1. ESPN and ABC turned Sunday’s Pacers-Knicks Game 7 into a Knicks infomercial and viewers were not happy.
With ESPN’s NBA studio show constantly being dogged for not being nearly as appealing and enjoyable as TNT’s Inside the NBA, who knows if the Disney network consciously tried to make Stephen A. Smith the focal point of the Pacers-Knicks series as a way to say, “Hey, look at us. We can be fun, too, and Stephen A. is just as entertaining as Charles Barkley,” but it failed miserably.
Yes, Stephen A. is the face of ESPN right now, but there’s a fine line between promoting your own star and embarrassing yourself.
The entire story line of Stephen A. being a Knicks fan maybe could’ve been a little easier to stomach if ESPN didn’t snub the Pacers, but the lack of talk about anything related to Indiana in the series was noticeable.
And then the cherry on top was that after Indiana blew out New York, Stephen A. was nowhere to be found.
All of this combined angered media critics, sportswriters and fans, who spent Sunday afternoon hammering ESPN for its coverage of the Knicks and lack of coverage of the Pacers.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) May 19, 2024I love NYC. I lived there many years. It will always be my home even though I now live in Toronto.
But I can be real here:
Game 7 was a ridiculous Knicks-centric production and if you are Pacers fans whose like, "Are you kidding me with this?"
I get it.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) May 19, 2024If ESPN is concerned about an East coast bias, having nearly the entire pregame centering around the Knicks doesn't help.
See Also2024 NBA playoffs bracket, schedule, scores, results: Celtics beat Pacers in overtime to start East finalsEdwards confident in Wolves: 'We're a great team'Up next, Stephen A.'s Knicks pep talk.
Does a neutral fan go into this game with *any* idea of what is at stake for Indiana today? Honestly, I'm not sure they go into this game with any idea of what's at stake for *New York* as ESPN only discusses the Knicks in the context of Stephen A.'s fandom.
— Sports Media Watch (@paulsen_smw) May 19, 2024
ESPN catching some deserved heat for turning pre-game prior to Game 7 between New York-Indiana into love fest for the Knicks. Steven A needs to tone it down. We know he has a soft spot for the Knicks and that's fine. But this was way over the top.
— Dick Weiss (@HoopsWeiss) May 20, 2024
ESPN shows Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, and... Stephen A. Smith (???) arriving at MSG for Knicks-Pacers Game 7. Is Stephen A. playing in the game?!? pic.twitter.com/67oD6CWh4Z
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 19, 2024
— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) May 19, 2024The halftime show coverage from ESPN:
-OG tried but couldn’t go, applaud the effort
-15 points isn’t that hard to overcome
-Pacers can’t sustain this high level of shooting
If ESPN is going to parade Stephen A Smith before the game, we need to see him after the Knicks loss.
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) May 19, 2024
Let’s all have a moment of silence for the ESPN NBA studio crew, who might have to talk about the Pacers now
— CrimsonCast (@CrimsonCast) May 19, 2024
— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) May 19, 2024So wait ESPN made me watch a Knicks love fest for the entire pregame and halftime, but now they won’t show me Stephen A Smith?
Where you at Stephen A?!?
— NotKennyRogers (@NotKennyRogers) May 20, 2024Remember that time ESPN aired a 30 minute pregame love fest/pep rally for the New York Knicks before Game 7 and then the Indiana Pacers embarrassed them by 21 points?
That was hilarious. pic.twitter.com/tpMYcfqKgE
Turner just needs to make Inside the NBA it's own thing then lease it to every network that carries the association if they don't retain the rights. This is a top five worst thing the mothership has done and turns people off (outside this fan base). https://t.co/0d01ji*zKhP
— 🦉⚽️Mike Vamosi⚾️👑 🏳️🌈 (@MikeVmos) May 19, 2024
2. Speaking of that 130-109 Pacers' blowout win against the Knicks, Tyrese Haliburton wearing a sweatshirt after the game with the famous picture of Reggie Miller making the choking gesture at Spike Lee was A+ trolling.
Tyrese Haliburton showing up to the press conference with the iconic Reggie Miller choking photo on his sweatshirt. @WISH_TV #Pacers #BoomBaby #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/AnSRAfbp51
— Angela Moryan (@AngelaMoryanTV) May 19, 2024
3. Total bush league behavior last night by Nuggets coach Michael Malone. Normally, I give athletes and coaches a pass if they get testy in a postgame press conference after a tough loss. However, this was way over the top by Malone.
The questions that set him off was, “How hard is it just to absorb a loss like this after going ahead by 20?"
Malone’s response: “Next question, man. The season’s over. That’s what’s hard. F--- being up 20. The season’s over. You don’t understand that. The season’s over. It’s hard. Stupid-ass questions.”
Did Malone not think he was going to be asked about his team blowing a 20-point lead? There was nothing even remotely out of line about that question. The season is over because your team blew a 20-point lead, Mike. So it’s a valid question and you had every right to be pissed off, but you didn’t have be a total jerk.
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 20, 2024Reporter: “How hard is it just to absorb a loss like this after going ahead by 20?”
Michael Malone: “The season’s over. That’s what’s hard. F*ck being up by 20… Stupid ass questions.” 😳pic.twitter.com/UxX5xKtW55
4. This is impressive.
— br_betting (@br_betting) May 20, 2024$24K CORRECT SERIES SCORE PARLAY CASHED…
Wow 💰
(IG: itsbucketsnba/@FDSportsbook) pic.twitter.com/OUrI2Qh2iU
5. There’s nothing worse in sports than when an athlete tries to toss a souvenir to a kid and some immature adult interferes and steals the object. Luckily, Bryson DeChambeau was on top of this at the PGA Championship on Sunday and put the adult in his place.
Bryson DeChambeau tossed a ball to a kid and a grown man swiped it from him. Bryson wasn’t having it. pic.twitter.com/7Vubu3JeR7
— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) May 20, 2024
6. Immediately after the NFL schedule was released Wednesday night, I taped the latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast with NFL VP of Broadcast Planning, Mike North, who plays a major role in putting together the schedule.
North talks about the challenges in putting together the 2024 schedule, why the league decided to play on Christmas Day (which takes place on a Wednesday), how the Christmas games affected the rest of the schedule, who will produce and broadcast the two Christmas games on Netflix, why the NFL went all-in on the Texans, whether the Chiefs have replaced the Cowboys as America's Team, how flex scheduling will work, why there won't be a national doubleheader in Week 1 and much more.
Following North, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY joins me for our weekly "Traina Thoughts" segment. This week's topics include Aaron Rodgers's eye-opening admission, Tom Brady's backpedal on his Netflix roast and a shady move by a restaurant. I also read recent Apple reviews for theSI Media With Jimmy Traina.
You can also listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Trainabelow or onAppleandSpotify.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina onSports Illustrated‘sYouTube channel.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: On this date in 1993, the Season 4 finale of Seinfeld, "The Pilot," saw Jerry and George cast their sitcom in one of of the most meta scenes in the show's history.
Be sure tocatch up on past editions of Traina Thoughtsand check out theSports Illustrated Media Podcasthosted by Jimmy Traina onApple,SpotifyorGoogle. You can also follow Jimmy onTwitter and Instagram.
