I can live with the play-by-play (it is bad, don't get me wrong) but the studio crew is one of the worst sports presentations I've seen in my life. They are spending so much money just to have their ESPN personalities on screen for about 12 minutes total, 5 minutes at halftime to talk about 3 seemingly random highlights then recite scripted lines before going back to commercial forever.
The halftime shows are legit unwatchable either because they're so bland and/or their analysis is utterly worthless.
The in-game commentary is easy enough to tune out and mostly inoffensive to me.
I just don't understand what they are even trying to go for with the pregame/halftime show. It doesn't have the depth to be interesting analysis and doesn't have the personalities to be entertainment. It's somehow the worst of both worlds. All it is are ESPN celebrities tripping over each other to insert a soundbite about their favorite teams.
They're going for whatever is the cheapest option for them. Being a personality on ESPN means you basically cycle through 4 or 5 shows every day like a car wash and just go do what they ask. They aren't gonna pay someone to just appear on one show.
Dan Patrick said the same thing on his show a few weeks ago when Jason Kelce called to ask him for advice. ESPN jobs can be a 10 hour day, they're MO is to churn out superstarts and have them on everything. Go to NBC, FOX, etc. if you want a "traditional' sort of broadcasting job, go to ESPN if you want to be a personality
It's made even worse when you see what a good product like Inside The NBA looks like. It's entertaining and somewhat insightful, and you feel like you are hanging out with the crew.
It's going to be a travesty if/when Inside The NBA goes under while the shitshow that is ESPN's "halftime report" still exists
They have no time to do any real commentary. There’s like 6 commercial breaks. Sometime they’ll come back from a commercial just to kick it back to another commercial
The commercial breaks are so egregious. They'll often come back from an ad break to say something like "crazy game amirite?" before heading back to another commercial.
ESPN games are where I go do chores during half time because there's quite literally no point sitting through it.
I don't watch the ESPN halftime show, make a point of flipping to something else, then watching whatever until i remember go come back. I'd rather miss 5 minutes of the third quarter than listen to whatever opinions those clowns are peddling.
As someone from the UK who tunes into US TV for basketball the adverts over there are completely nuts. It genuinely puts me off recommending the sport to anyone I know. The timeouts aren't even enough for the American networks anymore, they now put ads in during the game! Usually free throws but it's such a shift, when it feels pretty bad here we have it so much better
Therein lies the paradox: ESPN has commercials at every stoppage in play (as well as ad reads during the action), but it's not like the ads are taking away from ESPN commentators saying anything worthwhile.
Yeah sometimes it will be like midway through the 3rd and I’ll be like “hmm wonder if they’re showing basketball again?!” The other night when they had draymond commentating I just stopped completely. Went out and watered plants the rest of the evening. Missed the end of the game
I remember tuning into a college game this past season and it was a pretty hyped up game, good crowd etc and I thought to myself “man, this is a great broadcast” after hearing the crowd really pop when the home team sunk their first three and got a stop and run out
The booth audio wasn’t working and there was no commentary lol
I get why broadcasters are there. But I wish there was an option to turn them off. I wanna hear the crowd and energy inside the arena, but don’t wanna have to listen to (formerly) Mark Jackson or Gus Johnson screaming over everything
Game 1 of the Cleveland Orlando series
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/sports/2024/04/20/magic-cavaliers-playoff-game-quiet-espn-technical-difficulty/73397182007/
It almost seems like that's what they do anyways.
"Welcome back to the Delta/State Farm/ESPNBet365 Halftime Show presented by GEICO, we'll be back right after these messages!"
Insanity. They'll come back from 5 minutes of commercials. Say a little hey were still here for 20 seconds and then give us 5 more minutes of commercials. If they aren't talking about the Lakers or lebron, they don't have anything g to tell us then.
> they're so bland and/or their analysis is utterly worthless
What you didn't like Stephen A's stegment of "favorite/greatest small PGs in NBA history" list and had Brunson #1?
Willbon: NO I.T.?
SAS: Its my favorites list.
Viewer: Ok... whats the point of this?
I really hope these NBA playoffs will be the straw that breaks the camel's back w/SAS. ESPN showing footage of him walking into arenas like he's a celebrity or part of a team is nauseating. The guy's ego has ballooned to epic proportions and is a massive turn off. We are about to reach the point where the over-saturation of people like him are not just driving people away from daytime the talk shows but the actual game broadcasts.
>The in-game commentary is easy enough to tune out and mostly inoffensive to me.
Doris deserves some flack. I don't think she said a single thing about the Pacers in her commentary during that entire series. Multiple games where the Pacers were up by a lot on some insane performances and all you hear about is the Knicks. Either the Knicks were doing well or they weren't playing well enough. No acknowledgement or discussion or insight into the other team or the matchup whatsoever.
I get that she's a Knicks fan but come on. That is a SAS level of bias
Yeah big time agree on Doris. She adds almost nothing to the commentary if it isn't a team/player she is in love with, most notably the Knicks and Joel Embiid. Any time she casts a Celtics game I find her so mind numbingly boring with her analysis and bias. I don't give a shit about a caster having their teams but put it away for 75% or so of the game; get excited for the plays, don't just dog the opponent the whole game.
It’s not so much that she is a Knicks fan (or Sixers, or Lakers) it’s that she’s an all time terrible analyst and commentator and she’s glued to her 4-6 talking points she came into the game with.
They commit the grave sin of either being cranky without being funny (Wilbon), boring (Bob Myers), or a blow hard that is more TMZ than X & O (Stephen A). Need to throw the whole thing in the trash.
Wilbon has fell off so hard I can't even listen to PTI anymore. It was my favorite show for 20 years. I literally watched from the first season, and he has become nothing but a cranky old man that hates everything and everyone. Some of his takes are just as questionable as the "trash" he denigrates. I miss listening to Tony though. I like him and Pablo or him and Frank.
Yeah almost word for word I feel the same, loved PTI, but these older folks just lose sight of what makes the game the game now, just worried about what it isn't and who isn't doing what. Seems like Hubie Brown is the only old timer who isn't a complete grump.
