The New York Knicks just blew the Philadelphia 76ers out of the water as they shockingly defeated them by a 36-point margin. The 128-92 win had Knicks fans roaring on social media. One person who especially could not contain his excitement was Stephen A. Smith. A die-hard Knicks fan, Smith was beyond ecstatic about the Knicks win against the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers.
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The 56-year-old analyst went straight to X(formerly Twitter) to share his joy and exhilaration over the Knicks’ most recent matchup. Smith posted, “Aaaahhhhhhhh!!!!! I can’t deny it. I’m starting to get excited about my @nyknicks. Even with @JuliusRandleMVP struggling tonight, NY beat the @sixers by 36. This kind of performance can make me feel it: Go NY…Go NY….GO!!!!!! We got @jalenbrunson1 baby.#HellYeah!!!”
This blowout win was a result of the New York Knicks carefully orchestrating their offense and defense. The team had seven players scoring in double-digits as opposed to the 76ers having just two big contributors in the game.
Jalen Brunson led New York with his 29-point performance, shooting 11-20 from the field and 4-9 from the three-point line. However, as Smith mentioned in his tweet, Julius Randle struggled to score the ball against the 76ers. He finished the game with a mere 8 points, going 1-11 from the field.
Isaiah Hartenstein stepped up to the plate amid Julius Randle’s struggles and finished the game with 17 points, shooting a whopping 88% from the field. He also had a stellar 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals to help aid a team win against a flying Sixers side.
New York even got a huge boost from their bench as Josh Hart finished with a 10-point-15 rebound- double-double, while Quentin Grimes poured in 19 points and nabbed 8 rebounds of his own. Even Miles McBride had 15 points in the 15 minutes he played off the bench.
If the Knicks continue to perform the way they have, their overall season record and conference standings are bound to rise. Currently, the team is at the seventh spot in the East but this win over Philly marks their third win in a row. New York is bound to capitalize on this momentum they have built.
Stephen A. Smith seems to be coming around
Stephen A. Smith’s excitement was evident with each word he typed on X. A New York Knicks fan all his life, Smith wasn’t too happy with the team, and especially Julius Randle after the Miami Heat knocked them out of the Conference Semifinals last year.
Smith even went on a rant somewhat about the two-time All-Star Julius Randle. However, that also may have been because Randle had an amazing season but was not able to live up to it in the previous year’s playoffs.
Now, the veteran NBA analyst seems to be warming up to the 6’8 forward this year as Randle has had one stellar game after another consistently, with his game against the 76ers being an exception. Given Smith’s love for the Knicks though, his past frustration may have been justified.
That said, that’s just his way of wanting more and better things for the team he has supported all his life.
