Shannon Sharpe slams Warriors for “disrespecting” Celtics in blowout loss

Matthew Legros
Shannon Sharpe on First Take 3/4/2024 (left) and Jaylen Brown playing for the Boston Celtics (right).

ESPN’s Shannon Sharpe didn’t take the Golden State Warriors’ blatant disrespect of the Boston Celtics during their 140-88 loss too kindly.

Forget the fact that the Warriors almost lost by 50 or that their star players were no-shows on the evening. Sharpe expected them to key in on one particular Celtics star contributor.

With a pivotal matchup on their radar, even the casual NBA follower would expect the Warriors to game plan around containing All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Golden State made sure to key in on Tatum, but left Brown open on an island time and again. They neglected him so much on defense that the 22.5-point-per-game scorer made them regret their strategy.

Shannon Sharpe blasts Warriors for ignoring Jaylen Brown

Sharpe rightfully saw the strange defensive scheme as disrespectful to one of the NBA’s most lethal scorers. He set the record straight this morning on “First Take”:

“They made a conscious decision. They said, ‘you know what, Jayson Tatum,’ Stephen A., ‘he’s their superstar. We’re gonna sag off of Jaylen Brown.’ Jaylen Brown says, ‘you know what, I’m a professional. As a matter of fact, I have the highest contract. I make $304 million. And this is the disrespect y’all are gonna show me?” Sharpe exclaimed before slamming Steve Kerr’s matchups.

“How disrespectful is that? And then you’re gonna put these little small guys on me, Steph Curry. Really?”

Sharpe didn’t make it all about the Warriors’ ineptitude though. The NFL Hall-of-Famer also sung the Celtics’ praises.

He labeled them legitimate title favorites in the midst of their 11-game winning streak.

For Sharpe, and many who watched the game, the Warriors’ blunder was unacceptable. He made sure to let it be known in the way that only he can.

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About The Author

Matthew graduated from Brooklyn College in 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Communications. In the past, he's written for Heavy Sports, Sports Illustrated, and SB Nation. On top of penning scripts for Empire Sports Media, Matthew covers the latest NBA, NFL and Boxing news for Dexerto. His expertise lies in basketball, with a personal passion for track-and-field. You can contact him at matthew.legros@dexerto.com.