Knicks Road to NBA Finals Threatened by This In-Conference Team

The New York Knicks are rolling right now. Six straight wins, sitting at 31-18, and playing some of their best basketball since the rough patch in early January. But one prominent media voice isn't buying the hype just yet.

Stephen A. Smith laid out his concerns during a recent First Take appearance, and his focus wasn't on what the Knicks are doing wrong. It was on who's doing everything right in the Eastern Conference.

"The Detroit Pistons scare the living hell out of me. I think they're the best team in the East. And most importantly, they don't just want to win. They want the Knicks," he said.

"The Detroit Pistons scare the living hell out of me. ... They don't just want to win, they want the Knicks."@stephenasmith on if he's buying the Knicks' six-game win streak 🏀 pic.twitter.com/LBj0qa0TC6
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 2, 2026

That last part matters. Detroit sits at 36-12, leading the conference by a comfortable margin. When these teams met back on Jan. 5, the Pistons didn't just beat the Knicks. They embarrassed them, 121-90 in Detroit.

Cade Cunningham dropped 29 points and 13 assists while the Pistons dominated the paint and outrebounded New York 44-30. The Knicks shot just 42% and couldn't compete with Detroit's physicality.

Smith‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ is not just upset that the Knicks lost one game badly. The Knicks went 8-8 in the period from New Year's Eve to January, and during that time, they had two separate four-game losing streaks. That kind of inconsistency makes it difficult to believe in them at crucial ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌times.

Why Stephen A. Still Has Doubts About New York

Apr 29, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after being called for a foul in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons during game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Smith said at the start of the season that he was confident the Knicks would reach the Finals. Injuries to Jason Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard seemed to clear the path. But Detroit's dominance changed his calculus completely.

He pointed out how the Knicks struggle when key players sit out. When starters like Jalen Brunson or any other player miss time, the team looks completely different. They become significantly easier to beat without their core on the floor together. The roster depth issues become glaring when players have to step into bigger roles, and elite teams like Detroit can exploit those weaknesses.

He admitted he still believes the Knicks can make it happen. But he's no longer "overly confident" the way he was in October. The six-game win streak is nice, but it doesn't erase the concerns about inconsistency and the massive gap between New York and Detroit right now.

The Knicks have shown flashes of being a championship-level team this season, yet they've also looked completely lost during their rough stretches.

"I believe they can do it, but I'm not overly confident because to me the Pistons are the team to beat in the East right now, not the Knicks," he said.

The‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ Knicks certainly have a six-game win streak to brag about, yet talking about Finals appearances seems way too early if they haven't even figured out a way to get past Detroit.

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