Stephen A. Smith did not show up to First Take on Friday ebullient after the New York Knicks defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals to stave off elimination. While many fans of Tom Thibodeau's team may be breathing optimistic air with the knowledge that one more win would force a decisive Game 7 in Madison Square Garden, Smith has surveyed the lay of the land and surmised that there's not much to look forward to.

"I give them zero chance of beating the Oklahoma City Thunder," Smith said. "I would have to cover an NBA Finals where I'm a New York fan and I literally believe from the bottom of my heart that nothing short of divine intervention would propel them."

Divine intervention isn't much of a strategy and the Thunder have impressed so much with their 80-18 record this year that some are already labeling them an "all-time great" team. New York would obviously be significant underdogs should they be able to overcome a 3-1 deficit against the Pacers. But they play the games because surprising stuff tends to happen from time to time. The Knicks could steal a game early on the Thunder's home floor and one might see the pendulum swing back to a simpler time when Smith was praising MSG for being a different animal.

It's also always fun to see the most prominent voice on the rightsholder that will be broadcasting the championship series declare it's over before it starts—if the team he roots for happens to make it that far.

There's no one like Stephen A.

More NBA on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith Believes the Knicks Have No Chance of Winning NBA Finals.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate