SPIKE LEE JOINS FIRST TAKE 🎥 Stephen A. & Spike’s KNICKS FAN ANXIETY RUNS THE SHOW 😳

SPIKE LEE JOINS FIRST TAKE 🎥 Stephen A. & Spike’s KNICKS FAN ANXIETY RUNS THE SHOW 😳

Welcome back to First Take. In case you forgot, it is a game six Friday in New York City. The Knicks are back at the Garden with the chance to close out this series against the Boston Celtics and find themselves back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the turn of the century. It’s been a minute. Look who is here on First Take. A very familiar Nick fan. Of course, Spike Lee is in the building. We already asked this crew, so now we’re going to ask you what’s going to happen tonight. A W. We’re gonna win a hook or a crook. We got to do do we got to do and I don’t want to go back to Boston game seven. So, let’s just end it here tonight. Have you seen these things outside the Garden after imagine? I know I’m not the first one to say it, but when the Knicks win NBA championship, they need they need the National Guard, the Marines. Is this going to be? We’ve waited a long time. Too long. Too long. Too long. Too long. I was five. I was 5 years old. But a 7273. Yeah. You’ve got to enjoy it. You’re too stressed out. You got to enjoy the Once again. Once again, you’re not getting it. We’ve been closed before. You got to remember, I had the pledge. I was at an event at the Disney Upfronts the other day and some young lady walks up to me and she’s she wants to interview me or whatever and she’s on her, you know, red carpet and all of that and she introduced herself afterward. She said, “Just so you know, I am the daughter of Dave Checkets.” Dave Checkets is the former President Madison Square Garden. He ran the Knicks right now. Did he deliver a championship? No. But we all know that’s because of Jordan and Elijah. Can’t forget Elajuan because the Knicks went there without him and John Starks. I love John. I won’t I won’t don’t bring it up. I won’t bring it up. You send me a My point is it’s been close. And Checkets did a masterful job of lying to us. He had us convinced at least three three times we gonna beat Jordan. He had us convinced and it didn’t happen. So, I’m just saying to y’all, please understand who who beat him, though. Nobody. I know. But we should have. You know where he was born? Brooklyn right there. Look out the window. That’s where Michael was born. I’m fully aware. I’m fully aware. I’m fully aware. He didn’t give a damn about that when he came when it came to going up against us. Spike, I’ve always loved seeing you courtside, not just at Knicks games, but also at Liberty games. But when it comes to this squad, this, you know, iteration of the New York Knicks, who do you think outside of Jaylen Brunson is someone that you gravitate towards that can be an X factor? OG or Josh Hart. But I like I’m the only one at this table, this esteemed table. It was at the Garden May 8th, 1970. I was 13 years old. I was there. I was there. 13 years old. My father’s lawyer had season tickets. That’s right. And he and he would give me tickets during the season and he says, “Spike at the series goes seven games, you can go.” I saw Willis drag his right foot out. Another thing I’d like to say, I’ I’ve been to World Cups, Super Bowls. I’ve never heard a noise as loud when Willis dragged his leg onto that court. And and he had he didn’t come out where everybody because back then the needles were like this. So it takes a while for the the drug go and so both teams were doing the layups and the entire Laker team froze. We’re talking about Will Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgen Baylor, and the rest of the team. They froze when they heard that noise and turned around and watch saw Willis drag his leg. Yes. To the free throw line where his first two Oh, left-handed his first two shots. That’s right. And then the game is first two shots. That’s right. Now Walt Fraser has a different thing. Will Fraser was a That’s all they needed. Walt Fraser took care of the rest. But he still says not I mean it’s he says it lovingly but it just wasn’t is why is it just why is it called the Willis Reed game? You know that’s right. I’m just saying it’s moments man. It’s moments. I hope the team I hope none of the current Knicks is watching this because you’re just piling it on. You’re piling it on. Why would you hope Why would you hope that you you don’t want the man confident in thinking that they’re going to win tonight’s game? This isn’t about 1970. This is about 2025. I totally agree with that. But here’s