STEPHEN A. Smith was told that he makes the NBA Finals “unwatchable” after criticising Tyrese Haliburton.
The analyst has been working on the Finals for ESPN on ABC.
Stephen A. Smith ranted about Tyrese Haliburton during Game 5[/caption]
Haliburton, 25, struggled through a calf injury[/caption]
Smith, 57, raised eyebrows during the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 4 victory over the Indiana Pacers, when he was spotted playing solitaire on his phone.
During ESPN’s Game 5 half-time show, the First Take star took aim at Tyrese Haliburton.
After his fellow analyst Bob Myers reiterated the Pacers’ need for Haliburton to play at his best, Smith blasted the point guard.
“He looks bad!” Smith ranted. “He was not active, he was not aggressive.”
During the first half, Haliburton had gone back to the locker room with a right leg injury, although he did return.
Smith continued, “Now that we know that he’s not healthy, I totally agree with Big Perk, sit him down! Get him ready for Game 6!
“He ain’t helping the team. He’s not helping them”.
Haliburton went on to finish Game 5 with four points, six assists and seven rebounds in 34 minutes.
With all of the 25-year-old’s points having come from the free throw line, it marked the first time in his career that he failed to make a single field goal in a playoff game.
Viewers at home were unhappy with Smith’s rant.
One wrote on X, “He makes the NBA even more unwatchable. Get his loud mouth out of the broadcast booth.”
While a second asked, “Does anyone actually enjoy this commentary?”
A third joked, “Was he playing solitaire when Tyrese got hurt?”
And another added, “Solitaire A Smith in rare form.”
Since the game, it has emerged that Haliburton is suffering with a right calf strain.
‘GAME TIME DECISION’
The Team USA star did go through the Pacers’ 30 minute walkthrough, and is set to be a game-time decision for Game 6 on Thursday.
Coach Rick Carlisle said of his All-Star guard, “He is going to be carefully evaluated over the next 36 hours and will likely be listed as questionable on the injury report and probably will be a game-time decision for Game 6. Everything is on the table.”
In the event of Haliburton being unavailable, Bennedict Mathurin would likely step into the starting five.
Carlisle, 65, added, “It’s pretty simple, we have to prepare for both. Today, when we meet with the team before we go on the floor and practice, is going to be more of a walkthrough at this point of the series.
“We’ll do a walkthrough, we’ll have some shooting. We’ll have some open practice the last 30 minutes with the media at the end, yeah, we have to prepare for two scenarios: one where he plays and one where he does not.”
