Stephen A. gets EMOTIONAL over his New York Knicks facing the 'SCARY' Detroit Pistons 😭 | First Take

Oh, welcome to the first take on a Tuesday morning. We got a full house here. Vincent Goodwill, Stephen A. Smith, Iman Shumpert out there in LA. Amina Smith here with you. And look, I pulled you away from 85 degree weather.

Actually, it was 87.

Oh, 87, my bad.

Actually, it was 87. You know what I'm saying? What's up, Iman? What's going on, Vinny? I love Amina, just not this morning. Really? You know what I'm saying? He's mad at me. We got to be like our best. Mess with me when it's raining down there. You know what I'm saying?

When it's raining and the weather's inclement or something like that. To pull me away from 87 degree clear sky sunshine weather. He has dedication right there. It's all right. How you doing?

See, look. teammate that's it. He fooled you away from the Iguanas. From the Iguanas, 87 degree weather. It's ok he's having fun don't even worry about it. That's really a smile.

You messing up already.

That's the smile underneath it.

Alright guys let's get right into it. The regular season continues in the NBA on Thursday and we've got a pair of part three between the Knicks and the Pistons. Detroit has had New York's number in the first two meetings and the Pistons aren't just beating the Knicks when they go toe-to-toe, they're obliterating them with the last win coming by 38 points and snapping an eight-game win streak for the Knicks. Despite having the NBA's best record, the Pistons currently have the third shortest

odds to win the Eastern Conference according to DraftKings Sportsbook. All right, so the Pistons, they got a six and a half game lead on the Knicks in the East. Vincent, I'll start with you. Who are you taking more right now to come out of the East, the Pistons or the Knicks?

Look, the regular season record has to mean something. When you have a six game lead, when you have the best record in the NBA, when you have the best defense in the NBA since January 1, you have to believe in what they've done. At some point, that 82-game exercise has to matter. And consistency, for me, Stephen A., the consistency in their unit.

I have the questions about, hey, do you have a second guy that can score outside of K. Cunningham? But they've had to deal with that all season. And they've managed to work this out. And defensively, to me, defense still matters in the NBA. I know that's a bad word.

I know Adam Silver has legislated defense out of the game and everything else. You could take a million steps, but I think when you look at playoff basketball, protecting the rim, protecting the point of attack, they do that better, especially better, than the New York Knicks. The New York Knicks have a higher ceiling, but also a lower floor.

Iman, what are you thinking? I believe... I'm believing in that higher ceiling. When we start talking about playoff basketball, I'm looking at matchups. I see the Knicks being one of the only teams

that become a hurdle for the Pistons. I know that the Pistons are playing well. I'm encouraged by it. I've seen Kade Cunningham develop. I've seen him grow. But when I see the Detroit Pistons matching up with the New York Knicks at the end of games, I'm trying to figure out how do you deal with Jaylen Brunson and can deal with way more of a load than K Cunningham has had to deal with and you know, they won these regular season matchups because they were kind of pissed off about what happened last year.

So it's like I expected them to come out here and deliver a blow. I expect the game to change a lot when we get to these playoffs and I expected deciding factor to be King K Cunningham take care of the ball because we saw last year he struggled with that. I'm gonna split the baby down the middle. I'm gonna roll with Iman with the Knicks,

but I'm nervous as hell about them damn Detroit Pistons. I'm nervous as hell. I ain't gonna lie. And let me tell you why I'm nervous.

So you're not picking a side?

I'm picking the Knicks. I'm picking confessing my emotional state of mind right here. Okay. I'm emotional right now. All right, I'm emotional because I'm in this cold-ass I'm emotional because I had to leave the Florida sunshine and I'm emotional because my New York Knicks have given me Cause to pause and to be concerned the Detroit Pistons are the real deal. Make no mistake about it I love me some Kay Cunningham. I'm a huge fan of J.B. Bickerstaff. I love the fact that he departed from Cleveland and went to Detroit and immediately turned that situation around.

