There’s was just one game on the slate on Thursday night — Game 4 between the Rockets and Lakers in what ended up being a relatively easy win for L.A. to take a commanding 3-1 series lead and put Houston on the brink of elimination. So you’d think it’d be light work for the TNT crew.
But those guys never let us down. One of the high points of the broadcast came after the game, when Kenny, E.J., Shaq, and Charles welcomed newly-hired Nets coach Steve Nash to the program, and didn’t pull any punches about asking Nash the tough, hard-hitting questions.
We’re talking, of course, about what he’s done with those MVP trophies he won over Shaq back in the day — the primary one being the 2004-05 award in which Nash edged out the then-Miami Heat big man. You knew going in that Shaq wouldn’t be able to resist a little light ribbing at his former teammate, but he probably didn’t expect for Nash to have the perfect comeback.
Shaq: “If you’re at your house can you show me one of those MVP trophies you stole from me?”
Steve Nash’s response.
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 11, 2020
The guys actually did have a serious discussion about the accusations of white privilege levied against Nash since he became coach of the Nets. Several high-profile media members have argued that Nash “skipped the line” to land his first head coaching gig without having to pay his dues and come up through the ranks. Nash balked at the notion, saying that while he agrees that white privilege is a problem in America, he doesn’t agree that it applies in this case and has pointed to examples of Black players who have been hired without coaching experience.
Regardless, it was some quality television, as usual, for the TNT broadcast crew on Thursday night.