STEPHEN A. Smith called out one of the Denver Nuggets’ stars while calling for him to face a suspension.
The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray lost his temper during the team’s Game 2 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Stephen A. thinks he should be punished for it.
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The Timberwolves currently have a 2-0 lead over the Nuggets after two decisive wins.
While the Nuggets were defeated by the Timberwolves, Murray was on the bench.
However, he still tried to make an impact on the bench, but not in an acceptable way.
Murray first threw a towel onto the court, but it failed and someone moved it out of the way.
To get the job done, Murray threw a heating pad onto the court and it nearly fell under a Timberwolves player’s foot.
Stephen A. gave a long speech on First Take condemning Murray’s actions, saying he feels a suspension is warranted.
“I hope he’s not suspended because I really like Jamal Murray,” Stephen A. said.
“But that’s not what this is about. It’s about the fact that he committed an act that even Draymond Green himself admits could have been very, very dangerous.
“That justifies a one-game suspension, or at least a very, very severe fine.”
Stephen A. admitted that Murray has a history of being a clean player, but said a dangerous act should not be eliminated because of that.
“Jamal Murray throughout his career was the personification of class,” said Stephen A..
“He never did anything, as far as I can remember, that didn’t deserve to be criticized or tarnished or anything because of his character.
“We’re just talking about this incident and what this incident warrants based on its severity.
“If you throw a heating pad on the ground, you are putting other players in danger. Someone could have tripped, someone could have sprained their ankles. We see people doing this all the time.
“Number two, you were playing official. Well, you know that’s not good, you know the NBA doesn’t want you to do that.
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 show’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.
“Number three, you were doing it because you were getting beaten up. There’s no way around it.”
The Nuggets and Timberwolves play Game 3 on Friday, so the NBA has plenty of time to deliberate and decide whether a suspension is warranted.
However, fans are clear that Murray deserves a suspension and have shared their condemnations on social media.
“He needs to be suspended for one or two games. Throwing something on the ground is bad enough, but throwing it at a referee is next level,” said one fan.
“I have to suspend it. They kick fans out and ban them from the arenas for throwing things on the court,” said another fan.
“I have to be suspended for the next game. Not only could it have hurt the opponent or potential teammate, but it is simply stupid and immature,” said a third fan.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
