are your team's commentators biased?

[Amar'e_Juwanna]

how do you feel about it?

i watch the game and make my own decisions about how i feel

[Im Still Ballin]

Just, chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill out bro

[Amar'e_Juwanna]

Just, chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill out bro

you scared to read for 3 mins brah

[Thorpesaurous]

I'm a Celtic fan, and yeah, Tommy Heinsohn is probably the most biased announcer in the game. But he's so bad that it sort of has a life of it's own separate from actual announcing. The C's lost in OT to the Warriors the night before they lost for the first time to The Bucks, and Heinsohn's admonishing of the officiating was spectacular. As well as his disbelief of Steph Curry. Sometimes it seems like he does his preparation during the warmups. I'm not even sure he knows most of the leagues' rookies.


Honestly I sort of enjoy the various local stylings of the various coverages. It's one of the nice things about having the league pass, you can get both sides of the announcing, and it can be pretty jarring.


NY does have the best coverage. And that includes The Nets, who I would say is the best in the business. Most of the NY guys (of recent years) have or had national gigs too. Breen, Ian Eagle, Marv, Gus Johnson and even the color guys, like Fratello, often either are or were national guys at one time or another.

[DukeDelonte13]

yes. doesn't bug me.

[JohnnySic]

Hometown announcers should be biased. It makes watching the game more fun.

[Orlando Magic]

http://www.reelurbannews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Stu-Lantz-Head-Shot.jpg

This guy is one of the biggest dumb**** homers in the entire league. He's really, really ****ing awful to listen to.

It's a real chicken and egg situation, though... did Stu Lantz's stupid homer bullshit that flows from his mouth like Niagara Falls come first and thus the Lakers fanbase latching onto his stupidity, or did their stupidity cause his idiotic commentating to materialize?

The world may never know!

[FreezingTsmoove]

Walt Frazier just doesnt give a shit anymore

[Amar'e_Juwanna]

Hometown announcers should be biased. It makes watching the game more fun.
how so?

[iBandwagon]

Yes.

[swagga]

you scared to read for 3 mins brah

probably because that idiot can't even read.

Decent commentators
- mavs
- orlando
- spurs

Horrible commentators
- cavs
- lakers
- clippers

welcome to corporate NBA, where commentators comment for posters such as lebron/curry/kobe fam where any sentence longer than the standard twitter message is too long and complicated.
The NBA is just adapting to the the retard/soccer mom/trendy metrosexual crowd, as these people have the attention spans of a 7 year old kid throwing a tantrum.

[imnew09]

no sh** how else would you keep your job for long? :facepalm

[Spurs m8]

Spurs are but they're fun...good spirits always.

That Cleveland **** can eat a dick

[Rake2204]

how so?One of the driving forces of fandom is the varying degrees of the "us vs. them" mantra. People connect to the team they support, often to unhealthy levels, using that team as an extension of themselves. If a fan's favorite team wins, the fan wins.

Surely, some people take it too far, but others just subconsciously enjoy knowing they're in the company of like-minded people. Folks want to be excited, happy, and re-affirmed about their support for a given team.

As a result, hometown broadcasts cater to that desire for reaffirmation. Specific commentators put their own twist on things (Tommy Heinsohn, for one) but the skew toward the home squad is entirely by design, from the producer on down.

I've forgotten the name by now, but I recently read about a baseball broadcaster who, after years of national television, went back to local broadcasts, perhaps in St. Louis (honestly can't recall).

Anyway, he said one of the biggest transitions he had to make was cooling his jets when the opponent would do something well. He said the broadcast was receiving tons of complaints from viewers who thought he needed to act less excited when the opposing team, say, made a diving catch. And the broadcast agreed, putting his job on the line if he didn't fix it up and essentially introduce more bias.

[ClipperRevival]

http://www.reelurbannews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Stu-Lantz-Head-Shot.jpg

This guy is one of the biggest dumb**** homers in the entire league. He's really, really ****ing awful to listen to.