the flip side. There’s nothing wrong with embracing urgency. Pressure breaks pipes. What are you made of? What are you made of? Boston showed us in game five they ain’t going out like that. We the reigning we the reigning defending champions. You think you coming into our house with you all these Irish pubs everywhere. You think you without T. I don’t give a damn we don’t have Tatum. You know who we are and they answered the call. Now it’s the New York Knicks turn. Ain’t nothing wrong with that. Ain’t nothing wrong with that with you. So I’m I’m curious then as two people that have seen multiple decades of Knicks basketball, where would you grade this current squad? Because Stephen A is full of anxiety, but I feel like this is a team that has been embraced not just for New York. I’m a basketball fan and I love what they built off of chemistry. Agree. Leon Rose, I’ll let you answer that first. I’ll let you answer that first cuz I got my answer. You go ahead and say it first. You go say what you going to say. Ask me or the Knicks going to win. You just said the Knicks are going to win. Ask me if the Knicks going to win. Is the Pope Catholic? Did the Pope going to do a number? Hey, I I can leave right now. I can leave. I can leave. There’s some anointing now for you guys. Good energy. There’s some anointing happening over there. I’m just going to tell you, Jaylen Brunson smiled. Jaylen Brunson smile. This is This is going to calm everybody down. The other night, I don’t even know if it was on the broadcast, but on the on the scoreboard, the game was over. There a timeout late in the game. Jaylen Brunson in Boston. Yeah. Okay. Go ahead. Jaylen Brunson had fouled out. Jaylen Brunson never smiles. He scores 45. He doesn’t smile. He is the game. doesn’t smile. They put him on the scoreboard in Boston so the fans could boo him. He waved at him. He smiled at him. Don’t you worry about tonight. Jaylen Brunson smiled at him. Chill out, buddy. The Knicks have an opportunity to change my mind tonight. But I have watched them and I went I veered back to normaly when they won games one and two in Boston because I did not expect that with Tatum on the court with Brown on the court and they went up 200 after 20 point deficits of both games. But I have to tell you, I have spent the vast majority of this season wishing Hartinstein, Randall, and Devenzo was still on this team because I have I saw the grit in the New York Knicks last year. And if Brunson doesn’t get hurt and Hart doesn’t get hurt, okay, I believe the Knicks were in the conference finals last year. I don’t believe they lose that game seven at home to Indiana. Fair enough. Okay. So, I’m thinking about that and what they would have been. They would have had more bodies. They would have been more physical and they would they would have been more gritty defensively. And because of that, I have spent the vast majority of this season wishing that that was the case. Now, when they went in Boston, I like, wait a minute here. I’m seeing something. All right. And and then obviously game four after losing game three. I love that. Okay. Then they get blown out in game five. Tonight’s the night. I understand there’s a game seven, but my mentality is there is no tomorrow. Take them out now. Right now. Let me tell you this though. It might be we might see our guys in the finals. I agree. That’s what I’m trying to say. If you win tonight, it changes your mind. If you win tonight, it listen, I think if you get pushed into a game seven, it’s too much. You’re expending too much in a Tom Thibido system. I believe you got to end it quick. You got to take him out tonight. You got to take them out. Tonight. Well, there is a realistic chance and I didn’t want to ask this question, but Stephen A told me I need to. So, listen. There is a realistic chance. You got two games to win one. Maybe you do have to go to a game seven and you got to go back to Boston. If that is the case, where are the feelings at? We’re winning tonight. We’re winning tonight. Okay. You want to ask? Why are we focusing on the answer? Listen, we’re winning. We’re winning tonight. That is the answer to that question. They’re winning tonight. Now, let me ask all over the place. I’ve never seen this morning. We’ve turned the page. I’ve never seen him like this. I want to ask Mike this question because he’s here. About a month ago, Jay Will was on I think Get Up and he said that he thinks Jaylen Brunson is on his way to being one of the greatest Nicks of all time. He’s already greatest ever. No. One of the greatest. Do you agree with that statement? Willis Clyde Bernard King from the time he was there. And Carmelo. Yeah, I think he’s he’s he’s our guy. He He’s putting the whole team on his shoulders and and going back to what you said, my brother, about that smile. So you both are not ready for tonight. You snapped right to and you said, what was it? May what? 1970. May 8th, 197. You remember it. Today’s May 16th, 2025. 