'I was nervous as hell,' admits Stephen A. Smith as Shannon Sharpe mocks First Take star over viral picture live on air | 44AU92O | 2024-04-24 02:08:01
STEPHEN A. Smith has been called out by Shannon Sharpe after a courtside snap of the ESPN analyst went viral during the NBA playoffs.
The First Take star was spotted looking "nervous as hell" as his New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers in a thrilling postseason game on Monday.
Smith had traveled back from the West Coast specifically to attend the postseason showdown at Madison Square Garden.
He hyped up the Knicks throughout Monday's First Take, claiming they were bound for the Conference Finals.
But during the back-and-forth encounter, nerves got the better of the 56-year-old as he watched on from courtside.
A snap of Smith went viral after he was spotted by TNT cameras staring blankly ahead with his face resting on his hands as the Knicks trailed.
And co-analyst Shannon Sharpe wasted no time in bringing up the picture during Tuesday's broadcast.
"He thinks we didn't see him last night, sitting on the sideline with his head down," Sharpe laughed to guest Tim Legler.
"I was nervous as hell," Smith admitted, "I said 'This can't be happening'.
"You know, I came all the way here and they looked like they were going to lose the damn game."
"For all these years I've known you, I've never seen that look on your face," added a chuckling Legler.
The Knicks put Stephen A. through the wringer on what host Molly Qerim called an "epic" night at the Garden.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> No. 2 seeded New York somehow wriggled out of a five-point hole in the final 30 seconds of the 104-101 contest.
Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Knicks a 2-0 lead in the series.
The Knicks last reached the NBA Conference Finals in the 1999-2000 season.
And you have to go all the way back to 1973 for the last time New York won a championship.
Following the hectic conclusion, Smith admitted during Tuesday's show that "Tyrese Maxey was fouled," and the 76ers "were robbed."
<!--googleoff: all--> <blockquote class="article__quote"> </blockquote> <!--googleon: all--> "I say that as a New York Knicks fan," he continued.
"[Maxey] got slapped two or three times. Look, I'm ecstatic that the Knicks won. We all know who I'm rooting for.
"But fair is fair. That should have been a foul.
"You don't usually see someone so fragrantly mugged in the corner and no foul is called."
First Take airs every weekday from 10 am ET on ESPN and ESPN+.
More >> https://ift.tt/CT0sfek Source: MAG NEWS