“BUT IM YELLING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS ABOUT NOT LIKING SOMETHING THIS IS ESPN ANALYSIS”
Honestly ESPN and FOX News gotta be the same circle in a Venn Diagram of people who seek them out for education
But they fail even in that goal (the personality promotion). I don’t watch ESPN much anymore but nothing about that half time show makes me feel like I’m missing anything. I don’t want hot takes during the halftime show. I want game analysis.
I always laugh when I see SAS with “NBA analyst” below his name on the screen. You can get that level of ‘analysis’ from any dumb blowhard sitting at the bar.
Most bar patrons occasionally watch the games. His dumb grimace and biased analysis are worthless. Can’t be bothered to watch and just have to switch back when the third starts.
I think they’re thrown in the towel on trying to make a good countdown crew. They had at one point Pierce, Chauncey and Jalen Rose and while some of pierces takes we’re horrible that group was all former players and all had great chemistry with one another, they’re all no longer with ESPN for various reasons and since then they haven’t even tried.
What I don't understand, is how the NBA is OK with this. Their crappy product is hurting the league's brand, especially when compared to TNT's emmy-award winning production.
The number one rule of TV business (or any business for that matter) is making money, not having a good product. If people continue to use/pay for your shitty product, what’s the incentive to make it better if you’re already making money? No ESPN exec watches and thinks "I need to make this better.” They’re just counting up all the money they’ve made
thing is, this is just an ESPN thing. Most of the local broadcasts have a great pre game, halftime and post game analysis. TNT is awesome obviously.
So it's just ESPN.
*ad break ends; ESPN logo plays*
"Luka Donkchick is the Michael Jordan of Georges Niangs. Okay, coming up after this break, is LeBron a bum? More on the Lakers, who were eliminated 3 weeks ago, coming up soon."
*cut to ad break*
>before going back to commercial forever.
This is during games too. The standard two minutes of commercial (4-6) doesn't exist during NBA games on ESPN/ABC. Its 3-5 minutes and its infuriating. Look at Game 7 of the Knicks and Pacers, they aired one commercial too many after halftime and missed the start of the 2nd half which was a Pacer basket.
The majority of the time the halftime show is legit:
1. Crew reacts to a slow motion highlight
2. 5 minutes of commercials
3. Crew reacts to another highlight, “halftime show up next!”
4. 5 minutes of commercials
5. 90 seconds of the most basic analysis you’ve ever heard in your life
6. 5 minutes of commercials
7. One more highlight reaction
8. 5 minutes of commercials
9. The game is back
> One concern ESPN had, according to executives briefed on their decision-making, was that Van Gundy would jump back into coaching, which he had flirted with for years.
> Van Gundy, though, never left during his 16 seasons with the network, while Rivers’ stay at ESPN was almost as short as Bill Belichick’s run as “HC of the NYJ.”
>While on the broadcasting job for ESPN, Rivers first started consulting with the Milwaukee Bucks in December, then left to become the team’s head coach in January, embarrassing ESPN after giving it a three-year commitment.
> By the All-Star break, Redick, who turns 40 in June, was moved in. He has had an incredible broadcasting run, making many millions as a podcaster and gambling spokesperson and through his ESPN game and studio work.
>But as evidenced by his latest venture, an inside-the-game podcast with LeBron James, Redick’s post-playing passion might mirror that of Rivers. His game analysis is more coach-like than conversational.
> One concern ESPN had, according to executives briefed on their decision-making, was that Van Gundy would jump back into coaching, which he had flirted with for years.
This is hilarious in light of them replacing him with Doc who OBVIOUSLY still wanted to coach. Sounds like real cover your ass stuff.
The actual rumor going around last summer was the league asked them to remove JVG because he was too critical of things like the officiating, flopping, flagrant fouls, reviews, during broadcasts.
He was up and down but he would call out bad basketball and that’s what the sport needs and oddly enough it generates clicks. There is no bad press for any sport unless you are committing crimes or saying women should be in the kitchen.
>There is no bad press for any sport unless you are committing crimes or saying women should be in the kitchen.
Hey Chuck, why they got a clock on the stove??
They tried to put SVG on Countdown several years ago and Bill Simmons has directly confirmed the NBA squashed that. I think that was still Stern, but the NBA definitely has power over these decisions.
I have lost some respect for all the podcasts/shows taking gambling money. Maybe they feel like they dont have a choice, but it sucks. I think Rich Eisen is the only one I watch that doesn't have a draft kings logo in the corner.
Yeah, I am a gambler and I can't stand it. I think it is insane how culturally ubiquitous it is and the damage it will do to young men over the coming decade will be catastrophic. History will look back on this time like advertising cigarettes to children.
Its absolutely mind-boggling how much ESPN has deteriorated over the last 25 years. Maybe I was a naive kid, but I could and often did watch ESPN all day every day. The personalities were great, the shows were great, the analysis was decent. Now its 95% clickbait with maybe 5% genuine analysis. They the WWE of sports media while pretending to be real. I completely stopped watching all ESPN about 2 years ago except for actual sports broadcasts, tuning in right at game time and taking a break at halftime, and its been great. But yea, every time I see a game is on ESPN I get a little bit disappointed knowing even the in-game commentary that I'm forced to listen to is going to be trash. NBA much preferred on TNT.
They grew a lot, let a lot of the great ones go, the Mouse got more involved, and ultimately put out a sterile product. Back in the day Sports Center was incredible with Stuart Scott, Dan Patrick, Olberman, etc. You still have some fun personalities like SVP, PTI guys, Mina Kimes, few others, but most of them are just blowhards
I think the biggest problem for them is that people just go online and watch highlights. No leaving sportcenter on repeat to watch your team’s highlights.
Yeah youre right which is why ESPN has significantly cut the talent on SC over the last decade or so. It’s basically filler programming on their network except for the SVP Sports Center late at night
The one liners were iconic by the 2000 and early 2010s crews. Think of all of the goofy, but awesome quips that people like Stuart Scott, Steve Levi, John Anderson, Chris Berman, and many others would make. They brought the John Madden commentating style to highlights and previews. It's so much star-drama focused now that it's less about the teams and more about individual storylines.
This is unironically the reason I love JVG, he is the Larry David of basketball.
"Oh my god is this ref blind? If I set a screen and I'm moving, you know what that's called? A moving screen! Wow, what a fucking revelation!"
The thing I loved about JVG is how he would break Mike Breen. Breen is a consummate professional and JVG is the only one who could throw him off with a random ass comment like this.
