ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Is Losing Confidence In The New York Knicks After Game 1 Loss To Miami Heat

Stephen A. Smith thinks the New York Knicks are in trouble after losing Game 1 against the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat’s victory against the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon has ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith worried to say the least.

The Knicks are favored to win the series but Game 1’s loss puts them in a tough spot. To their credit, Julius Randle was sidelined with the ankle injury he suffered in Game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. But they need him to win and Smith acknowledges it.

On Monday’s episode of First Take, his co-host, Molly Qerim, asked if the Knicks are in trouble and he admits they are.

“I believe so from a standpoint that Julius Randle has to play and they have to win Game 2,” Smith says. “They’re not beating Miami in four out of five if they fall 0-2 on their homecourt. With two games back in Miami, games three and four. You’re not beating Miami if you fall down in this series 0-2. I recognize that, even though I’m a die-hard Knicks fan. We understand what it is. They got to do better.”

Randle led the Knicks in 3-pointers made but without him, they shot only 20 percent. It was the lowest since May 3, 2012 against the Heat. The Knicks tried to get it going but weren’t able to connect.

“RJ Barrett came out strong at the start and then really really tailed off,” Smith continued. “The combination of him, Brunson and Barrett shot one of 16 from 3-point range. That is beyond atrocious. They just weren’t effective. Just shot 20 percent from 3-point range for the game.”

When Butler went down in the fourth quarter with an ankle sprain, everyone thought the Heat were done. But Kyle Lowry’s late performance sparked them back up. He played the entire quarter and scored nine points.

Even though the Heat hit only 13 3-pointers, Smith was surprised by how hot certain players were getting, considering they were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams.

.@stephenasmith says his Knicks are in trouble 😳 pic.twitter.com/G5BNETjFJN

— First Take (@FirstTake) May 1, 2023

“The thing that shocked me and scared the living hell out of me about the Miami Heat is not just Jimmy Butler,” he said. “He had 25 and 11, would’ve had more if he didn’t hurt his ankle. We all know this. It’s the fact that, damn, Gabe Vincent dropped 20. He hit about five threes. Kyle Lowry about three threes. Kevin Love hit a couple of threes. Strus hit a couple of threes. I’m like ‘Damn, everybody hitting threes!’. Now this ain’t the Miami Heat team I saw during the regular season.”

Smith continued saying, “I’m getting very concerned because I didn’t see this. These dudes are hitting shots all over the damn place. And it’s without Tyler Herro in the lineup with his broken hand. It’s without Victor Oladipo.”

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE