It\u2019s apparently open season on Stephen A. Smith.<\/p>\n
Barstool\u2019s Mark Titus teed off on the polarizing ESPN personality and also ripped the company for making its coverage of the Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals too Smith-centric.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have zero problem with anything Stephen A. Smith is saying or doing if he wasn\u2019t on NBA Finals broadcasts,\u201d Titus said on \u201cMostly Sports with Mark Titus and Brandon Walker\u201d on Thursday<\/a>. \u201cThe fact that ESPN has appointed him to be one of the voices you hear when you tune into the NBA Finals, that\u2019s the only problem I have.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re allowed to talk s\u2013t. \u2026 If you try to avoid the Stephen A. bulls\u2013t, and you\u2019re like, \u2018You know what I want to do? I love basketball so I want to watch the two best basketball teams compete for the highest honor in professional basketball.\u2019 If you choose to do that, you\u2019re going to get Stephen A. in your face. And you\u2019re just like, \u2018God damn, this guy\u2019s awful.\u2019 I almost forget it because I don\u2019t watch all the other s\u2013t he does.\u201d<\/p>\n Mark Titus wants less Stephen A. Smith during NBA Finals coverage. @MostlySportsTitusandWalker\/YouTube<\/p>\n Smith has been a popular punching bag in recent weeks with a seemingly never-ending stream of controversies.<\/p>\n Michelle Beadle and Cody Decker ripped him<\/a> for taking their radio slot at Sirius XM.<\/p>\n Kevin Durant, Dave Portnoy and Pacers fan trolled him<\/a> for playing Solitaire during the NBA Finals, only for Smith to later say, \u201cKiss my ass.\u201d<\/p>\n And Smith now has gone to war with the city of Memphis and superstar Ja Morant after he claimed free agents don\u2019t want to play in Grind City because its unsafe.<\/p>\n Stephen A. Smith working during an NBA Finals broadcast. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n Former ESPN host Jason Fitz ripped Smith for those remarks<\/a>, while Morant questioned why Memphis is being discussed during the Finals.<\/p>\n The Memphis comments provided the entry point for Titus and his co-host, Brandon Walker, to riff on Smith.<\/p>\n \u201cStephen A. has appointed himself God? Is he God now?\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n Titus responded: \u201cYes, he\u2019s appointed himself God.\u201d<\/p>\n He then said it\u2019s \u201ccrazy\u201d how Smith will rip players in a confrontational manner.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just like him saying it, it\u2019s like him threatening,\u201d Titus said. \u201cHe\u2019s threatening everybody at all times, it\u2019s crazy. It\u2019s crazy. It\u2019s motherf\u2013king crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n Stephen A. Smith is hard to miss on ESPN. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n Titus is not the first person to call out ESPN for leaning too much into Smith, with some criticizing the Worldwide Leader for showing him at games and even sometimes his arrival to venues.<\/p>\n Even Thursday\u2019s Game 6 featured Smith and his daughter, Samantha, getting plenty of screen time<\/a> ahead of the Pacers fighting to extend their season.<\/p>\n