Stephen A. Smith apologized Wednesday for predicting the Denver Nuggets would get swept in the Western Conference Semifinals. Still, he’s not the only one whose take on that series aged horribly.
Several other analysts should join Smith in the apology line. He wasn’t the only one predicting a Minnesota Timberwolves series win or even sweep.
Those predictions look terrible in retrospect now that the Nuggets have won three straight games to take a 3-2 series lead. Colin Cowherd hopped on the T-Wolves bandwagon after they went up 0-2, saying, “Out west … the defending champs won’t be the repeat champs. That series — it’s over. Denver’s got no answers … I think Denver is cooked. I think it’s over.”
“That series, it’s over. Denver’s got no answers… I think Denver is cooked. I think it’s over.” – Colin Cowherd on the Timberwolves-Nuggets series 🏀🎙️pic.twitter.com/U5IbPyEQkH
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 7, 2024
Smith had not only predicted the Timberwolves might sweep Denver, he predicted they would go on to win the NBA Finals.
“I think the Denver Nuggets are on the verge of getting swept, and I believe that the Minnesota Timberwolves are gonna win the world championship,” he said last week.
Smith said on ESPN’s First Take Wednesday he was “embarrassed by his prediction.
“Right now, the Minnesota Timberwolves have me looking like I have made the worst prediction in the history of my career,” Smith said. “I’ve never been more embarrassed by a prediction that I have made than what I did … saying this about the Minnesota Timberwolves.”
“If Denver wins this series, if Denver ends up going to the Finals…not only am I going to go on [Mark Schlereth’s] show, I might personally go on a damn apology tour throughout the city of Denver.” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/eTeFKAcdTX
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 15, 2024
TNT’s Charles Barkley likewise predicted last week that the Nuggets were cooked: “The Minnesota Timberwolves are for real. They’re going to sweep the Denver Nuggets. Period.”
After Denver’s Game 3 victory, head coach Michael Malone revealed he’d made a compilation of “every talking head in this country” who’d predicted the Nuggets were done and shared it with his players.
Barkley fired back at that news on Inside the NBA.
“Dude, we get paid to give an opinion. If you watched those first two games, you didn’t think Denver was going to win,” Barkley said.
“Dude, we get paid to give an opinion. If you watched those first two games, you didn’t think Denver was going to win.”
Chuck on Michael Malone using an edit of critics to motivate Denver ahead of Game 3 https://t.co/qrN7zFls65 pic.twitter.com/siKtmQmDYQ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 14, 2024
Frankly, the Nuggets looked so bad in those first two losses that it’s hard to blame anyone for predicting they’d go down, maybe in four straight. Here’s a clip from Minneapolis TV station KSTC 45 before Game 3, with anchors Matt Belanger and Brandi Powell confident the T-Wolves had the series under control.
“Only five teams in NBA history have ever come back after losing two home games in a playoff to win a best-of-seven series,” Powell said. “That means Timberwolves fans, if you’re a little nervous — relax, relax!”
‘Don’t worry about it,” Belanger added.
Let’s talk basketball. 🏀 @Timberwolves fans: What’s your prediction for Game 3 in this round of the playoffs tomorrow night?! @KSTP @kstc45 pic.twitter.com/tEft2f0kfM
— Brandi Powell (@BrandiPowellTV) May 9, 2024
After revealing he’d made that motivational tape with all the Nuggets naysayers, Malone admitted he couldn’t blame the critics.
“This is not a shot at those people,” Malone said. “Because after those first two games, I probably would have said the same thing.”
“I had an edit made… of every talking head in this 8iop
country saying that the series was over, the Nuggets are done, it’s a wrap… I knew that this would maybe strike a chord.”
Michael Malone used the critics’ words to motivate Denver for Game 3 💯#NBAPlayoffs presented by… pic.twitter.com/B0U1WbwSEd
— NBA (@NBA) May 11, 2024
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