“Sounds Like a Kenny Smith Line to Barkley”: Richard Jefferson’s Dig on ESPN Analyst Has Fans Wanting Him on Inside the NBA

Sunday night’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals didn’t go the way the Indiana Pacers hoped it would. After stealing Game 1 from the Thunder with yet another last-second Tyrese Haliburton basket, Indiana was hoping to do what they’ve done in all three previous series and take a 2-0 lead. Just like in Game 1, the Thunder jumped out to a big lead, but this time, the Pacers never seriously threatened to come back.

Haliburton took a while to get going in Game 1, but he saved the day in the end. He had a similarly slow start in Game 2, and though he did come alive in the fourth quarter, this time it was too little, too late. His statline of 17 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists was respectable if a bit underwhelming, but it belied how little impact he made early in the game.

Richard Jefferson discussed Haliburton’s Game 2 play after the game on ESPN, and he took the opportunity to roast his buddy Kendrick Perkins in the process.

“I love it that Tyrese said, ‘I’ve gotta get myself going earlier in the games, I’ve gotta get feet in the paint,'” Jefferson said. “And you saw that in the fourth quarter. He had five going into the fourth, and then he gets those 12 points, but the game’s out of reach; it’s a 20-point game. Those are empty calories. Perk knows about those.”

Everyone at the desk busted out laughing, and fans at home loved Jefferson’s deadpan dig as well. They don’t call him Small Perk, after all.

One Reddit user posted, “That sounds like a Kenny Smith line to Barkley. Keep it up RJ! We need more of those!” Another chimed in that they want to see Jefferson appear on Inside the NBA, which may be possible now that the iconic show is headed to ESPN.

It’s unknown at this time exactly how, if at all, Inside the NBA will be affected by the move from TNT to ESPN. The show is keeping the same cast and crew, but many fans assume we’ll see some crossover with ESPN personalities such as Stephen A. Smith, Jefferson or Perkins.

That possibility has inspired anticipation in some fans and trepidation in others. On the one hand, it would be interesting to see Chuck, Kenny, Shaq and Ernie mixing it up with someone new, but on the other, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Inside the NBA is revered as the best studio show of all time for a reason, and many fans don’t want to see ESPN ruin it by putting its own spin on it.

Jefferson and Perkins do have a great dynamic, but we’ll have to wait a bit to see if they get the chance to enter the Inside the NBA ecosystem or not.

Game 3 of the Finals is Wednesday night, and it will be interesting to see if for the first time in this series, Haliburton can get off to a fast start. If he does, how will Jefferson respond? Will it be a knock on Perk abusing the free bread stick privileges at Olive Garden or the all-you-can-eat appetizers at Applebee’s? The real question is, who knew basketball could make you so hungry?