ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith called out co-star Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo for a divisive take on Kristaps Porzingis.
The veteran sportscaster suggested the Boston Celtics center should play despite his recent leg injury in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
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Porzingis is suffering from a “rare” leg issue ahead of Wednesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics lead the finals series 2-0 after two home wins at TD Garden.
Porzingis returned to action in Game 1 after five weeks out with a calf injury.
He is officially listed as questionable for the game, despite coach Joe Mazzulla admitting the injury was “serious”.
Stephen A. and Mad Dog previewed Game 3 on Wednesday’s edition of First Take, discussing whether the Mavericks could save the series if the Latvian center was ruled out.
“How about Porzingis tries it tonight?” Mad Dog told Smith and co-analyst Andraya Carter.
“[Jerry West] played through a hamstring injury in the 1968-69 Boston series.
“He broke two thumbs against the Knicks in Game 7.
“It drives me crazy. If Porzigis wants to play tonight, get in the game and play.”
“Doggy, that’s ridiculous,” Smith shot in disbelief, while Carter shook his head at Mad Dog’s opinion.
“If he’s really healthy and wants to play, that’s different.
“This is where you are ridiculous – the Celtics are not down 0-2. They are winning 2-0.
“They’ve been perfect on the road all postseason. It’s not a crime if the Celtics say ‘Let’s see what happens without Porzingis.’
“They can give him time off for this game and make sure, or do everything they can to make sure he’s ready for Game 4.”
Porzingis remained upbeat after his surprise diagnosis on Monday.
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.
Its 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.
The Latvian is suffering from a “ruptured medial retinaculum, allowing dislocation of the posterior tibial tendon” in his left leg, for ESPN.
Its official status remains from day to day.
“I’ve been through some things in my career and obviously it’s a tough time to go back and see something happen immediately again,” Porzingis told reporters on Tuesday.
“It’s difficult, just a difficult time right now.
“But I’m feeling really good. I’m feeling really good. The mind is good. We’ll see tomorrow.”
Game 3 of the Celtics-Mavs series is at 8:30 pm ET on Wednesday.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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