ESPN’s Mike Greenberg has been one of the sports world’s most notable talkers for years now. In radio and television, he’s become a household name by giving his bold and brash takes, including the one he’s now being dragged online for.
When one of the best commentators in the game decides to weigh in on the Miami Heat and New York Knicks battling it out in the NBA Playoffs, you’d expect him to talk about more than just the weather, right? Well, that subject seemed to factor into New York’s fortunes so far in this set, according to Greenberg.
In comments that were ridiculed on social media on Tuesday, Greenie said that he thought the Knicks, who are down 3-1 and facing elimination, might be struggling due to the warm Miami weather. In other words, he thought the heat— as well as The Heat — was a big factor in the series.
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg thinks the weather in Miami is sapping energy out of the Knicks pic.twitter.com/viApZoU4pM
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 9, 2023
It started with fellow panelist and former NBA star Jalen Rose, who during halftime of Game 3 that traveling to a drastic climate change can bother some players. While it may have been a fair assessment, the group as a whole continued to play on that theme.
“We talk so much about the nightlife and joke about it in Miami, but also, as the road team, you gotta pay attention to that weather and that heat,” Rose said. “Because it affects the endurance of your muscles and causes tiredness.”
Following Rose’s remarks, Greenberg took it even further following New York’s loss in Game 4. He reasoned that the Knicks might be withering in the sweltering sauna of The Sunshine State.
“There’s also just the reality of the temperature change, the heat, the geography,” Greenberg said to his fellow panelists. “Being down there for three days, it sort of saps a little bit of your energy and your strength. We talk about that primarily in football. I know this is an indoor sport, but the Knicks, whatever it is… Jimmy Butler has just destroyed them.”
Needless to say, his assessment was taken to task online, albeit in a mostly comical way. Armchair evaluators took aim at the fact that basketball is an indoor game. Those, along with several creative quips, were quickly lobbied in the veteran broadcaster’s direction.
The Heat will look to close out the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semi-finals on Wednesday night in New York. For those who are curious, the temperature in The Big Apple at tip time is forecasted to be around 70 degrees with clear skies.
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