‘Prisoners of the Moment’ — 7-Time All-Star Predicts Knicks Will Get Swept If they Face Spurs in NBA Finals
· Yahoo Sports
The New York Knicks just punched their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, steamrolling the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 on Monday night to finish a dominant four-game sweep.
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The Knicks faithful waited over two decades for a team of this caliber to emerge from the East. The front office pushed all the right chips, and the team looks like an unstoppable juggernaut right now.
However, a seven-time All-Star is yet to buy into the Knicks as a legitimate championship threat.
Joe Johnson Pours Cold Water on the New York Knicks Hype Train
New York trailed by 22 points in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Cavs. They erased that deficit behind a 38-point explosion from Jalen Brunson, while Cleveland never recovered from the psychological damage of that collapse.
The Knicks followed up the Game 1 thriller by winning the next three games by double digits, continuing their dream run in a bid for the first championship since 1973.
Seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson felt the New York fans were getting ahead of themselves. Johnson joined Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson on Monday night’s episode of “Nightcap” to discuss the state of the playoffs.
Sharpe took the optimistic route. “The Knicks play like this, the last 10-11 ball games, they can beat anybody in the West,” he said. “That includes the Thunder or the Spurs.”
Johnson immediately fired back, dismissing the Eastern Conference sweep as a result of Cleveland’s flawed roster and lack of defensive presence.
“You’re a prisoner of the moment,” Johnson told Sharpe. “I think because Cleveland does not have any perimeter defense at all. Can’t guard none of ’em boys.”
Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson could not find a workable rotation to slow down New York, as the Cavaliers’ primary defenders spent the entire series chasing shadows.
Johnson said the Western Conference bracket is a completely different beast, with both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs boasting suffocating length and elite defensive stoppers.
“Them two teams over in the Western Conference? They gonna guard, bro,” Johnson said.
The conversation quickly zeroed in on Brunson, who averaged 25.5 points and 7.8 assists in the four-game dismantling of Cleveland and toyed with their defensive coverages all week.
Johnson acknowledged Brunson’s offensive production but pointed out a glaring weak spot.
“Brunson a liability on defense,” Johnson said. “I ain’t say he ain’t gonna play well. I think it’s not gonna be easy for him like it was this series.”
Then came the boldest prediction of the night.
“If they play the Spurs, I’ll be real with you, the Knicks might not win a game,” Johnson said.
San Antonio has the personnel to execute that exact game plan. Victor Wembanyama completely alters the geometry of the court on both ends by covering big distances in a single stride and erasing shots that otherwise seem completely open.
Defending the Spurs requires a level of physical exertion that the Cavaliers never forced New York to reach. The Knicks get over a week to rest and prepare while the Thunder and Spurs duel it out in the West.