‘The BIGGEST disappointment in NBA history if Knicks lose series’ 🗣️👀 – Perk | First Take

‘The BIGGEST disappointment in NBA history if Knicks lose series’ 🗣️👀 – Perk | First Take

Boston without their star really showing up. Don’t count us out just yet. And Boston has won to play another day facing elimination. What’s your concern level for your New York Knicks? On a scale of 1 to 10, you ask. It’s about eight. An eight. This is what the Garden was built for. People are tense. Like this is a 10. New York Knicks got to win game six. Nixon six sounds better than Nixon 7. Everything goes sideways on them on Wednesday night. Now I’m moving forward to Friday. And tonight’s all about the Knicks. Do not want to go to Boston. That little leprechaun is real. Game six, Friday night, not a sixquarter. This is it. This is it right here. That’s right. This is it. Game six in New York City. Right up the road at MSG trying to close out the Boston Celtics are those New York Knicks. Let’s welcome in Kendrick Perkins. Now, Perk, we’ve been talking about it all night. We had Spikeley in the building. So, now it’s up to you. What do you think? Oh, just kidding. Perk is not available. So, we’ll revisit it oursel. This is a crucial game. We’ve talked about it all morning long. Wendy, I’ll go to you here, too. Okay. If if the Knicks are going to close it out tonight, what needs to get done? Look, they’re not just playing for tonight. They’re trying to win this whole thing. Okay. I know that everyone’s tense about tonight, including Mr. Smith here. If they’re going to win the whole thing, if they’re serious about this, and they are, they got to get to the next round. You have to have an economy of effort if you’re going to be serious about winning three, four rounds. The West, the Eastern Conference finals are set. They begin on Wednesday. That means if the forget about all the emotion of tonight, forget about Boston, forget about 1970, 1973 brought up. If they’re worried about 2025, you take care of business against a wounded team tonight and then you get four days off. It’s extremely important. Indiana’s already home. They’re waiting. They’re just waiting. They’re planning. So, you have to think about if you’re ahead in the series, you got to take care of business. Also, you want to keep maintain your momentum. The Knicks are on some great momentum. You don’t want to be stressed out having to worry about losing three games in a row. So regardless of all the X’s and O stuff, handle your business tonight. Focus on Indiana tomorrow and close it out at the garden. Like that’s the thing of it, Stephen. A like I don’t even I don’t even care about that. But but it’s not happened for so long for these Knicks fans. He can attest to it since 1999. Do it at home. They can’t be worried about that. You know I love you. You know I do. I don’t give a damn what you can’t you don’t worry about. You’re not a Knicks fan. you know, you haven’t suffered. You haven’t you haven’t endured what we have endured, you know. And by the way, there’s a there’s a big time there’s a big time executive president WME, Mark Shapiro. He’s another dude. You understand what I’m saying? The Knicks fandom. It drives them crazy. Stop it. Nobody cares what you thinking when it comes to the New York Knicks. Okay? Because he’s another person. I mean, the people like this don’t listen to him. Listen, let me tell you why I won’t let me tell you why I won’t listen to that damn Mark Shapiro, who by the way used to run this place. He’s the guy that hired me in 2003. I love him to death. Okay. All right. He represents me for crying out loud. But here’s the deal. That same Mark Shapiro is the guy that got courtside seats to the Knicks game to the Knicks game. He’s got to got courtside seats to the Knicks game. And he will literally complain about excessive fandom because he hasn’t suffered. He hasn’t suffered. He comes to New York. He’s not of New York from New York. He hasn’t suffered like New York. He hasn’t endured what we have what we have endured. says he that brother went to school in Iowa. You understand? He went here in New York. He doesn’t understand how we have suffered. I don’t care what he says. And I love him. I don’t give a damn what he says. Okay, here’s the reality. You’re the New York Knicks. We going to put it as as the late great Joe Madison, famed Hall of Fame radio host once used to say all the time, let’s put it where the goats can get it. All right, we that’s what we gonna do here. Let’s understand this. Do we realize that this is not only the greatest shot the New