Shannon Sharpe is making some bold proclamations ahead of the NBA playoffs. The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, secured the top seed in the West. OKC is a young team that has defied expectations and has performed like one of the best teams all season. Despite their success, some question marks surround OKC from those covering the NBA. Shannon Sharpe proved on First Take that he is certainly not a believer in the Thunder.
The Western Conference is going to be a dogfight. The seeding for the top 3 teams came down to the final day of the season. The teams are very close, with little separation between the top dogs. The prompt on First Take was if the Lakers, who are in the play-in tournament, should try to avoid the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs. If the Lakers win, they will play the defending champs, but if they lose tonight, they may play the No. 1-seeded Thunder. Shannon Sharpe made it clear that he believes the Lakers have nothing to fear.
Shannon Sharpe Calls The Thunder The Weakest 1 Seed
Shannon Sharpe doesn't think the Thunder would be a problem for the Lakers in the slightest. Sharpe is a LeBron fan and is high on the Lakers. He is looking at who he thinks the Lakers can beat in the first round out of the top two seeds. On one side, there's the Thunder, a young, unproven team. On the other hand, there's the defending NBA champs led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, a team the Lakers have struggled with. The Thunder might be the better option, but calling them the weakest No.1 seed in history is massive disrespect.
When Stephen A. Smith is taken aback by a take, you know it was disrespectful. When Sharpe was challenged by NBA reporter Brian Windhorst, who outlined the various reasons why his take may be wrong, he doubled down. Sharpe went on to say he thinks most teams in the Western Conference playoffs would beat the Thunder. It's a bold take, but he was warned by his fellow panelists that he might regret his stance. The Thunder will have to wait and see who they are playing in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
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