As playoff contests around the NBA started over the weekend, fans from around the world tuned in for coverage of the action on national platforms, including ABC, ESPN and TNT. Dan Le Batard watched some of the NBA Playoff games over the weekend, including the studio shows that preceded them, and made mention of a storyline that has emerged pertaining to former center and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins.
Perkins, who appeared this weekend on NBA Countdown, conjectured that the Miami Heat could shoot 100% from the field and still get swept by the Boston Celtics in the best-of-seven series.
This point, which co-host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner claimed was ridiculous, led Le Batard to elaborate on ESPN’s coverage of the games. Despite an early audio glitch in the Orlando Magic contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Le Batard believes that the game coverage was great. Shoulder programming surrounding those broadcasts, however, was an entirely different matter.
“I’m talking about the games, but the studio shows in general – that’s something that Adam Silver and the NBA has had a problem with, almost the entire time that I’ve known of ESPN and that they’ve had studio shows, because it’s always compared against the standard, which is [Charles] Barkley and TNT, and it always pales compared to that,” Le Batard said, referring to Inside the NBA.
“But you’re just filling a lot of studio shows with noise and noise in tight spaces, and so some dumb things are going to be said because you just exist to get to the next batch of commercials. You’re there giving 90 seconds of analysis and getting out. It seems like a waste of time.”
This season marks the first year with host Malika Andrews and analyst Bob Myers, who stepped in after Mike Greenberg focused on his other ventures and Jalen Rose was laid off by the company. Prior to that, NBA Countdown had included personalities such as Michelle Beadle, Paul Pierce and Jay Williams.
“It’s an unfair comparison or standard, isn’t it, from Adam Silver, to compare what ESPN is doing against TNT,” Weiner said. “It is the greatest pregame show in the history of pregames.”
“I’m just telling you the reason they’ve had so much turnover over the years with those studio shows is at least in part because of the NBA’s dissatisfaction with those studio shows,” Le Batard said. “They’ve wanted something better.”
