Kenny Smith on the NBA Finals | Dunk Bait

LaJethro Jenkins chatted with Kenny Smith about the Suns and Bucks finale, CP3's legacy, and what was going through Giannis head during game 3.

Thanks to hotels.com. You’re still a winner no matter how the #NBAFinals end.

@Hotelsdotcom is consoling four @NBA fans with an all-expenses-paid trip to unwind in a true glass case of emotions (NYC suite with floor to ceiling windows) Hotels.com/NoTrophyCase

You might have to wait for next year's #NBAFinals for your team to get that W. Until then, @Hotelsdotcom is here to help you relax and unwind in a true glass case of emotions (all-expenses-paid!) #HotelsDotComPartner

Video Transcript

LAJETHRO JENKINS: What's up? I'm LaJethro Jenkins here with Kenny, The Jet, Smith. A legend. How you doing, man?

KENNY SMITH: I'm doing great, man. Enjoying this summer now. I'm officially on vacay.

LAJETHRO JENKINS: So the Bucks and the Suns are in the finals. I don't think any of us imagine this series at any point. What do you think about it so far? Are you enjoying the basketball?

KENNY SMITH: I'm enjoying it. There's been a lot of teams that's been injured. And it's not only if you're good or not, but can you survive the war of attrition. So for me, these are the best two teams that have been able to do that. They've all had key players out at certain times, both of these teams. And they still were able to win and advance. Other teams weren't able to do that and wait until their star player or someone else, a key member, got back.

So you have to say that these are the best two teams.

LAJETHRO JENKINS: Not the best game yesterday, not a bad game, but not a Chris Paul game that we've been seeing in the playoffs. Where would you rank him in all time point guards? And what does this mean for his legacy?

KENNY SMITH: Well, I think getting to the NBA Finals, the great players either gotten there or [? won it. ?] There are very few great players that had never been part of that experience. So it's great to see him part of it. But I probably would rank him in smaller guards like there's Magic Johnson's and all of that, the bigger guards.

But in point guards, you have to say it's Isaiah, Stockton, and him, one, two, three. And you've got to figure-- it's depending how you toss it up. But those three guys for their size and their stature, the way they've been able to dominate games, not only with their scoring but their assists and the pace of games, I think they've been far and few.

LAJETHRO JENKINS: So tell us a little bit about what you got going on with hotels.com.

KENNY SMITH: Well it's funny because every year there's a winner and a loser in this final. So everyone gets to congratulate the winner. But we're going to console the loser. So whoever losing, the losing fans, we're going to do an all expense paid trip to New York City. And we're going to give you $1,000 of room service and tickets to your opener next year. So all you have to do is give us your video. Now you can't do it obviously until you lose. So it's after the series is over.

And you go to hotels.com/notrophycase. Again, hotels.com/notrophycase. Post a video of yourself crying and being upset. We're going to console you and pick a winner. And we're going to give you a two night stay in New York City.

LAJETHRO JENKINS: [INAUDIBLE] but Giannis has had even in the blowout loss, he had 40 and 10. I think only two people have done that, him and Shaq. Then they said Bron might have done it too to maybe three people. Has Giannis solidified his legacy win or lose?

KENNY SMITH: Solidified legacy in a way of that he's a great player? I think we all know that. But there's difference when you have NBA champion next to your name. There is a difference. Shoot, the reason I'm on TNT is because I'm a two time NBA champion. I just wasn't a 11 year player. It's a different ring. It's a different camaraderie, and a different reverence. So yeah, I think it does. It changes the complexion. NBA champion changes the complexion of who you are.

LAJETHRO JENKINS: So he checked himself out early in the game. I don't know if you noticed that, and was struggling to catch his breath it seemed. He was even pacing back and forth by the tunnel. People assumed on the internet that it was an anxiety attack or that he was taking [BLEEP] one of the two. That's what they said. But what did you do to manage your nerves in big games? And do you think it was an anxiety attack at all? What was going on? What do you think?

KENNY SMITH: I have no idea. Because our job is to evaluate what you do when you step on the court. And so you're always going to have some nervousness going into the game. But the preparation kind of manages it. And you're like, oh I'm prepared. I've done my job. I've done my part. I know the scouting report. I know what we're supposed to do. I know what coach is looking for. So all of a sudden you're just playing in a game and you're like, you're actually you're calculating as the game is going on. You're like, oh, they're running three up. OK, now that's my rotation.

You're not nervous. You're just you're calculating what you're supposed to be doing on your rotations and on your offensive end. So maybe it was a bathroom break.

LAJETHRO JENKINS: That's what you're leaning towards? I'll respect that. I think there's no chance that somebody on Giannis' level is overwhelmed by the moment. I don't think that happens. And with the way he's played--

KENNY SMITH: You can be. No, you can be If you're not prepared.

LAJETHRO JENKINS: OK, OK.

KENNY SMITH: So you could be overwhelmed with the moment if I'm hurt and I'm Giannis. And I know I can't get to those rotations I was supposed to get to. I know I'm supposed to come off this pick and roll and find Middleton on the other side. And then all of a sudden, I can't do it anymore. So now I'm playing a whole different way that I've never played before and I've never practiced it. So that could be overwhelming but not the way he is now. He's not overwhelmed at all.

LAJETHRO JENKINS: Obviously you worked closely with Shaq, you saw him during his career. But you played with Olajuwon, who gave Shaq [INAUDIBLE] when Olajuwon was a young buck. How do you think that would have turned out if they would have met in their primes?

KENNY SMITH: I think Shaq was in his third year in the league. You can't get more prime than that almost in a sense. I think that what Shaq was able to get, he got experience. He was in his prime. He was actually top for the guard I thought individually. But he didn't understand the experience of, how do I draw double teams? What do I do to get my other players involved? How do I make everyone around me better? He was learning that. Hakeem was in his prime and he understood that.

And so the difference to me wasn't the skill set. It was the experience set where our guy was much more experienced. And he was coming at him with a cerebral approach and not just a physical approach.