Following game three of the NBA Finals, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Halliburton was asked in the postgame if he’s been paying attention to the discussions surrounding the series regarding his level of play from game to game. In response, Halliburton went on to say that the “talking heads on the major platforms” don’t know anything about the game of basketball.
This comment, however, caught the ear of ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith during the first segment of First Take Thursday morning.
Smith said that he was “bothered” by the comments of the Pacers’ guard and, furthermore, listed a number of former players who are now finding roles in sports media. He then turned his response to whether Haliburton was questioning Smith’s credentials.
“You can try to question mine (knowledge) if you want to. I’ve been covering the NBA for 30 years,” said Smith. “Good luck with data.”
Moreover, Smith went on to explain that he is concerned with Haliburton’s sensitivity to a recent poll of NBA players who ranked the Pacers’ guard as the most overrated player in the league. He emphasized that the critique Halliburton shared in the postgame comments was misdirected at the wrong people.
“It was the media that came out and said you’re not overrated. It was your peers who voted you overrated, not the media. You see how slick these dudes get? They try to point at the media. No, it’s your colleagues,” explained Smith. “Focus on the damn finals. You ain’t win it yet. You still got two to go.”
Additionally, the ESPN commentator said that he wanted his beloved New York Knicks to draft Haliburton in the 2020 NBA Draft, but he does not consider him a “superstar” in the NBA. Even so, Smith was complimentary, saying that the Pacers’ guard is a “damn good player.”
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