Major, major props to him. I like their roster. I'm very impressed with Durant and Stewart. Now, Stewart's a wild card because you can get him ejected from a game. You can get him ejected from a series because that's how much of a wild card he is. I don't think he's going to lose. Listen, I don't think he does. In fairness, aside from my Knicks fandom, I don't wish that on a brother.

I mean, listen, I want the brother to do well. I want him to have a prosperous NBA career. I just don't want to be successful against the Knicks. That's all. I I'm really, really concerned. New York Knicks win 78% of their games when they're starting five on the lineup together. When one starter, just one is out, and we've had games where two or three starters have been out. When just one is down, they damn near 500-team. That's the problem that I have with the New York Knicks. We look at a guy like Jalen Brunson, he doesn't have as many touches, not controlling as many possessions

the way that he did under Tom Thibodeau. Mike Brown has gotten the ball out of his hands and made sure that it's being distributed a bit more evenly, which I think is a good thing, which explains why they're so efficient offensively. But when you think about what they are defensively,

particularly when you consider defensive efficiency 11th. Contested shots per game, 24th. That's not something that you worried about under Tom Flipper, though. You got to fix that, particularly with the contested shots against Detroit. You can't have Detroit being able to score on you as well.

That's why they bust your ass the last, excuse my language, that's why they did it the last two times they've gone up against the New York Knicks. You're going to have to fix that. Why Detroit makes me nervous, fellas. It's one thing y'all know this. You've covered the game as long as you have, as exceptionally as you've done it. Iman, you being a former NBA player, you know this. There's a difference between

cats that can just ball and cats that want you. They want the Knicks. They want the Knicks. Badly. Tell Detroit they ain't going to the finals. And they can eat it if they lose to somebody other than the Knicks. They want the Knicks so badly, and they have played like it, and they have treated the Knicks like it. I'm worried because I'm looking at a guy like Carl Anthony Towns.

You're an all-star, you're leading the league in double doubles, but you're also leading the league in offensive fouls. Okay, so you're prone to hurting the team just as much as you're helping it. I'm looking at Mikael Bridges, OG in the Nobel, I'm a huge fan of his, Josh Hart, the Energizer buddy. But damn, when one of y'all go down, where those cats that we see that's supposed to be utilizing,

you know, the Clarksons of the world, the Colics of the world and others. Where these cats at? I'm very concerned about the New York Knicks. I still got them favored because they can find a way to win, and I believe in Jalen Brunson, but Detroit is here. They are here, and the New York Knicks

better treat them like that and stop getting your ass kicked. I mean, you gonna lose. Let it come down to the wire. You understand what I'm saying? Don't go up in there, getting your ass kicked like that. That's when they gotta stop letting it happen.

Well, there's gonna be some sting taking out of that matchup on Thursday, cause Stewart is suspended, Jalen Dern is suspended. So I would expect the Knicks to win that game on Thursday in part because you lost by 31 and 37. They're gonna have revenge on their minds,

or at least they should, if they're any type of competitive team, which I think they are. The problem with Detroit for me is this, just from a historical standpoint, unless you add LeBron James in his prime, or Kevin Garnett in 2007, there aren't teams that go from losing in the first round,

to going to the NBA finals. You have to have some pain. You have to legitimately go through some stuff before you advance. Detroit is a year ahead of schedule. I think if you told Trajan Langdon or JB Bickerstaff before the start of this season that this is where they would be, they would be pleasantly surprised. The Knicks are

the one team in the Eastern Conference that has to get to the NBA Finals this year. James Dolan has made that known. Jalen Brunson, Carl Towns, he didn't get his extension this off season, right? Or before the start of the season. So that's something that's still playing there.

They did go and get Jose Alvarado and Jeremy Sohan. Very limited resources. So they've done things, Steve and I, to augment what they've had. The question is, will they play enough defense when it counts? Will Carl towns be the Carl towns that we saw last year and not this season? Like the Knicks have far more questions.

I think they have the roster that does that, right?

