FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. calls Nikola Jokic is the NBA MVP, refuses to name Shai Gilgeous & Giannis

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. calls Nikola Jokic is the NBA MVP, refuses to name Shai Gilgeous & Giannis

We’re going to talk some hoops we head to the game of the night in the association between Steven A Nicks and the defending champs Michael Porter Jr who has been on a roll had another Top shooting night on his way to 31 points Nicola yic notched his 22nd triple

Double he’s good and the Nuggets held off the New York Knicks for a 113 100 Win Thursday now while it’s a tough loss for the Knicks Jaylen Brunson still a bright spot for New York this season Brunson leads the team in points assists games played leading the next to the

Fifth best record in the East and even more impressive considering obviously all the injuries that they’ve dealt with here in New York so we bring in our guy Kendrick Perkins as promised hello perk like the Pinstripe how we feeling How We Living what’s up Miley what’s going

On what’s going on what’s up what’s up big perk all right there we go there we go that’s the energy I need yeah well pepp oh yeah I’m ready I’m ready Ste Ste just preoccupied Stephen A looks relaxed he looks like he’s he’s he’s he’s ready

For this week he’s ready for this uh Milwaukee Adventure he’s on all right perk tell me this which point guard would you take over Jaylen Brunson right now I wouldn’t take one not nobody really and there’s no disrespect to Steph Curry there’s no disrespect to SGA but I’m not taking anybody over jayen

Brunson matter of fact Molly I should have asked James and the producer to pull up footage over this over what guys were saying while the Knicks were on this West Coast road trip that they was just on we did you see him handing out 40 pieces did you hear what Mike Brown

Said about jayen Bronson for as guys for as the attention and the Deep details that they had to put around him blitzing him did you hear what Draymond Green said after they went there after jayen Bronson went to Golden State and gave them that work when it comes down to

Being the floor General right it’s no Friday I know that usually means everybody’s getting started for their week and they getting ready to roll but first takes in the house your boys back in New York City little cold out here but it doesn’t matter I’m dressed for it

Molly’s look doing what she’s doing she’s ready to go swag goo’s on his way in the house we don’t know where the hell Ryan Clark is but I assure you he will be here as well and plus my man Wendy Brian wior is in the house his

First take it’s your boy back in New York City h I’ve never seen anything like [Applause] himama somebody I grew up watching and uh and that was with determination one of the greatest players in the world drives drops thewit Drive oh it’s KN Away by Yama off Toyama to tie Jones no and that’ll do it it was a terrific regular season game yic has it clock

Ticks got to P one up yic for the win oh it’s good y got it off in time and the Nuggets win it are you kidding me are you kidding Me I mean look who’s here Brian windhorse we got Stephen A Smith back in the building get to say Happy New Year to you happy year Wendy great to have you guys Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears are going to be here in just a few minutes we’re going to get into all the

NFL action this weekend major playoff implications we can’t wait to break that down but gentlemen what happened in the association last night the stars came out to use your term Stephen a box office let’s get into it because we witnessed greatness folks the Nuggets overcame an 18-point deficit in the

Final seven minutes to defeat the Warriors out scor ing them 25 to4 in the final 645 of the win Nicola yic delivered a game-winning buzzer beater from 39 ft now according to our research here jic is just the fourth player since the 80s to make that type of buzzer

Beater after trailing by that significant of an amount meanwhile Jan Sant DMO wowed after his first battle versus Victor W banama San Antonio’s final shot a corner three-pointer from Trey Jones off a pass from wemi fell short as Milwaukee held on for a 12 5121 Victory but the talk after the game was

The battle between two players who are unlike any other in their first ever meeting Anto Tumo finished with 44 points 14 rebounds seven assists in 39 minutes while wemi had 27 points 9ine rebounds five blocks in 26 minutes so first take fam scan the QR code on your

Screen join in on the debates we want to hear from you all morning long Wendy who had the most impressive night last night would you Yannis uh joic or WBY NBA fans had the greatest night last night there were two games they were both amazing and I don’t care what

Anybody says I don’t want to listen to any cases the NBA is in an absolutely amazing era right now we’ve never seen anything like this honestly I don’t want to hear anything about anything else because if you watched either of these games last night there is no way you

Couldn’t be in love with what you saw if you saw the the sequences that happen in this game between these two 7 foot men who are like graceful swans going back and forth making the the combination of power and finesse and they wanted it they were going at each other what an

Amazing moment to watch these two I I cannot wait to see Victor wanyama and Yas tenmo games as far as I’m concerned every one of these games going forward for the rest of their careers should be nationally televised appointment television and they’re not alone they were awesome in this game and then the

Night cap you get joic having that incredible finish to the game and his reaction at the end was my favorite part about it because you know he’s not as expressive and stuff as the way some of these other guys are but when he makes this shot look at the the the reaction

That he had he was so happy and loved it there was so much joy and to watch these three Giants and by the way tonight guess what it’s Joe embiid’s turn on National Television he gets to play the Knicks tonight he’s having one of the greatest seasons for a big man and this

Is what I’m saying we have these Giants who are playing this incredible level of basketball who have all of this skill and it’s and I’m going to include Chad holr in there too the the America hasn’t learned about Chad holgren yet he’s still learning the game the guy in

Oklahoma City he’s the exact same way he’s this big with this kind of skill set and the great thing about this Stephen A all these guys want the smoke yic plays to win Giannis plays to win Victor wanyama plays to win Chad Homen will talk some trash man wait until

