Jim Dolan Blasts Trump Blame Over Knicks' Game 3 Loss
jim dolan came back into the center of the Knicks debate on Thursday night, when Stephen A. Smith defended blaming President Donald Trump for Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Smith tied Trump’s Madison Square Garden appearance to the loss and said the visit wrecked the momentum that had carried New York to the finals for the first time since 1999.
Smith Faces Hannity
Smith said Trump had no business at the game, then repeated that the president’s presence changed the mood around the team. He also said he would have pointed to Trump if the Knicks had lost Game 4, before New York won 107-106 after a 29-point comeback.
On Hannity, Smith said, “They got their mojo back, OK?” and added, “you don’t know sports! You don’t understand.” He also said, “I take no offense with the president coming after me the way that he did,” and, “He ain’t fazing me one bit.”
Madison Square Garden Booed Trump
Trump attended Game 3 in Manhattan at Madison Square Garden and was booed as his motorcade approached the arena. He was booed again when his face appeared on the Jumbotron during the national anthem, turning a planned night at the finals into a public backlash scene.
Smith said the Knicks had been on a 13-game winning streak before Trump showed up, and he argued after the game that New York looked on track to keep rolling until that appearance. He later said, “Our president showed up to New York City last night. And needless to say, what I feared would happen ended up happening.”
Trump Answers Back
Trump pushed back after Smith’s initial comments, posting on Truth Social on Wednesday and calling him “an arrogant fool” and “a low IQ individual.” He also said, “He is a nice guy, but you need a certain aptitude to run for president. You need a high IQ,” and added, “I’m not sure that Stephen has that. I don’t think he does actually.”
The exchange now sits inside a series that will run at least five games, with Smith’s blame landing after Game 3 and his defense coming a night before the Knicks’ one-point escape in Game 4. For New York, the issue is not just the score line; it is that the finals run is still being discussed through the reaction Trump drew at the Garden and the aftermath Smith chose to put on television.