York Knicks have had at an NBA championship in I’m not going to even say 26 years cuz we all knew they weren’t going to be San Antonio in 99. I’m going to say add four more years that 30 years. Okay. 30 31 years when they were in the finals in 94 against Houston. This is the best shot the New York Knicks have had since then. And I’m going to go out on a limb. I think this is going to be the best shot the New York Knicks are going to have for the foreseeable future. Where Ant-Man going? Where Indiana going? Where Oklahoma City going? Dallas. Let’s pay attention now. What about the future? The fact of the matter is we don’t know. So the level of urgency that the Knicks should have, it should be extreme because this is the closest the New York Knicks have been or may very well be to an NBA championship. Think about that. Think about that. You are right. Let’s bring in Kendrick Perkins to join this conversation with us. Perk, I got to give it to you. You said from jump that you thought this series was going to go to six or seven games. Here we are. He did. He did. He did. What is at stake regardless of the injuries? What is at stake now for the Knicks tonight? Well, not just tonight, but for the series, right? If the Knicks lose this series, it will be one of the most disappointing uh uh it will be one of the biggest disappointments in NBA history. Why? because you’re facing the defending champs because you went got two games on the road because now all of a sudden you were up 3-1 the now the defending champs are missing one of their best players or if not their best player in Jason Tatum and you have three games to win one and you don’t get it done it would be the one it would be one of the biggest disappointments in the history of the NBA. On top of that, you made a trade for Carl Anthony Towns, which sent Julius Randle to Minnesota, Julius Randall and Dante are back in the conference finals, you mean to tell me with this roster that you have, giving up all those picks for Mikuel Bridges, acquiring OG Noi, Big Body Brunson, the best closer in today’s game. Hell, one could argue he’s been the best player in the postseason and you have three games to close one and Boston is missing their best player in Jason Tatum and you don’t close this series out. Forget just tonight. If you don’t win this series, period, this will be one of the biggest disappointments in NBA history. I have to say I agree with everything he just said, but I’m a little bit worried because that’s not what Stephen A needs to hear right now. Per, no, it’s what I need to hear. I don’t have any problem with what Kendrick Perkins is saying because I completely agree. And let’s not matter of fact, as great as Big Perk just did, I don’t think he completed the whole picture. You know what pitch I’m going to add to it, it’s not just about the Julius Randle call Anthony Towns trade. is the fact that Julius Randle’s still playing. Julius Randle may help the Minnesota Timberwolves win a world championship. Could you believe that? Think about that for a second. This is the closest you’ve been in 30 years to a championship and the closest you may be for the foreseeable future if you’re the New York Knicks. And not only do you not get it done, but in the same breath, the dude that you traded away for, the dude that you traded away rather, helps Ant-Man win a championship the very next season. I mean, think Tom Brady depart from New England and winning in Tampa the very next year. Think about no matter how great we know Bill Bich is as a coach. Think about how he was viewed prior to and think about how he was viewed the moment Tom Brady went elsewhere the very next season and won it without him. But Bill Bellich could barely scratch 500. Made one playoff appearance in four years and had a losing record two le or two or three years. Think about that for a second here. There’s a luster that fell off of that. If Julius Randall averaging 27 and seven against, you know, who Minnesota brain lock, right? If 27-7 and you help propel them after doing that against Golden State and you help propel them to a championship, oh Lord. Oh, it it it it will be heartbreaking. Heartbreaking. So all of that’s at stake and that’s why even Carl Anthony Towns should be in the spotlight even more. I love Carl Anthony Towns but he got to do better. He got to do better cuz Julius Randle is balling. Yeah. And that’s why Carl Anthony Towns is here cuz Julius Randle was gone. The two made threes by Carl Anthony Towns are just not great in this entire series. But Perk, let’s let’s talk about Jaylen