Every New York Knicks game feels like a thriller. It happened once again as Game 6 was an absolute rollercoaster. New York jumped to a 14-point lead in the first half, only to squander it completely at halftime. Then the tables turned quickly in the final quarter of the game as an 11-point Knicks lead turned into a seven-point Pistons lead. Everyone in the Little Caesars Arena thought that things would head back to the Big Apple for a game 7 until Jalen Brunson’s heroics. The script flipped. Jalen Brunson hit a clutch three-pointer with just 4.3 seconds left on the clock to lead the Knicks to a stunning 116-113 win over the Detroit Pistons. This thrilling end to the series sent New York fans all over the world into a frenzy, including none other than ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

The 57-year-old couldn’t control his emotions after Brunson’s dagger of a shot in the waning moments of the game. As soon as the final buzzer sounded, Smith went insane on his show ‘First Take’. “I love everybody, I love Molly, I love Brian Windhorst, I love Jay Williams, I love all my producers, I love ESPN, I love LA, I love everybody. Why? Because this is the kind of thing that takes over when the New York Knicks handle their business. Did you see big body Brunson? Did you see him? I’m sure you saw him because the world saw the most clutch player in the NBA, close the deal in Amoda City, Go New York, go New York, those they first takes in the house, y’all. Here we come.” Smith screamed.

He was way too excited to see New York come out on top in what’s been a stellar series against a solid Detroit team. Why wouldn’t he be? Smith is known for being a die-hard New York Knicks fan, perhaps most famously for blasting the Knicks for drafting Kristaps Porzingis. Stephen A. Smith was stunned by Jalen Brunson’s incredible performance. The Knicks’ point guard finished the night with 40 points after hitting arguably the most important shot of his career. The 28-year-old won this season’s Clutch Player of the Year award just a few days back. Indeed, he did justice to the prestigious title given to the most effective player in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime.

Moreover, Smith was happy to see his beloved New York franchise march into back-to-back Eastern Conference semi-finals. Last year, things did not end well for the Knicks, who were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers. While Jalen Brunson and Co. have acquired the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, they face a daunting task ahead. That’s because the Knicks will go up against the defending champions, the Boston Celtics, in the next round. During the offseason, the Knicks went big, keeping in mind that they were going to go up against Boston at some point in the season and wanted to come out on top. Finally, the time has come, but are they up for the task?

Will the Knicks finally put an end to Stephen A. Smith’s troubles?

The New York Knicks splashed big over the summer and put together a superstar roster. Why? Because they knew if they wanted to aim for the championship, they needed to overcome the Boston Celtics first. Now, the team from the Big Apple possesses the likes of OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges, all elite-level wing defenders. However, even after putting in so much effort, we saw no change in the regular season as the Celtics swept New York 4-0. What’s more concerning is the fact that only one of these games was decided by a single-digit margin, as two of them were 20+ point blowouts.

So, if the Knicks want to make it to the Eastern Conference finals, they’ll have to give more than a hundred percent in this series. Stephen A. Smith’s beloved team will have to lock in on defense and try to contain the All-Star duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. However, while Anunoby, Hart, and Bridges look up for the task, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are poor defenders. This might prove to be a massive blow for the Knicks in this series. Against the Cs, Towns has posted a defensive field goal percentage of 55.3 and a terrible 76.2 DFG at the rim. If this is anything close to what we’re about to witness in the playoffs, it will be disastrous for New York.

Moreover, the Knicks have the fifth-worst opponent three-point shooting in the NBA, which will be a nightmare against the Celtics’ elite shooting from deep. However, it’s not all bad. Jalen Brunson has been outwardly in the postseason, especially in clutch situations. Meanwhile. KAT is also capable of producing solid defensive games, something he’ll need to do. Additionally, they will also receive a massive boost from injuries. Boston has been struggling with injuries after an extremely physical series with the Magic. Players such as Tatum, Brown, and Holiday are all struggling with injuries. So, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top as we eagerly wait Game 1 at the TD Garden.