It's a real chicken and egg situation, though... did Stu Lantz's stupid homer bullshit that flows from his mouth like Niagara Falls come first and thus the Lakers fanbase latching onto his stupidity, or did their stupidity cause his idiotic commentating to materialize?

The world may never know!
:facepalm

Nothing could be further from the truth. I started listening to him and Chick in the late 80's. He is one of the most knowledgeable, unbiased and charismatic commentators ever. How dare you talk down on Stu. :no:

[outbreak]

Orlando's aren't biased, I guess I'd say they are "good" but they are annoying at times. Quite often the Orlando announcers will hang from an opponents dick instead of rooting for the home team which is rare.

[Draz]

Tldr

[Doranku]

http://www.reelurbannews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Stu-Lantz-Head-Shot.jpg

This guy is one of the biggest dumb**** homers in the entire league. He's really, really ****ing awful to listen to.

It's a real chicken and egg situation, though... did Stu Lantz's stupid homer bullshit that flows from his mouth like Niagara Falls come first and thus the Lakers fanbase latching onto his stupidity, or did their stupidity cause his idiotic commentating to materialize?

The world may never know!

Dude... the Lakers announcers are probably a top 5 crew when it comes to being unbiased.

We get it, you hate Kobe. Don't take your anger out on the franchise.

[AirTupac]

:facepalm

Nothing could be further from the truth. I started listening to him and Chick in the late 80's. He is one of the most knowledgeable, unbiased and charismatic commentators ever. How dare you talk down on Stu. :no:

Orlando is a retard if he really thinks that. Laker announcers are one of the best in the league. Theyre actually fantastic.

[Levity]

http://www.reelurbannews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Stu-Lantz-Head-Shot.jpg

This guy is one of the biggest dumb**** homers in the entire league. He's really, really ****ing awful to listen to.

It's a real chicken and egg situation, though... did Stu Lantz's stupid homer bullshit that flows from his mouth like Niagara Falls come first and thus the Lakers fanbase latching onto his stupidity, or did their stupidity cause his idiotic commentating to materialize?

The world may never know!

what a shit retarded post. stu is fantastic. hes often times hard on laker players and calls out their mistakes, while giving credit where its due when it comes to opposing teams.

note that im not saying the same thing of billy mac. but stu.... fantastic

[ClipperRevival]

Orlando is a retard if he really thinks that. Laker announcers are one of the best in the league. Theyre actually fantastic.

Don't like Billy Mac and never did. It's hard for me to respect play by play guys who know much less about the game than me. Although he is improving his general knowledge. I liked Spero and Meyers much better.

And I don't even want to start with John Ireland. :facepalm The guy knows less about bball than so many on this board. It really is cringeworthy that this moron does radio play by play for a franchise like the Lakers.

But yeah, I LOVE me some Stu and always have. Unbiased as anyone.

[LoneyROY7]

Kings announcers are very unbiased.

Heck, Grant Napear straight shits on DeMarcus on his radio show. :lol

[RoseCity07]

Mike Rice and Mike Barrett are f*cking horrible but Mike Barrett over the past couple seasons has tried to dial it down. Mike Rice, the guy guy is super hardcore. He only sees what he wants to see.

[StephHamann]

how do you feel about it?

i watch the game and make my own decisions about how i feel…regarding BOTH team’s play

Mainly it comes down to this question: what is the end goal of in game commentary? What is it supposed to achieve? The answer to that question has changed with time, obviously.. In today’s world I can watch a game on the couch presented to me in beautiful HD video. The video quality and programming, along with DVR, means I can immediately and easily identify every player on the court, as well as follow every play of the game. I can make judgements for myself about the physical, mental, and other attributes of every single player who gets minutes in the NBA. If there’s a foul called? An out of bounds that isn’t obvious? I can watch and rewind, see zoomed replays and observe referees checking instant replay. I can watch with a laptop or iPad and follow the game from a statistical perspective with real time updates, or stay abreast of news about of injured player. This all used to be information that fans relied on commentators to deliver, obviously that’s not the case anymore… Many fans nowadays play fantasy sports and are thus interested in performances from players on all different teams. This can result in streaming a bunch of different local broadcasts, and then youre stuck listening to some schmuck act like his team can do no wrong. **** that.

so what’s the point?

