Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals exceeded any rational expectation for excitement, as the Golden State Warriors needed overtime to prevail over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. With that said, the end result did not arrive without controversy, as the final moments of regulation featured a highly questionable overturned call and a memorable gaffe from the brain of Cavs swingman J.R. Smith.
Following the final buzzer, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith joined Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter and, in on-brand fashion, the always energetic voice came to life with vigor.
The highlight of his seemingly endless rant centered on Smith, including the assertion that “LeBron James is looking at (Smith) like he has to be the most idiotic individual on the planet Earth.”
Of course, Stephen A. isn’t the only person in the country expressing similar sentiment about J.R.’s performance and that has to be noted. Still, there is a certain flair that only the greats possess in television and, simply put, ESPN pays Stephen A. Smith to perform in this exact fashion in a moment like this.
Was it over the top? Well, absolutely. Still, that was what the evening called for, especially on the heels of the way that game ended and all of the madness heading toward Game 2. LeBron James performed at an obscene level for 48-plus minutes, the Warriors made the plays necessary to steal the win in overtime and, predictably, no one in Cleveland was happy after the game.
Then, Stephen A. Smith took the microphone and did what he was born to do.
