ESPN may need poured it on somewhat too arduous in favor of the Knicks on Sunday.
Earlier than the Knicks misplaced Sport 7 of their second-round playoff collection to the Pacers, 130-109 at Madison Sq. Backyard, ESPN hosted a Knicks-centric pregame present, that includes Stephen A. Smith fervently cheering on the workforce.
On his radio present on Monday, Dan Patrick admonished his former employer.
“The Pacers did play within the sport; I simply need to let ESPN know,” Patrick stated. “If you wish to purchase into East Coast bias, you’ve got each cause to purchase into ESPN’s East Coast bias watching that sport. How about some impartiality right here? I used to be embarrassed for ESPN.
“As a result of it felt prefer it was all in regards to the Knicks. Even at halftime, it was in regards to the Knicks. The Pacers aren’t thrilling. I get it. Not massive names, not a horny workforce, however you continue to need to cowl the sport. You bought to be honest. I don’t want a Stephen A. Smith arrival video. I don’t want a pep speak with him and Spike Lee. He doesn’t work for the Knicks; you’re employed for ESPN.”
Patrick’s voice on the topic carries quite a lot of weight as he not solely was a longtime beloved “SportsCenter” anchor and radio host at ESPN — he was its high NBA studio host.
Pat McAfee, based mostly in Indianapolis and talking on ESPN’s airwaves, additionally mocked the community for fixating on the Knicks.
“For those who had been to look at TV, anybody who had a microphone, possibly some make-up on, a big platform — boy, you would see them truly callusing their knees, praying to God that the New York Knicks would tackle the Boston Celtics within the Japanese Convention Finals,” McAfee stated on his present on Monday. “That will be a dream. Holy s–t. Boston-New York within the Japanese Convention Finals?… you would see TV executives and on-air personalities who’re from these areas b-b-b-bopping to themselves about the opportunity of the playoffs being a moist dream come true.
“On-air personalities, TV, earlier than the sport: ‘That is what the Knicks are going to need to do to win this sport.’ Halftime, Mike Wilbon: ‘There’s no approach the Pacers are going to have the ability to preserve capturing the way in which’ — THEY DID! Best capturing efficiency within the historical past of Sport 7s within the NBA Playoffs.”
McAfee additionally had some enjoyable with the somber tone by which the ESPN broadcast sales space revealed that Jalen Brunson had suffered a fractured hand throughout Sport 7.
Extra McAfee on Pacers-Knicks: “There was a time truly the place they really introduced Jalen Bruson’s hand was broke the place it appeared like Doris Burke did not even speak. Devastation hit the sales space. Devastation hit the TV. Might you think about if this Knicks workforce, who was harm — wahh!… pic.twitter.com/G1pvrWnLH3
— Terrible Saying (@awfulannouncing) Could 20, 2024
“There was a time truly the place they introduced Jalen Bruson’s hand was broke the place it appeared like Doris Burke didn’t even speak. Devastation hit the sales space. Devastation hit the TV,” he stated. “Might you think about if this Knicks workforce, who was harm — wahh! wahh! — so harm, needed to play this Boston Celtics workforce?”