Brunson here a little bit. We know how he how good he is, especially in these playoffs in terms of comeback games after a loss averaging 36 points plus after a loss in these this series and also the entirety of the playoffs. But tonight, is Brunson’s superstar status on the line? What do you think for the series? It is. We already know Big Body Brunson is a bonafide uh superstar already, but it’s levels to this sh. And when I talk about levels, I’m talking about the history, the organization of the New York Knicks. Jaylen Brunson is already knocking at the door of being a top five greatest Knicks greatest Nick ever, right? But when you look at the list, you have Walt Frasier, you have Willis Reed, you have Bernard King, you have Patrick Euan, you know what the debate is right now? Is Jaylen Brunson uh a better Nick in the history? Uh better than uh Camello Anthony? Jaylen Brunson closed this series out. He’s a top five greatest Nick of all time. And that’s what’s at stake for him when it comes down to the superstar status. No one is ever going to question Big Body Bronson and what he could do to the T do bring to the table. Hell, he’s been the best player in this postseason, right? in my opinion, best closer, but he closed this series out. He’s definitely top five superstar right now. Absolutely. Um, and the only way that the Knicks are ahead in this series is because of him. Now, there’s a bunch of guys who have contributed, but what he did in game one, and game two, when the Celtics were at full power, ahead by 20 in those two games, and he put them in a chokeold and took them down. I mean, I guess it depends, Perk. Like if I don’t even think this is going to pop. Like if Brunson goes one of 15 tonight or something, you know, he’s not. He doesn’t have games like that. He surely doesn’t have two bad games in a row. He didn’t have a great game the other day. Brunson’s status as a superstar is cemented. Perk is right though. You want to go down as one of the greatest Knicks ever, you pull this beating the defending champs, beating the number one seed, putting your team in position to have home court in the conference finals. I thought the Knicks had the hardest draw in the entire playoffs this year, sitting without home court, having to play the Celtics, then possibly the Cavs, then possibly the the Thunder, the Pistons, and then Celtics. Yeah. Pistons, but I mean, Pistons were a six seed with no experience. If they get to this conference finals, it’s a it I agree, Perk, but I don’t think his his there’s his Superstar task is on the line tonight. It’s not on the line tonight, but it does elevate him if he performs tonight. Now we got to wonder exactly who comes off that list. Does Bernard King come off that list? Who comes off that list? Interesting question because somebody got to come. Well, Carmemelllo won one series. Well, then Carmemelllo got to come off the list. No, no offense. That’s what I’m saying. No offense. We know how great Carmemelllo was as a play as an offensive player. No doubt about that. But results are results. And when you consider how he’s I mean, from a talent perspective, there’s plenty of people that you look at on its face and put ahead of Brunson. You know, I’m looking at Stefon Marberry. We keep forgetting a guy like Stefon Marberry averaged 20 and8 in his career. I mean their brother’s talent as a as a guard in the NBA was spectacular. But when you look at results whether it’s Amari Stamaya, it’s Steph, it’s Carmelo, it’s whreewell spree well and remember Spreewell got you till finals now. You said Larry Johnson got you till finals now. Larry I saw them both at the guard. It was great seeing them. Got you till finals now. So we got Yuing Starks, Spreewell, Larry Johnson, these brothers went to a finals. But if Jaylen Brunson, the way that he has looked, you know, in his three years since that he’s been with the New York Knicks, you know, he’s the leading scorer in the postseason, averaging 30 30 Brunson. Yo, SA Wendy, check this out. He has six 30 10 30 and 10 games in the playoffs. That’s twice as much as any other Knicks any other Nick player in the history of the organization.

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and Brian Windhorst preview Game 6 between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

0:00 What do the Knicks need to do to close the series?
5:05 Perk talks stakes for the Knicks
7:16 Stephen A. speaks on Julius Randle winning in Minnesota
9:27 Is Jalen Brunson’s superstar status on the line?

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