ESPN host Molly Qerim has received support from fans after her co-hosts on ‘First Take,’ Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe, bombarded her with sarcastic comments about her plans to attend a potential Game 5 of the Knicks-76ers playoff series.
Following the Knicks’ 104-101 win over the 76ers on Monday, which gave them a 2-0 lead in the First Round series, the ESPN crew made their predictions for the two upcoming games in Pennsylvania. Both Smith and Sharpe predicted that the series would eventually go to Game 5 back at Madison Square Garden. Smith envisaged the Knicks coming home with a 3-1 lead, while Sharpe predicted a full comeback for Philly who would tie the series at 2-2.
With the potential for a return to the Garden on the cards, Qerim told her co-hosts that she planned to attend the game, although she admitted to not having tickets just yet. ‘How do you know you’re going,’ Smith asked, adding, ‘It sold out.’ Qerim said she had ‘put in a request,’ a comment which led to a barrage of sarcastic comments from Smith and Sharpe.
‘How do you know they’re going to let you in the building? This ain’t UConn (Qerim’s alumni),’ Smith quipped. ‘Now that Stephen A.’s mentioned it, do you have the tickets?’ Sharpe followed up.
‘You do the request, they send you the tickets the day before. Would you relax?’ Qerim urged, to no avail. The duo implied that Qerim was expecting to receive special VIP treatment, and perhaps even courtside tickets. Smith even suggested, ‘Somebody could call and say, ‘No, she don’t need tickets to those games.’ ‘And she won’t have tickets to those games.’ He even joked that Qerim’s mere presence at the Garden ‘might contaminate the proceedings,’ saying, ‘They’re looking fine without you. Why do you got to go?’
Dumbfounded by their attitude, Qerim repeatedly asked, ‘What is happening right now?’
‘I’m so nice to both of them and I’m just taking shots for no reason,’ she added.
Thankfully for Qerim, their viewers seemingly had her back. ‘@nyknicks please make sure @MollyQerim gets courtside seats,’ tweeted one fan. ‘@ClubShayShay and SA are saying she can’t get tickets. Make it happen Knicks…’ A second wrote, ‘@MollyQerim why you letting them do you like that you better get courtside tickets.’ As a third added, ‘Y’all wild man! I hope the @nyknicks hook Molly up with courtside tickets.’ While another replied, ‘@MollyQerim about to cry cause @stephenasmith and @ShannonSharpe teasing her about getting tickets to a game 5 at MSG….. ‘The problem is there ain’t gonna be a game 5 …’
Looking to extend their series lead, the Knicks will take on the 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday, before a potentially series-clinching game on Sunday.
