Stephen A. Smith isn’t ready to call the champion Knicks favorites again
Stephen A. Smith isn't ready to call the champion Knicks favorites again
The confetti from the Knicks’ first championship since 1973 has barely been swept up, and Stephen A. Smith is already looking past San Antonio entirely.
He Appeared on The Roommates Show and predicted that the San Antonio Spurs will not return to the NBA Finals next season, picking instead an Oklahoma City Thunder team to meet his own champion Knicks in 2027.
His main reason centers on health rather than talent. The Thunder were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and fell to the Spurs in a seven-game conference finals while missing key contributors.
“If they’re healthy, they beat the Spurs in the conference finals,” Smith said. “Spurs ain’t in the Finals, they beat the Spurs and they would’ve been favored over the Knicks. So I think because that’s the reality, Oklahoma City is number one, Knicks number two and then everybody else is behind them.”
What Smith says could complicate New York’s title defense before it even starts
He flagged real financial concerns for his own team, pointing to comments from Knicks owner James Dolan, who said during a WFAN interview he would “write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron.” That kind of restriction could cost New York key rotation pieces from this year’s championship roster before training camp opens.
Sportsbooks are already siding with Smith’s take, FanDuel lists Oklahoma City at +250 to win it all next season, the favorite over the defending champion Knicks, who sit fourth in early odds.
Smith has spent the entire postseason taking credit for sparking New York’s turnaround after a fiery April rant following a 2-1 series deficit to Atlanta in the first round.
The Knicks haven’t lost a playoff game since, going 11-0 in their final stretch before claiming the title. He has also said the same things back to back through the playoffs: respect for the Spurs, but real concern about a fully healthy Thunder team coming for both of them next season.
Imagine just five days removed from a championship parade.
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