NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal doesn't fancy the New York Knicks to stage a comeback against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
The Heat are leading the series 3-1 with the latest victory over the Knicks coming on Monday with a 109-101 win at the FTX Arena. Monday's loss means the Knicks have to beat Miami at Madison Square Garden on Thursday to keep their NBA Play-Off hopes alive.
The Knicks will go into Game Five of the semi-finals with confidence, but one man who doesn't fancy them is NBA legend, O'Neal. The four-time NBA champion used to play for Miami between 2004-2008.
O'Neal has offered the Knicks some advice if they manage to force the Play-Off series to a sixth game: Pack light.
"This series is over, this is over," he told Inside the NBA. "They may win another game, but if they go back to Miami, bring one set of clothes."
Knicks star Julius Randle has also questioned his teammates' efforts. "Maybe they want it more, I don’t know,” Randle said. "That’s (a good rebounding team) been who we are all year, and we’ve got to find a way to step up and make those plays if we want to keep this season alive.”
While lifelong Knicks fan and ESPN pundit, Stephen A Smith said he was "disgusted" by his team's Play-Off loss. "My heart’s hurting, I’ll admit it,” Smith said during a guest appearance on Get Up on Tuesday. “I’m emotional when it comes to the New York Knicks. I’m not objective when it comes to them at all. I will openly concede that to the public at large.
"But I am utterly disgusted. I vomited last night watching them, I have to admit that. I literally vomited. I threw up because they were that damn awful.
"I mean, they put construction workers to shame. They can’t shoot. You got a star in Julius Randle that gets petulant and petty when he’s not shooting the ball well, so he does everything else wrong.”