The always biting website Awful Announcing has repeatedly taken NBA-TV to task this week for its broadcasting of the first round of the playoffs.
As a money-saving consideration — understandable considering the likelihood of a work stoppage — the NBA is penching a few pennies by picking up a local broadcasting feed rather than send its own crew to cover a game.
So viewers across the country have heard the Spurs announcing team of Bill Land and Sean Elliott one night and the Grizzlies’ crew of Pete Pranica and Brevin Knight for Game 5.
Or as Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder :
“Instead of subjecting us to the homerish San Antonio pair of Bill Land and Sean Elliott… we got the homerish Memphis pair of Pete Pranica and Brevin Knight for Game 5. All I know is I never want to hear the phrase “Z-Bound” again,” Yoder wrote.
The criticism is on the mark for the NBA. The two announcing crews can’t be blamed because they are broadcasting for their own home audiences first and the NBA as an afterthought. They shouldn’t change their approach just because “Big Brother” is too cheap to hire its own worker bees.
It does show the NBA as being a little rinky-dink from the rest of the big leagues in how they do their telecasts. The NFL and Major League Baseball don’t do that for their playoff crews.
And the NBA shouldn’t either. It’s beneath them not to have their own crews at games as important as these playoff games with as much interest in them. The Spurs-Grizzlies Game 5 broadcast attracted the largest viewership in NBA-TV history.
But Yoder can relax and maybe even be happy tonight.
The ESPN crew of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson will be doing the game. I saw them during their walkthrough this morning at the FedExForum.
Here are some other takes from my blog brothers going into tonight’s huge game:
- B Diddy from Air Alamo.com quotes from Dylan Thomas tofor tonight’s game.
- Even after losing Game 5 in San Antonio, Zach Randolph tells the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Ron Tillery that heabout his team’s chances of winning the series.
- ESPN.com’s playoff predictor has improved odds of a to 48 percent.
- Scott Sereday of 48 Minutes of Hell.com wonders why the Spurs have in the series.
- Big 50 of Pounding the Rock.com writes that the Spurs weren’t interested in any andtonight in Memphis.
- Paul Garcia of Project Spurs.com details several , including keeping Memphis’ big players out of the paint and playing Tiago Splitter.
- Andrew McNeill of 48 Minutes of Hell.com as emblematic of the Spurs’ struggles in the series and provides a to ESPN.com’s True Hoop network.
- Jeff Garcia provides us with rack of dry ribs. Sorry, I couldn’t resist after my delicious lunch today.
- Griffin Gotta of the Memphis-related StraightouttaVancouver.com tells Memphis fans to.
- Robert Kleeman of the Bleacher Report.com advises the Spurs to remember what when they play Memphis Friday night.
- Five pundits on ESPN.com pick the Thunder to close out the Spurs and also reflect on whether a loss tonight will be the for the Spurs.
- The New York Times’ Harvey Araton has some nice things to say about the Spurs, although he mentions that the team’s dynasty “.”
- My old friend Berry Tramel of The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman considers who the Oklahoma City Thunder .
- Chip Crain of the Memphis-related blog 3 Shades of Blue.com writes that Tim Duncan has in the entire series.
- Reid Cherner of USA Today wonders if Neal after his season-saving shot Wednesday night.
- Bart Harridge of Spurs Planet.com notes his happiness in seeing Neal in Game 5.
- Hirschof of Pounding the Rock.com relives some of his observations after Neal’s .
- The Pro Sports Exchange provides its daily reports on the and the .
- Dingo of Spurs Dynasty.com checks out a fewof the first five games of the series.
- Alleyoop of Spurs Locker.com provides his.
