Shortly after Golden State steamrolled Cleveland for a second straight time in the 2017 NBA Finals Sunday night, ESPN senior writer Mike Wise tweeted that the Cavs locker room had a “strong reefer aroma to it.”
Cavs locker room has a strong reefer aroma to it tonight. Hey, it's Cali. You're down 2-0 and it's all about pain control. #NBAFinals
— Mike Wise (@MikeWiseguy) June 5, 2017
Wise immediately received backlash, not from the Cavs organization but from heckling fans labeling him as a “snitch” and “narc.”
— Brad Jackson (@BJack50) June 5, 2017
The writer for ESPN vertical The Undefeated responded by tweeting:
To be clear, I don't know who was imbibing marijuana in the Cavs locker room — media that entered, player, etc. But it wasn't a dead skunk
— Mike Wise (@MikeWiseguy) June 5, 2017
I grew up in Northern California and Hawaii. I know what cannabis smells like. Coulda been a cameraman, reporter, whatever. I'm not judging.
— Mike Wise (@MikeWiseguy) June 5, 2017
It’s not the first time marijuana has been reported in the locker room. Former NBA player Stephen Jackson recently said he used pot before games even to the extent that then-Warriors coach Don Nelson said it was OK.
It would be hard to blame the Cavs if this was their preferred post-game recovery method, having been smoked 132-113 at Oracle Arena in Oakland. With Steph Curry and Kevin Durant firing on all cylinders, the Warriors are a favorite even if LeBron James continues to net triple-doubles as he did in Game 2.
The NBA Finals move to Cleveland for Game 3 on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET.
