The New York Knicks have completed a stretch of dominance unlike anything in playoff basketball history. With Sunday night's 39-point thrashing of the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal, New York became the first team in NBA history to post three straight playoff wins of 25 points or more. They have outscored their three most recent opponents by 119 combined points — the largest three-game playoff differential in league history. On Monday morning, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith devoted most of First Take to celebrating his hometown team while pushing back against any suggestion they should ease off the gas.
"What stood out to me was the blowout victory," Smith said. "The fact that the New York Knicks sent the message and the Philadelphia 76ers know that they're going to have to handle their business."
The moment that defined the segment, though, was Smith's articulation of the bigger principle behind the win — that title contenders, when given an opening, must take it.
"When a team is tired, when they're ailing for whatever reason, you are supposed to put your foot on their neck and handle your business when you are a title contender. That is the message that the New York Knicks sent last night."
Smith was careful to caveat the result. He pointed out that the 76ers, off-key in Game 1, are unlikely to look that bad again. He referenced Joel Embiid's playoff history of dragging Philadelphia back into series even at less than full health. He named newcomers VJ Edgecombe and Paul George and warned that they would not stay quiet long.
"I'm not getting caught up in what happened yesterday. I know it's just one game. It's a long series. I saw Joel Embiid average damn near 35 on one leg a couple of years ago. I know who Tyrese Maxey is. He'll never play this bad again. VJ Edgecombe, Paul George, and those boys are threats. They can score. And they were absolutely positively exhausted."
The exhaustion line was the most important caveat. The 76ers had survived a seven-game first-round series against the Boston Celtics, a battle that reportedly went to the wire physically as much as on the scoreboard. Game 1 of the second round, played on short rest, was always likely to be the soft underbelly of Philadelphia's series schedule. Smith argued that elite teams capitalise on those windows without apology.
That message was tested when Kendrick Perkins, sitting opposite, tried to push Smith into open celebration. Smith refused to soften, but in a separate exchange between the two New Yorkers, the conversation pivoted to a barb about Perkins' own loyalties.
"My fellow New Yorker — and it's just betrayal," Smith said, half-laughing, half-serious, after Perkins began praising the win. "And he's doing a damn good job thus far."
The historical context Smith leaned on most heavily, however, was the 76ers' own template. He noted that Philadelphia had been blown out in Game 1 of the previous round against Boston before finding their footing and ultimately winning the series in seven.
"I will remind everyone the 76ers got beat very badly by the Celtics in Game 1 of that series," Smith said. "Oh, they're not going to look like Game 2. I know that. If history repeats itself, they'll be ready. The Knicks better be ready."
That cautionary tail was the through-line of the segment. The Knicks had played the perfect Game 1, and Smith was happy to crow about it. But the underlying message was a warning that Game 2 will be a different fight, and that championship pedigree is built not on outscoring tired opponents in openers, but on staying ruthless when those opponents punch back.
Game 2 is at Madison Square Garden. New York's task, in Smith's framing, is straightforward — keep the foot down.
