Stephen A. on Knicks in the Conference FINALS + Browns vs. Rams DEBATE 🍿 | First Take YT Exclusive

Stephen A. on Knicks in the Conference FINALS + Browns vs. Rams DEBATE 🍿 | First Take YT Exclusive

Good day welcome to First Take exclusively on YouTube we got Stephen A Smith Christopher madg Russo I’m Molly carum let’s get it starting in New York go New York go New York go Stephen A your Knicks have won five straights since trading for OG anubi New York now

Is fourth in the East Rising with recent impressive winds over the Sixers and the t-wolves anoi has been a real game changer for New York recording a plus 111 plus minus over his five games that is the best through a players first five games with a franchise in the last 25

Seasons ESS are the Knicks a real threat to make the conference Championship I think they’re a threat to make the Conference Finals I certainly wouldn’t get them to the NBA finals but it’s almost by default to some degree doggy but I’m not going to take credit away

From Leon Rose and management for the New York Knicks and some of the deals that they’ve made you lose Mitchell Robinson for the season obviously that’s a defensive Star War for you Isaiah hartenstein com comes in he’s been an Energizer bunny from you his basketball

IQ has appeared on top and so we like that you acquire LG an anobi you trade away RJ Barrett who needed to go he just wasn’t a fit with Jaylen Brunson and Julius Randall he was more of a volume shooter and and too sporadic and not

Dependable enough as a shooter to get in the way of the offensive efficiencies Brunson and Julius Randle are capable of giving you you acquire a guy in OG and anobi that elevates their defensive prowess we know that’s necessary come postseason time he’s a big body that can

Defend four at the very least four positions on the basketball court and if you go small he can defend all five positions on the basketball court that’s how versatile OG anobi is defensively which upgrades the Knicks defensively in a very significant fashion which is something that uh Tom tiido would love

Then we take into account what’s transpiring in the rest of the Eastern Conference by default this kid Hami HZ in Miami this guy’s going to make the all rookie team he’s very impressive so considering him with Butler bamat Bay and those guys and the fact that they

Bounc the New York Knicks out you’ve got to give them the edge but it’s not like they can’t be beat we look at Milwaukee who the hell are they defensively they appear to be a shell of themselves they got smoked four times in five trial against the Indiana Paces for crying out

Loud they don’t seem to be the same team uh with Adrien Griffin as their coach instead of Mike buen hoser who always had them as one of the top rated defensive teams okay so we got to take that into consideration then we look at the Philadelphia 76ers well James Harden

Is gone you got Maxi you got Joel andb but who else can you definitively say is going to be relied upon to step up and really do something for you so Philly is a question mark as well and they’ve been struggling as late I look at it from that perspective understanding Boston is

My favorite and I say could we find ourselves in a situation if the New York Knicks can squeeze themselves into a top three seed because they were seven and now they’re four could they get to a top three seed and not have to play the Boston Celtics before the Conference

Finals could I see the Knicks potentially pulling something off yeah uh Leon Rose done a great job with the team Brunson of course was a great signing he’s put a lot of those pieces together he’s made them as good as he could possibly make them without having

A huge star on a team and I don’t think he’s ever going to get that star necessarily but he’s done a very good job of putting together a roster that’s going to win 47 48 games they are not a conference finalist okay I’m sorry Miami is better in a big situation I know

Milwaukee’s defense and are erratic and Indiana did score a million points against him in Milwaukee’s a better team I take Giannis and Lillard over anybody in the Knicks and in a big series I would take them I’m still going to take embiid and Maxi over say Randall and um

And Brunson and obviously the Celtics are all by themselves in Miami we just spent 20 minutes telling you how great spoler is the Knicks are no better than the fifth place team in a conference they should win a first round playoff series but do I think think the Knicks

Right now can get out of the semis in the East I do not I think the GM’s done a tremendous job I think the franchise is on the right track but they are still in push com to shove no better than the fifth best team in the conference so no

