Stephen A. Smith Pokes Fun at Knicks, Josh Hart Amidst Losing Streak

The New York Knicks can't seem to catch a break, and one recent friend-turned-foe is watching.

Mar 29, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) walks down the court during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are reeling. With the playoffs looming just weeks away, they've dropped three consecutive games to fellow contenders and playoff participants, most recently surrendering a 111-94 loss to the Houston Rockets.

They haven't looked this out-of-sync in months, doing very little to catch opponents off-guard in many meaningful ways. Their evidently-set-in-stone starting lineup doesn't rebound or hit 3-pointers with any consistency, and while Jalen Brunson looks like he's completely lost his legs, Karl-Anthony Towns' reputation pendulum has swung all the way back into the toilet. Struggling to locate an identity 70-something games into the season is worrisome, and one of the team's biggest critic was ready to pounce on the squad following the low-point defeat.

Stephen A. Smith wasn't always on the Knicks' necks, but a recent beef with his hometown team has awakened the ESPN star's appetite for drama. What initially started as Smith's calling out Mikal Bridges spiraled into something else when Josh Hart stuck up for his teammate, and the talking head came back with real-life threats against the Knicks guard. And following another embarrassment, Smith isn't pulling any punches in an attempt to get the last word in.

"Message to Josh Hart: Do I need to shut the hell up now?" he asked on First Take. "Are you getting it now? You haven't won a game since you clapped back at me. You're on a losing streak since he talked back at me. Maybe if y'all prioritize what the hell I was saying and pay attention to the substance and the voracity of my comments instead of protecting your boys, you'd be winning games when you go up against teams that's better than .500."

"Message to Josh Hart: Do I need to shut the hell up now? ... The New York Knicks look like a team that's going home in April."

—@stephenasmith on the Knicks' losing streak 👀 pic.twitter.com/l3uc6FsdZo

— First Take (@FirstTake) April 1, 2026

Smith insisted between jabs that he isn't attempting to get personal, and to his credit, he seems to relish going in on any team who catches his ire with this same gusto.

"Every time you go up against somebody that's relatively respectable, you're wetting the bed. You're, like, 4-8 or 4-9 against winning teams since the All-Star Break, but you're 9-0 against sub-.500 teams. Well, who the hell do you think you're gonna be playing come playoff time... The New York Knicks look like a team that's going home in April."

Parsing Through Smith's Shots

He's correct in pointing out what everyone else has spent the week saying, with the Knicks clearly playing some of their worst and ill-timed basketball of the season to close out the month of March.

Bridges picked a bad game to hoist merely four field goal attempts, with his continued lack of rim pressure of low-impact place within New York's offense continuing to hobble the Knicks' chances of hanging with another team of note. Hart and Brunson couldn't have impressed Smith much, either, shooting a combined 10/26 while each notching box score +/- finishes of -22 or worse.

Feb 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guards Josh Hart (3) and Jalen Brunson (11) react during overtime against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Where the roster once had the raw parts to match up with any crew out east, they've begun looking like shells of themselves at an inopportune juncture. Most of those starters are playing tired, disconnected ball with little flair or adjusting, making their dogged fan base really start to wonder whether they'll survive the first month, let alone a round, of the postseason.

Smith's initial point began by claiming that the Bridges trade, a bold acquisition that continues looking more like a colossal overpay in the year and a half since the deal was made, will sink the Knicks' chances at contending. That may just make up for a fraction of the group's problems at the moment, but for an on-air personality who's all about controlling the narrative and asserting his dominance over the players he covers, ESPN's main man is riding high amidst New York's tailspin.

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