Tag: Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith defends Tyrese Maxey, Sixers after Game 2 loss

Stephen A. Smith defends Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers after their Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks.

The Philadelphia 76ers had Game 2 in their grasp. Tyrese Maxey drilled a 3-pointer to put Philadelphia up 100-96 to silence Madison Square Garden, and it appeared the Sixers would even the series.

Then, the Sixers had trouble getting the ball inbounds. It appeared Maxey was fouled by Knicks star Jalen Brunson, but there was no call, and Philadelphia ended up turning the ball over. That led to New York’s Donte DiVincenzo knocking down a 3 to give the Knicks the lead for good with 13.0 seconds left. The Sixers fell, 104-101, and are down 2-0 in the series.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, a known Knicks fan, defended Maxey and the Sixers after the Game 2 loss and blasted the officiating:

I saw Tyrese Maxey get mugged if I’m being totally honest. He got fouled at least two or three (times). There’s no reason on Earth why that call shouldn’t have been made. It wasn’t made, unfortunately for the Sixers. If you’re a New York Knicks fan, it’s not unfortunate. Donte DiVincenzo got another opportunity, he took advantage of it, and the New York Knicks are up 2-0.

It’s extremely unfortunate for the Sixers, but the Knicks did what they were supposed to do, which is win two games at home. The Sixers must do the same thing when the series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Thursday.

[lawrence-related id=94136,94133,94130]

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Ryan Clark debate if Bills’ window is closed (video)

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Ryan Clark debate if #Bills’ window is closed (video):

ESPN NFL analysts Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Clark recently had the conversation many in Buffalo do not want to hear: Is the Bills’ window closed?

The answer is as interesting as it gets: Both yes and no.

Clark makes the point that yes, it is… but adds it’s not closed as long as the Bills change their identity a bit.

The full roundtable conversation can be found below:

[lawrence-related id=132952,132941,132937]

Stephen A. Smith sees Texas A&M Basketball going the distance in the NCAA Tournament

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith selected Texas A&M Basketball to reach the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament

If you thought only Aggies fans were high on Texas A&M Basketball to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament starting this week, think again!

On Monday, during a segment on ESPN’s First Take, the loquacious and entertaining Stephen A. Smith shocked his co-host, NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, when selecting their teams to reach the final four. While Sharpe went chalk (picking all No. 1 seeds), Smith countered by selecting 9-seed Texas A&M to make it all the way to Phoenix, Arizona.

Texas A&M’s road to the tournament has been a rocky one, going through the ebbs and flows ranging from a five-game losing streak in conference play to completely flipping the script to finish the season on a five-game winning streak, including a critical win over Kentucky in the SEC Tournament.

While it seems far-fetched on paper, the Aggies have proven that they play with anyone throughout the season, defeating Iowa State and Tennessee, sweeping Kentucky, and going toe-to-toe with the No. 1-seeded Houston Cougars inside the Toyota Center. So, while nearly everyone, including most Texas A&M fans, will disregard Smith’s prediction, anything can happen in March.

However, on Friday night, the Aggies must get past a tough Nebraska team led by sensational senior point guard Keisei Tominaga in Memphis, Tennessee. If A&M can get past the Cornhuskers, they’ll more than likely face Houston in what could be an epic rematch in the Round of 32.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

NFL analyst rips Steelers GM Omar Khan for faith in Kenny Pickett

Stephen A. Smith blasted Steelers GM Omar Khan for saying the team is good with Kenny Pickett at quarterback.

With each passing day, frustration over the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation grows for much of the fanbase. As general manager Omar Khan pointed out this week, the Steelers carry three quarterbacks on the roster and as of now only have Kenny Pickett.

To make it worse, Khan offered up blind faith and confidence in Pickett publicly. This was a move that NFL analyst Stephen A. Smith could not tolerate and he came absolutely unglued, saying out loud and in public what many Steelers fans were saying in private after Khan said it.

You can listen to Smith’s full tirade in the video below and despite our disagreements with Smith in the past, we cannot argue he is wrong about this one.

