NBA Analyst Picks 76ers Over Knicks

The New York Knicks have made some major acquisitions this offseason but the confidence of Stephen A. Smith has proven elusive.

The notorious Knicks fan/critic who doubles as an ESPN commentator isn't moved by the Knicks' eventful offseason, one that has netted Mikal Bridges and has re-added OG Anunoby to the current core headlined by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.

Unlike former general manager Scott Perry, Smith believes that the Philadelphia 76ers have assumed the role of the Boston Celtics' most legitimate threat to NBA supremacy.

"If Paul George is what Paul George is supposed to be, (Tyrese) Maxey, (Joel) Embiid, and Paul George, as much as I love my Knicks, orange and blue skies, baby, they don’t come before Philly and Boston," Smith said in an appearance on "The OGs Show." "We know Boston’s on another level. They're the champions. They're the reigning defending champions and we’ll see what happens with them, but Embiid with Maxey and Paul George? Yes, I believe in that. That’s big."

George is the headliner of an equally busy summer in The City of Brotherly Love, one that has also brought in Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, and Caleb Martin. Philadelphia is fresh off a first-round ousting at the hands of the Knicks in last spring's opening round.

Ironically enough, Smith used that six-game set as a talking point to support his hypothesis, one that saw Embiid put up inflated status despite dealing with nagging injuries that doomed the 76ers to the seventh seed in the first place.

"Embiid, on one leg, averaged 35 against the Knicks," Smith explained. "We know how big-time Embiid is. We know that Tyrese Maxey is special. Brother got a $204 million extension. I feel sorry for him. He deserved more. I know that’s the max they could give him you know, but I’m just talking about his greatness. He deserved more. I know they couldn’t give him more, but he deserved more."

New York and Philadelphia are not only chasing the Celtics but each is looking to end a lengthy streak of futility when it comes to the Eastern Conference Finals: the Knicks have not appeared in such a round since 2000 while the Sixers last appeared in the year after, good for the third and fourth-longest streaks in the league respectively (behind Washington and Charlotte).

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