They have the roster to do it. Yeah, but they do. But, but here's the thing. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead.

I just, I feel like right now, the pressure that's on the Knicks comes from us saying it's a win now situation, because the Celtics, we felt like, would be a little bit under where they are. But Jalen Brown has made no mistake to say, they're still here, and they're still in this race. And I still think they're very capable over there in Boston. But when you start

talking about the pressure that we're putting on the Knicks, the pressure is coming from that right there. The hurdle that they have to face with Detroit is just saying that at the end of the game, we have to outplay you and if we don't have it going, can we stop you defensively? I get they added grand theft over there, but it's like the Knicks have to be able to hang their hat on something defensively, just in case Carl

Anthony Towns doesn't get it going, because sometimes we know offense can overpower if your defense is not doing something, but that's what Stephen A was just saying. They all have to be clicking at that moment. So I know that under Tom Thibodeau, we knew they had more of a defensive presence

and they were going to play a certain way more consistently, but under their new head coach, and I don't know where they have to fill in the holes and fill in the blanks to say, hey, at the end of the game,

when we have to trade baskets, we're confident. Let me tell you where I'm, let me tell you what we really, really need to keep our eyes on. First of all, Carl Anthony Towns, big feet, questionable knees and feet. Posting up is not something I want to see him doing. That's not his game. He is a legit 6'10". I get that part. But that's not something I want to see him do

because against Duran, against Stewart, what you going to do? You going to sit up there where you can be behind him and you know the trick because you used to use it, Iman. When some cat tried to post you up, one of the things you did, you attacked their legs if their legs were vulnerable all of a sudden the need of the back of their knees You just it's all these little tricks of the trade. You understand. I mean we all know what what happens You ain't worried about no damn Carl Anthony Towns in the post Would you worry about with him is that brother can fly away from long range? Is that about 35% click this season needs to improve upon that?

Needs to make those long range shots and be that threat to pull the bigs away from the basket. He's got to be able to do that, that's number one. Number two, collectively speaking about the New York Knicks, you were in the conference semifinals in the game seven two years ago. Cats got injured, you went down, you lost to Indiana, okay? Last year, you went to the conference finals,

you got taken out six games. You guess what, what's the next step next step finals. And by the way, let me tell you why it's important. And this is why we're looking at the New York Knicks. This is you on the clock. This is your chance because two reasons. It's the lone thing. You can blame Jalen Brunson for there is no way

Leon Rose gives up five first round picks for Mikkel Bridges and whatnot for Jalen Rose. They're Jalen Brunson. Okay? There's no way that that happens. You gave it up for because your star wanted his boy. Now credit to Jalen Brunson because he could have waited a year to sign his contract extension. You know this.

But he didn't. He would have got him over $100 million more. He didn't do that. So basically they said, listen, he's saving us a hundred million. We got to go out and get this player. My point to Jalen Brunson is going to be this. You my man, this is my brother right here. Okay. You said love Vinny, right? But I'm going like this.

If we got to trade the entire damn a slew of draft capital, we got your Vinny. We got to have a conversation. I want you here with me. But we ain't giving up that amount of stuff. You know what I'm saying, Iman? I ain't trying to do that. Not five picks.

We getting yonders for five picks.

There we go. You can't do that for Mikkel Bridges. And I think, on one hand, because Jalen Brunson has proven to be so great, there's level of appreciation for him. The greatest New Yorker of the modern era, one of the greatest New York Knicks in history. The man is phenomenal, okay? So his play on the court justifies it.

But in the same breath, you have to have the foresight to say, I love my boy, but he ain't worth five first round picks. He worth $150 million, all right, that he's getting right now in today's NBA market, but not five first round picks.

Think about it. If they're getting up three, you got Giannis this summer. I'm talking about last summer. He'd have been here with them. You would have had those picks to give him more money. You got to manage assets.

They didn't do that. So now you got a cat that ain't worth all of that. And when you look at the New York Knicks, it's like Detroit's not going away. Cleveland's not, LeBron might go back to Cleveland next year.

