ESPN star Shannon Sharpe destroyed Stephen A. Smith in a surprising appearance on Wednesday’s First Take.
The NFL legend, 55, called in on his day off to mock Smith, 56, after his New York Knicks were humiliated by the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of the first round of the NBA playoff series.
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The Sixers were down six points with just 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
But the Knicks, who had a chance to close out the series, gave up a foolish four-point play to Tyrese Maxey before failing to bring down the 6-foot-2 guard to stop him from hitting a game-tying 3.
New York fell apart in overtime, allowing Philadelphia to secure a 112-106 victory and force Game 6 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Maxey scored 46 points, five rebounds and nine assists to keep Philly’s season alive.
Stephen A. vented about the crushing defeat on social media Tuesday night.
He then criticized the Knicks stars for spoiling the game and robbing the Madison Square Garden crowd of witnessing the team’s first home playoff series triumph since 1994’s First Take.
Smith’s fury prompted Sharpe to make an impromptu appearance on the show.
“What do you want, Shannon!?” Stephen A. asked.
The answer was blood – and the NFL Hall of Famer went for the jugular from the start.
“I woke up early reading this morning,” Shannon said.
“They say that when a person loses one of the five senses, the other senses become heightened.
“Since I can’t see you, my sense of hearing is very good.
“I can hear the pain, I can hear the agony, I can hear the frustration in your voice.”
And, Sharpe said, he loved what he heard because it meant he correctly predicted the Knicks’ loss and Maxey’s Game 5 eruption.
First look at the numbers
First Take has grown from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim over the past year.
ESPN’s weekday debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 – making it the most-watched year in the program’s history.
The December average of 611,000 represented a 24% annual increase compared to 2022.
The show has also recorded more than 250 million views on YouTube.
First Take was helped by the addition of Shannon Sharpe alongside Smith and Qerim after he left Fox Sports’ Undisputed.
Stephen A. tried to get back at his ESPN co-star by reminding him of his beloved Los Angeles Lakers’ elimination from the NBA playoffs in the first round on Monday.
But the plan backfired, leading Shannon and host Molly Qerim to mock Smith for discussing yesterday’s topics and living in the past.
Sharpe ended the brilliant segment with an equally excellent line.
“They say you never kick a man when he’s down,” he said.
“I can’t think of a better time to kick you.”
Even Stephen A. couldn’t stop laughing, nor could Qerim and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.
And First Take viewers laughed along with them.
“Unc is killing me!” one wrote in X.
“Unc @ShannonSharpe called to get her piece of meat,” added another.
“Shannon Sharpe is television gold,” said a third.
The Knicks and Sixers will meet again on Thursday.
If Philadelphia ties the series, Game 7 will take place at MSG on Saturday.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
