There are cold takes, and then there’s Stephen A. Smith looking like he’d rather be anywhere else but courtside during Game 5 of the NBA Finals. As the camera cut to ESPN’s most recognizable face, giving off major solitaire energy, and not Finals intensity, the internet did what it does best… cooked him. Forget body language experts. NBA Twitter had seen enough.

But Smith didn’t exactly enter the building with a clean slate. Earlier in the week, on ESPN’s “First Take,” Smith riled up fans and analysts alike by branding Giannis Antetokounmpo an “underachiever” if he fails to win another title. “That was one of your worst takes I’ve heard in a long time, man,” Jay Williams shot back.

“That was horrible… we really need to reframe these conversations.” It wasn’t just pushback. No. It was a full-on reality check, one that viewers hadn’t forgotten by tip-off. Because Game 5 is not just another regular broadcast thingy. It is a litmus test for narrative fatigue. Between the controversy swirling around officiating inconsistencies and ESPN’s biggest voice firing off headlines before the ball even tipped, viewers were already on edge. Smith’s vibe courtside?

That poured gasoline on that fire. So when cameras found Stephen A. looking less-than-engaged during a pivotal NBA Finals Game 4—Thunder vs. Pacers, before Thunder tied the series 2-2—the backlash came in fast. And the timing couldn’t have been worse!

Stephen A. vs the Internet

“ESPN producers forcing Stephen A Smith to watch Game 5 tonight 😭,” one fan wrote, mirroring what half of Pacers vs Thunder Twitter was thinking. The other half? Unleashing full-blown theatre energy. “I’d rather watch Bella Ramsey’s entire filmography with no breaks than watch Stephen A Smith talk about basketball for 10 minutes,” another user posted. “Good news is ESPN breaks up his BS with 194718 commercial breaks.” Be right back, because that was one stray shot! And… it didn’t stop there.

“Bro walks like his boyfriend just manhandled his a– in the car on the way to the arena,” one particularly savage viewer wrote, clearly fed up with Smith’s entire courtside vibe. And then came the update that said, and tied it all together: “Stephen A Smith pulling up to play solitaire 👀🔥.” Another fan chimed in, “It totally makes sense all he does is play solitaire. Explains why his takes are always so bad.”

The shots kept flying. “@stephenasmith thinks he is WAY more important than he actually is,” someone else posted. “He is a legit nobody. No one is going to the game to watch Stephen A Smith.” But the thing is, Stephen A. Smith has always been a lightning rod. Long back from calling Kwame Brown “a bonafide scrub” to clashing with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, he’s built a career on controversy. Lately, it’s LeBron James turning up the heat. Their tension escalated after Smith’s Bronny James comments, leading to a confrontation during a Lakers-Knicks game. Stephen A. lives for the drama.

Which is why, when he pulled up to Game 5 giving off zero Finals energy, the backlash hit harder. Fans were reacting to the version of Stephen A. they’ve come to expect… loud when it’s safe, checked out when it matters. Whether Smith was bored, pretending to be above the action, or just multitasking, fans weren’t having it. Not tonight.

With the series tied 2-2 in the NBA Finals—Thunder vs. Pacers, Game 5 should’ve been the kind of night that has fans glued to their screens. But with all the yapping about officiating bias and now Stephen A. tuning in the broadcast with Solitaire as his plus-one, it makes you wonder… is the league actively trying to make the audience turn the game off on purpose?