Stephen A. Smith Doesn't Hold Back on Knicks After Game 3 Loss to Hawks
For the second straight game, the New York Knicks failed to make a shot in the final seconds that could have tied or won the game in their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.
As a result, they now trail 2-1 in the series - prompting another fiery reaction from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. An outspoken Knicks fan, Smith said at the start of the series that New York cannot lose to Atlanta without major changes, and he doubled down after WWE personality Danhausen told him to apologize for his earlier comments.
"I'm not apologizing for a damn thing. Not a damn thing. Curse or no curse, the Knicks have NO BUSINESS losing this series to the Hawks - no matter how good that young team is,"Smith posted on X.
"No business. If the Knicks lose this series, heads need to roll. Period. President! GM! Coach! Players! Even the damn Dance Team! To hell with all that superstitious stuff. The Knicks need to handle their damn business. They had better not lose this series, damnit. I swear they better not!"
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The Knicks blew a 12-point lead entering the fourth quarter in Game 2, and while they rallied from a double-digit deficit in Game 3, they still couldn't generate enough offense outside of Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Miles McBride off the bench.
Mikal Bridges was held scoreless in 20 minutes, and although Josh Hart grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists, he managed just two points.
The Hawks were led by Jalen Johnson, who finished two assists shy of a 24-point triple-double, and CJ McCollum, who added 23 points and hit multiple clutch shots down the stretch.
Game 4 is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, with the Hawks looking to take a commanding 3-1 lead, while the Knicks will try to even the series at two games apiece.
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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 1:08 PM.