Pat McAfee is no stranger to hot takes and spouting nonsense, although the New York Knicks, for once, might want to listen to him.
The former Indianapolis Colts' punter has adopted all of Indiana's pro sports teams, and is one of the national media's lone supporters of the Pacers as they take on the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
ESPN's panel of basketball experts overwhelmingly picked the Knicks to beat the Pacers in the series, although, as McAfee gleefully pointed out, the same panel was 0-for-22 when picking the winners of the East's second-round matchups.
ESPN analyst Pat McAfee
ESPN analyst Pat McAfee
© Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
The Knicks, between Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, certainly have the star power to beat the Pacers, although there are real concerns that Tom Thibodeau will run his team into the ground.
The Pacers play fast and physical on both ends of the floor, and when their starters get tired, their second unit is more than capable of holding their own.
Against the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pacers ran into injured teams whom they beat in five games. Last year, the Pacers had a fairly easy path to the Conference Finals as well, although McAfee thinks that might be by design.
"Everybody gets hurt against the Pacers," Pat McAfee said. "Everybody gets hurt. ‘Oh, they're playing against hurt teams,’ that's because they run their (expletive) out of the gym. They will run you out of the gym. That is the style that they play. Everybody talks about how lucky they get. It's like, what if the style that they play is actually a part of their strategy in making you not be able to keep up?"
While the Knicks are known for the stellar play in the clutch from Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton has had his fair share of signature moments in the postseason, and Indiana's conditioning puts them in a ripe spot to upset the Knicks.
"They're in great shape," McAfee continued. "They're seemingly more healthy than they were last year. They're confident. They're mature. They've been here before, last year with this entire thing.”
McAfee is a fan, and a biased one, not an analyst or expert like most of the talking heads who have picked the Knicks, although his point shouldn't be taken lightly if the Knicks want to win.
It might be time for Thibs to switch things up.
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