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With four rings on his hand and his usual sharp tongue the Warriors forward decided it was time to say what few are willing to say out loud.

Here’s the situation: the Knicks just handled Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers taking a 2-0 lead in their playoff series. So far, so good – actually, great. The issue is what’s happening outside the court, on the streets of Manhattan, where the city already seems to be in celebration mode.

He talked about it on Inside the NBA and didn’t hold back:

And yes, the reference to JR Smith was no accident. After Game 1, the crowd outside MSG reportedly went completely wild, pulling in the former Knicks guard, who happened to be nearby. Smith said he ended up on the ground and was swarmed not by people trying to help him, but by phones pointed at him to capture the moment. Telling.

Green’s point – and this is the substance beneath the provocation – is that all this emotional, premature excitement can quickly turn into a boomerang. When the pressure of expectations becomes overwhelming, something breaks down.

And recent Knicks history seems to support the argument: five playoff appearances in the last five yearsonly one trip to the Conference Finals, and the run ended there. Last season they were favorites against the Indiana Pacers, superior on paper in nearly every way – yet they were eliminated in six games, with Haliburton carving them up.

The series against the 76ers is still wide open. The title is still a long way off. In New York, they know that. Or at least, they should.