To me, its about entertainment and education. Play by Play commentary is an art form, a craft, because it is an integral part of how a moment in sports is preserved in history. Just as much as Mike Breen is commentating for fans watching live, not just announcing each play of the game but channeling and capturing the games energy, momentum, context/relevancy/backstory, and crowd/atmosphere: he’s creating the official record for posterity. His voice, his calls, and his work are his legacy and will exist forever so he has to make every effort to ensure IT’S GOOD! Of course, he’s so good because of how entertaining he is. He translates on-court excitement into his commentary so well because he’s extremely well prepared (think knowing the whole league, keeping up to date), he’s incredibly attentive, he loves the game deeply, and he has a natural gift for timing when to speak and when to and, because he is just part of a team, when to stay quiet.. Luckily, he and his partner have great chemistry.

That’s not always easy to do, however, because the role of Color Commentator is a little less defined. They all do things a little differently. However, commonly the color man will be a former player; their intimate knowledge of not only the game of basketball but the League itself, and their being so connected with both media and athletes provides them with a perspective on the game that most fans cannot even comprehend. Providing a glimpse into that perspective is really captivating, whether it be a breakdown, praise, or criticism of team strategies or individual performances, a peek at whats happening behind the scenes with a player, coach, or team, descriptive or anecdotal information or experience, the occasional rant that begins with a regaling of an experience at a Grateful Dead concert and changes directions just as often as their jams, Clyde’s classic gleeful responsive rhyming, and many other entertaining and educational styles.

Thats what I think announcing is about. Thats why I don’t like bias in my announcing. Its insincere – an announcer needing to provide all of that information through a lens of "our team is the good guys" will provide a distortion by nature. that’s dishonest, and honestly anyone who prefers that they be catered to is not a real fan but a child… the type of fan that cannot accept that a player on opposing team is really good, or a good guy, or worse, that a player on their own team is a scumbag. It’s one thing to root for your team, and quite another to blindly and mindlessly support a team with that kind of adolescent immaturity, unable to admit that you would love that same opposing player if he wore your teams jersey, unable to admit that your player traveled, unable to agree to disagree with your buddy out of town about who is better, unable to have fun… That’s not a real fan to me, and they often are bandwagoners. A real fan is someone who can appreciate the game, and league as a whole, as well as their team – and who will stick by their team even when the going gets tough.

Biased announcers are the worst of the worst. For them to warp their record of the game is unprofessional and completely irksome. The way they celebrate everything their own players do, twist a comment on any of them into praise, and at the same time take every opportunity to demean their opponents, especially skilled and effective players, minimize individual or team successes, dispute officiating, make excuses, its so ****ing transparent and lame. Dunno how you could like it.

Thats why I’m so happy to have the guys we have. I appreciate the objectivity and genuine perspective, because I myself don’t sugarcoat things – I’ll be the first to call out my team for slacking, and I can appreciate the talent of player not on my team. Of course there are exceptions (brady, lebron, crosby, harper) , but generally speaking I am a fan of the sport and great players as well as my team. Make no mistake, there’s a reason Breen and a lot of NY sportscasters are on national TV – not only are they among the most talented broadcasters, but they don’t reveal their personal biases like 7 year sore losers. Probably relevant that NYC is full of transplants, there are fans of all teams here.

But mostly I think its because NY is so averse to bullshit, and announcer homerism is one of the most annoying brands of bullshit around. I’m proud to root for the teams that our guys call.

If you don’t like Clyde, I don’t know what to tell you. His vocal and verbal stylings are legendary. Plus he knows a hell of a lot more about basketball than you do so if he sees something in Ish Smith there’s probably something to see.