The NFL is a quarterback-centered league and if there is one constant it is that you cannot push deep into the playoffs without high-level quarterback play. It is hard to imagine Pickett under even the best of circumstances can put up a string of performances against the top quarterbacks in the AFC that would allow Pittsburgh to win.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

The Pelicans savagely roasted Stephen A. Smith with 1 picture after he talked about Zion Williamson’s weight on First Take

The Pelicans clapped back at Stephen A. Smith for Zion

Stephen A. Smith has never been one to hold back whatever criticisms he has about anybody, but that especially seems to be the case for Zion Williamson. Particularly when it comes to his weight.

If you’ve been following the NBA at all over the last few years then you know Williamson’s weight and his conditioning have been a huge talking point in NBA circles. It’s been that way for a while now. Folks both inside and out of the Pelicans organization have critiqued his habits. 

But when Smith does it? Whew, boy. There’s a little extra spiciness that comes with it. Just a few months ago he told everybody that he’d heard Williamson would “eat the table” while he was going on a bizarre rant about the Pelicans star’s weight.

Smith was back at it again on Friday. He completely tears him up here. It’s wild.

“Zion Williamson, it’s not about his game. It’s about how many burgers he’s eating and whether or not he’s going to be in shape or keep eating McDonald’s and have chefs clamoring for him to come to their restaurants. That’s what he has to prove — that the chefs don’t love him anymore.” 

This is so strange, man. Especially because the Pelicans are the 5th seed in the West and Zion is playing pretty well right now. This rant feels totally misplaced and more like an attack.

That’s alright, though. Because the Pelicans have Zion’s back. The team dropped this tweet here and ended everything.

Those are Stephen A. Smith’s numbers at Winston-Salem State University. That’s all it took.

This was so petty. Fans loved it.

Stephen A. Smith questions Notre Dame’s relevance

This guy.

Believe me when I say the last thing I want to do is bring attention to Stephen A. Smith. I could write a whole post about everything I can’t stand about him, but that’s a topic for another day.

With the College Football Playoff officially expanding to 12 teams, the inevitable topic of where Notre Dame fits in as an independent has come up. It has to given that the top four seeds automatically will go to conference champions, which locks the Irish out of those spots.

Whatever the reason for the Irish entering the conversation though, it prompted Stephen A. Smith to outright question why the program is relevant during the latest episode of ESPN’s “First Take”. He went on so long that Awful Announcing had to split the video in two when tweeting it out:

The only thing worth adding to this is that [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is working hard to build the program he sees fit, and the hope is that more progress will be made in his third full season at the helm. With luck, Smith will be eating his words before too long.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Stephen A. Smith joins Skip Bayless with Joe Burrow vs. Chiefs take Bengals fans will like

Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless are on the same page when it comes to Joe Burrow vs. Chiefs.

The Cincinnati Bengals are the favorites of talking heads right now.

The topic? Which team might just stand the best chance of slowing down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty by the time next season starts.

First, Skip Bayless hit on these points. And now Stephen A. Smith has done the same on “First Take” recently.

“I think it’s the Cincinnati Bengals because of Joe Burrow,” Smith said. “A healthy Joe Burrow, with Chase and Higgins and Boyd and the crew, I can’t underestimate them…This dude is no joke. Patrick Mahomes has two postseason losses in his career. One is to a seven-time champion named Tom Brady. The other is to Joe Burrow.”

Smith added a question fans will like, too: “When Joe Burrow is healthy, who can he not beat?”

Burrow’s wins over Mahomes go much deeper than quarterback vs. quarterback conversations, of course, but these are the surface-level talking points that make the rounds amongst media and fans that grab attention.

And Smith does go on to point out that Burrow’s Bengals still nearly made the playoffs without him (going 9-8 in a historically strong division that sent the three other teams to the postseason), so adding him healthy back to the mix in 2024 keeps them in the title conversation.

