Bill Simmons Believes ‘NBA Miracle’ Could See Knicks Winning Game 6

New York Knicks have a chance to use their game 5 momentum to win Games 6 & 7 to snatch an NBA Finals berth from the Indiana Pacers.

Bill Simmons Believes ‘NBA Miracle’ Could See Knicks Winning Game 6

Bill Simmons believes NBA might help New York Knicks win Game 6 (Image via FirstSportz)

Bill Simmons has been covering the NBA for a long time. Over that course of time, he has seen the NBA evolve to become one of the most exciting sporting leagues in the world. His hoped his Boston Celtics would have defended their crown, however, they fell to the New York Knicks in the 2nd round.

He has seen the Knicks evolve from being a questionable contender to finally a team that unseated the defending champions. However, they fell behind in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers and are a loss away from ending their NBA title hopes.

The Knicks will need all their star players to hustle, score, and defend the same way they did in Game 5. They will also hope for a little bit of support from officials in the form of fouls and free throws. Longtime journalist Bill Simmons came up with a conspiracy theory that something else will play a major part in Game 6.

If Indiana wins one more game, we’re going to have an Indiana vs Oklahoma City Finals. But if the Knicks win the series, we’ll have the Knicks in the Finals. And if you’ve noticed from ratings and interest, it’s a little more interesting nationally when there’s a New York team in the Finals. Let’s be careful out there for Game 6 if you’re wagering.

Bill Simmons said on The Ringer

He brought up an example of the 2002 Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings West Finals, where the latter were a game away from reaching the NBA Finals. Somehow, the Lakers reached the finals, and viewership ratings were at what the NBA wanted. Bill Simmons thinks there is a chance it could happen again.

Bill Simmons might have a point with regards to viewership ratings

When the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Denver Nuggets were in the playoffs, viewership ratings were very good. Fans loved the exciting basketball on offer and would tune in by the millions to catch the action.

New York Knicks can draw more fans than the Indiana Pacers
New York Knicks can draw more fans than the Indiana Pacers (Image via NBA Spain/X)

One by one, they all booked their tickets to Cancun, and ratings dropped. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves’ West Finals saw a major dip in viewership ratings, and many felt that whatever it was pulling was due to young superstar Anthony Edwards.

Now that he is no longer in the mix, the NBA would require one of the East teams to pull viewers. So far, the Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks has been drawing the most viewers since a certain LeBron James dominated this conference.

However, it is not clear which team those 7 plus million viewers who tuned in were cheering for. It could be that most of them are cheering for the Pacers, as their exciting brand of basketball has caught many by surprise. But there is no discounting the fact that the Knicks have a legion of fans supporting them. That could be why Bill Simmons asked bettors to stay away from Game 6.

Stephen A. Smith does not believe Knicks have a chance against OKC in the NBA Finals

The New York Knicks won Game 5 on the back of excellent play on both offense and defense, along with executing their game plan against the Indiana Pacers to perfection. If they manage to win Games 6 and 7. they can move on to the NBA Finals. Even though that would excite New Yorker Stephen A. Smith, he is not convinced of his team’s NBA title winning capabilities.

I give them zero chance of beating the Oklahoma City Thunder. Getting there, I’m all for it. I would have to cover an NBA Finals where I’m a New York Knick fan, and I literally believe from the bottom of my heart that nothing short of divine intervention would propel them.

The longtime ESPN analyst does not believe the basketball quality the Knicks execute on the floor can defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder. They might reach the Finals, but he has no hope of them winning it, especially with their rotation and lack of overall team effort.

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