Every morning, Stephen A. Smith and the crew manage to stir the pot with hot takes, hilarious debates, and viral moments on ‘First Take’. But in yesterday’s episode, when NBA player Marcus Morris joined Molly Qerim for a chat, his twin brother Markieff Morris gate-crashed and surprised Smith. SAS exclaimed, “Oh damn! They brought a big bro with you,” but he was in for a bigger shock after Markieff shared his bold prediction ahead of the Thunder-Timberwolves Western Conference Finals.

Smith was left at a loss for words—something that doesn’t happen very often! The 2025 Playoffs have already flipped the script. Out East, the Pacers and Knicks stunned the world by somehow limping into the Conference Finals. So, while fans may have their favorites for OKC vs. Minnesota, nothing feels guaranteed anymore. Stephen A. Smith has his money on Anthony Edwards and the Wolves. But Markieff? He’s rocking with a very different energy.

Markieff Morris: “I’m OKC at five. I like OKC tonight.”
Molly Qerim: “OKC at five? [repeats with disbelief]”
Stephen A. Smith: “What! Did you say five?”
Markieff Morris: “I told Marcus this, if OKC makes it to the Western Conference finals, they are going to win the championship.”
Molly Qerim: “The Championship? [repeats with disbelief]”

Smith was, of course, not going to keep quiet after hearing this bold take. “Hold on peeps! That’s very disrespectful. I mean, five games? Five? That’s very disrespectful,” Smith added, but hey, Markieff had an explanation. He believes OKC is the best defensive team, and they have shown it the entire season. So in the playoffs, he believes the team will depend on their defense.

“Okay,” Smith responded before shooting another question. Does Minnesota not have a good defense? Markieff answered, “They defended at a high level, but OKC has been defending the entire season. They have been the best defensive team in every category the entire season and it’s showing up in the playoffs. It showed up last game when they made an adjustment and took Joker out the game.”

Molly Qerim was quick to put an end to the conversation, but it is clear that Smith doesn’t accept that OKC will take down the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games.

Further, SAS’s reaction to this bold prediction isn’t surprising either. He’s been an advocate of the Ant-Man and his pack of Wolves winning it from the get-go. But only time will tell if Markieff’s prediction will come true or whether Smith’s reaction was justified.

Stephen A. Smith’s T-Wolves advocacy could go either way with Minnesota’s H2H record against Thunder

Honestly, Minnesota’s #6 seed seems like a lie. They still managed to trample both Warriors and Markieff’s Lakers on the way to the WCF. And they’ve been in the same position more than the Thunder in the last couple of seasons. So when they made their return to the WCF, SAS didn’t hold back on who he thought would take the series away.

In fact, before Markieff made his surprise appearance on the show, Smith had stated: “In Game 1, it’s Minnesota because OKC had a 7-game series against Denver. Whereas Minnesota finished finished off you know their series obviously in five and as a result, I think they have a few extra days rest and I think in a game like this, rust could play a factor… but I don’t believe that to be the case. I think Minnesota has the advantage in Game 1.”

On that note, he’s right. Both of the Wolves’ series so far have been just five games. The Thunder, meanwhile, had to fight tooth and nail against Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets. Could the rest be a factor? Yes. But it’ll be a factor as much as rustiness will be, and for SAS, the rest will trump the rustiness that the Timberwolves won’t show in Game 1 at the Paycom Center tonight.

Minnesota is 2-2 in the season against the Thunder. And that was without playing Julius Randle for 3 of those 4 games. Stephen A. Smith believes that a fully fit Timberwolves squad has what it takes to beat the Thunder. Markieff Morris, on the other hand? OKC in 5. Which side are you on?

UPDATE: The Timberwolves lost Game 1 against OKC, 114-88. The Wolves’ defense was lacking in the second half. Coach Chris Finch felt that their rushed offense affected them on the defensive end. The team will look to course correct before Game 2.