The NBA might not boast the glossary of acronyms that Major League Baseball does, but thanks to Shaq, they can now claim OTBS’n.
Tuesday night on Inside the NBA, Ernie Johnson asked Kenny Smith to explain how he would defend Jalen Brunson amid the historic offensive tear he’s on right now for the New York Knicks in these playoffs. Near the end of Smith’s answer, you could hear a pen drop as Shaq stared at the camera, which prompted Barkley to start laughing.
Shaq introduces the Inside the NBA crew to OTBS’n 🤣 pic.twitter.com/8Kao2mFVse
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 8, 2024
“Shaq, what are you doing over there?” Barkley asked with a chuckle, claiming Shaq through his pen down during Smith’s response.
“He couldn’t understand the analogy,” Smith said. “He’s like Gronk.”
“First of all, Gronk won’t punch you in the face, I’ll punch you in the face,” Shaq told Smith, implying he understood the analogy just fine, he just didn’t like it. “When Ernie asks you a question, you’re OTBS’n.”
Smith and Barkley had the same reaction to Shaq using the acronym “OTBS’n” as everyone else watching at home had. What’s OTBS’n?
“Yeah, over there, BS’ing,” Shaq said, garnering a laugh out of Smith and Barkley. “OTBS’n. Answer the damn question!”
Shaq’s right, Smith never answered the question, although he probably could have presented it a little more delicately, but that’s what makes the Inside the NBA crew better than every other studio show in sports. Johnson asked Smith how he would go about defending Brunson. Smith’s answer featured an explanation of what Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton should be doing offensively. Shaq called Smith out for evading the question.
The NBA Playoffs are great for its increased competitive play as compared to the regular season, but they’re also great because it gives us so much more Chuck, Ernie, Kenny and Shaq.
