ESPN has faced criticism for its heavily Knicks-focused coverage during the Game 7 matchup against the Pacers. The coverage was deemed biased and disrespectful towards Indiana, with personalities like Stephen A. Smith receiving backlash for their pro-Knicks stance. Various media figures, including Dan Patrick and Dan Le Batard, expressed disappointment and embarrassment over the lack of impartiality in ESPN's coverage. Despite the controversy, the New York audience showed strong viewership for the game on WABC-7, with a significant increase in viewership compared to a previous series.
Dan Le Batard called ESPN's Knicks love "disrespectful" as the Pacers dominated Game 7. ⏬ https://t.co/MGQH5oTEQ5
ESPN faced criticism for its heavily Knicks-focused coverage of the Game 7 matchup against the Pacers. Fans and media expressed disappointment with the lack of attention given to Indiana, leading to accusations of biased coverage.
After criticism of Knicks coverage, how will ESPN handle Celtics-Pacers matchup? https://t.co/vXAulvy1OD
Pat McAfee made fun of ESPN's Knicks-Pacers Game 7 coverage, which is interesting given the history between him and Stephen A. Smith. 🔽 https://t.co/1IXTvE84S9
Dan Le Batard calls out ESPN over ‘disrespectful’ coverage of Knicks-Pacers Game 7 matchup https://t.co/SCUOeHJAsa
Dan Patrick ’embarrassed’ by ESPN’s biased Knicks-Pacers coverage https://t.co/WsMRpy81AH
WATCH: Dan Le Batard, @MichaelRyanRuiz, @Stugotz790 talk about ESPN's coverage of Knicks- Pacers. (📽️ @LeBatardShow) 🔗https://t.co/A9pAnLdo0h https://t.co/ywI3UDH5r1
Dan Patrick Slams ESPN for Knicks-Focused Commentary During Playoff Game Against Pacers: 'How About Some Impartiality Here?' https://t.co/cwu11JxdDN
“The Pacers aren’t exciting, I get it… but you still have to cover the game. You gotta be fair.” @dpshow sounds off on ESPN’s coverage of Knicks-Pacers Game 7. https://t.co/KKBSLeYqEl
New York was very into the Knicks. Just in the NY demo, 1.1 million total viewers watched Game 7 on WABC-7, according to Nielsen. The whole 7-game series with the Pacers was up 24 percent (897,000-723,000) compared to last year's Knicks-Heat second-rounder that went six games.
ESPN, Stephen A. Smith get blasted for over-the-top Knicks coverage https://t.co/qJsH3PsXFb
ESPN's coverage of the Eastern Conference Semifinals was a full-on love fest for the New York Knicks. But the Pacers kept receipts. READ: https://t.co/ghGdXA8SgH https://t.co/5G2ebP3UMI
Pat McAfee mocks ESPN’s New York-centric coverage of Pacers vs. Knicks https://t.co/UJQ5BVkfHI
ESPN faced a mountain of criticism for turning their NBA coverage into MSG Network and ignoring the Pacers in favor of Stephen A. Smith's Knicks love. ⤵️ https://t.co/FXclziVUWC
ESPN catching some deserved heat for turning pre-game prior to Game 7 between New York-Indiana into love fest for the Knicks. Steven A needs to tone it down. We know he has a soft spot for the Knicks and that's fine. But this was way over the top.