55 years. Jaylen Brunson maybe makes you remember May 16th. Yeah. Let me tell Let me tell you something right now. If Jaylen Brunson, no. If propels New York to the championship, he’s top three, Nick. Oh, I forgot I left out Patrick, too. I’m sorry. Patrick, I’m sorry. No, no, no, no, no. We love Patrick, you know. Good seeing another day. Good seeing another day. But here’s the point. Point. Here’s the point. It’s it’s if it championship is the requirement of course because Walt Clyde Frasier and those cats you can’t usurp them when they’re the ones that last delivered this championship. But Jaylen Brunson in terms of his play clutch player of the year clutch play in the playoffs by the way backed it up has arrived in New York okay and has just taken over. The brother is special. All right. So he’s already one of the all-time great Knicks. But if first of all he gets to the conference finals, that’s more than any modern day Nick has done. More than any modern day Nick has done. And if you win the championship, that would be more than Euing has done. But also, he’s he’s got to go there with Aaron Judge as far as New York City. No doubt. But listen, here’s the thing. This is the other thing because I give you a perfect example. Anybody that loves the Knicks that knows anything about the Knicks rever not like reveres Bernard King. We know injuries derailed that brother because he was something spectacular. Where’s he from? But he was a oneman wrecking crew. He was a oneman wrecking crew. Okay. One man wrecking crew but obviously couldn’t accomp accomplish with so much. Okay. When we think the most successful Knicks after you get past Wal Clar Frasier Earl Pearl Monroe to Bush or Bradley and all of these cats you go to Euing. You go to Melo. with Euing, you couldn’t get past Jordan. And then when Jordan retired, you couldn’t knock off Elijahan, even though that wasn’t really Yuing’s fault, but I won’t go there. And then you got Carmelo. Great. But Dwade and LeBron were together. You understand? Even though you lost to Roy Hibbert and them in Indiana, but we all know how great Carmelo was. But you couldn’t get past the semis. You look at Brunson, he get him to the conference finals, man. Yo, he he got to be up on that list. And if he gets him to the finals, he really got to be up there. God help us. You better cancel your podcast. Cancel your campaign rally. You better lay in a dark room. You’re not going to make You’re not going to make Here’s another reason. I’m not going to make 8:00. You need to chill out. I am cool, man. I’m cool. You are the opposite of Let me Let me be very very clear. He talks through his feelings. The game The game is tonight. What time of the game? 8:00. Um, there’s a countdown before that game. Who’s on it? If you ever see me not ready, do my job. I will be ready. Are you born ready? Born ready. Say it. I will be ready. Reason to close this thing out tonight. Regardless of whether there’s a game seven or not, game one of the Eastern Conference Finals is going to start on Wednesday. It doesn’t matter. I will say this to you. I will say this to you. you know, COVID and everything like that. You want to keep your distance from the crowd or whatever. I’m kind of rethinking this. I’m kind of thinking I might need to be out there with the peoples. I might need to be outside with the people. Come on. I might be I might need to be out there with the people’s pregame. I might I might need to do that. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

Academy Award-winning director, and famous New York Knicks’ fan, Spike Lee joins Stephen A. Smith, Brian Windhorst, Chiney Ogwumike and Shae Cornette on First Take to discuss Game 6 between the Knicks and the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

0:00 Initial thoughts on Game 6
1:30 Stephen A. gives a history lesson
3:05 Spike’s Knicks storytime
4:50 Laying on the pressure
5:47 “Ask me if the Knicks are going to win”
8:20 Need to win Game 6
9:33 Thoughts on a hypothetical Game 7
10:13 Is Jalen Brunson an all-time Knick?

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