ESPN's coverage of the 2024 NBA Finals has been a hot topic so far, as its on-the-road studio show has been nowhere close to being as good as the legendary Inside the NBA crew on TNT.
Before Sunday night's Game 2 in Boston, Michael Wilbon tried to spice things up by talking about which player on Dallas needed to step up and help Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the offensive end of the floor. His pick? Tim Hardaway Jr.
It was a bold choice considering the veteran guard didn't have any points in eight minutes of action in Game 1. It was also bold because Hardaway Jr. hadn't scored a single point since Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals way back on May 18. Oh, and he only played a total of 15 minutes (over just two games) in the Western Conference finals.
How'd that prediction go for Wilbon? Not great, not great at all as Hardaway didn't play a minute in Game 2.
Michael Wilbon on NBA Countdown prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals: "Dallas needs somebody else... I'm going to nominate somebody: Tim Hardaway Jr., a veteran player who's been in big games."
Hardaway Jr. proceeded to be a DNP-Coach's Decision in the game. pic.twitter.com/HWP5kYb5GB
Making predictions before games is far from an exact science and if you do it enough you're going to have some rough ones, like Wilbon did Sunday night.
But yeah, that's a tough look.
ANDY NESBITT
Andy Nesbitt is the Assistant Managing Editor of Audience Engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking & Trending News Team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. He has been working in sports media for over 20 years, appearing on Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe, and NBC Sports. He’s a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.
Follow anezbitt
