NBA analyst for ESPN and the 2nd most hardcore Knicks fan, Stephen A. Smith, blamed Trump for the team’s loss to Spurs in the finals. The Knicks were on a 13-game winning streak before this, which was cut short by the San Antonio Spurs in the finals.
During his SiriusXM radio show, Smith had warned in advance that if the Knicks go on to lose, then he will be blaming the US president. He did not want Trump at the event and said,
“If for nothing else, he’s getting in the way of the fervor and the rabid, and the rabidness and the enthusiasm of the Nick fan base. The San Antonio Spurs are a young team. When you have the weight of the state of New York draped down upon you, that might be too much to overcome.
He says that for all he knows, “Trump might have given them a boost. And I’m here to tell y’all right now, and I’m gonna state it for the record, we lose tonight’s game, I’m blaming the president. I’m blaming the President of the United States. I’m telling you that right now. I’m telling you that right now. I’m giving you a headline ahead of time. If the New York Knicks lose Game Three, this is on Donald Trump.”
Trump’s appearance was not a disaster for Knicks fans alone
During his visit, Trump had put the area around Madison Square Garden on lockdown, and during Game 3, all he got were boos from the stadium, with the president eventually falling asleep in the middle of the match.
Smithin had previously cited that “congestion” is one of the biggest issues that the president’s arrival will cause in the area. Which turned out to be true, as security restrictions forced ticketholders to queue for hours to get in.
It was even reported that the queues stretched so long that they reached two blocks outside of Madison Square Garden. Apart from this, thousands of New York Police officers and hundreds of Secret Service personnel were deployed for security measures.
Needless to say, metal barriers were erected everywhere, which stymied the overall atmosphere of the finals and prevented bars around the venue from enjoying a lucrative night. Some New Yorkers even told the BBC that the excessive security was “killing the vibe of the Knicks.”
Trump responds to Stephen A. Smith
After the finals, where the Knicks lost 111-115, Trump spoke to the media, addressing Smith’s criticisms and then dismissing the NBA analysts’ political ambitions. Trump says that Smith “is a nice guy, but you need a certain aptitude to run for president…You need a high IQ. I’m not sure that Stephen has that, I don’t think he does actually.”
Smith had previously declared his intentions of running for the presidency in April last year. Trump praised him for it and said that you would love to see the analyst as a rival candidate. “I’ve been pretty good at picking people and picking candidates, and I will tell you I’d love to see him run,” Trump said.
However, the relationship seems to have soured after Smith’s recent critique, where he blames the president for the Knicks loss in the finals.
