Do you remember your kindergarten days when your teacher would complain about you being talkative? Well, Stephen A. Smith might’ve been the exception—or maybe his teacher just let it slide. On ESPN’s NBA Finals coverage, Smith brought his usual flair, turning the desk into more of a personal stage, with opinions flying and the volume turned up just a bit too high. His words hit the set fast and loud, often leaving little space for balance or shared insight.

Just hours before Game 7 tipped off, the energy was already chaotic on NBA Countdown. Kendrick Perkins tried to explain a bet on Chet Holmgren scoring 15, but Stephen A. interrupted, pivoting to his signature rant mode. Strategy took a back seat; drama took the wheel. But this time, fans weren’t quite buying it. As the coverage leaned more toward SAS than the actual Finals, NBA Twitter responded the only way it knows how—with plenty of side-eye and sarcasm.

With tension rising, former Warriors GM Bob Myers stepped in—not with noise, but with clarity. In a calm yet cutting moment, he dropped the line that stuck: “Just because you yell something, doesn’t mean it’s true.” That alone felt like a mic drop. And while the show kept going, many fans had already reached for the remote.

Now, breaking down the entire Finals experience with ESPN’s coverage, Richard Deitsch told SI’s Jimmy Traina, “Stephen A is very much someone who criticizes people, and that’s what he does for a living. He’s a provocateur, and if he’s doing this to others, it’s not a surprise to me that people will go after him for this.” He further pointed out, or rather objected: “My issue with Smith and the pregame show and the halftime show during the NBA Finals, what’s very hard for me as a viewer is so much of that, and it’s really driven by Stephen A. because he is the centerpiece of all this, is just always with a negative tint. There’s no celebration of the NBA.”

Instead of celebrating greatness, ESPN’s Finals coverage felt like a blame game on loop. Every segment zeroed in on who failed, not who thrived. And let’s be real, critique is fine, but where’s the fun? Unlike Shaq and Kenny, who roast with charm and a wink, Stephen A. Smith’s style missed that basketball joy. It’s less barbershop banter, more courtroom drama. No wonder fans started checking out before the buzzer even sounded.

“It’s engaging, and you want to hang out with them. It’s more fun than anything else, and I never feel that when I’m watching Countdown with Smith; it’s always about him, which is the ESPN ethos with that show. Secondly, it’s too negative,” Deitsch noted. This weird Stephen A. Smith effect is possibly affecting the rest of ESPN’s cast, as Jimmy Traina’s guest pointed out.

Richard Deitsch shared, “I think it hurts Malika Andrews and Kendrick Perkins and others on that set because the whole set becomes, in my opinion, a big audition for Stephen A. Smith’s platforms.” Now, here’s the catch: the broadcasting moguls have signed the 57-year-old veteran on a five-year $100 million contract. He just secured the bag—and the bragging rights. With this deal, he climbs higher on the sports media pay ladder, all while keeping his grip on First Take. Meanwhile, Smith might ease up on a few other gigs. Word is, he’s eyeing new lanes, maybe even politics. One mic clearly isn’t enough!

But maybe it’s time for all the viewers who’ve been tuning in with cotton in their ears to finally breathe a sigh of relief—NBA Countdown just wrapped its final Finals run. Simply put, a shift is happening, and a drastic one that might bring back the joy in basketball! (Jimmy Butler, is that you?)

NBA Finals coverage will experience a major change amidst the Stephen A. Smith backlash

As Richard Deitsch puts it, Stephen A. Smith “was irritating” during the NBA Finals coverage. He said, “But then I find the reaction to him more irritating because everyone’s going crazy: he should be off the coverage, he’s done, it’s Inside the NBA next year. He’s not going to be on during the Finals. He’s not going to be part of their NBA coverage.” A sigh of relief? Maybe. A relief to the ears? Surely.

ESPN’s NBA Finals broadcast just closed its curtain under the old TV deal—and thank goodness. While the rights remain, the setup won’t. Next season promises change, and for viewers burned out by the NBA Countdown chaos, it’s long overdue. Smith and Perkins drained energy faster than a shot clock. Relief is near, though, as TNT’s legendary Inside the NBA crew gears up to bring the real heat.

The hope? Less shouting, more substance. ESPN seemed to think mimicking TNT meant throwing two disconnected voices into a studio and watching the fireworks. But chemistry can’t be forced. And while Malika Andrews and Bob Myers tried to hold the line, Smith’s over-the-top antics turned the show into a meme generator, not an NBA breakdown. If live TV is fading, ESPN’s answer is noise. Fans deserved better, but got a theatre.

Stephen A. Smith hijacked the mic and made it his stage—but the act is finally winding down. With ESPN’s shake-up and Inside the NBA on deck, fans might finally get the Finals coverage they’ve been begging for. Less noise, more nuance. It’s a new era loading, and if we’re lucky, it comes with heart, humor, and actual hoops talk.