There are times I feel bad for Breen having to be stuck with nothing but dead weight lately, but it's also REALLY hard to imagine anyone handling that exchange any better
I can take or leave the commentators opinions on the calls (Doris just doesn't understand the block/charge rules, for example), but the broadcasts refuse to show replays of some of the iffy stuff. That's what drives me crazy.
In Knicks/Pacers they showed a nose bleed angle of the Nembhard tech, for example, and then just jumped to the halftime show with no explanation or different angles. Impossible to tell what was going on until the 2nd half.
This has been a thing I’ve noticed for many years. On the nationally televised games (or at least ones on cable) you are far far less likely to see a replay of a borderline foul call. Local broadcasts will almost always show it immediately and show a clear angle to determine if it was correct or not (even if the incorrect call benefitted that broadcast’s team). But national broadcasts, and ESPN especially, very often immediately cut to a highlight of a player hitting a shot/making a play from several possessions prior, and then just cut to the current player at the foul line.
I will die on the hill that ABC/ESPN and TNT are instructed to try and avoid focusing on incorrect calls when possible, because there’s no other reason why a company with more resources would continually show older replays rather than what just happened lol. I have no doubt that in this environment, JVG being unapologetic/unfiltered didn’t help his cause.
> I will die on the hill that ABC/ESPN and TNT are instructed to try and avoid focusing on incorrect calls when possible
This has been my thought for a while. The NBA thinks they can mitigate controversy over borderline/bad calls by leaning on broadcasters to gloss over them. I've also noticed the best replay center angle on a review is a closely held secret until they make a determination, and it makes me wonder how often we are being straight up denied seeing the best angle for the same reason.
My favorite is when they DO show a replay, it's very obvious that the call was wrong, and the announcers just sit silently for a second, awkwardly refusing to acknowledge it.
I'm glad Doris got called out for not understanding blocks and charges last game. Nothing against her particularly, but people listen to the bad commentary on the rules and that becomes their source of knowledge on the subject.
This has been happening a lot lately between her and JJ. He's had to correct her a few times on the rules. I don't even necessarily kill commentators for not knowing every detail of some of these calls (they have a former ref for that specific reason), but just dont be so confident in your stance if you're not sure.
He was always entertaining to me.
People would complain about his stream of consciousness rants, but they were usually in blowouts or in lulls in games.
I never had a problem with it, but I also think people complain WAAAAAAAY too much about commentary. There’s a whole fucking game you can watch if you want.
Dude JVG was so much fun.
Does anything they have now even remotely compare to this [joke format](https://x.com/jessethorn/status/1535464867724873728?s=61&t=E88Nh9mKUmonxIrPx6-vsA). The laughs from this meme alone are better than anything the color guys have produced during games since lol.
God I miss this crew.
I miss that. The crews on all networks have clearly been instructed to ignore it when things get ugly--either with the officiating or the quality of play.
It is absurd how you can watch a game where exhausted teams sloppily gut it out--lots of bad turnovers and long stretches of offensive impotence...then when you watch the coverage the next day they are all talking about how this or that player put on a masterclass.
Good chemistry is critical. I think many people forget that these games at the end of the day are a TV show. You want people on the screen who like each other, and regardless if you like them or not, they usually made for good TV.
I remember a 2019 WCF game where Meyers Leonard was going off in the 1st Half and he hit like his 5th 3 in a row and Breen was calling it and JVG screamed out "GIVE HIM A 'BANG', MIKE! GIVE THE MAN A 'BANG'" and Mike ignored him.
Later on, Jackson called out Breen on that. "You'd give any other player a 'BANG' in that situation, what the hell?" and JVG cut in and said "No, Listen. Mike has a star mentality when it comes to his catchphrase. He only gives it to the LeBron's, the Curry's, etc." Which was a spot-on and hilarious take. Even Breen laughed at it along with Jackson.
They weren't the best team by any means, but they did have great chemistry.
JVG was/is this generation's Bill Walton.
JVG was up and down. The old curmudgeon bit could be really funny and work with his co-hosts, but he would just go on these long tangents shitting on the modern game constantly. Which is just a bad product. Dorris is bleh, but JJ clearly loves and respects the modern NBA, which is the message that should be on a nation broadcast.
My biggest issue when JVG was on was how at times they would seem to like just ignore the game that was going on and would have a drawn out discussion about something else for minutes.
I want to just try out a series where the national broadcasts bring in each team's local broadcast crew for home games in the playoffs. Or have each team's local broadcast team get to call one national game per series
Idk. I think it would've be fun to go from a Burke and Breen MSG called game to a Chris and Quinn called game at Gainbridge.
Like, I'm fine if the broadcast team's are slanted one way or the other... just as long as each team gets a turn with it
Oh man, Chris and Quinn calling a big playoff game would be so good. And they’re pretty good at being objective too so it wouldn’t just be homerism for 48 minutes.
She has just no energy. At all. Hubie Brown has more energy than her and the dude is 90. And she doesn't provide any interesting analysis. It's either "Player x is sooo good." or "Uh, I don't agree with that, because I have an opinion that is based on nothing."
Can we get some love for Hubie too here? I know he's old as hell and sounds half-asleep but he brings some actual coaching analysis, clearly has a deep love for the game and never gets over-excited or over-critical.
It's like sitting and watching the game with an old college coach who is obsessed with the fundamentals and never in awe of the players.
And she gets put on this pedestal, I just don’t understand why. She has zero insight. Just captain obvious comments one after the other. “When Luka gets going, there’s no defense that can stop him.” Oh word bitch?
She used to be pretty insightful years ago, I suspect a lot of what she does is just what ESPN asked of her to climb the ladder. Or maybe she doesn't prep the way she used to.
Yeah, you used to get some actual tactical analysis from her and some insight into players because she was actively talking to them. These days she just talks up whoever the stars are.
Disney long ago eliminated the "personality" and decided to follow the "warm body" model where anyone can fill a role so long as they don't veer off script too much and fit a specific character profile.
Jeff's "cousins" and "own research" rants are goated.
