Stephen A Smith doesn’t want to see the Washington Wizards in Orlando

If Stephen A Smith were in charge, the Washington Wizards wouldn’t be heading to Orlando.

The man who once told Kevin Durant “You do not want to make an enemy out of me” doesn’t pull punches. So it was no surprise that Stephen A Smith was blunt when asked on First Take if the Washington Wizards deserve to be in the bubble fighting for a playoff spot.

“Hell no.”

Hell no, despite being just 5.5 games behind the Orlando Magic and 6.0 games behind the Brooklyn Nets?

Hell no, despite having the NBA’s second-leading scorer in Bradley Beal?

Hell no, despite being a top-10 scoring team this season?

Apparently the ninth-seeded Wizards haven’t done enough to prove to Stephen A Smith that they deserve to be there. But is he right? Hell no. And did his First Take colleagues agree with him? Hell no.

Fortunately, the Wizards were able to get some love from the panel. Both Dominique Foxworth and Jay Williams both showed the Wizards some love. Williams even raved about the Wizards’ frantic offensive pace, calling the high-scoring offense one that “basketball fanatics” should be excited to watch.

Beyond enjoying their style of play, both Foxworth and Williams acknowledged that the Wizards have a very legitimate shot at making a playoff run. Or at least forcing a play-in scenario. That’s something Smith has no confidence in.

You can check out the entire First Take debate (including all of Stephan A Smith’s disrespect) below:

To force a play-in opportunity, the Wizards would only have to pull within four games of either Orlando or Brooklyn. Although the Magic occupy the eighth seed, it might be easier to catch the Nets. The Wizards will have one head-to-head matchup with Brooklyn, a crucial opportunity to gain much-needed ground early in the restart.

Unfortunately, many of Brooklyn’s players have already had to pull out of the remainder of the season. As it currently stands, the team will be without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, and Caris LeVert due to injury and coronavirus concerns. Spencer Dinwiddie has tested positive for the coronavirus, as well, and his status is now questionable.

Washington will be without John Wall and without Davis Bertans, so they aren’t exactly going into Orlando at full strength, either. However, they’re far less depleted than the Nets are.

Of course, Stephen A came at the Wizards hard. He’s never one to shy away from a fight, especially with the Wizards. I just hope he keeps that same energy when these last eight games are over. Let’s see where the Wizards are then.