Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith on the ESPN First Take set at the CFP Fan Central at the George World Congress Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Stephen A. Smith Rare Optimism About Knicks

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Geoff Magliocchetti | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Normally noted for his lasting pessimism when it comes to his beloved New York Knicks, Stephen A. Smith's first take of the 2025-26 campaign is uncharacteristically optimistic.

The ESPN personality and Knicks fan/critic proudly placed New York in his 2026 NBA Finals, stating what would be the team's first such run since 1999 is what he's looking forward to the most this upcoming season.

"The New York Knicks are going to the NBA Finals," Smith firmly declared on the most recent edition of "First Take," much to the amusement of fellow analysts Chris Canty and Marcus Spears. "That is what I am looking forward to. It's happening by default, by, damn it, the opportunity is there, so what do I care?"

"The New York Knicks are going to the NBA Finals."@stephenasmith on what he's most looking forward to this NBA season pic.twitter.com/HRgDPAmKAg
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 30, 2025

Smith's rare confidence is brought about by the fact that several other would-be conference contenders in the East are currently dealing with injuries to major talents.

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles in last year's conference semifinal set with the Knicks while recurring metropolitan playoff foe Tyrese Haliburton endured the same fate during the final game of the Indiana Pacers' championship clash with Oklahoma City. Damian Lillard is likewise out for the year, leading the former Milwaukee Buck to move back to his original NBA dwelling of Portland.

In contrast, the Knicks retain almost every major bit of the same group that guided them to last year's Eastern Conference Finals, their first such showing in a quarter-century.

Smith wished the ailing All-Stars well while encouraging them to "take the season off" so as to better boost the Knicks' championship chances. He also acknowledged the looming threats of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, but it will apparently take a bit more to shake his faith in the Knicks, who have frequently been the subject of Smith's many rants and theories broadcast on the Worldwide Leader's airwaves.

"The opportunity is there to go to the NBA Finals," Smith said from the New York studio of "First Take." "I am picking the New York Knicks to represent the Eastern Conference ... The Finals will be here in the Big Apple."

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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