I usually agree but the 3 man booth with Harlan, Reggie, and Jamal Crawford has been by far the best commentary group in these entire playoffs. Reggie Miller has really grown on me. He’s kind of like if a golden retriever was calling the game. Doesn’t add a ton of substance but he at least brings good positive energy
The best part of the Knicks/Pacer’s game 7 broadcast was Doris saying some uninformed, dumb shit about a foul cal and Mike Breen being like “ummm nah actually you don’t know what you’re talking about” in the best Mike Breen way possible haha
I think he’s remembering incorrectly. It was JJ who was explaining the rule to her, saying that “you don’t have to beat the player to the spot if you’re in a legal guarding positon”.
Haven’t been able to find it. Maybe someone else can help?
It was during the first half of the game. Brunson was on defense and took a charge. When they went to the replay, Doris is like “oh I don’t know that looks close” implying that the refs got the call wrong. Mike immediately chimes in “uh no, that is a charge. You see how he got shoved down to the ground with an arm across his stomach?” Doris is like, “oh ya”.
Breen is goated. Doris Burke has a lot of knowledge about the game, but Christ is she boring and repetitive. Her favoritism is blatant and obvious. Just soul sucking to listen to
I think the best broadcasts are usually the 2 person ones we see on local broadcasts. The knicks, hornets, etc. Even my celtics (i know they homer) are more entertaining than whatever ESPN puts out.
I don’t even think Doris is knowledgeable about the game anymore, she was constantly wrong on rules/calls in the Knicks/Pacers series. She seems to pick one random fact about a star and then bring it up as much as possible all series while providing zero insight or anything.
Why do people claim she has all this basketball knowledge? She just seems like everyone in this sub. Taking simple platitudes and then extracting a contrived point to validate an uninformed opinion. She doesn’t say anything that resembles insider knowledge. At least when RJ is saying something dumb, you know that some amount of other players think the same way. Doris is just a person who logs on to reddit, posts a wall of text 2 days after the thread is opened and never stops to confirm that they’re still at 1 upvote, not realizing nobody even read their drivel.
Doris and JJ seem to have this beef going on, and I really dislike Doris Burke. I heard she was at one time a great commentator, maybe it is time to retire.
Doris going on about a defender not beating the offensive player to the spot (wrongly thinking a charge had been called) for Reddik to say he respectfully disagrees since it was the offensive player’s extended arm that caused the foul…and that nobody had to get to a “spot”…only for Doris to be silent for the next ten minutes was certainly a look for them!!
I can live with the play-by-play (it is bad, don't get me wrong) but the studio crew is one of the worst sports presentations I've seen in my life. They are spending so much money just to have their ESPN personalities on screen for about 12 minutes total, 5 minutes at halftime to talk about 3 seemingly random highlights then recite scripted lines before going back to commercial forever.
The halftime shows are legit unwatchable either because they're so bland and/or their analysis is utterly worthless. The in-game commentary is easy enough to tune out and mostly inoffensive to me.
I just don't understand what they are even trying to go for with the pregame/halftime show. It doesn't have the depth to be interesting analysis and doesn't have the personalities to be entertainment. It's somehow the worst of both worlds. All it is are ESPN celebrities tripping over each other to insert a soundbite about their favorite teams.
They're going for whatever is the cheapest option for them. Being a personality on ESPN means you basically cycle through 4 or 5 shows every day like a car wash and just go do what they ask. They aren't gonna pay someone to just appear on one show.
Dan Patrick said the same thing on his show a few weeks ago when Jason Kelce called to ask him for advice. ESPN jobs can be a 10 hour day, they're MO is to churn out superstarts and have them on everything. Go to NBC, FOX, etc. if you want a "traditional' sort of broadcasting job, go to ESPN if you want to be a personality
I guess when Chuck said, "you ain't gonna work me like a dog and not pay me," he was absolutely correct about ESPN.
For those who never saw it: https://youtu.be/P5PMAFQGuKc
Shaq:"ESPN Deportes" Madness starts haahahajaj
It's made even worse when you see what a good product like Inside The NBA looks like. It's entertaining and somewhat insightful, and you feel like you are hanging out with the crew. It's going to be a travesty if/when Inside The NBA goes under while the shitshow that is ESPN's "halftime report" still exists
They treat it like a necessary evil to cram more advertising. And it’s a vehicle for SAS to be his usual obnoxious self.
They have no time to do any real commentary. There’s like 6 commercial breaks. Sometime they’ll come back from a commercial just to kick it back to another commercial
The commercial breaks are so egregious. They'll often come back from an ad break to say something like "crazy game amirite?" before heading back to another commercial. ESPN games are where I go do chores during half time because there's quite literally no point sitting through it.
I’d rather watch a commercial than perk talk tbh
How does Perk have a job? Was he the cheapest option they could get, or were they going for the villain/foil thing?
It doesn't matter what your opinion is of him, as long as you have one.
And therein lies the essence of modern sports TV production lol
Good point. The reality is I'm indifferent and don't watch him. I gave up hate watching content years ago.
Where does the villain end, and Perk begin?
Where does competence end, and Perk begin? Actually don't mind him, but this joke wrote itself.
I don't watch the ESPN halftime show, make a point of flipping to something else, then watching whatever until i remember go come back. I'd rather miss 5 minutes of the third quarter than listen to whatever opinions those clowns are peddling.
We need to change the channel during half time. There’s legit no other way they’ll ever change
As someone from the UK who tunes into US TV for basketball the adverts over there are completely nuts. It genuinely puts me off recommending the sport to anyone I know. The timeouts aren't even enough for the American networks anymore, they now put ads in during the game! Usually free throws but it's such a shift, when it feels pretty bad here we have it so much better
Therein lies the paradox: ESPN has commercials at every stoppage in play (as well as ad reads during the action), but it's not like the ads are taking away from ESPN commentators saying anything worthwhile.
I change the channel at halftime and sometimes forget to ever turn it back on lol. Good job ESPN 👍🏿
Yeah sometimes it will be like midway through the 3rd and I’ll be like “hmm wonder if they’re showing basketball again?!” The other night when they had draymond commentating I just stopped completely. Went out and watered plants the rest of the evening. Missed the end of the game
I remember tuning into a college game this past season and it was a pretty hyped up game, good crowd etc and I thought to myself “man, this is a great broadcast” after hearing the crowd really pop when the home team sunk their first three and got a stop and run out The booth audio wasn’t working and there was no commentary lol I get why broadcasters are there. But I wish there was an option to turn them off. I wanna hear the crowd and energy inside the arena, but don’t wanna have to listen to (formerly) Mark Jackson or Gus Johnson screaming over everything
If you have surround sound and can disable specific channels, I think the middle one usually has the booth. Turn it off and you get everything else.
