Last night, the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors faced off for the first time this season, in what was arguably the most anticipated matchup. The Warriors were 18-2, while the Suns were on a 16-game winning streak.
Stephen A. Smith had JJ Reddick and Keyshawn Johnson on ESPN’s First Take before tip-off, and Stephen A. was raving about Stephen Curry and the Warriors, dismissing any claims that the Suns will reach the NBA Finals this season.
From the start of the video, he said:
“Personally, in all honesty, got a lot of love for Monty Williams as well. He was my coach of the year last year. We know what he brings to the table. I just feel like for at least the immediate moment the window was there. And even though they winning crazy right now with 16 straight, I think their chance to win the title was last year against Milwaukee. They ain’t winning the title this year, I don’t believe that.”
A dumbfounded Reddick could not believe his ears and had words of his own:
“To say their championship window has closed is asinine! No, it hasn’t!”
But Stephen A. was not shifting his stance, as he believes the Warriors are the favorites to reach the Finals from the West.
“Phoenix is a championship contender, Phoenix is to be respected. What I’m saying to you is this: when I think about Brooklyn at its best, when I look at Milwaukee at its best, when I think about Miami, potentially, at its best, there is only one team I look at in the Western Conference and go like this ‘I don’t give a damn who you put them up against,’ and that’s Golden State.”
With the outcome of the game, the Suns might have proven Stephen A wrong. Although either team was able to get any separation early on, the Suns won the game 104-96.
Despite the victory, the highlight of their game was how they successfully shut down Stephen Curry. He had the worst shooting night of his career when attempting 20+ shots, going 3-of-14 from beyond the arc and 4-of-21 from the field. If it wasn’t for Jordan Poole and Otto Porter, it might have been a larger lead.
