Mike Francesa Goes Off on Knicks' One-Man Show After Game 2 Loss

New York sports fans never hold back—especially when it comes to playoff heartbreak. Legendary radio voice Mike Francesa made sure the Knicks heard all about it after their 100-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 of the first round. With the series now tied, Francesa didn’t mince words about the team’s stagnant offense, and it’s safe to say Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is probably wishing podcasts came with a mute button.

Francesa, speaking on his Bet Rivers podcast, zeroed in on what he called the Knicks’ "stagnant four guys watching one guy play basketball" approach. In other words: the Knicks offense is basically the Jalen Brunson show, with everyone else acting as spectators. Francesa’s blunt assessment? "Brunson is not Michael Jordan." Ouch, but honestly, that might be the most New York way to say "try sharing the ball."

Brunson definitely put up superstar numbers—37 points in 44 minutes, shooting 12-for-27. But when one player is responsible for a third of your team’s shots, it’s not hard to see why the offense looked stale, and why the Knicks couldn’t lock down a 2-0 lead before heading to Detroit for Game 3.

Francesa didn’t stop there. He criticized the offense for relying on Brunson dribbling for what felt like an eternity, only to either hoist up a shot, draw a foul, or kick out a desperate pass to a teammate for a prayer of a three-pointer. Francesa’s take: "How many times in one night is Brunson on the ground? Thirty-two? It’s not appealing basketball. It’s all about Brunson. Why do you think the other teams think he flops? He’s on the ground the whole game. That’s half the Knicks’ offense." If flopping were an Olympic sport, Brunson might seriously have a shot at gold.

Mikal Bridges chipped in 19 points, with Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby each scoring 10, but it wasn’t enough to shake off the Pistons or silence the critics. Yes, Brunson is a reliable free-throw shooter—he hit 9-of-11 from the line—but Francesa (and plenty of fans) aren’t thrilled with a style that looks more like "Jalen and The Rest" rather than a true team effort.

While it’s far from panic time for New York—with the best-of-seven series just getting started—Francesa is already looking ahead and sounding alarms about what might happen if the Knicks make it to the second round and face the defending champion Boston Celtics. According to Francesa, standing around and watching Brunson isn’t going to cut it: "You’re never going to beat the Celtics." And hey, he’s got a point—last time I checked, standing statues haven’t won many basketball games.