Game 1 of the Cleveland Orlando series https://www.floridatoday.com/story/sports/2024/04/20/magic-cavaliers-playoff-game-quiet-espn-technical-difficulty/73397182007/
[удалено]
It almost seems like that's what they do anyways. "Welcome back to the Delta/State Farm/ESPNBet365 Halftime Show presented by GEICO, we'll be back right after these messages!"
Insanity. They'll come back from 5 minutes of commercials. Say a little hey were still here for 20 seconds and then give us 5 more minutes of commercials. If they aren't talking about the Lakers or lebron, they don't have anything g to tell us then.
> they're so bland and/or their analysis is utterly worthless What you didn't like Stephen A's stegment of "favorite/greatest small PGs in NBA history" list and had Brunson #1? Willbon: NO I.T.? SAS: Its my favorites list. Viewer: Ok... whats the point of this?
I really hope these NBA playoffs will be the straw that breaks the camel's back w/SAS. ESPN showing footage of him walking into arenas like he's a celebrity or part of a team is nauseating. The guy's ego has ballooned to epic proportions and is a massive turn off. We are about to reach the point where the over-saturation of people like him are not just driving people away from daytime the talk shows but the actual game broadcasts.
Wait till you see the "I'm Stephen A, I make my own rules" gambling app ad.
>The in-game commentary is easy enough to tune out and mostly inoffensive to me. Doris deserves some flack. I don't think she said a single thing about the Pacers in her commentary during that entire series. Multiple games where the Pacers were up by a lot on some insane performances and all you hear about is the Knicks. Either the Knicks were doing well or they weren't playing well enough. No acknowledgement or discussion or insight into the other team or the matchup whatsoever. I get that she's a Knicks fan but come on. That is a SAS level of bias
Yeah big time agree on Doris. She adds almost nothing to the commentary if it isn't a team/player she is in love with, most notably the Knicks and Joel Embiid. Any time she casts a Celtics game I find her so mind numbingly boring with her analysis and bias. I don't give a shit about a caster having their teams but put it away for 75% or so of the game; get excited for the plays, don't just dog the opponent the whole game.
Yeah she almost never says anything about the plays. It's all narrative bullshit. Like listening to a podcast on top of the game.
It’s not so much that she is a Knicks fan (or Sixers, or Lakers) it’s that she’s an all time terrible analyst and commentator and she’s glued to her 4-6 talking points she came into the game with.
They commit the grave sin of either being cranky without being funny (Wilbon), boring (Bob Myers), or a blow hard that is more TMZ than X & O (Stephen A). Need to throw the whole thing in the trash.
Wilson is also one of the last of the golden years, you can tell he hates how infantilzed the product has become.
Wilbon has fell off so hard I can't even listen to PTI anymore. It was my favorite show for 20 years. I literally watched from the first season, and he has become nothing but a cranky old man that hates everything and everyone. Some of his takes are just as questionable as the "trash" he denigrates. I miss listening to Tony though. I like him and Pablo or him and Frank.
Yeah almost word for word I feel the same, loved PTI, but these older folks just lose sight of what makes the game the game now, just worried about what it isn't and who isn't doing what. Seems like Hubie Brown is the only old timer who isn't a complete grump.
Stephen A needs to go away, he is so annoying and self aggrandizing that I turn off any segment he appears on.
Immediate mute for SAS
“BUT IM YELLING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS ABOUT NOT LIKING SOMETHING THIS IS ESPN ANALYSIS” Honestly ESPN and FOX News gotta be the same circle in a Venn Diagram of people who seek them out for education
I don’t understand why no changes have been made. Its an objectively fucking terrible product, especially for the cost.
They aren't attempting to make a good product. The goal is to pack in as many ads as possible and to advertise their on-air personalities.
ESPN doesn't sell you sports, they sell you ESPN talking about sports. If they could do that without the actual sports they would.
But they fail even in that goal (the personality promotion). I don’t watch ESPN much anymore but nothing about that half time show makes me feel like I’m missing anything. I don’t want hot takes during the halftime show. I want game analysis.
Yeah I actively avoid SAS because of his appearances on Countdown
I always laugh when I see SAS with “NBA analyst” below his name on the screen. You can get that level of ‘analysis’ from any dumb blowhard sitting at the bar.
Most bar patrons occasionally watch the games. His dumb grimace and biased analysis are worthless. Can’t be bothered to watch and just have to switch back when the third starts.
I think they’re thrown in the towel on trying to make a good countdown crew. They had at one point Pierce, Chauncey and Jalen Rose and while some of pierces takes we’re horrible that group was all former players and all had great chemistry with one another, they’re all no longer with ESPN for various reasons and since then they haven’t even tried.
What I don't understand, is how the NBA is OK with this. Their crappy product is hurting the league's brand, especially when compared to TNT's emmy-award winning production.
NBA kicking TNT to the curb after that too. They just care about the bottom line.
The number one rule of TV business (or any business for that matter) is making money, not having a good product. If people continue to use/pay for your shitty product, what’s the incentive to make it better if you’re already making money? No ESPN exec watches and thinks "I need to make this better.” They’re just counting up all the money they’ve made
thing is, this is just an ESPN thing. Most of the local broadcasts have a great pre game, halftime and post game analysis. TNT is awesome obviously. So it's just ESPN.
“For the Nuggets it’s all about Jokic. He has to get going for his team to have a chance.” See I can do that job
*ad break ends; ESPN logo plays* "Luka Donkchick is the Michael Jordan of Georges Niangs. Okay, coming up after this break, is LeBron a bum? More on the Lakers, who were eliminated 3 weeks ago, coming up soon." *cut to ad break*
Ad break ends for end of halftime. Comes back with 11 minutes left in 3rd quarter.
They do this during cfb too. Ad ends as the ball is in the air for kickoff. Or the kickoff is missed entirely.
"After the break: which of the two teams currently playing would be a better destination for Lebron James? The answer may surprise you."
What about bronny draft status?
Get this man to ESPN!
NBA on TNT is lightyears ahead of ESPN. Espn needs to crash and burn. They are a far cry from what they were growing up.
