TATUM NEEDS A TITLE! 🗣️ Stephen A. on NBA Finals + Ant-Man’s stock 📈 | First Take YouTube Exclusive

TATUM NEEDS A TITLE! 🗣️ Stephen A. on NBA Finals + Ant-Man’s stock 📈 | First Take YouTube Exclusive

Stephen A did you miss me more time together this time exclusively on YouTube I’m Molly carum here with a big YouTube Star you can like And subscribe his channel the Stephen A Smith show he hosts it all right let’s get into it the Celtics breeed their way through the first three rounds of the playoffs completing the sweep against the Pacers on Monday to send them to the finals for the second time in three years Jason Tatum a big reason why Boston has made at least the Conference Finals in five of Seven Seasons since Tatum entered the league meanwhile the fifth seated Mavs are only one game away from joining Boston in the finals they lead the series against the Wolves 3-1 behind LCA donic is spectacular play if Dallas can close it out this will be the first Finals appearance in Luca’s career all right got a great question here for you Stephen A would winning a championship mean more for Luca or Jason Tatum that’s a real real tricky question I think that it would mean more to Jason Tatum as it pertains to credibility I think it would mean more to Luca as it pertains to popularity what I mean by that is that Luca’s already a superstar and he’s already a global figure but to become a champion that would Elevate his profile exponentially not to say that it wouldn’t do that with Jason Tatum but it wouldn’t it wouldn’t do it to the degree that it would do it for Luca donic in terms of popularity but in terms of credibility because Jason Tatum had been knocking on the door because he’s been to five Conference Finals now and now this is his second appearance in the NBA finals and you’re wearing a Boston Celtic uniform at some point in time you got to close the door you gota you gotta you got to kick down the door you can’t just knock knock knock all the time but you can’t get in you got to get in even if you got to kick it down and that’s what Jason Tatum is going to have to do if he does that there won’t be any more questions about him we already know he’s a great player we know he’s a great guy we know he’s marketable we know all of these things about him but what’s missing is that chip and it’s more sensitive because of the uniform that he’s wearing if it were for a franchise that’s forign the championship law that would be different these are the Boston Celtics they’re tied with the Los Angeles Lakers having cap more championships than anybody in basketball anos when you become a Boston Celtic the expectation is to make sure you end your career tasting Championship champagne at least once Jason Tatum hasn’t done that and he needs that in order to validate him so again validation credibility that would go towards Jason Tatum popularity it would Elevate Luca exponential yeah I also think it would mean a lot for Kyrie Irving but I know that wasn’t a part of the question just throwing that one out there Stephen a uh we’ll keep it rolling here right now so Anthony Edwards has been one of the breakout stars of the playoffs right especially prior to the series uh but so were Jaylen Brunson and Tyrese Maxi Kyrie Irving was already a champion but he’s lifted his game after some struggles the last few seasons which player stock do you feel like has risen the most throughout this postseason H can I pause you for a yeah I feel like real quick I just have to say this real quick sorry St I feel like this question is tough because it’s kind of ebed and flowed throughout so it’s like are we talking right at this very moment you know I feel like that answer kind of keeps changing but go where you want with it well well for me yeah I’m G to go where I want with it and that’s going to be Anthony Edwards because Anthony Edwards has elevated himself um as a young superstar in this game and he’s box officer you know how I feel about people becoming box officers but I don’t think people understand why I feel so adamant about box offers people who are box offers in my mind Molly are those who are the Marquee and embrace it and accept it understanding that there’s a responsibility to come out and to be that dude that not just plays well but also ingratiates himself and gravitates an audience to him because they’re just that electrifying and that they’re that much of a differen maker when it comes not just to their play but to how they carry themselves as a professional star and that’s what I think Anthony Edwards bring to the equation ju toos that to somebody like kawi Lennard who I’ve been on the record stating is the absolute worst possible superstar you could ever have because we know he’s a superstar Talent when he’s healthy but he does zero to promote the game he doesn’t care about being the market he doesn’t care about ingratiating himself with an audience he doesn’t care about the appeal element that you want people to have that helps grow a score a sport and makes it more financially uh profitable and what have you that’s not Anthony Edwards Anthony Edwards Embraces it that’s not Kyrie Irving Kyrie Irving despite his transgressions his troubles all of that stuff when his brother gets on the court he’s electrifying and behind the microphone and other stuff he does things that make you gravitate towards him one way or another he forces and compels a reaction I think about him I think about Anthony Edwards at age 22 in a Conference Finals going up against the Dallas Mavericks after sweeping Kevin Durant Devin Booker and Bradley Beal after taking out the reigning defending NBA champions in seven games he goes into a Western Conference Finals he’s down 03 after challenging Kyrie Irving and then on a brink of getting swept what does he do he goes out there and drops 29 and ultimately forces a game five and AO voids a sweep and so you look at things like that and you say yo that is what the face of a league should be about and if he’s not there yet definitely he’s on the verge of becoming that in the very very near future he is that dude yeah and he’s talking that talk and he’s not backing down regardless and I’m here for all of it love some good trash in case you didn’t notice be the best trash talker on the show I’m sure you do Caitlyn Clark had the best game of her young career Stephen A last night scoring 30 points dishing out six assists and a loss against the Sparks she became the first player in WNBA history with 100 points 50 assists in their first eight career games okay essay your thoughts on Caitlyn’s first few weeks in the league um I think that she’s gotten entirely too much scrutiny um I think that when you look at her and you see what she brings to the table clearly she can shoot the basketball clearly she can put the ball in a hole clearly she was worthy of being the number one overall pick clearly she’s somebody uh that is that has box office appeal and she responds to the challenge she’s just not playing on a good team uh right now the Indiana FIFA are just not impressive they’re one and seven on the season uh we look at the pieces around her and we know they’re not up to Snuff uh but that’s what happens when you’re the number one overall pick you’re usually going to a team that’s not that good and clearly that’s the situation right now don’t know how long uh how much staying power that particular coach is going to have on their squad whether or not they’re going to make a change there eventually but she’s clearly everything that a lot of people assume she would be she’s not there yet she’s had her struggles particularly shooting the ball from the field and from three-point range but you could see in her game that she’s capable of an explosion at any given moment put some pieces around her which enables oppositions not to key on her the way that they may and watch what she does and she’s just a rookie so I I like I love a game I love what she brings to the table I love the box office appeal that she has I think she’s validated being worthy of being the number one overall pick and I think the sky is the limit for her it’s just that as long as her team stinks you know we’re just going to be talking about and stealing moments from her but we’re going to be praying that she gets better Talent around her yeah absolutely and I just want to say shout to the rest of that draft class because there’s a lot of other stars in addition to her that have been showing out so far and the WNBA Angel reesee is doing her thing absolutely yeah Angel Reese is doing her thing in Chicago she’s doing her thing yeah yeah that’s for sure all right Steve you’re I’m not allowed to call you that all right Stephen A thanks for watching first day exclusively for YouTube make sure to tune in weekdays on ESPN 10 a.m. eastern I will see you tomorrow have a fabulous day everybody

Stephen A. Smith joins Molly Qerim on our First Take YouTube Exclusive to describe why he believes Jayson Tatum winning his first NBA championship with the Boston Celtics would be more impactful than Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Then, the duo speak on Anthony Edwards’ rising star status and Caitlin Clark.

0:00 Jayson Tatum vs. Luka Doncic
3:04 Anthony Edwards’s stock
6:26 Caitlin Clark drops 30-PT career-high

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