Who knows?

You understand? And even if he don't, you looking at Harden with Donovan, with Mobley, with Allen. It's like, yo, Cleveland's not going anywhere. Tatum coming back. I know the New York Knicks had him last year, but damn it, that was last year.

This is Tatum and Brown. They ain't going away. So if you're the Knicks, this is your moment. You gotta seize it. Because if you don't, chances are, there's no time in the future we can foresee you doing it.

Yeah. Yeah.

Look, you mentioned it right there for all the talk that about the the Pistons and then being first in the East right now. I mean the Cavs, they're the favorites to come out of the East. They just acquired James Harden. Iman, I want to bring you in on this. How much are people sleeping on this Cleveland team and what they could do going down the stretch of the season?

I don't think people are sleeping on the Cavs. I think the Cavs excite everybody when you look at him on paper, even when you see some of the highlights. It was impressive seeing James Harden come over there with virtually no practice, no real chemistry to go with and be able to have an immediate impact. You saw right away. The bigs got involved. You see right away Jared Allen getting more and more easier touches around the rim. James Harden commands that type of respect. He commands

that type of attention. The problem isn't if these two can play together as you saw Donovan Mitchell say on the interview the other day. They're not thinking about that. They're thinking about winning and if they can keep their focus on winning they are a scary team for the playoffs. But we all know and have to respect the facts and say James Harden has historically gotten into playoffs and didn't take care of the ball. If you don't take care of the ball in the playoffs and when it's time to trade baskets at the end you don't take care of the ball in the playoffs, and when it's time to trade baskets at the end, you don't have somebody that's confident in decision making,

where your whole team trusts and is going to ride or die for every decision that you make, it's going to be tough to win in the playoffs, especially with the East getting as good as it's getting at the top.

Yeah.

Look, I feel like on paper of people aren't talking about this Cavs team possibly winning an NBA title.

For good reason. I'm gonna be honest here.

It's true. I get it.

Look, when you have, and I'm a person that believes Evan Mobley could beat Tim Duncan. Right. Like, except he's just real slim. He just skinny. That's all.

I'm not gonna. No, yeah, I'm not. architect. I'm saying I'm not saying Tim Duncan. I'm hard to relax. Relax, relax, but what is powerful in his basketball? Come on now. I know what I'm saying.

All right.

Here's what I'm saying about the cat. Here's what I'm saying about the cash off toughness is a question. Jared Allen and Evan Mobley are tall man. Not big man. Where's my man, Beaumont Jones, who came up with that. When you in the East, you need some girth.

You going up against Stewart and Duren and Carl Towns, who is still a big boy, and Mitchell Robinson, assuming that he's healthy, you need the big bodies up front to control possessions. And here's what needs to be said about James Harden, because Donovan Mitchell is a playoff riser. I legitimately believe that he's a guy that elevates

his game during the postseason. James Harden, for all of his longevity, he does not get the credit for the longevity that we give Stephen Curry, that we give LeBron James, that we give Kevin Durant. He is just as old as those dudes,

and he is but as effective. When times get tough in the playoffs, his game goes down. He is not the guy that you're going to say, hey man, we down three, two in the playoff series. We need a 40 point game out of you tonight. History has said you're more likely to get a seven turnover game in a closeout game,

or a five first 18 game in a closeout game. So for me to believe in the Cavs, they were just going to have to show me and buck those trends and buck toughness. Because you can maybe do some stuff in the West. In the East, you got to win with some toughness.

OK.

We're not sleeping on the Cavs. And the reason we can't sleep on the calves is because of the greatness of James Harden and the fact that you have two dudes in the backcourt that got something to prove. Donovan Mitchell, to me, is a superstar caliber player.

I love Donovan Mitchell. I don't give a damn that Jalen Brunson is here. I've always wanted Donovan Mitchell in a New York Knicks uniform. I want everybody. Who do you not want in a New York Knicks uniform?

