest field goal percentage for a playoff game in NBA history now adding to New York’s woses nickar Jaylen Brunson left the game with a broken left hand here’s tibs and Brunson on the season as a coach you always measure okay what what does the group have and are we getting everything out of the group and the only thing you could ask for is everyone puts forth their best effort and we got that all year from these guys what goes along with that is peace of mind and knowing that you you did your best and so that’s all you could ask for and a lot of teams I think would have folded they didn’t like we took the hit with Mitch and then you know and you you add in Julius and uh in OG you’re starting front line and then bogy goes out so that that and it was hit after hit but these guys never folded they kept fighting and so that’s all you could ask for I love the fact of how how we fought night in and night out and um uh I just I love this group of guys that we have and um just like I said before their mind our mindset as a group is uh was strong some nights when we may have not had what people thought was a a team capable of winning our mindset pushes over that hum did we win a championship did we get close so no that’s just that’s my mindset that’s just how it is listen I know Brunson doesn’t want consolation prizes but seriously they overd delivered they exceeded expect they were banged up and they did Do It All the Right Way led by their star there Jaylen Brunson but Shannon coming to you on this do you think game seven was more about the Pacers being dominant or just that the Knicks were hurt well I think maybe it’s a combination but I’m gonna say more the Pacers because legs what you and I talked about they’re looking to push the tempo they’ll take it out of the net or they’ll get it off the rim but one way or the other they’re going to push the tempo and how many did you see the Knicks lay the ball up on one end and guess what the Pacers are laying up on the other end the Pacers Miss and then you get Nim hard shooting the three shooting the three on the other end you let a team score 39 and then score 31 and then score another 31 so after three quarters they already over a 100 so even if you do what the what the Wolves did to the Nuggets hold them to 14 points that’s still 115 in the game what’s the likelihood of you holding a team that’s scored 70 in the first half 31 in the third and somehow all of a sudden they could have got another 30 plus had they not called a dogs off if you let a team shoot I don’t care who you have out there if they 100% healthy you let a team shoot 67% from the floor which is an NBA record if you let a team shoot 54% from the three and they shoot more than 23s you’re losing Stephen A you’re losing that game and it was too easy for him if you look at se yakum got really comfortable early Miles Turner got comfortable early and the one thing legs that you and I talked about when they lost game one Tyrese halberton needs to be a lot more aggressive when he’s aggressive they’re a very difficult team to beat and I kept saying go hle go H go hle and he went hey steepen a and he went and McConnell oh TJ McConnell Molly I don’t know if you know this but that jokeer tougher than wet leather oh my goodness he came in there picking up 94 ft getting in the pain do I said oh my goodness I thought that was Steve Nash I thought it was Steve Nash I had to do a flashback I said is that Steve Nash or TJ McConnell but I couldn’t tell the difference Steve a and the and the Pacers we going on Nap Town stand up stand up you know you know you know spends a lot of time I just I I just want to say this I just want to say this I have grown to love my brother Shannon sh okay right I can’t stand that bastard sh sh or is it the other way around I love my man sh I can’t stand that b I swear you know this really really rakes I don’t want to hear this you know this is ridiculous okay let let these are the Nicks that we’re talking about here is the damn infirmary okay just stop it don’t give me this stuff about any listen I came into the series talking about you can’t sleep on Indiana’s offense I came into the series recognizing how po offense was this year only team in the entire NBA that shot 50% from the field I get that but I also know what the New York Knicks defense is particularly when OG anobi has been in this lineup Tim am my line legs when I say they one of the top rated defenses in the NBA now let’s put this in this proper perspective we know that Tom tho is a great defensive mind and by the way I don’t want to hear no shade thrown on Tom tho who the hell else was he supposed to play I’ve been hard on him about him potentially running players into the ground in the past that is not applicable that is not applicable to this season everywhere you turn they had injuries look at that damn list right there OG banovic now Brunson Randall Mitchell Robinson I mean stop it just don’t don’t forget the heart with the abdominal strain okay there a damn infirmary I respect the hell out of Rick Carl as a champion I respect the hell out of Indiana Pacers I told y’all it was something to be worried about okay but in the same breath I also like the fact that they listen as much as it hurts me I know it’s a better Eastern Conference Final series because I think Boston would have swept New York because of all the injuries okay if the New York Nicks were fully loaded that’s a different mad in t the new yor let me State this for the record no disrespect to the Indiana Pacers props and congratulations to them if the Knicks were healthy they win this series in five in five okay with OG and anobi with Randall and Robinson out but OG and anobi in the New York Nick still Clos this out in six games don’t they a one game three might have been five don’t give me Indiana oh my Lord how prolific they were offensively that would not have been the case if these damn injuries weren’t the case but they were and if Joel embiid is healthy y’all not even there okay you