Stephen A. Smith must be stopped after ultimate jinx dooms Knicks

The New York Knicks were in control of their second-round playoff series against the Pacers heading into Game 6. Jalen Brunson was playing like a superstar as the Knicks kept winning, despite four significant injuries. Tom Thibodeau is cementing himself as an elite coach, but things unraveled on Friday night.

The Knicks were up one after the first quarter, but the Pacers outscored them by 11 in the second and never looked back. Indiana got production up and down the lineup as Brunson finally struggled. New York's star missed 11 consecutive shots in the first half, and the Pacers just kept expanding the lead. Josh Hart played through an injury until the fourth quarter but never looked right. The Knicks just did not have enough.

It was a disappointing game, but the Knicks head home for Game 7. They can blame Friday’s loss on their poor performance or ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith jinxing them before the game with a hilariously inaccurate segment.

Stephen A. Smith gives Jalen Brunson the top spot in playoff runs by small guards

JB was on an incredible heater heading into Game 6. He led the league in playoff scoring by averaging 33.9 points per game. The 6’2 guard has been unstoppable, but Smith took it a bit too far. The ESPN pundit is famously a Knicks supporter, but his list of playoff runs by small guards missed the mark.

Smith gave Brunson the top spot before even reaching the conference finals. Allen Iverson led the 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001 by averaging 32.9 points per game in the playoffs. Crazier yet, Smith covered that team for the Philadelphia Inquirer. How is Iverson’s run not better than Brunson’s so far?

Stephen Curry has won four championships, but only his 2015 run made the list? Has he not been one of the best players of this generation?

Beyond that Magic Johnson was quick to chime in with a terrible omission by Smith.

None of this should take away from what Jalen Brunson has done. It has been an incredible run by a player nobody viewed as a superstar when he signed with the Knicks. Credit to him, and hopefully, he bounces back in Game 7 and pushes New York to the conference finals for the first time since 2000.

Stephen A. Smith certainly jinxed the Knicks in their most important game of the season, and the Pacers took advantage. The home team has won every game in this series, but none of that matters now. Everything is on the line on Sunday afternoon.

Game 7 will be at Madison Square Garden at 3:30 p.m. ET on May 19. It will be one of two series deciders on Sunday as the defending champion Nuggets face the Timberwolves in the nightcap. Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks need to lift Smith’s jinx with the pressure on. How does Tom Thibodeau’s team respond? Does OG Anunoby return? Tune in and find out. It will certainly be a cannot miss contest.