Stephen A. Smith Blasts Nick Nurse For Late-Game Timeout: Watch

Smith believes the timeout ruined the Raptors' momentum.

BYAlexander Cole
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The Toronto Raptors were just three minutes away from winning their first ever NBA Title on Monday night as they had a 103-97 lead against the Golden State Warriors. That's when Raptors head coach Nick Nurse decided to call a timeout which had many around the NBA scratching their heads. The Raptors had all the momentum at that point in the game and after the timeout, the Warriors were able to come back and go on a 9-0 run. Of course, the Warriors ended up winning the game by a score of 106-105 and Nurse's timeout immediately became one of the scapegoats of the game.

Stephen A. Smith went on ESPN's First Take this morning and lambasted the Raptors head coach for disrupting the team's flow in the late stages of the game. After the match, Nurse said he used the timeout because he didn't want to lose it, although Smith called BS on that, stating "You were about to win the championship in 3 minutes, okay. And you disrupted it."

Smith then went on to say that the timeout cost the Raptors the win and a championship on home court. The Raptors will have two more opportunities to win the series including on Thursday night in Game 6 which takes place in Oakland. 


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About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. During this time, he has shown an expertise in Air Jordans, Yeezys, and all things that have to do with Nike. His favorite kicks are the Air Jordan 1 High OG, the Air Jordan 4, the Air Jordan 6, and the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 in the "Beluga 2.0" colorway. Although his collection might not be the biggest, he is always looking to add new styles to it. When it comes to sports, Alex has a particular interest in the NBA and the NFL. His favorite teams are anywhere LeBron goes, and the Kansas City Chiefs. As a Montrealer, the Montreal Canadiens hold a special place in his heart, even if they haven't won the Stanley Cup in his lifetime. Alex also works for the Concordia Stingers, where he provides play-by-play and color commentary for the football, hockey, and basketball teams His favorite hip-hop artists are Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, and Lil Uzi Vert.