NBA fans were treated to a rare and interesting sight Thursday night when the crews of TNT's Inside the NBA and ESPN's First Take shared the same stage for pregame coverage of the NBA's intraseries semifinals.

With the sets of the two networks just a few meters apart, the hosts greeted each other with mutual respect and admiration. Charles Barkley took center stage in his trademark style, acknowledging ESPN's Michael Wilbon, Bob Myers, Malika Andrews and Adrian Wojnarowski.

However, Barkley saved his special comments for Stephen A. Smith and loudly and rudely claimed

"If you come in here and make a big deal out of it. Hey, this ain't the 'first time,' this will be the first time you've been f**king beaten up."

The crowd erupted in laughter, clearly enjoying the camaraderie between the two teams.

TNT's Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson were quick to dominate the start of the coverage, but they also showed respect for their ESPN counterparts.

"Barkley said, "We're here to have fun." We're here to talk about basketball, and we're here to celebrate the greatness of this game."

The NBA has done a great job promoting the semifinals, and the partnership between TNT and ESPN has only added to the excitement of the game.

For fans who love the chemistry between the two teams, it's a shame that the semifinals will be the last time they see them play together.ESPN will be taking over the coverage of the finals, but hopefully the league will decide to ask the two networks to collaborate more in the future.