The New York Knicks were defeated in Game 7 of the Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers with a concluding score of 109-130. The victory at MSG also saw the Pacers setting an NBA playoff record with shooting 67.1% from the field.
However the ESPN/ABC coverage has garnered attention from the community for its biased coverage of the New York Knicks. The network also showed the famed host Stephen A. Smith, who is a known Knicks fan, entered like he was a player.
Smith also shared his pep talk during the pregame show which also featured actor Spike Lee. The one-sided show attracted criticism from many as the Knicks bias took the center stage of the show.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic shared in one of his tweets, “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.”
Sports Media Watch also shared, “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.”
The Indiana Pacers will next face the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
