Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

Earlier, the NBA analyst had spoken of the Nets being a dominant force this season, and that Kyrie Irving making a case for MVP.

Stephen A. Smith's prediction on Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets backfired, and perhaps, even he didn't the twist coming.

It has been a murky couple of weeks for the franchise. Off the court, there was enough drama happening in Brooklyn that began with the firing of Steve Nash. It was then followed by Kyrie Irving promoting an antisemitic film on Twitter that caused an extensive backlash and ended with the guard suspended for five games without pay.

Earlier, the NBA analyst had spoken highly of the Nets being a dominant force this season. He predicted that Irving would be one of the leading candidates for MVP, while Ben Simmons would return to All-Star status, and that the team's actual competition would be defending champions, Golden State Warriors.

Neither of them has happened thus far, and two weeks after his prediction, the Nets are enduring turmoil, while the Warriors are on a 3-7 slump. You can view his theory below:

I think Kyrie’s gonna be a leading candidate for MVP honors this year…And Ben Simmons will return to All-Star status…And only the Warriors are going to be able to take you down” — Stephen A Smith on the Nets, two weeks ago

Smith has been known for his rather charismatic and sometimes hilarious touch to his analysis, but so far, this prediction bombed massively for him.

Stephen A. Smith Says Kyrie Irving Is "A Good Brother."

Stephen A. Smith has been vocal about his feelings on Kyrie Irving in the past, and the analyst taking shots at the Nets point guard isn't news, but what is, is when he stood up for the under-fire 30-year-old.

In a social media clip doing the rounds, Smith remarked that he had the love for Irving, despite the murky miss he found himself in. He also added that Irving was a good brother. You can view the clip below:

"I'm going to shock the world with this: [The players] ain't the only ones that got love for Kyrie Irving. I got love for Kyrie Irving. He's a good brother... He annoys the living hell out of me because he thinks he knows so much more than he actually does."

At the time of writing, Irving was suspended and he issued an apology as well in the wake of the Nets' move. On the game front, Brooklyn trounced the Washington Wizards and will take on the Charlotte Hornets next.

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