Stephen A. Smith SOUNDS OFF and calls D’Angelo Russell ‘A DISGRACE’ as Lakers fall 0-3 | First Take

Are you surprised that the Lakers are about to get swept by the Nuggets? No no. I think if anyone has been paying attention to the NBA basketball landscape, that's a bad matchup for the Lakers right now. If this were the Lakers against OKC, the Lakers against Phoenix I. I think we'd all have a very different conversation, uh, but the reality is that even if you told me in this kind of world that Jamal Murray and Nicole yagé were on par with LeBron James in an ad, he was still there. tell you that the Nuggets had a big advantage for Michael Porter Jr kcp and Aaron Gordon, who last night Aaron Gordon was an absolute beast, I mean, 28 points, 15 rebounds, just the way he played, dominating, like they just dominated that physical matchup of the game and then My biggest

take

away from last night because I always felt like Denver was a better team was just DLo for having zero, oh Lord, zero points Stephen.

I'm watching the game last night and I often think to myself that,

first

of all, delusions are great, right? like we're in a battle if you and I are debating someone even if we're down we think we can win no one is going to tell us we're going to lose we're going to keep fighting until the end absolutely with 347 to see him come out and not be involved in the Huddle now I don't know if he's on his cell phone I don't know snacking DLo the video is out there I was watching the game master I saw it in the NBA yeah yeah to me this is very and people can sit there and say, well, LeBron James, he's not on his cell phone and that's, LeBron James' rules are different for LeBron James and they're different for D'Angelo Russell, right, but?

For him to have zero points and then leave like this is one of the most selfish things I've ever seen in my life, it's a slap in the face to LeBron James and the Lakers organization and, frankly, I was horrified even watching it because you need him everyone is going in the same direction and that for me personifies one of the most important problems within the Lakers organization because if I saw that in my group I don't know if I want that back. on my team next year, okay couple, I don't need the highlight right now, I need a nceo right here, I'm waiting for D'Angelo Russell, what a shame, you know I'll be at the marrow game night, you know ?

I'll show you it's hard to look at this brother, this brother appeared in a game as the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, we in the color purple and gold, I mean, this purple gold, this is probably the franchise with the most history in animals of basketball and he did it. a donut, me and you are sitting in this set, we did it, he scored as many points as above, it's embarrassing, this is the same guy who averaged six points on 32% shooting and 13% three-point shooting the year last in the Conference Finals. you're in the middle of losing 12 in a row you've lost 11 in a row now LeBron James has played in 10 of those losses okay they've lost 11 in a row to the Denver Nuggets it's going to be 12 Denver stole their hearts and I feel bad for LeBron James and Anthony Davis because together they average 58.7 points on 59% shooting from the field in this series the rest of the Lakers 43.7 points on 39% shooting Austin Reeves showed us that yesterday he had a post that he hadn't done much before yesterday D'Angelo Russell showed up didn't show up in the

first

game showed up in the second game but not when it counted after you had a 20 point lead and you let that deteriorate and then last night you embarrassed yourself in front of the Laker purple and gold fans at the stadium crypto.com is an absolute

disgrace

and then this is the same guy you remember they lost to Sacramento in the regular season and he wasn't aware of what was at s

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with the seats and all that. are you saying you're VY for a place to play or what you never know you could have avoided the lair nothing if you'd paid attention if you'd been on top LeBron James doesn't deserve a teammate like that he's someone like that who doesn't have that much priority that it's not so focused getting rid of them getting rid of it's a privilege to be in Los Angeles and I told it to Genie bus not only on television I told it personally I said it personally to Rob Pinka.

I said it personally to Darvin Ham along with others, you know, some of them are not LeBron, not because he's been very good in this series. Now they could have won 17 straight minutes without a point in this game. two and I understand all that, but he's averaging over 30 for the series, he's fine, he'll show up. I told him to his face. I meant what I said on television. Certain people know that it is a privilege to be in that L, that Southern California sun, that climate. you have to take them for a ride and you have to ask them do you want to be here do you want there are other places you can go that aren't here that's what you have to do with some of these people D'Angelo Russell is one of those people that that you don't even take him for a ride anymore, you just send him away because you know you can't trust him when it really matters, that means when you go up against some dogs, he goes down. pressure, he has shown us this and it is a shame that he said all that.

Here is everything. It has had a contagious effect. The Lakers have had double-digit leads in each of these games. They have had halftime leads in each one. of these games the Denver Nuggets are playing Michael Porter Jr does what Aaron Gordon wants same thing don't let me start with yic we don't even talk about yic we don't even talk about him it's an Annihilation I They don't care about the final scores, they're playing with them, they are playing with them and they just let it pass. You saw the Lakers get out of Molly Jay quickly and then you look and Denver just says, "Okay, they had the Good, they had a good moment, let's just take it away, let's be here, let's stay with this striking distance stalking, stalking, stalking, and then , when they want to spill it, that's what they do, the Lakers can't stop, they can.

I don't make three point shots. I'm looking at the Lakers right now and I'm saying to myself: what did you do here? This is something embarrassing. right now. Los Angeles Lakers last night five of 27 from three... point range five of 27 I mean, damn, this you know what was at stake and I didn't expect them to win this series, but I thought they were going to be. six, I really thought it would be six J, I thought it would go to six, I really did, I said, I said, you know what LeBron won't get swept twice and he won't get swept twice you I I I I can't roll cryptocurrencies with my brooms I mean, Come on, but this is what happened.

The only time I didn't want to see Darin Ham in that coach's box was when I saw that video of D'Angelo Russell, you know who I wanted. Jerry Sloan, the late Jerry Sloan, former Utah coach, would have sent his ass to the locker, would have had him taken out, would have had D'Angelo Russell REM, I'm lying, no, had him taken out, had him right in front of him of all, he said, come out, he did it to Malone's car, and what do you think he? I would have made D Russell one of those moments where you had to go up to him and say "fuck you, go back to the locker room, well I'm not going to put it all on DLo, no, no, no." I'm just clarifying that for people because you'll see us leaning into this, but if you got your ass kicked last year, dragged off the floor if there's someone who should be in the Huddle trying to lead the Huddle, yeah for show. some animosity or some aggression towards the opponent has to be him, yes, especially since he was the one who let the team down last year, that's what I'm saying and not only are they about to get swept and I'm praying that like that be.

It doesn't happen that they show some pride and win tomorrow, but they will be swept on their own court again. Now let's look at the moments when you lose the Western Conference Finals after Anthony Davis opens training camp talking about how they prepared for it because they were chirping at us when they beat us to the last word here, the ring ceremony, you lose, you lose the night the Kobe Bryant statue was unveiled, you lose the night LeBron James scored 40,000 points correctly and then last night the great Michael Cooper, because if you know basketball and you know Michael Cooper was worthy of the Hall statue of Alad's Fame that he received last night when he was worthy and those brothers were celebrating them at halftime.

Michael Cooper and you lose him every moment the Lakers have. That is one cause. for the celebration is constantly ruined by the Denver Nuggets in his face