“It’s Pretty Damn Bad”: Jalen Brunson Served With Grim Reminder As Many Predict Knicks NBA Future 7 Minutes Into Celtics Game

The Knicks are having one hell of a season as they sit comfortably at the third seed in the Eastern Conference, five wins ahead of the fourth-seeded Bucks. But they are yet to prove themselves in big game situations. Their last two losses, first against the Cavs on Friday and then against the Celtics on Sunday, exposed a major flaw in their success. Turns out, the Knicks are 0-7 against the top three teams in the league this season. That’s why ESPN veteran Stephen A. Smith does not have faith in Jalen Brunson and Co. to go all the way despite being a die-hard fan.

Addressing the team’s back-to-back losses this weekend, the analyst claimed on The Stephen A. Smith Show, “They’re not gonna beat Boston and Cleveland okay! I’m gonna admit it. They’re just not gonna do it.” The only two East teams with a better record than the Knicks are currently favorites to conquer the Conference. While Jalen Brunson and Co. had the chance to prove that they could hang with the best, their beat-down losses on the road, shattered all hopes.

Especially the 37-point blowout loss against the Cavs, as Stephen A. said, “Cleveland kicked their a– Friday night. It’s pretty damn bad. I mean they bust their living a–. Just romped them.” Marveling over the incredible firepower the Cavs possess following the trade deadline, the analyst remarked, “I’m just looking at them, Donovan Mitchell just doing what he wants to do. And they picked up De’Andre Hunter and they still got Mobley. And Mobley and Allen are so formidable defensively and then you can take Hunter and put them out on the wing, they still got Max Strus. They’re gonna have Darius Garland, who was out over the weekend.”

While the Knicks could have capitalized on Garland not being a 100% because of a left hip contusion, they crumbled under pressure and could not avoid getting humiliated by the Cavs. Sure, their roster seems upgraded on paper following the addition of Karl-Anthony Towns, but Stephen A. believes the team might not be mentally ready to win it all, “The New York Knicks from a talent perspective is better than what they were last year. But they don’t have the same grit. They don’t have the same dog in them. They don’t have that.” It became more evident why the analyst feels this way after the Knicks’ performance against the Celtics.

One Play exposed the Knicks’ Weakness against Great Teams as NBA World questions their credibility

If Friday’s beatdown wasn’t enough, then Sunday’s humiliation convinced a lot of people that the Knicks are not ready to win. Especially one play that occurred just seven minutes into the game. As the Celtics’ defense clamped Tom Thibodeau’s team, Josh Hart had no option but to hit a step back three from the corner. Sure enough, he missed. But what was so telling about this one specific play?

That’s because it showed that the Knicks have no answer for the Celtics’ defense. As great a player as Hart is, he is a below average three-point shooter, and the Cs can live with him taking a shot all day over Brunson or KAT taking the same shot. And they were successful in keeping the ball away from the two superstars’ hands, leading to an easy win, their third of the season against the Knicks.

Obviously, the 0-7 record against the top three teams has raised doubts in many fans’ minds as comments like “Not contenders. Just good enough to beat the mid teams but that’s all. Feel bad for Knick fans” and “And people told me they had a championship roster smh” began flooding in. Some even called them “fake tough” as one netizen claimed that the Knicks “turn into the Hornets” whenever they face a good team. Well, it sure has looked like it this season.

Meanwhile, the blame also came on Towns who has been the biggest change in the roster this year, as one fan wrote, “KAT isnt the answer.” Sure, KAT is averaging 24.8 points and nearly fourteen rebounds. But he has been unable to penetrate elite teams’ defense. Even against the Celtics, he was being clamped by Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday, which allowed the team’s big men to operate freely and be productive on offense. And it is unlikely that the Knicks will be considered legitimate title contenders until they figure out how to beat the top teams because that’s who they will face come playoff time. Do you think they can overcome this challenge?