The point, which is almost universally agreed-upon (I havent seen anyone write otherwise on Twitter or anywhere else in the blogosphere), is that ESPNs NBA coverage is inferior to that of TNT. This is unfortunate as it is ESPN which has the rights to air the NBA Finals each year.
But why? Popular reasons are the banter among Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and host Ernie Johnson, legendary play-by-play announcer Marv Albert, and the loose, yet respectful tone TNT takes in its coverage.
ESPN is deemed inferior by many for a few reasons: Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy just arent as good as Albert and Steve Kerr; its pregame show and postgame show feature too many voices, some of whom (Im looking at you Chris Broussard and Jon Barry) add nothing while Michael Wilbon is a host, not a panelist, and Magic Johnson should not be the lead voice (hes closer to a Shaquille ONeal, although Johnson is improving); and there is no real postgame show (it is instead folded into SportsCenter).
I want to focus on two other areas that rarely get mentioned, but are major reasons ESPNs coverage lacks in comparison to TNT.
The first is ESPNs on-the-court interviews with coaches at the start of the second and fourth quarters.
Doris Burke is a capable sideline reporter (shes actually better at it than TNTs Craig Sager since she knows basketball as a former Providence College star and works both college and pro games for the World Wide Leader) who asks coaches great questions without being afraid to follow up (Sagers ongoing dialogue with San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich is embarrassing to TNT and the NBA).
Shes not the problem. Its ESPNs inane decision to air the interviews in their entirety even as play resumes via split-screen without putting the score on the screen. Instead, in Game 5 of the Celtics-Heat series on Tuesday night, ESPN showed stats for the previous quarter.
This is inexcusable. The number-one thing people need to know when they are watching a sporting event is the score. Not giving viewers what they want is deplorable. But it happens every game, so its not going to change anytime soon.
It also happens during rare takeout interviews with players that air during the action, when they will actually cut away from the game for a taped piece filmed several hours, or even a day before the game, again without showing the score on the screen.
If thats not bad enough, when the game is taking place, viewers are subjected to the huckster voice of Mike Breen. Breen has the pipes to be a credible play-by-play guy, and he generally earns positive reviews on Twitter and from media critics, but hes got a little too much Jack Edwards in him for my taste.
He gets overly excited for LeBron James and/or Dwyane Wade alley-oops or any play made by a superstar. Take, for instance, Wades block of a Paul Pierce shot in Tuesday nights game. Breen started screaming as if the Heat had just won the NBA Championship. Problem is, Wade blocked it to Rajon Rondo, who redirected it to Mickael Pietrus for a critical three-point shot in the fourth quarter. That was treated as an afterthought, which is just wrong.
It seems as though were going to be stuck with ESPNs coverage of the NBA for at least a few more years, but there are things it can change to make viewing a more enjoyable experience, and we are here to help.
1. Redo the pregame/postgame studio show. Get rid of Broussard and Barry, who certainly have a place on ESPN, but not part of the pregame/postgame show. In their place, I would add Tim Legler, Jalen Rose and Stephen A. Smith, and make Wilbon the host. Hes the best host they have, but Legler and Rose are not shy about sharing their opinions, having spent many years on various ESPN platforms honing their craft. I would find a way to integrate the polarizing Smith, who knows the NBA better than perhaps anyone covering it for the network, and make sure Magic Johnson is at least a featured element.
2. Bring back Hubie Brown. Hes the best NBA announcer they have, having been the head analyst at CBS, TNT and ABC before being demoted to his current No. 2 slot. Why hes not part of the main announcer team is beyond me.
3. Tone down Mike Breen. He is the best play-by-play guy covering the NBA (Dan Shulman is busy with MLB work once the NBA playoffs roll around) but he needs to get away from the breathless praise of every dunk, breakaway layup, alley-oop or blocked shot Wade, James and other megastars like Kobe Bryant make.
4. Focus on the game. Either take fewer commercial breaks or air the coach/player interviews in the pregame and at halftime. But if youre going to show them during the game, at least make sure the score is always on the screen.
I know how you feel. Pittsburgh fans have finally been freed of Arians, maybe this year you guys will finally be freed of Spo.
