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Snoop Dogg is a diehard fan of the LA Lakers but he doesn’t hold back his praise when opposing teams or players play well. Although Steph Curry plays for the Golden State Warriors, the “Drop It Like It’s Hot” hitmaker never hesitates to give the point guard his flowers. He's a bit biased in his opinion about the Lakers but most of the time, he tries to be fair in his analysis of the game.
On Thursday, Stephen A. Smith had the legendary hip-hop artist as a guest and talked about a variety of topics but mostly basketball. Naturally, the topic drifted to the Lakers even if they were again eliminated by the Denver Nuggets. The rapper is hopeful that his team could turn it around for next season.
Smith then asked Snoop Dogg about who he thought would reach the 2024 NBA Finals. “The Next Episode” creator named the Minnesota Timberwolves and hesitated but eventually predicted the New York Knicks to win the East.
Stephen A. Smith couldn’t believe what he was hearing and had to ask if the Knicks were capable of beating the Boston Celtics. “Snoopy” is convinced New York will reach the finals because of Jalen Brunson (12:25 mark):
“I watched Steph Curry do the same thing. Same low point guard moving around, dipping and dodging, shaking and baking. I think he [Brunson] could do it. They didn’t think he [Curry] could do it. He did!”
The longtime ESPN analyst still had trouble believing, so Snoop Dogg continued:
“I’m just telling you what I seen. I didn’t believe it when I seen Steph do it. When it happened, it happened. We was watching it happen, just like you’re watching it happen with your team right now.”
Snoop Dogg may have a point but for Brunson to lead the Knicks to the NBA Finals, he will have to carry a crippled team.
New York lost Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson to injuries. They also didn’t have O.G. Anunoby in Game 3 due to a hamstring problem. Anunoby has traveled with the team in Indiana but it’s anybody’s guess when he will return.
When Steph Curry reached and won his first championship, he had Draymond Green and Klay Thompson with him. Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart, though, have stepped up to support the team’s $26.3 million point guard, and that might be enough to do the improbable.
Snoop Dogg calls Jalen Brunson a “monster”
The New York Knicks were trolled on social media for supposedly overpaying Jalen Brunson in 2022.
New York took him from the Dallas Mavericks for a four-year, $104 million deal. Considering how the left-hander has been playing since arriving in the Big Apple, he may have the most team-friendly contract in the NBA.
Snoop Dogg had this to say about why he thinks the Knicks will upset the Boston Celtics to reach the finals (12:18 mark):
“It (injuries) don’t matter. That dawg, No. 11, is a monster.”
Brunson wears No. 11 for the Knicks, and despite being undersized, he has been the biggest and most important player on Tom Thibodeau’s roster.
New York has not reached the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000 when they lost to the Indiana Pacers. If the Knicks advance, Snoop Dogg is convinced that it will be because of Jalen Brunson, who he thinks is performing like Steph Curry.
