NBA on ABC

[RKid]

If I hear the pussycat dolls during a game one more time Im going to shank myself.

It has probably been said before but Why would they put the Pussycat dolls (who I had to watch perform four times during a taping of Dancing with the stars last year) with trumpets and crap to try to pump me up?

Ever since ABC took over I find myself missing NBC more and more.

Anybody feel the same way?

 

[NikateeN]

What are you talking about???

 

[zo0mmike]

I miss NBA on NBC, they had the best theme song EVER.

 

[VF21]

What are you talking about???

Apparently you haven't watched any of the games on ABC.

The Pussycat Dolls are the "singers" who do the "Right Now!" song before and during the games. There are 6 of them, with 5 dressed in stylistic home white jerseys and the leader dressed in a stylistic yellow jersey.

The whole thing got old a very long time ago but I guess they paid the "Dolls" too much to just shelve the stupid intro...

I'll tell you one thing. Hank Williams Jr. it ain't.

 

[Merdiesel]

If I hear the pussycat dolls during a game one more time Im going to shank myself.

It has probably been said before but Why would they put the Pussycat dolls (who I had to watch perform four times during a taping of Dancing with the stars last year) with trumpets and crap to try to pump me up?

Ever since ABC took over I find myself missing NBC more and more.

Anybody feel the same way?

lol, I'm definitely with you on this one!

"Right Now... Ba ba... ba ba ba ba"

I hear that crap in my sleep!

It Also doesn't help that the main girl is rocking a Kobe jersey.

 

[NikateeN]

Apparently you haven't watched any of the games on ABC.

The Pussycat Dolls are the "singers" who do the "Right Now!" song before and during the games. There are 6 of them, with 5 dressed in stylistic home white jerseys and the leader dressed in a stylistic yellow jersey.

The whole thing got old a very long time ago but I guess they paid the "Dolls" too much to just shelve the stupid intro...

I'll tell you one thing. Hank Williams Jr. it ain't.

Actually i watch almost every game they play on ABC, i didnt know that was the Pussycat Dolls though, i just thought it was random dance team members dancing to some stupid song, and it actually doesnt get to me that much.

 

[Jerryaki]

perhaps i am conditioned by the standard camera formats, but the dolls bother me a lot less than the "innovative camera angles" abc likes to use for their games.

the diagonal one, that tries to smoothly pan with the action? nearly makes me vomit.

 

[RKid]

Whenever I heard the NBA on NBC intro I would get so hyped up, but when ABC brought out the Jazz intro and the Dolls it just made me not want to watch the games.

The only good thing that comes out of the Lakers not being in the finals is not having to watch it on ABC.

(Ok maybe thats a little to much I would kill to watch the lakers on PAX right now)

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Why would anybody need to listen to the theme song of a program to get "hyped up" about the program? It's basketball; it sells itself.

ABC's analysis is good, and their coverage is good. That's what's important, not whether or not they have a catchy jingle to go to commercial to.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

ABC has its share of problems including the inability to make a single crew stick as their A-Team and some really bizarre camera angles. I also think the death of the ABC Sports brand and everything now being ESPN this or that hurts a bit. A marquee matchup on a Sunday isn't really any better than a midseason Wednesday night filler game on ESPN2. I think the NBA needs to seriously look at that when it comes to renegotiating their TV deal.

But lets not kid ourselves. NBC wasn't perfect either. They had an established A-Team announcing crew of pompous blowhards who loved teetering on about useless trivia that they decided were meaningful stats. They tried their hardest to turn Isaiah Thomas into an A level announcer despite the fact that he was horrible and wasn't connecting. And I won't even mention Ahmad Rashad... oops I just did. The one thing I liked about NBC was after they lost the NFL they treated the NBA as their star property. Ironically their present day NFL treatment with Pink butchering an already bad Joan Jett song is pretty awful itself. So if the Pussycat Dolls are your biggest problem I somehow doubt it would be any better on NBC.

 

[RaY Z]

I miss NBA on NBC, they had the best theme song EVER.

you got that right

http://www.ilovewavs.com/TV/Sports/TV Theme - NBC, NBA.wav

awesome!!!!

 

[jon e]

I'll tell you one thing. Hank Williams Jr. it ain't.

how bout Hank Williams Sr. itd be the most depressing game intro ever

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

ABC has its share of problems including the inability to make a single crew stick as their A-Team and some really bizarre camera angles. I also think the death of the ABC Sports brand and everything now being ESPN this or that hurts a bit. A marquee matchup on a Sunday isn't really any better than a midseason Wednesday night filler game on ESPN2. I think the NBA needs to seriously look at that when it comes to renegotiating their TV deal.

I disagree a hundred percent about the camera angles. I don't think that they're bizarre at all; I think they're splendid, in fact.

And ABC does have an "A-team." It's Mike Breen and Hubie Brown. And I happen to think they're great.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

And ABC does have an "A-team." It's Mike Breen and Hubie Brown. And I happen to think they're great.

My point was that the A-Team has been changed almost every season, not that it doesn't exist. That's a crew that has been together for 1.5 seasons, if that? And they were scheduled to be broken up except for ESPN games.

The camera angles are a love em or hate em thing but I routinely see it referenced by people who hate ABC's coverage. I particularly loathed the in floor cam, I think its gone now, but it was a useless and low quality camera. When I get a game on a big network I want the highest production values possible not gimmicky shots on par with a $25 web cam.

Both of these go towards establishing a brand identity. NBC had it, ABC not so much. Disappointing when you consider that ABC Sports was at one time the strongest sports brand on network tv.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

My point was that the A-Team has been changed almost every season, not that it doesn't exist. That's a crew that has been together for 1.5 seasons, if that? And they were scheduled to be broken up except for ESPN games.