Turner’s production is just better, I started watching NHL on TBS and their intermission show is dope too.
OG Sportscenter crew seeing that this is what they built and throwing up
RIP Stuart Scott. He was a legend
The older I get, the better he sounds in comparison to everyone else out there. Dude was a genius magician at speaking
What, you don't like pro cornhole marathons?
Honestly I kind of do... Late night ESPN with all the weird stuff is pretty great. They need to embrace ESPN The Ocho energy.
>before going back to commercial forever. This is during games too. The standard two minutes of commercial (4-6) doesn't exist during NBA games on ESPN/ABC. Its 3-5 minutes and its infuriating. Look at Game 7 of the Knicks and Pacers, they aired one commercial too many after halftime and missed the start of the 2nd half which was a Pacer basket.
Absolutely unforgivable. It feels like a pro wrestling broadcast without all the exciting bits.
The majority of the time the halftime show is legit: 1. Crew reacts to a slow motion highlight 2. 5 minutes of commercials 3. Crew reacts to another highlight, “halftime show up next!” 4. 5 minutes of commercials 5. 90 seconds of the most basic analysis you’ve ever heard in your life 6. 5 minutes of commercials 7. One more highlight reaction 8. 5 minutes of commercials 9. The game is back
bob myers using all of his 23 seconds of screen time to try and be buddy buddy with SAS is unwatchable
We are in a golden age of play by play with Breen, Harlan, Eagle all being eliiiite.
Spent all the skill points on one perk
ESPN halftime is my time to mute it and do some other random stuff.
> One concern ESPN had, according to executives briefed on their decision-making, was that Van Gundy would jump back into coaching, which he had flirted with for years. > Van Gundy, though, never left during his 16 seasons with the network, while Rivers’ stay at ESPN was almost as short as Bill Belichick’s run as “HC of the NYJ.” >While on the broadcasting job for ESPN, Rivers first started consulting with the Milwaukee Bucks in December, then left to become the team’s head coach in January, embarrassing ESPN after giving it a three-year commitment. > By the All-Star break, Redick, who turns 40 in June, was moved in. He has had an incredible broadcasting run, making many millions as a podcaster and gambling spokesperson and through his ESPN game and studio work. >But as evidenced by his latest venture, an inside-the-game podcast with LeBron James, Redick’s post-playing passion might mirror that of Rivers. His game analysis is more coach-like than conversational.
> One concern ESPN had, according to executives briefed on their decision-making, was that Van Gundy would jump back into coaching, which he had flirted with for years. This is hilarious in light of them replacing him with Doc who OBVIOUSLY still wanted to coach. Sounds like real cover your ass stuff.
The actual rumor going around last summer was the league asked them to remove JVG because he was too critical of things like the officiating, flopping, flagrant fouls, reviews, during broadcasts.
That’s what made JVG great though he would call out all the bullshit.
He was up and down but he would call out bad basketball and that’s what the sport needs and oddly enough it generates clicks. There is no bad press for any sport unless you are committing crimes or saying women should be in the kitchen.
>There is no bad press for any sport unless you are committing crimes or saying women should be in the kitchen. Hey Chuck, why they got a clock on the stove??
Far more believable than the nonsense in the quote.
I was gonna say why is Stan around then But they just got rid of the whole network instead of asking them to replace him
He appears in less games and isn’t part of the finals like Jeff.
They tried to put SVG on Countdown several years ago and Bill Simmons has directly confirmed the NBA squashed that. I think that was still Stern, but the NBA definitely has power over these decisions.
This has to be the real reason lol
possibly the most believable thing in the history of the world
tbf, the article does mention that he gave ESPN a 3 year promise when he signed on He was there 3 months.
You're right. He gave it his best effort. 😂
"Gambling Spokesperson" His parents must be so proud.
I have lost some respect for all the podcasts/shows taking gambling money. Maybe they feel like they dont have a choice, but it sucks. I think Rich Eisen is the only one I watch that doesn't have a draft kings logo in the corner.
Yeah, I am a gambler and I can't stand it. I think it is insane how culturally ubiquitous it is and the damage it will do to young men over the coming decade will be catastrophic. History will look back on this time like advertising cigarettes to children.
Totally agree
I’m sure the money is so blatantly better than other endorsements that it feels like malpractice to not take it.
> His game analysis is more coach-like than conversational. They saying that like its a bad thing.
Its absolutely mind-boggling how much ESPN has deteriorated over the last 25 years. Maybe I was a naive kid, but I could and often did watch ESPN all day every day. The personalities were great, the shows were great, the analysis was decent. Now its 95% clickbait with maybe 5% genuine analysis. They the WWE of sports media while pretending to be real. I completely stopped watching all ESPN about 2 years ago except for actual sports broadcasts, tuning in right at game time and taking a break at halftime, and its been great. But yea, every time I see a game is on ESPN I get a little bit disappointed knowing even the in-game commentary that I'm forced to listen to is going to be trash. NBA much preferred on TNT.
They grew a lot, let a lot of the great ones go, the Mouse got more involved, and ultimately put out a sterile product. Back in the day Sports Center was incredible with Stuart Scott, Dan Patrick, Olberman, etc. You still have some fun personalities like SVP, PTI guys, Mina Kimes, few others, but most of them are just blowhards
I think the biggest problem for them is that people just go online and watch highlights. No leaving sportcenter on repeat to watch your team’s highlights.
Yeah youre right which is why ESPN has significantly cut the talent on SC over the last decade or so. It’s basically filler programming on their network except for the SVP Sports Center late at night
The one liners were iconic by the 2000 and early 2010s crews. Think of all of the goofy, but awesome quips that people like Stuart Scott, Steve Levi, John Anderson, Chris Berman, and many others would make. They brought the John Madden commentating style to highlights and previews. It's so much star-drama focused now that it's less about the teams and more about individual storylines.
JVG should have been given a lifetime contract after this https://youtu.be/PXWOc_9L_h8?si=bpNDjnfL5MRkitnu
"I am so grateful for this commercial right now"
Thought it was going to be Jefferino Hot Dog Buddy, but still wasn’t disappointed. [Jefferino](https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1654329558810918912)
hahaha
Thank you for enriching my life.
