- Feb 17, 2004
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PHILADELPHIA--Though he tried his best, basketball analyst Steven A Smith couldn?t bring himself to praise Minnesota forward Wally Sczcerbiak after a game in which Sczcerbiak scored 48 points against the Philadelphia 76ers. Smith cited the 76ers? porous defense as a reason for the high scoring output and downplayed any role that Sczcerbiak may have had.
?Philadelphia should be ashamed of themselves tonight,? yelled Smith during TNT?s postgame show. ?Their defense was totally porous and they never should?ve let Sczcerbiak run wild like that. Sczcerbiak in a one-dimensional joke of a player who was lucky to have all those open looks. Even that shot he had in the third quarter when he was triple covered and he threw up a left handed three pointer that went in, that was a fluke. Yea, I know he did it four times. They were all flukes, OK??
Smith did his praise Sczcerbiak?s teammate, Latrell Sprewell, for setting him up with open shots all night.
?Sure, Wally Sczcerbiak is going to get all the accolades for his 48 point performance, but it?s Sprewell who should be getting the credit,? said Smith. ?Every time Spree was double teamed he found Sczcerbiak. That?s the kind of unselfish player he is. All Sczcerbiak had to do was stand there and launch jumpers. That kind of thing doesn?t impress me--not when the player is white.?
When another member of the panel, Magic Johnson, questioned Smith?s apparent hatred of Sczcerbiak, Smith shot back, ?I hate him. I just do, OK? He?s a jerk. He?s a big, stupid, dumb white jerk. Now leave me alone.?
Smith, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, is known for his confrontational, in your face style. His brutally honest approach has made him a popular guest on shows like Sportscenter and NBA Fastbreak, where he lets his opinions fly without fear of retribution.
?Steven has been a great contributor to our basketball coverage,? said Sportscenter producer Frank Seale. ?We really love the way he speaks off the cuff without ever worrying about the consequences. We also like the way he spits his words out like he?s angry all the time. Does he have a thinly veiled contempt for white people? Sure, but that?s just because he?s an edgy, politically incorrect renegade. The only time it really bothered me was when he spit on my 5-year-old son and called him a cracker.?
Smith admitted that he openly roots for black people, but said that doesn?t make him anti-white.
?Yea, I admit I like to root for the brothers,? he said. ?What?s wrong with that? I want them to do well. That doesn?t mean I hate white people. I actually like them, just not as much as a I like black people. I don?t think that makes me a racist. It just makes me annoying, which is what you have to be if you want to get on ESPN.?
In an interview on Pardon the Interruption, Smith proclaimed that Rockets forward Juwan Howard was ?ten times the player? Larry Bird was when he played forward for the Boston Celtics. Though Howard will never get to the hall of fame and isn?t even in the Rockets?starting lineup, Smith stuck to his guns.
?Larry Bird is the most overhyped player in history,? Smith yelled. ?Juwan Howard has all the tools Bird had and he?s a better dunker. He has a tremendous ability to take over a game when he wants to, just like Bird used to, but when you factor in his athleticism, you?ve got to take Howard. If Bird was black he would?ve been just another good player--just like if I was white, I'd be just another good columnist.?
When asked about a current white player, Dirk Nowitzki, Smith offered some cautious words of praise.
?Yes, Nowitzki is a pretty good shooter,? he said. ?I mean, he can put the ball in the basket, but he?s benefiting a lot from the presence of Michael Finley, who attracts a lot of attention from defenders. He?s also not going to create his own shot, like an Allen Iverson or a Kobe Bryant. Yes I know how many points he scores in a game. I am well aware. I?m not saying he?s a bad player, I?m just saying I can?t throw 100 percent of my support behind a white guy. Jesus, do I have to spell it out for you? I don?t like white people. There, I said it.?
LOL
From the Brushback a sports version of the Onion.
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