Stephen A. Smith: Warriors’ Game 6 performance was ‘shameful for a champion’
Normally a big supporter of the Warriors, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith did
not hold back any criticism of Golden State's Game 6 loss on Friday night
>Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) dribbles against Sacramento
Kings’ Malik Monk (0) in the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the NBA Western
Conference first-round playoffs at Chase Center in San Francisco,
Calif., on Friday, April 28, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
By ALEX SIMON | asimon@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 28, 2023 at 9:36 p.m. | UPDATED: April 29, 2023 at
10:04 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/04/28/stephen-a-smith-warriors-game-6-performance-was-shameful-for-a-champion/

Stephen A. Smith was all about the Warriors last season, predicting them
to win a title weeks before they actually did.

But ESPN’s head commentator did not hold back any criticism of the
defending champions after the Warriors blew a shot to clinch their first
round series at home on Friday night.

After the Warriors’ 118-99 loss to the Kings in Game 6, Smith unloaded
on Golden State, saying their effort was “shameful” at halftime of the
Lakers-Grizzlies game.

“It was horrible. It was one of the worst performances, one of the most
lethargic performances I’ve ever seen from the Golden State Warriors in
all of my years,” Smith said on ESPN. “They didn’t collapse in the
fourth quarter or anything like that, they came out there like they were
disinterested in playing.”

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Awful Announcing
@awfulannouncing ·Follow
"An embarrassing, pathetic, lethargic performance by the Golden State
Warriors. Shameful for a champion."- Stephen A. Smith

"The Warriors didn't lose. They got waxed. They got beat... The
Sacramento Kings BEAT the Warriors. Golden State didn't lose."- Jalen
Rose 🏀📺
[video]

9:12 PM · Apr 28, 2023
72 Reply Share
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It’s hard to argue with him, either. Golden State never led after the
first quarter and never even got it close in the fourth quarter against
the young Kings team.

Smith said Stephen Curry could be forgiven for an off-night, since he
“carries the franchise and is the face.” But Smith called out Klay
Thompson, saying Thompson wasn’t strong in the second half, and
especially Jordan Poole, who made 2-of-11 shots and only had seven points.

“Last time I checked, he got a bag, he got some money. He’s supposed to
spell for them when they don’t got it going on,” Smith said, adding
“pathetic” after reading Poole’s stats.

Two days after Charles Barkley guaranteed a Kings blowout win on TNT
before the Warriors won Game 5, ESPN’s Michael Wilbon owned up to
missing the mark on Game 6, having previously said he thought the
Warriors would “dominate the game.”

Wilbon agreed with Smith’s assessment that it was “an embarrassing,
pathetic, lethargic performance by the Golden State Warriors — shameful
for a champion.”

Jalen Rose added that he was impressed with the Kings, saying,
“Sacramento beat the Warriors, Golden State didn’t lose.”

Smith, Wilbon and Rose will likely be part of ESPN’s coverage of Game 7
between the Warriors and Kings, which will air on ABC starting at 12:30
p.m. on Sunday. NBC Sports Bay Area will also broadcast the game.

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Alex Simon | Sports Digital Strategist/Editor
Alex Simon is a sports digital strategist and editor for Bay Area News
Group. He’s been in journalism for years as an editor, reporter and
adjunct professor. Alex is a 2017 graduate of Elon University with a BA
in journalism and a 2019 graduate of Arizona State University with a MA
in journalism. He enjoys weekend adventures and loves In-N-Out Burger a
bit too much.Alex Simon is a sports digital strategist and editor for
Bay Area News Group. He’s been in journalism for years as an editor,
reporter and adjunct professor. Alex is a 2017 graduate of Elon
University with a BA in journalism and a 2019 graduate of Arizona State
University with a MA in journalism. He enjoys weekend adventures and
loves In-N-Out Burger a bit too much.