"Jimmy Buckets is about to run y'all out of there" - Stephen A. Smith can't hide his frustration at New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are down 2-1 in the series against the Miami Heat, despite playing against injured Jimmy Butler. The only game the Knicks won is Game 2, which Butler missed.
The Heat wing is dealing with an ankle injury, yet the Knicks haven't been able to take advantage of this. Stephen A. Smith, a popular reporter and a huge fan of New York's basketball team, is not impressed with the performance he's seen from his team so far.
Game 4 of the series will be played on Monday night. If the Heat take a 3-1 lead, it'll be very difficult for New York to win the series. Throughout NBA history, teams that were down 1-3 have won the series only 13 times.
New York Knicks haven't found a way to deal with Jimmy Butler yet
Jimmy Butler was fantastic in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks, beating them in five games and pulling one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. However, the Miami Heat swingman injured his ankle in Game 1 of the second round and hasn't been the same since.
Despite playing against Butler who's not at his 100%, the New York Knicks have won only one game in the series. They've played two games at home, yet couldn't take advantage of Miami missing a few of their key players.
"Jimmy Buckets is about to run y'all out of there," Stephen A. Smith said. "He's not playing. ... The man is coming to take you out. What are you going to do New York Knicks?"
.@stephenasmith is FED up with the Knicks 😳
"Jimmy Buckets is about to run y'all out of there. ... The man is coming to take you out. What are you going to do New York Knicks?" https://t.co/4HFPswAQef
Smith also praised Jimmy Butler for playing at such a high level despite being 33. He led Miami to the NBA Finals in 2020 and was very close to doing it again last year.
"He's 33 years of age," Smith said. "He came within a few minutes of going to the finals last year. He took them to the finals in the bubble."
You may be interested in reading: What college did Jimmy Butler go to? Looking at Heat's superstar stats in his early days of basketball
Despite playing with an ankle injury, Butler is averaging 26.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game against the New York Knicks.
Stephen A. Smith has criticized Julius Randle, who's converted only 36.4% of his shots in the series. The big man is very inefficient, which is why the Knicks haven't been able to dominate Miami.
Game 4 of the series will be played on Monday at 7:30 PM Eastern Time. This is a must-win game for the New York Knicks, who will likely be without Immanuel Quickley.
You may be interested in reading: "Jimmy Butler is eating popcorn" - Skip Bayless backs Miami Heat to win series over New York Knicks
The Miami Heat, on the other hand, will once again be without Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo. Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin are listed as questionable on the injury report, while Udonis Haslem and Haywood Highsmith are probable.