America discovers the personality on this guy and W Bama when you you know what when Bama said after the game last night he was pissed off that he was eighth in the All-Star voting it inspired him last night to have a better game I love it I love that a rookie

Would say that on a team that’s awful and so my reaction to this was we are in for an amazing run watching these big guys go to work it is we we just we’ve never seen such a level of talent we’ve never seen guys who are able to do these

Kind of things and Giannis after the game said there’s no way that this dude wanyama is 7 fo three as He’s listed and he is right wanyama is 7 fo 5 I don’t know why he’s listen at 73 he’s got some complex about it he is 7’5 he is 20

Years old yesterday he turned 20 years old yesterday Stephen A he is look at that geez Stephen A he is averaging 19 points 10 rebounds and three blocks in the NBA as a 20-year-old mhm it does not happen and the reason that Giannis is blown away by this because we see

Giannis go up and down the court and do these incredible things when Giannis was 20 he was still basically learning to dribble and run and shoot like he wasn’t anywhere near this skilled he’s looking at wanyama and comparing to where he was at 20 now we see where Giannis is in his

Prime he’s basically the most Unstoppable force in the league and he’s looking and projecting wenyama and I’m telling you Joel embiid is having a season of dreams you watch Joel embiid play right now there’s nothing you can do with him Stephen A he gets the ball

At the top of the key what are you going to do he can make the shot he can put it on the floor he can pass he’s awesome joic the master yic plays with the ball like he like it’s a mini basketball the way he manipulates the ball and can

Shoot it from everywhere I’m just I know I’m ranting and I’m all over the place are you you you are what you never do because I mean it’s CU he’s so fired up about it I was I was getting ready to say to you I was getting ready to say to

You you know you’re supposed to leave something for me Wendy you’re supposed to leave something for me but you set it all you set it all no no absolutely absolutely right on point no doubt about it let’s keep in mind wmy is averaging 19 what is it what is it 1910 and 10

With over three blocks per game only three rookies in NBA history have done it David Robinson Alonzo Morning and the one and only diesel himself Shaquille O’Neal so we got to give love what love is due with wimy okay basically piggybacking off of everything that you just articulated here’s what I want to

Tell you that I peel away from it the last part that you’re talking about in terms of how much they want it you talked about embiid we saw him going for the MVP last year we see yic right we’re not surprised at his greatness we understand how phenomenal and great he

Is and we don’t want to disrespect the Denver Nuggets because that’s what we don’t need to do they’re the reigning defending NBA champions and they’re actually the favorites to come out of the West with all the noise being made about everybody else but when you think about what you saw from joic not

Surprising when you think about what you saw from Steph Curry who had a damn good game last night that’s not surprising I know you were talking about the bigs but I got to throw a small brother up in there who’s the greatest shooter that God ever created we can’t forget about

Him we saw the greatness of wmy we saw Brook Lopez make the top 10 for two for bad reasons he was number five and four on the damn list okay well what happened to him last night courtesy of Wan and for but here’s or Johnson rather but

Here’s the deal for me what I walked away with loving outside of the obvious future greatness of Victor Wana I walked away with even more appreciation for Giannis that’s what I walked away from ladies and gentlemen this is what basketball is all about see this is

Where and I say this a lot of times Molly when I’m talking about the game football there’s so many different components that come into it baseball you could have eight players show up but the pitcher got a bad night and ruins everything all of this other stuff could

Happen but in the game of basketball if you’ve got a superstar or two you literally could sit up there and change things by saying here’s the ball take me there and if you’re a guy committed to doing that things can happen it is one

Thing for wiana to do what he does it is another thing entirely for Giannis who’s going to be Giannis but to be in complete Attack Mode against this guy dunked on him once with the left tried to get him again but when bana blocked him was in complete attack mode and when

You see that that’s what you love and appreciate with the game of basketball one of the things that I’ve religiously detested is when you got guys talking and then all of a sudden they encounter one another but they’re defending somebody else they’re going up against somebody else they’re not embracing

Wendy and accepting the challenge at least verbally and sometimes on the basketball court as well I didn’t see that from Giannis last night and Giannis reminded us what it’s supposed to be about yeah I’m here I’m a former League MVP and I’m an NBA champion but this

Young buck is coming in here trying to show me what he’s got let me remind him who the hell I am and when bana said wait a minute guess who I am and that is what you look for from the game of basketball it is what it’s capable of

Giving what the sport is capable of giving it to you on a night and Night Out basis and to see guys like that and you brought up in beid in beid why do I love in beid so much because he talks he doesn’t talk trash about or to people he

Doesn’t have to go against he talks it about people he knows he’s going to go directly up against and he’s like I’m coming I’mma bust your living you know what and there’s nothing you g to do about it and then sure enough the competition comes Giannis don’t talk

Like that but he plays like that and that’s what I love that’s what we saw last night and the fact that when bana showed up the way that he did shows us what kind of attitude he has and I’m glad you brought up Chad Homen too because Chad hren got attitude y’all and

Oklahoma City’s winning and that brother’s contributing to it watch him too because despite what we’re seeing from Wim byana Chad HR and some people’s eyes is still a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year honors and he’s another seven-footer Wendy give you the final word here and Giannis did it on the

Second night of a back toback in an era where you know not everybody’s bringing it all the time they had a huge highly contested game in Indiana they flew down to San she For foreign foreign spee speech for e for e for For for for spee speech

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. calls Nikola Jokic is the NBA MVP, refuses to name Shai Gilgeous & Giannis