Me oh my

that's a long text

BINGO

[WayOfWade]

I love my Jazz announcers Bolerjack and Harpring, however biased they may be. When I watch I try to analyze whether they're too biased or not, and (while obviously they are) I don't notice too much. A lot of other sites though say they suck, so I'm in the minority here. Should commentators be biased though? I say yes to an extent. You need to remember that most of the people tuning in are fans of the home team and so want to hear more about the home team and less about the other team's coach. Not to much bias though, as general knowledge and news is good for everyone.
In general, someone said the best commentators are in NY, and I'd agree. I'd also say that the Lakers and Raps have great commentators. I absolutely hate the commentators for the Heat, Celtics, and Warriors. The Spurs are decent, but there's that one dude that sounds like he ejaculates everytime Ginobili does something decent

*I love the Clippers announcers, the "Bingo" and "First to a hundred wins... it's the law" just get me every time

[Wally450]

Celtics: Yes. Tommy Heinsohn is unbearable to listen to nowadays. I'm glad when they play on the road because at least we get Scal who talks you through why things happen.

Tommy kind of spreads Mike Gorman a bit. They can get a bit bias, but overall Mike is a very good announcer, I enjoy him.

[Milbuck]

Bucks commentators are pretty unbiased. They kinda suck as actual commentators but they suck in unique ways that it's actually pretty entertaining.

John McGlocklin is a good dude but senile as f*ck, I swear Moncrief is baked 90% of the time he's on air, Gus Johnson roots for the other team and blows a load every time they do something, and Paschke sounds like the type of guy to start crying if forced to talk to a girl for more than 5 minutes.

Marques Johnson is the only guy that is a legit good commentator. Always unbiased, not afraid to make harsh criticisms of any Bucks player/coach, good insight, good banter.

[Funktion]

1 homer (Fitz), 1 knowledgable (Barnett).

[Inferno]

Yeah but I like them :applause: I wouldn't say Jim and Bob are biased necessarily...they praise other teams' players all the time, but they do hype up the Dubs' players a lot

[Amar'e_Juwanna]

Tldr
tragically lonely; draz repines?

[Doranku]

Mike Rice and Mike Barrett are f*cking horrible but Mike Barrett over the past couple seasons has tried to dial it down. Mike Rice, the guy guy is super hardcore. He only sees what he wants to see.

Those are the Portland announcers yeah? I can't stand that crew, I remember having to mute one game because they're such homers.

[Funktion]

Yeah but I like them :applause: I wouldn't say Jim and Bob are biased necessarily...they praise other teams' players all the time, but they do hype up the Dubs' players a lot

True. They do praise other current and past players a lot.

[ZenMaster]

Orlando is a retard if he really thinks that. Laker announcers are one of the best in the league. Theyre actually fantastic.

Agreed, Lakers announcers do great and I've enjoyed them for about 20 years now.

What a great post by the OP and I fully agree, watching games with biased commentators is terrible when you know better after growing up. I believe to you have to have watched a high number of games to truly get what OP is saying.

In the last 5 year I've grown very fond of watching Knick games as well and I'll get as many in through as season as I can. The commentary by Breen and Frazier is simply amazing and the overall tv product of watching the Knicks play at home is one of the very best in the all of sports, at least when the Knicks are competitive like this season, and a lot of it is due to those two.
I was talking about this with a colleague the other day and I just can't give them enough credit.

[raprap]

Laker fan here, we have the most un biased commentary team in the league imo. The knicks come in second.

[Amar'e_Juwanna]

Agreed, Lakers announcers do great and I've enjoyed them for about 20 years now.

What a great post by the OP and I fully agree, watching games with biased commentators is terrible when you know better after growing up. I believe to you have to have watched a high number of games to truly get what OP is saying.

In the last 5 year I've grown very fond of watching Knick games as well and I'll get as many in through as season as I can. The commentary by Breen and Frazier is simply amazing and the overall tv product of watching the Knicks play at home is one of the very best in the all of sports, at least when the Knicks are competitive like this season, and a lot of it is due to those two.
I was talking about this with a colleague the other day and I just can't give them enough credit.

thanks for the kudos - it may be a sign of douchey elitism but imo the recognition and disparagement of bias in professional sports commentary really speaks to the quality and realism of a man's fanhood and character. good on you

[FatComputerNerd]

Cavs commentators are super-biased obviously.

They're entertaining though. McCloud knows his stuff, and AC is Mr. Cavalier!