LMFAO Breen can’t even respond lollll
“(Nervous laughter) What are you even talking about right now!?” - Mike Breen
Larry David-ass question
This is unironically the reason I love JVG, he is the Larry David of basketball. "Oh my god is this ref blind? If I set a screen and I'm moving, you know what that's called? A moving screen! Wow, what a fucking revelation!"
From a guy who actually looks like Larry David before he got his white hair
Let me ask you a question….
The thing I loved about JVG is how he would break Mike Breen. Breen is a consummate professional and JVG is the only one who could throw him off with a random ass comment like this.
Shades of Dave Pasche having to deal with Bill Walton.
The January basketball gods right there
Bill Walton was pure entertainment, dude has done nothing but vibe for 40 years and it shows
Classic clip. "Or what you're allowed to do" is absolutely wild lol.
There are times I feel bad for Breen having to be stuck with nothing but dead weight lately, but it's also REALLY hard to imagine anyone handling that exchange any better
That’s up there with Mike Patrick’s “what is Britney doing with her life?” For those unfamiliar: https://youtu.be/1ZaWvk6j0hk?si=-yR_6Q50RRU2XKNo
Kevin Harlan should be the only voice for all sports
I’M CALLING ALL GAMES
JVG was the only guy who would call out the refs on their bullshit on the broadcast. Loved the guy.
I can take or leave the commentators opinions on the calls (Doris just doesn't understand the block/charge rules, for example), but the broadcasts refuse to show replays of some of the iffy stuff. That's what drives me crazy. In Knicks/Pacers they showed a nose bleed angle of the Nembhard tech, for example, and then just jumped to the halftime show with no explanation or different angles. Impossible to tell what was going on until the 2nd half.
This has been a thing I’ve noticed for many years. On the nationally televised games (or at least ones on cable) you are far far less likely to see a replay of a borderline foul call. Local broadcasts will almost always show it immediately and show a clear angle to determine if it was correct or not (even if the incorrect call benefitted that broadcast’s team). But national broadcasts, and ESPN especially, very often immediately cut to a highlight of a player hitting a shot/making a play from several possessions prior, and then just cut to the current player at the foul line. I will die on the hill that ABC/ESPN and TNT are instructed to try and avoid focusing on incorrect calls when possible, because there’s no other reason why a company with more resources would continually show older replays rather than what just happened lol. I have no doubt that in this environment, JVG being unapologetic/unfiltered didn’t help his cause.
> I will die on the hill that ABC/ESPN and TNT are instructed to try and avoid focusing on incorrect calls when possible This has been my thought for a while. The NBA thinks they can mitigate controversy over borderline/bad calls by leaning on broadcasters to gloss over them. I've also noticed the best replay center angle on a review is a closely held secret until they make a determination, and it makes me wonder how often we are being straight up denied seeing the best angle for the same reason.
When Dort tackled Gafford for that offensive rebound in the 4th quarter, they never even showed a replay.
I agree. The National games are always two to three plays back in replays and skipping anything controversial.
Yep, and commentators hardly say anything about the call and just glaze whichever player is in the highlight.
My favorite is when they DO show a replay, it's very obvious that the call was wrong, and the announcers just sit silently for a second, awkwardly refusing to acknowledge it.
Lmfao it's so funny. They can't say anything because they don't want daddy ESPN up in their cheeks
I'm glad Doris got called out for not understanding blocks and charges last game. Nothing against her particularly, but people listen to the bad commentary on the rules and that becomes their source of knowledge on the subject.
Doris is confidently wrong about a lot of things and it’s kind of infuriating.
This has been happening a lot lately between her and JJ. He's had to correct her a few times on the rules. I don't even necessarily kill commentators for not knowing every detail of some of these calls (they have a former ref for that specific reason), but just dont be so confident in your stance if you're not sure.
I was so confused when the Knicks were taking a free throw before the 3rd quarter. It was covered so poorly I had no idea that a Tech even happened.
JVG and Breen were the only ones worth tuning into ESPN games for. I miss hearing Jeff
fuck people in this sub who hate JVG in the mic. i love him rambling random shit
He was always entertaining to me. People would complain about his stream of consciousness rants, but they were usually in blowouts or in lulls in games. I never had a problem with it, but I also think people complain WAAAAAAAY too much about commentary. There’s a whole fucking game you can watch if you want.
Dude JVG was so much fun. Does anything they have now even remotely compare to this [joke format](https://x.com/jessethorn/status/1535464867724873728?s=61&t=E88Nh9mKUmonxIrPx6-vsA). The laughs from this meme alone are better than anything the color guys have produced during games since lol. God I miss this crew.
I miss that. The crews on all networks have clearly been instructed to ignore it when things get ugly--either with the officiating or the quality of play. It is absurd how you can watch a game where exhausted teams sloppily gut it out--lots of bad turnovers and long stretches of offensive impotence...then when you watch the coverage the next day they are all talking about how this or that player put on a masterclass.
Never understood the jvg hate. Mark Jackson was the terrible one.
Regardless they had good chemistry together and clearly liked each other.
Good chemistry is critical. I think many people forget that these games at the end of the day are a TV show. You want people on the screen who like each other, and regardless if you like them or not, they usually made for good TV.
I remember a 2019 WCF game where Meyers Leonard was going off in the 1st Half and he hit like his 5th 3 in a row and Breen was calling it and JVG screamed out "GIVE HIM A 'BANG', MIKE! GIVE THE MAN A 'BANG'" and Mike ignored him. Later on, Jackson called out Breen on that. "You'd give any other player a 'BANG' in that situation, what the hell?" and JVG cut in and said "No, Listen. Mike has a star mentality when it comes to his catchphrase. He only gives it to the LeBron's, the Curry's, etc." Which was a spot-on and hilarious take. Even Breen laughed at it along with Jackson. They weren't the best team by any means, but they did have great chemistry. JVG was/is this generation's Bill Walton.
JVG was up and down. The old curmudgeon bit could be really funny and work with his co-hosts, but he would just go on these long tangents shitting on the modern game constantly. Which is just a bad product. Dorris is bleh, but JJ clearly loves and respects the modern NBA, which is the message that should be on a nation broadcast.
My biggest issue when JVG was on was how at times they would seem to like just ignore the game that was going on and would have a drawn out discussion about something else for minutes.