The only reason why the crew has changed is because Hubie left in the middle of ABC's first season to go back to coaching.

And people seem to have this sort of revisionist memory of the NBC broadcasts; they didn't have some tandem that was always together outside of the conference finals and the Finals, either.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

And people seem to have this sort of revisionist memory of the NBC broadcasts; they didn't have some tandem that was always together outside of the conference finals and the Finals, either.

And outside of the fact that I thought they brought far higher production values to their broadcasts my first post on the subject made it clear that my opinion of NBC wasn't really that much better.

Personally, I'm a fan of TNT's coverage.

 

[RaY Z]

And outside of the fact that I thought they brought far higher production values to their broadcasts my first post on the subject made it clear that my opinion of NBC wasn't really that much better.

Personally, I'm a fan of TNT's coverage.

mee too i love kevin harland and marv albert...!

doug collins too.. =)

steve kerr is alright but i hate it when his covering a spurs game... ARGHHH!!!

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

And outside of the fact that I thought they brought far higher production values to their broadcasts my first post on the subject made it clear that my opinion of NBC wasn't really that much better.

Personally, I'm a fan of TNT's coverage.

Oh, so do I. I think that TNT's coverage is better than either NBC or ABC. I just think that people who think that ABC's coverage is terrible, but NBC's was terrific have a fairly revisionist memory of what NBC's coverage was actually like.

I think that a lot of people's memories are also influenced by the era; NBC had the contract during the Golden Age of the NBA, so people are probably inclined to recall how much better basketball was in general back in those days, and attribute some of that to the guys that were calling the games.

 

[hoopsfan]

I think that a lot of people's memories are also influenced by the era; NBC had the contract during the Golden Age of the NBA, so people are probably inclined to recall how much better basketball was in general back in those days,

You're probably right about that.

Though for me it wasn't the guys calling the games that I remember so much...it was the era of the Lakers/Celtics finals rivalry and the brand of basketball being played without all the ticky-tack fouls that have ruined the game.

 

[Jerryaki]

I disagree a hundred percent about the camera angles. I don't think that they're bizarre at all; I think they're splendid, in fact.

you LIKE their camera angles? i can't stand them, i get disoriented when they start sweeping all over the place.

 

[Spike]

And ABC does have an "A-team." It's Mike Breen and Hubie Brown.

I could listen to Hubie for hours. Just listen to his analysis, and you'll pick up quite a bit. He goes into specific detail as to how/why teams are succeeding/failing. Hubie is one of the few announcers in today's game that don't make me feel any dumber for having listened to them.

Then again, maybe you don't care to know the reason why the Nets are having problems attacking from the wing, maybe it's just me.

 

[zo0mmike]

I like TNT the most right now. Especially with Inside the NBA. Barkley keeps me tuned in.

 

[Double-K]

I disagree a hundred percent about the camera angles. I don't think that they're bizarre at all; I think they're splendid, in fact.

I think you are one of the very few, if not alone, on that....

As I stated before in another thread, I absolutely can't stand the pussycat dolls' song playing EVERY SINGLE COMMERCIAL BREAK and I don't like that "innovative" camera angle as well.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I think you are one of the very few, if not alone, on that...

That can't possibly be true. If I were "one of the very few, if not alone," they would have been done away with already.

 

[Superman]

I could listen to Hubie for hours. Just listen to his analysis, and you'll pick up quite a bit. He goes into specific detail as to how/why teams are succeeding/failing. Hubie is one of the few announcers in today's game that don't make me feel any dumber for having listened to them.

Then again, maybe you don't care to know the reason why the Nets are having problems attacking from the wing, maybe it's just me.

Hubie puts me to sleep. He's extremely knowledgeable, he just isn't enjoyable to listen to.

Mike Breen is the best play-by-play guy ABC/ESPN has, but he's not the best in the world. Marv Albert and Kevin Harlan are much better, and Bob Costas was very good as well.

Can't stand Mike Tirico, either on the NBA or the NFL. He talks waaay too much for my liking, and I don't like the way he calls a game.

 

[VF21]

I hate the ABC coverage. I cringe every time I hear the Pussycat Dolls and at least one of the camera angles actually gives me vertigo...

If it ain't broke, why fix it?

I like Marv Albert and Kevin Harlan for commentating and actually find myself - like Superman - almost nodding off when Hubie talks too long. Part of that could be the monotone quality of his voice, however.

 

[Double-K]

That can't possibly be true. If I were "one of the very few, if not alone," they would have been done away with already.

On a 2nd thought, you're probably right..... the "stylists" for the program, who might not even watch basketball, might love the "courtside-ish" angle in an artistic point of view.....

 

[RaY Z]

you LIKE their camera angles? i can't stand them, i get disoriented when they start sweeping all over the place.

i actually think its pretty cool that they show camera angles from different perspectives... and the thing is, the broadcast view is the one that is mostly shown, the other angles are just shown sometimes...

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I like Marv Albert and Kevin Harlan for commentating and actually find myself - like Superman - almost nodding off when Hubie talks too long. Part of that could be the monotone quality of his voice, however.

This seems to be on the verge of becoming a circular argument; I think that the general consensus is that TNT has the best broadcast of the three. And I, for one, am not trying to argue that Breen/Brown are "great," or "best in the world" as Supes put it. The gist of my statement was that 1) Breen/Brown are ABC's "A-team," 2) They work well together, and do a good job calling games, and c) they compare well to the broadcast teams that NBC used to have.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

On a 2nd thought, you're probably right..... the "stylists" for the program, who might not even watch basketball, might love the "courtside-ish" angle in an artistic point of view.....

I don't think that the "stylists" dictate policy at ABC. If enough viewers had complained to ABC to get rid of the camera angles, they'd be gone already.