Stephen A. is IN THE BUILDING for Knicks vs. Pacers Game 7 🙌 | NBA Countdown

Stephen A. is IN THE BUILDING for Knicks vs. Pacers Game 7 🙌 | NBA Countdown

hey Welcome to our NBA studios here in Los Angeles our senior Insider Adrien wowski the Hall of Famer Michael wilbon Bob Myers the architect of the champion Golden State Warriors I’m Malika Andrews he had a big game suit on guys so let’s bring him in now live from Madison Square Garden the one the only Stephen A Smith let’s just start with you a little temperature check the atmosphere in MSG what’s it like right now Stephen A it’s electri it’s electric damn it you had to walk to the Garden okay you can’t drive it’s stand still traffic everybody’s coming to the Garden everybody wants to be near the garden because we understand what this means a game seven the first time you’re in this position in the last 29 years for crying out loud this is what it’s all about right here Bruns is going to play I know Josh Hart’s going to play OG anobi is going to give it a try and the New York Knicks know what is at stake right now the G in is hype you look around people are still packing inside but the bottom line is we here we are here okay that’s what it is you heard me Bob me don’t be laughing at me right now this is serious damn it okay don’t be laughing at me willor this is serious this is what it’s about right here this is what we waited for and that’s why your boy is not in LA in studio with y’all I’m here at the Garden it’s special it’s special and it’s going to be even better in a matter of minutes well it may be even better because let’s get some official you mentioned some of the the guys OG an anobi Josh Hart let’s get the official word here the update from Adrien Wen reski what can you tell us about their statuses this year yeah this is just in OG anobi Josh Hart they are both playing game seven for the Knicks today anobi coming back from that hamstring strain uh he’s been out since game two and then Josh Hart who suffered that abdominal strain uh late in game six both players warmed up they went through their pregame routine and they’re good to go today now how much they can give the Knicks I think especially Josh Hart with that abdomen strain that’s a difficult injur Y and that’s an injury that there’s really very little treatment for uh but he’s going to try but but o anobi who uh these Knicks are 26 and5 with him on the floor this year and certainly getting him out to guard Pascal sakam and whatever he can give them today will be amend this what I thought that Stephen A Smith couldn’t be any happier who W could you say it with some Glee could you say it with a smile in your face that that you have to look so good it’s like he’s saying it like oh my Lord I don’t know if OG and a noi G Pascal seak is averaging more than 21 points on 58% shooting or better since he’s been out these last four games well now he’s going to have to deal with seaka plus he’s gonna have to deal with Josh they’ll find a way it’s game seven it’s about grit it’s about grind and we know the New York Knicks have that the garden knows the New York Knicks have that New York City knows the New York has that the NBA knows the New York City has that this is why we here I want to see that gloom and doom W no smile is a say in your city we know that that Stephen please do not go too far we know you have a lot of you know babies to kiss and hands to shake around Madison Square Garden but let’s talk about the stakes of a game seven Bob because you’ve been in a few right five in fact so what is it about these moments take us inside what the teams are going through right now yeah they’re they’re different right because in the NBA you always feel like we got another game you know we’ll play better the next game you know long series well that’s over right this is game seven this is why we love these games this is why we love the NCA tournament this is one game where you’re season when you’re going to these games you go either we’re going to advance for another couple weeks or our season is over there’s a finality to it so what happens in these games well Malik I think it depends on who you are right I’m going to say something I would have been bad in game sevens I wish I could sit here and say I would have been a good player I would have Frozen up I would have missed those free throws that PJ Washington made last night incredible um so it depends on who you are when I would look around the locker room when I was a general manager I’d always stop at a guy like at Draymond Green and say that’s a guy you want on your side and that’s why I think Josh har because because you knew with guys like that with certain guys you had to knock them out to beat them they’re not going to beat themselves certain players do get tight in game sevens most human beings get tight and nervous that’s a natural reaction then there’s the select few athletes that level up and then there’s a select few role players that level up so I look at these games and say I think the stars are going to be the stars for the most part I think brunson’s going to be great these other guys are going to be great hbert and I expect a good game se yakum but here’s the thing role players or I should say the non-stars they play better at home I just think it’s going to be hard for some of these Pacer guys in that environment of Madison Square Garden I do see D chenzo these guys like Hart OG they’re going to have the crowd behind them where the Pacers it’s going to be a hostile environment MSG today they’re gonna have Stephen A behind them as well I think somewhat irrelevant or largely irrelevant yeah listen I I’ve attended a lot of these played in none attended a lot of them the nerves and who can control them I it’s very basic we’re sort of saying the same thing he was inside locker rooms I didn’t get there till the end of it w and I’ve been in a lot of locker rooms afterward to ask people and it’s a I’m glad you mentioned NCAA because look to me so few things convey from the college level to the pros in any sport this does those Villanova kids having been in this game multiple times for a couple of them that does matter the people that went on from NCAA Final fours and championships and at the foul line with 3 seconds to go on the final fourth then moving into the NBA that often conveys and you can see a direct line from some of those Stars at the college level to the NBA level this was a Pacer team with very little playoff experience then they add Pascal cakam at the trade deadline West Championship experience from Toronto he has played really well in this series he is part of their long-term future and for Tyrese halber and the hope for him is he’s going to be in a lot of these games uh in his future but this is an Indiana team that is way ahead of schedule right this is a big moment for this group and you mentioned Pascal seak also Miles Turner Aaron n Smith all of those guys have played in these gam sevens of course Jame Johnson as well but we’re sort of focusing on maybe some of the more rotational players [Music]

Michael Wilbon, Stephen A. Smith, Malika Andrews and Adrian Wojnarowski speak on the Game 7 matchup between the New York Knicks vs. the Indiana Pacers. Stephen A. is in MSG for this matchup.

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