Stephen A. Smith is known for many things. Yelling his opinions loudly and without concern for feedback. His hatred of the Dallas Cowboys. And his love and adoration for the New York Knicks.
That last one, however, is not an opinion shared by many Knicks fans, who see Smith as a phony who doesn’t actually pay attention to the team as much as he makes out.
Smith recently found himself in hot water with Knicks fans when he said he was excited about the play of guard Quentin Grimes, who hasn’t been on the team in two months since being traded. He also referred to Isaiah Hartenstein as a “reserve” even though he’s been a starter for a while.
Knicks superfan and comedian Sam Morril called out Smith earlier this year when he referred to Hartenstein as “some guy.”
Hartenstein had a big game Monday, playing 30 minutes, scoring 14 points, and grabbing 8 rebounds in New York’s pivotal win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Morril returned to The Dan Le Batard Show on Tuesday to share his thoughts on Smith, who was there to see what Hartenstein did firsthand.
“Hartenstein, the beauty of what he did last night and to do it in front of Stephen A., the guy who trashed him,” said Morril. “The guy who said ‘Some guy named Hartenstein.’ Some guy named Hartenstein just played his ass off.
“Knicks fans don’t like Stephen A. because they know he’s not a real fan. Stephen A, you don’t deserve this with us. You didn’t ****ing earn it. You weren’t down suffering when we were suffering. That’s the joy of being a fan. It feels good cause you were there when things weren’t good.
“Does Stephen A. not feel like the villain in every movie?
“Oh, now you’re cheering for him?! You don’t get to do that ****.”
We’ll see if Smith has some thoughts on being called out over his Knicks fandom, especially now that the team might actually make a playoff run.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.