Charles Barkley is already dreading the fallout from the New York Knicks taking Game 1 against the Boston Celtics, like having to hear Stephen A. Smith.
The Knicks stormed back from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter against Boston Monday night to steal Game 1 of the series on the road, in overtime. It might only be one game, but after going 0-4 against the Celtics during the regular season, the stunning victory gives Knicks fans new reason to believe.
And with the Lakers already out of the way, New York deserves to be front and center on ESPN, which already has Barkley sick of the Knicks.
“Stephen A. is going to be unbearable,” Barkley complained on Inside the NBA. “I’m gonna have to keep the volume down on First Take.”
Smith regularly tries to portray himself as a die-hard Knicks fan, although plenty of fans remain skeptical about the bit. But now is not the time for fans to fight amongst themselves about who loves the Knicks more than who. Now is the time for all Knicks fans to be united and unbearable.
Perhaps more important than Charles Barkley loathing Stephen A. Smith on First Take is the fact that he still watches First Take every morning, a habit he has previously admitted. As TNT Sports prepares to send Inside the NBA to Disney, Barkley has repeatedly made it clear he has no interest in going through the car wash at ESPN.
But if Barkley is already watching First Take every morning, there’s no way he’s going to pass up the opportunity to collect an additional paycheck by joining the show from home every now and then. Barkley has plenty of opinions about the way First Take is programmed, he should relish getting to air those grievances directly to Smith.