could say that you could say that that and you could say that and I feel you on that but remember Joel embiid was playing against the Knicks team without Randall and Robinson so we even they play whatever even don’t give that stop it I love I love you I love you because anytime anytime somebody says starts a sentence with no disrespect intended they’re about to disrespect somebody come come on I’m not disrespecting that man I’m not the IND by saying by saying that’d be a five game series though I think it’s a little bit disrespect well look at look at game three even if game three I I think I think Indiana is a team that I think everybody should have been paying a little bit more attention to in the regular season we didn’t talk about him I talked about him quite a bit because I was so enamored with their offense because here’s here’s where they’re different than any team I watched all year and you kept talking about their shot making like throughout the playoffs you’re like I’m sitting home watching these guys shot Miss right exactly the reason I love their offense so much is because I think it’s the most decisive team in the NBA the’ll ball is never dribbled without a purpose if they do put it on the floor it’s immediately get into action it’s going to lead to something directly but typically the ball is swung to a guy that immediately catches it and and gets downhill back into the paint another drawing kick opportunity or they shoot the basketball very little pounding of the ball unnecessarily very little eating up any of the shot clock with a ball that’s not going anywhere everything they do has a purpose and so I think these two things are connected the injuries are connected in that if you have all of those guys that were on that graphic playing defensively what the Knicks could have presented to the Indiana Pacers with being able to contain the basketball better would have been totally different story you’re talking about they’re starting two guard they’re starting ogj adobi they’re starting power forward and Julius Rand they’re starting center and rim protector Mitchell Robinson mean those are three and they’re number one forward Off the Bench a bogdanovich who actually made a name for himself first in this league defending LeBron James in the playoffs back when he was in Indiana very good defensive player so it is you can’t just always say they’re mutually exclusive these things are connected the injuries did lead to the success of the Indiana Patriots offensively but having said it give all the credit to a team in a game seven on the road to look that relaxed that calm that poised and they fed off of each other’s confidence and Shannon you’re is 100% right halberton sets the stage when he looks like that early in the game let me give Halle Burton some props because I I had my man Juan and a few others texting me talk about they couldn’t stand Halle Burton remember I’m the guy that wanted the Knicks to draft Halle Burton and they drafted Obi to and I was upset about that because I said you needed a point guard you should have drafted this kid what I love what I saw from Hal Burton yesterday he got that that set shot from and you think that’s how he shoots all the time no he got to pull up jumper off the dribble he in in in in traffic he will Elevate and it’s not the same set shot that he launches from three which can be deceptive because you watch him shoot from three and you think that’s how he shoots all the time that’s not how he shoots all the time and then he’s in the garden and you got people heckling him I’m their court side you got people heckling him before the game and he’s talking it’s not like people accusing him of being a front runner that’s not true they were thinking that oh he when he had to lead or whatever no he was talking before the game we going to see we going he said I’m here watch and he T he was telling people watch what I do to your boys today in game seven and then he went out there and did it so I got mad respect for him and you back up your talk I got to give I got to give respect what respect is do but we ain’t G to let Shay Shay come on here on National Television you understand what I’m saying sitting there talking that nonsense acting like oh those injuries didn’t play a very significant role in the outcome when you damn well know they did a No Time def let happen even got to the playoffs and everything with all the injuries and had a 50- win season is huge they were injured all season long but it wouldn’t have mattered if they didn’t go deep into the players because we would have never forgiven them the fact is is that they went deep they went to a game seven of a conference semifinals and with that injury sh Shay you know Shannon you know Shannon I have Shannon I have a lot of respect for your boy though because he got on the flight you know covering the games yesterday got on the flight to support his boys do we have that video oh Lord you know he was there in the building uh yep yep looking like looking clean I see this okay Stephen A I thought I thought he I thought he was the fifth member of the bgs he dressed you know what I’m saying know that was walk in the tunnel I got sh I got news for you BG’s BG’s didn’t dress like that baby they a dress like that you know what I was cleaning the Board of Health I was cleaning the Board of Health yesterday yes I was I didn’t see that video before I’m proud of you that was clean you didn’t do too much it was GQ you you had the little messenger you did it you did it I mean your n didn’t but you did he guess what Molly he left there with ketchup mustard popcorn stains on because he was a mess he was a mess when he left the garden I I I I’m going to get you fashion Poli I’m going to get you [Music]

Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Tim Legler join First Take to break down what went wrong for the New York Knicks in their Game 7 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

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