The full clip:

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Cowboys News: ESPN host Stephen A.’s ankle, celebrity ballers latest Parsons victims

Parsons participation in NBA All-Star weekend ends up with his coach in the hospital after trying to get in his way and the celebrities on the other side not faring much better. | From @ArmyChiefW3

Reputed and outspoken Cowboys hater, Stephen A. Smith, has been known to use every available chance to throw shade at Cowboys fans worldwide. Those antics may have him rethinking the time and place after an encounter with Dallas star pass rusher Micah Parsons lands him in the hospital. Speaking of Parsons, his 37 points earn him Celebrity All Star MVP honors. As his new defensive coordinator gets comfortable in the role, Mike Zimmer is finalizing his staff of assistants which will include a former Cowboys player.

While on the topic of former players, Zimmer’s track record of guys who have succeeded under his tutelage speaks for itself.

The defensive ends were given a salary inspection which may lead some to believe the edge group could be a priority once the new league year begins. Before that day rolls around, Dallas hopes to have their franchise quarterback Dak Prescott locked up to a shiny new contract. The space created from a Prescott extension could prompt moves in the wide receiver room, should it? A former Cowboys head coach gives an honest assessment of the old and new defensive staffs. That and much more in this edition of Cowboys news and notes.

 

Micah Parsons and some sweat sent Stephen A. Smith to the hospital before the coaching the NBA All-Star Celebrity game

Stephen A. Smith will still coach the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night.

If you’re wondering why Stephen A. Smith is injured as he coaches a team full of celebrities against a squad helmed by Shannon Sharpe, you can blame it on Micah Parsons and some sweat.

It all happened when — per Smith’s First Take colleague Molly Qerim — Smith was playing around with Dallas Cowboys star defender Micah Parsons and when the ESPN personality got crossed up, Smith landed in the hospital for x-rays.

Smith later came on and joked that Qerim was a liar — he said that he slipped on some sweat on the floor and landed “BAM!” on the floor.

Ouch! He will still coach on Friday, but if you’re wondering what happened, here you go:

Micah Parsons sends Cowboys hater Stephen A. Smith to hospital after basketball mishap

From @ToddBrock24f7: A practice session for the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game ended with the noted Cowboys hater going to the hospital for ankle X-rays.

Even in practice- even in a different sport– Micah Parsons doesn’t hold back.

And now ESPN’s No. 1 Cowboys hater knows that, though there may be multiple sides to the story.

First Take host Stephen A. Smith apparently found out the hard way during a basketball practice session in Indianapolis late Thursday. Smith is slated to serve as one of the coaches in Friday’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, opposite Shannon Sharpe.

During the practice, the two went one-on-one at some point, and Parsons reportedly executed a crossover move that Smith- and his 56-year-old ankles- weren’t ready for.

“And all I know,” Molly Qerim said on the air Friday morning, “is Stephen A. is at the hospital right now, getting X-rays.”

NFL insider Adam Schefter has since reported that Smith is in an ankle brace but still plans to coach at Friday night’s game.

Later during the show, Smith made an appearance to give his side of the story.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

“The next thing you know, that damn Micah Parsons is on the basketball court acting like he’s trying to sack quarterbacks or something and pushing people around,” Smith complained.

And though he confirmed that Parsons was going all-out in practice, he blamed court conditions for his injury.

“He and I were shooting around, shooting against one another, and there was some sweat on the floor. And I was literally about to pull up and just shoot it. I literally bust my ass. I mean, feet flying in the air, bam! It was like I was sliding into third base. ”

Smith maintains he felt fine leaving the arena and wasn’t bothered by his ankle until later that night.

Parsons isn’t the only NFL notable hooping it up at the celebrity event. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman, and Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua are also scheduled to participate.

The game will air on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, when Parsons will no doubt be asked for his recollections on what exactly happened.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01hpqmmeh5dsxp5cc0g2 playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01hpqmmeh5dsxp5cc0g2/01hpqmmeh5dsxp5cc0g2-59d422da68579a676e4e5cbbe1388542.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]