"Stop crying and say, 'Unc you were right'": Shannon Sharpe strikes back at critics with another Thunder diss after playoff exit
The OKC Thunder had to win Saturday to extend their postseason. However, the young team came up short with a 117-116 Game 6 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The loss garnered a strong response from NFL legend Shannon Sharpe, who was criticized for not being sold on OKC's chances.
Originally, Sharpe faced some backlash when he described the Thunder as the "weakest number one seed in NBA history," during a live segment on ESPN's "First Take." He suggested that the LA Lakers purposely lose their Play-In game against the New Orleans Pelicans so they could face OKC over the Denver Nuggets.
Following the Thunder's disappointing one-point loss after closing the first half with a 16-point lead over Dallas, Shannon Sharpe responded to the critics who had something to say about his previous take. Sharpe even had something to say to one of the fan comments.
"I talked about this #1 seed," Sharpe posted. "Stop crying and say, 'Unc you were.'"
Despite sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round and starting the second-round series with a commanding 117-95 Game 1 victory against the Mavericks, the Thunder's youth and inexperience in the NBA Playoffs showed up at the worst possible time.
After Luka Doncic finally gave Dallas a two-point lead with 3:39 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, it was a back-and-forth offensive showcase. With just 20.1 seconds remaining in crunch time, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set up a gorgeous alley-oop pass to Chet Holmgren to give OKC a one-point lead.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd decided not to call a timeout as the ball was in the hands of his best player, Doncic, who met some resistance at the perimeter and near the rim, forcing him to give up the ball to PJ Washington at the corner 3-point line.
The lack of discipline and experience kicked in for Gilgeous-Alexander, who ended up fouling Washington on a 3-point attempt. The Thunder challenged the call, but to no avail. The Mavericks forward went 2-of-3 from the charity stripe to give his team the lead. The Thunder were out of timeouts and the game came to a finish.
Shannon Sharpe had a strong take about the OKC Thunder's 1-point Game 6 loss
During the "Nightcap" episode, Sharpe said he was not impressed with the Thunder's resilience. With OKC being the No. 1 seed (57-25 record) in the Western Conference, they were expected to handle business against lower-seeded teams.
"No. 1 seeds aren't supposed to put up a good fight," Sharpe said. "No. 1 seeds are supposed to win."
OKC ranked third offensively (118.3 rating) and fourth defensively (111.0 rating) led by two-time All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the 2024 Coach of the Year Mark Daigneault.
As things stand, the Thunder appear to be just a few pieces short of truly contending for an NBA Championship.