Before the Knicks faced the Pacers in Game 7 of their playoff series at Madison Square Garden last month, ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” might have sounded almost like “The Stephen A. Smith Show.”
There was a lot of fanfare as Smith entered Madison Square Garden, gave words of encouragement as a Knicks fan and put his arm around Spike Lee’s shoulder.
There was no balancing act.
The next day, former ESPN legend Dan Patrick, who had the pomp to speak out on the matter as he once served as ESPN’s top NBA studio host, released a scathing critique.
“What about fairness here?,” Patrick asked. “It’s embarrassing for ESPN.”
The NBA Finals between the Mavericks and Celtics begins Thursday night on ABC, but Smith’s commentary should focus on the game, not himself.
Smith is a lightning rod, spending most of his time starring on shows like his cult favorites, ESPN’s “First Take” and YouTube’s “The Stephen A. Smith Show.”
On these shows, people tune in to watch him, and with the help of his team of producers and other contributors, he probably draws more viewers to “First Take” during a two-hour weekday morning slot than anyone else in sports media.
In contrast, most of the viewers of “NBA Countdown” are there to watch the actual game.
The show has seen a lot of turnover over the years, and there isn’t enough time between commercial breaks and non-panel content, making it difficult for analysts to offer opinions.
ESPN has been chasing the TNT “Inside the NBA” dragon for years, but it probably won’t be able to catch it before it becomes a ghost after next season.
Smith’s Nicks-esque production had to go through a cadre of producers; it was planned, not impulsive, and so the metaphorical pie chart of responsibility unfolds.
Smith has long aspired to appear on ESPN’s NBA studio shows, but jokingly admitted he would like to reduce his responsibilities during the Eastern Conference finals.
“You’ve been my partner at this network for years, and you’ve never heard me say anything like what I’m about to say,” Smith said in comments directed at Michael Wilbon before the Celtics played the Pacers in Game 2. “I’m not rooting for a long drawn-out series. I need some time off.”
He said it with a smile that made the rest of the “NBA Countdown” panelists laugh, but there seemed to be some truth behind his words, and he doubled down on the sentiment.
“It’s going to be a long series, but I’m not rooting for it,” Smith said, before his wish was granted as the Celtics ultimately swept the Pacers.
Meanwhile, networks and neutral basketball fans are united in rooting for Game 7, the two greatest words in sports.
Overtime drama in playoff series can make a big difference to rights holders recouping the billions of dollars in advertising revenue they pay for live sports.
There aren’t many occasions throughout the year when ESPN can pull in more than 10 million viewers for a non-football game, but Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals is one of them.
Still, Smith has publicly admitted he preferred cleaning to traveling to warmer places, perhaps by the sea. He frequently worked remotely after the series ended for “First Take.”
It may be a double standard for Charles Barkley to make similar jokes and be loved for his honesty, but there are plenty of things Barkley can get away with that may not be as appealing to others.
As Smith himself said, fairness is judging pigs.
Smith has openly aimed to surpass the salaries of ESPN talents who have surpassed him in recent years, including Pat McAfee, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, and is hoping his next contract will be worth more than $20 million per year.
As for his “NBA Countdown” responsibilities, he’d be more valuable to the company if he focused on the actual games on the biggest stage in sports.
