Stephen A. Smith isn’t happy with Knicks’ second loss to the Pacers!
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ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith lost his cool after the New York Knicks suffered their second consecutive loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. On Friday, May 23, the Knicks went down against the Pacers 114-109, and are now trailing the Conference Finals series 0-2. Following the loss, Smith, who is also an ardent Knicks’ fan, went off and expressed his frustration for losing back-to-back games.
In a video posted by the NBA pundit on his social media, he could be seen venting out as well as questioning Tom Thibodeau’s choice of limiting Karl-Anthony Towns’ playing time to 28 minutes.
He was heard saying, “I’m trying to keep my cool, you know? There’s always hope. But I don’t understand for the life of me how in the hell Tom Thibodeau has KAT playing just 28 minutes. He’s gonna try to tell us it was defense! But with Mitchell Robinson on the court, the deficit increased. Jalen Brunson…that shot at the end of regulation? Don’t know what that was about.”
KAT, who earned the All-NBA third team selection on Friday, was benched for most of the fourth quarter, as the Knicks struggled to make a comeback. He was pulled out of the game with nine minutes left in the final quarter when the Pacers took a 94-85 lead. However, he was back in the game with over two minutes remaining, and the Pacers were up by nine points at 110-101. While the Knicks were able to cut the lead to 110-109 with 14 seconds left, they were able to move past it and ended up losing the game.
Coming back to Smith, the veteran went on to say, “I don’t know what else to say. I mean…I do know what to say, but don’t want to, I don’t want to. I don’t know what Thibs was doing tonight, I have no clue, have no idea! …Looks like we’re going home. Looks that way! Don’t know if it is that way!”
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Tom Thibodeau Reveals Reason For Karl-Anthony Towns’ Limited Playing Time in Game 2
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is often known for playing his starters for most of the game with limited rest time. However, he came up with a different approach as the Knicks clashed against the Pacers in Game 2. Thibodeau played Karl-Anthony Towns for limited time during Friday-night fixture, drawing criticism from pundits and fans alike.
However, following the loss, Thibodeau revealed the strategy behind his bold move and revealed the choice he made. Addressing the media in the post-match conference, he said, “Just we got in a hole, and the group that was in there gave us a chance. We were just riding that, and I was searching for a win.”
Notably, Thibodeau benched Towns for Mitchell Robinson when there were nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. However, his decision didn’t turn out to be in the Knicks’ favor and Robinson finished with just six points and nine rebounds.
Moving ahead in the series, the Knicks have no choice left but to make a stronger comeback as action shifts to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for next two games on Sunday, May 23. As the Pacers are just two wins short of making their next NBA Finals appearance, they would want to make the most of their home-court advantage and register a win. However, the Knicks need to work on their strategies and come with a solid plan to avoid the series sweep.