Oh Lord!

The 1994 Eastern Conference All-Star team. You're trying to get an NBA title.

You're trying to get an NBA title. It's totally true. It's totally true. Look, the beggars can't be choosy. I want them all. I want everybody. Damn, man, I ain't gonna lie to you. I ain't apologizing for it. Iman, no, that's how I love Iman. How happy. I mean, the first time Iman met me, how big was the smile on my face

because you was a New York Nick coming out of Georgia Tech? Come on, dog, I've always had you because that man's a New York Knick uniform, I'm pissed at you, I don't like you. But if you can play, you in a New York Knick uniform, we good. Here's the deal, y'all. Somebody needs to look into the camera and tell James Harden this. Everybody brings up his performances in terms of how anemic he has played in big game situations. James Harden, I hope you're watching.

Here's what you need to understand. You are one of the greatest scorers in the history of basketball. The reason why people go at you is because we know how great you are. It's not because you ain't great. It's because you have been great. We've seen you've been great. And it's not that you averaging 13.8 points in the last

four game sevens. It's not that you shoot 27% from the field in the last game sevens, those last four game sevens, or 17% from three-point range in those last four game sevens. It's the fact that you didn't even attempt to make noise.

This is James Harden.

I mean, you just don't have it. But when you don't attempt the shots,

that's tantamount to quitting in our eyes because we know that man could get his shot off anytime he wants to. There is no explanation to anybody that has a modicum of knowledge about basketball as to why James Harden is attempting eight or nine shots in any game, let alone a playoff game of that magnitude

because he's that great. You have Hall of Fame numbers. There are people who are first ballot Hall of Famers that don't have James Harden's numbers. He is great and oh by the way can play point can play point. Okay this brother ain't just a scorer. This brother knows how to distribute. He knows how to set up He knows how to run a show. He's an interchangeable part. Here's where it gets interesting James Harden. I hope you watching Russell Westbrook was your teammate Kevin Durant was your teammate not once but twice Chris Paul was your teammate

Kyrie Irvin was your teammate. You know, you look at the slew of players. This brother, James Harden, has played with Dwight Howard. I mean, the list goes on and on. There is no ring to show for it. Your greatness.

See, that's not insulting. That's speaking facts, not feelings and saying from a feelings from an emotional perspective. Yo, bro, you deserve better for you because you're that great all-timer. Yes. When we talk about all-time great scores, you talk about

MJ. You talk about Kobe and people like that. Ladies and gentlemen, do you understand that James Harden is in that conversation? From the point guard spot, you tell me, how many times has this brother averaged over 30? How many times was he pulling up from the...

H-Town, I mean, you should love him forever with what this brother did, not to the level of Elijah Wan, but nevertheless, that's what he brings. No ring to show for it. His greatness. No, no championship appearance Outside of the time you were a reserve in Oklahoma City you push Golden State with Katie clay and Steph to a game seven Chris Paul's hurt

I know it your pots I thought you would have lost that game, but you possibly could have won it But that's when y'all went for like, what, 0 for 27 for three? And I mean, yo, you got to step up and handle your business. That's why people are questioning the Cavs. Because Donovan Mitchell, say what you want. I don't want to hear anything about Donovan Mitchell.

He's had great games, and then he has not so great games. But he always shows up. It's just that sometimes it works for him and sometimes it don't. He don't sit up there and leave bullets in the chamber. That brother's shooting for it. James Harden is not shooting for it.

There's evidence. We've got at least six, seven games where you looking at the numbers and it's like he didn't even attempt to play and you're like what are you doing with his greatness that is unacceptable we know how great James Harden is and I want James Harden I know you great I know you a future hall of famer but my brother we talking championships

you got to show up yeah he got to show up yeah the Cavaliers 10 and one in their last 11 games, so they're on the roll coming out of the All-Star break. you got to show up yeah he got to show up yeah the Cavaliers 10 and one in their last 11 games, so they're on the roll coming out of the All-Star break. All right.