The Boston Celtics hosted the Dallas Mavericks in Match 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Sunday evening. During the “NBA Countdown” pregame display, Malika Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Mike Wilbon, Bob Myers and Josh Hart mentioned Mavericks coach Jason Kidd indicating that Jaylen Brown was the Celtics finest player. Although the panel didn’t have considerably to disagree on for the duration of the segment, it did lead to an exciting moment between Smith and Myers.
Myers was conversing about how Kidd’s remarks may possibly be an try by the Mavericks mentor to divide the locker area, as Myers pointed out that is what comes about when a staff is on top. The former Golden Condition Warriors normal manager also pointed out that much more than at any time, people today are seeking to tear teams down and prompt that Stephen A. Smith was a single of the individuals who may possibly be executing accurately that.
Smith took exception and blamed social media in its place.
“The Celtics are on major, proper,” claimed Myers. “And whenever you might be on top people applied to occur at Curry and Durant. They’d arrive at you in the media. They arrive at you on the avenue. And the level is—and Josh appreciates this—what matters is your locker area. The fabric of that locker space and what they can endure. That Knicks fabric, you had that this yr, but it is challenging to obtain. We tear groups aside a lot more than we at any time have. Probably on objective, possibly not, probably that person down there.”
That is when Smith jumped in to defend himself by declaring, “Not me. Not me. Not me. That’s social media. That is not me.”
When the rest of the panel laughed, Myers joked about how he need to have been mistaken. “Probably you could,” Myers questioned. “That is somebody else? I thought it was you for a second there.”
This marks the second time in a week that an ESPN colleague has termed out Smith on-air soon after Monica McNutt place him on the spot on Initially Just take for not using his platform to endorse women’s basketball prior to the Caitlin Clark period. When that took place, Smith took significant offense. And he evidently did not love this minute either. We’ll have to wait and see if he lets this 1 go tomorrow. It would certainly be fascinating to hear him describe how he does not play some section in this precise kind of detail.