They cannot be a conference finalist well again again they I I agree with you there I I you know listen I think they could be a top four team in the Eastern Conference what I’m saying to you is that what I’m seeing from the like for example I’m not saying you’re better

Than jannis Cent dumo and Daman Lillet what I’m saying is because of what I see them lacking on the defensive side of the ball could they potentially get knocked off yes you look at Miami you didn’t go out there and get that primary score and what have you Jimmy Butler’s

Not getting any younger hakz is really impressive Tyler hero is balling is that going to continue they question marks with outside of Boston Milwaukee Philly and Miami you can make an argument that somebody will get knocked off which would pave the way for the New York

Knicks needing to beat just one of them before you go up against Boston that’s what I’m trying to say you can make the argument because you’re basically making the argument though Steve anti The Big Three instead of pro- Knicks you’re saying that the Bucks heat and Philly

Have issues and maybe the Knicks can take advantage I’m looking at this as a Nick scenario have they gotten to a point where I can consider them a conference finalist being better than those three need and I I don’t think they can they need another piece they

Need another piece because before we can say that but they could still end up in the Conference Finals because those other three teams I mentioned I having some they having problem but 22 and 15 fourth in the East not to be in they certainly have be bad teams yeah guys

Playoffs this weekend let’s go uh we got some exciting schedule here for you uh with this weekend’s Wild Card rounds did the Browns and the Texans kick off the Slate on Saturday afternoon while the Eagles travel to Tampa Bay on Monday Night to End what should be an exciting

Weekend of football two wild card teams that have picked up a lot of steam during the stretch here are the Rams and the Joe flacko Le Brown so madg which is the more dangerous wild card team I think they’re both very dangerous I I really do remember the Browns have

Beaten the Ravens in Baltimore Flaco will not be intimidated by the Ravens defense if he gets by Houston the Rams play the Niners very well Stafford’s won a Super Bowl I think are both are very very good I think probably more dangerous I would say the Rams only

Because I think that you know basically because of the quarterback I mean flacko is 40 something years old and Stafford is playing really well I don’t think he’s in his 40s well late 30s I mean he’s not young let’s put it that he’s been out of it for a while and he’s done

A great job but he’s only played five six games because of the quarterback I take the Rams being most dangerous but I think you can make an interesting point that both these teams not out of the realm that that both of them won’t happen that both of them could get to a

Super Bowl not impossible okay Stevie I’m gonna go with the Browns because Flaco you know in his five starts they’re four and one they’ve won four straight he’s the man what does he what does he do he’s he’s he’s averaging 323 passing yards um he’s flinging that

Footboy t 39 years of age January 16th if I remember correctly Amari Cooper is reminding everybody why he was a number one option at the wide receiver spots David and joku can absolutely ball they can run the football and they can do some things offensively with Kevin

Stefansky as the coach now what we really get to is their defense which is Elite they are Elite and they’re the only team in the National Football League that has beaten the two number one seeds both the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens I’m looking at

Them right now and I’m saying to myself they’ve got their work cut out for them I understand that I understand that uh Joe flacko is prone to throwing in ceptions turning the football over I get all of that too but when you have a defense this Elite and you have an

Offense capable of putting up points I say they’re the most dangerous team to upset and disrupt the two number ones meeting in the Super Bowl yep I think it’s fair I you can make that case yes I do think it’s fair and Dan orovi and Mina KES will be with us tomorrow on

First take we’ll breaking down all these games Mad Dog great to have you with us good to be on love you Stevie knock him dead so much for watching guys be sure to tune in to first take every weekday on ESPN 10 a.m. eastern and be sure to

Check back here for more exclusive YouTube content we’ll see you tomorrow have a wonderful Day

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Molly Qerim talk about some of the biggest trending topics in sports.
0:00 State of the New York Knicks
5:40 Wild Card Round schedule
7:00 More dangerous: Browns or Rams?
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