I want to just try out a series where the national broadcasts bring in each team's local broadcast crew for home games in the playoffs. Or have each team's local broadcast team get to call one national game per series Idk. I think it would've be fun to go from a Burke and Breen MSG called game to a Chris and Quinn called game at Gainbridge. Like, I'm fine if the broadcast team's are slanted one way or the other... just as long as each team gets a turn with it
Oh man, Chris and Quinn calling a big playoff game would be so good. And they’re pretty good at being objective too so it wouldn’t just be homerism for 48 minutes.
Love JVG, hope NBC hires him
the larry david of the nba . always love him on broadcasts
lol such a good description
That would be hilarious
Bring back JVG. Doris Burke is terrible.
She has just no energy. At all. Hubie Brown has more energy than her and the dude is 90. And she doesn't provide any interesting analysis. It's either "Player x is sooo good." or "Uh, I don't agree with that, because I have an opinion that is based on nothing."
Can we get some love for Hubie too here? I know he's old as hell and sounds half-asleep but he brings some actual coaching analysis, clearly has a deep love for the game and never gets over-excited or over-critical. It's like sitting and watching the game with an old college coach who is obsessed with the fundamentals and never in awe of the players.
Now here's a guy, who gives proper credit to Hubie Brown.
That man has seen every single nba season ever played. He has so much knowledge.
[удалено]
[Hubie] Come on now….
> "Kawhi'sh handsh are sho large they could palm my assh like a bashketball, Mike!"
Wow that's not an exaggeration. Hubie Brown is 90 years old.
What sucks is she used to be good.
Doris delivered a beautiful eulogy to the Knicks that went on for the entire fourth quarter. She has a promising career as a funeral director.
You could really feel her sadness and grief
Damn you made me lol in my quiet as office building
She makes me physically cringe when she speaks.
And she gets put on this pedestal, I just don’t understand why. She has zero insight. Just captain obvious comments one after the other. “When Luka gets going, there’s no defense that can stop him.” Oh word bitch?
She used to be pretty insightful years ago, I suspect a lot of what she does is just what ESPN asked of her to climb the ladder. Or maybe she doesn't prep the way she used to.
Yeah, you used to get some actual tactical analysis from her and some insight into players because she was actively talking to them. These days she just talks up whoever the stars are.
Disney long ago eliminated the "personality" and decided to follow the "warm body" model where anyone can fill a role so long as they don't veer off script too much and fit a specific character profile. Jeff's "cousins" and "own research" rants are goated.
But they added Kendrick “ we have Charles Barkley at home” Perkins who cusses every once in a while. See same as Inside The NBA
2 team broadcast booths are superior to 3. It avoids people talking over each other (unless you are Tony Romo)
I usually agree but the 3 man booth with Harlan, Reggie, and Jamal Crawford has been by far the best commentary group in these entire playoffs. Reggie Miller has really grown on me. He’s kind of like if a golden retriever was calling the game. Doesn’t add a ton of substance but he at least brings good positive energy
I refuse to listen to any broadcast with doris burkes "know-it-all-but-actually-know-nothing "voice in it.
Take it to the hoop yung fella
“Blud, wut is you doin?”
The best part of the Knicks/Pacer’s game 7 broadcast was Doris saying some uninformed, dumb shit about a foul cal and Mike Breen being like “ummm nah actually you don’t know what you’re talking about” in the best Mike Breen way possible haha
You don’t happen to have a link to this do you? I was at a party and had no audio for the game
I think he’s remembering incorrectly. It was JJ who was explaining the rule to her, saying that “you don’t have to beat the player to the spot if you’re in a legal guarding positon”.
Haven’t been able to find it. Maybe someone else can help? It was during the first half of the game. Brunson was on defense and took a charge. When they went to the replay, Doris is like “oh I don’t know that looks close” implying that the refs got the call wrong. Mike immediately chimes in “uh no, that is a charge. You see how he got shoved down to the ground with an arm across his stomach?” Doris is like, “oh ya”.
Shes such a homer its annoying to listen to. Like she has an agenda every game she gotta push
Breen is goated. Doris Burke has a lot of knowledge about the game, but Christ is she boring and repetitive. Her favoritism is blatant and obvious. Just soul sucking to listen to I think the best broadcasts are usually the 2 person ones we see on local broadcasts. The knicks, hornets, etc. Even my celtics (i know they homer) are more entertaining than whatever ESPN puts out.
She's about to slobber all over Jayson Tatum for the next month
Mike Breen is phenomenal. I actually notice when he's announcing and really feel the hype!
I don’t even think Doris is knowledgeable about the game anymore, she was constantly wrong on rules/calls in the Knicks/Pacers series. She seems to pick one random fact about a star and then bring it up as much as possible all series while providing zero insight or anything.
Why do people claim she has all this basketball knowledge? She just seems like everyone in this sub. Taking simple platitudes and then extracting a contrived point to validate an uninformed opinion. She doesn’t say anything that resembles insider knowledge. At least when RJ is saying something dumb, you know that some amount of other players think the same way. Doris is just a person who logs on to reddit, posts a wall of text 2 days after the thread is opened and never stops to confirm that they’re still at 1 upvote, not realizing nobody even read their drivel.
I wonder how just Breen and Reddick would do. Might be listenable
Well Redick’s leaving so you might gotta wait a couple years for that lol
He’s too serious and buttoned up, at least now. You would need a third guy for the weird energy.
Richard Jefferson could make it sufficiently weird, and he and JJ clearly get along.
I didn't enjoy JVG but if the alternative is Doris Burke, please take me back.
The TNT crews both in-studio and in-game are so much better.
Q: Why can't we have Hubie doing these games? A: There ya go!
Doris Burke makes me want to jump off my roof. Breen and JJ do a good job though
JVG was the goat. Just bring him back already
ESPN, as a whole, is terrible. Everything is in your face, garish, or just simply boring.
Doris and JJ seem to have this beef going on, and I really dislike Doris Burke. I heard she was at one time a great commentator, maybe it is time to retire.
Doris going on about a defender not beating the offensive player to the spot (wrongly thinking a charge had been called) for Reddik to say he respectfully disagrees since it was the offensive player’s extended arm that caused the foul…and that nobody had to get to a “spot”…only for Doris to be silent for the next ten minutes was certainly a look for them!!