'Are you kidding me with this?' ESPN, ABC's Knicks lovefest 'embarrassing coverage.'
No one would call you crazy if you turned on Pacers-Knicks Game 7 and thought you were watching the MSG Network.
ESPN's coverage of the series — and Sunday's Game 7 in particular — was undeniably Knicks-centric. ESPN/ABC didn't try to hide it. The network leaned into it. They let admitted Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith give pep talks, and showed him entering the arena as if he was playing in the game. After all, he was part of the team...
"This is what we've been waiting for. ... ORANGE AND BLUE SKIES!" 😂
@stephenasmith and Spike Lee are HYPED for Knicks-Pacers Game 7 🍿 pic.twitter.com/WxsSVFsrG3— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 19, 2024
It was all so cringe. And we get the small market vs. big market bias. It's New York vs. Indianapolis. But this was just so over the top.
And no, this isn't just some salt from the local Indy market.
Here's a headline from Awful Announcing: Was Knicks Game 7 fanfest a new low for ESPN’s NBA Countdown?
Here's more reaction to what Pacers fans had to sit through Sunday (and most of the series). It probably makes the win taste just a tad sweeter.
Looking forward to the Knicks Live Postgame show.
— Jeremiah Johnson (@PacersJJ) May 19, 2024
I love NYC. I lived there many years. It will always be my home even though I now live in Toronto.
But I can be real here:
Game 7 was a ridiculous Knicks-centric production and if you are Pacers fans whose like, "Are you kidding me with this?"
I get it.— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) May 19, 2024
ESPN should be embarrassed about the product it on the air today, but I'm not sure there's sufficient self-awareness in Bristol for that to happen. https://t.co/Ym3rLYL7ac
— Sports Media Watch (@paulsen_smw) May 19, 2024
If ESPN is concerned about an East coast bias, having nearly the entire pregame centering around the Knicks doesn't help.
Up next, Stephen A.'s Knicks pep talk.— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) May 19, 2024
I watched ESPN/ABC treat a Game 7 in a major sport like they were the local team affiliate in a mid-sized TV market.
The Knicks aren't the Cowboys or Yankees. They don't move a needle.
Embarrassing coverage.— Brad Powers (@BradPowers7) May 19, 2024
Does a neutral fan go into this game with *any* idea of what is at stake for Indiana today? Honestly, I'm not sure they go into this game with any idea of what's at stake for *New York* as ESPN only discusses the Knicks in the context of Stephen A.'s fandom.
— Sports Media Watch (@paulsen_smw) May 19, 2024
Knicks are great for the NBA and ESPN/ABC/Disney, and they had a tremendous run through the second round of the playoffs. But the coverage was embarrassing. https://t.co/JhSzUGOcbR
— Bruce Tennen (@BruceTennen) May 19, 2024
Pacers perspective got no run on the ESPN/ABC pregame show.
What happened to journalism and breaking down what’s at stake for both sides— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) May 19, 2024
ESPN catching some deserved heat for turning pre-game prior to Game 7 between New York-Indiana into love fest for the Knicks. Steven A needs to tone it down. We know he has a soft spot for the Knicks and that's fine. But this was way over the top.
— Dick Weiss (@HoopsWeiss) May 20, 2024
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ESPN/ABC, Stephen A. Smith over the top with Knicks bias vs. Pacers