Stephen A. Smith has always been known as a die-hard fan of the New York Knicks. But even with all of his bold takes about his favorite team, a recent claim he made will surely catch the Boston Celtics’ attention.
As compared to the years before Tom Thibodeau arrived, this season’s iteration of the Knicks are poised to make the playoffs without going through the Play-In Tournament. At the tip of New York’s spear is Jalen Brunson, a first-time All-Star who has taken another leap to his game this year.
Throughout the course of 63 games, the Knicks star has elevated himself as one of the league’s best point guards. This claim can be seen in his averages of 27.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. Add talented pieces, such as OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Julius Randle, and Miles McBride, to the mix and New York suddenly has a lineup that can go far in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, injuries to key players have prevented the Knicks from getting more wins. On the other hand, the Boston Celtics are clearly dominating the Eastern Conference while New York is in fourth place at this point in time.
Stephen A. Smith’s Bold New York Knicks Claim That Will Put The Boston Celtics On Notice
In an episode of First Take, Smith dropped a bold claim about the Knicks and why Boston should pay more attention to the Brunson-led team. In a video posted by First Take’s official account on X:
If healthy, @stephenasmith believes the Knicks are the biggest threat to the Celtics in the East 👀 pic.twitter.com/AurXXdAz7M
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 19, 2024
While some may see Smith’s take as outrageous, there’s no denying that the Knicks can achieve that feat by playing well on both ends of the court. The addition of Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, Alec Burks, and Bojan Bogdanovic before the NBA trade deadline expired helped improve the roster and made them more competitive in the East.
It remains to be seen whether a healthy Knicks team can indeed back Smith’s claim up. In any case, Boston and other teams in the league should pay more attention to New York in the coming days.
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