http://sportsmediajournal.com/2009/06/11/three-man-game-in-nba-finals/
As we prepare to hear ABC/ESPN's announcing team call Game 4 of the NBA Finals,
I would suggest a change for next season that would help immeasurably.
Regardless of whether the network wants to bring back Mark Jackson and Jeff Van
Gundy as analysts, someone needs to be cut. I'm not sure it matters which one.
This is nothing against the performance of either analyst. I could quibble with
Jackson and Van Gundy here and there, but overall they are capable commentators.
And Van Gundy has turned out to be much funnier than anyone would have guessed
when he left coaching for broadcasting.
No, my point is that there are two of them, and thus when you add play-by-play
man Mike Breen, you have three voices calling the game. That's one two many.
Two-man teams develop a rhythm, a give-and-take, that helps the game flow. Three
in a booth — no matter the sport — is never better than two. Earlier in the
playoffs, as games shifted between ESPN and TNT, the different feel was evident
when telecasts went from the ESPN's threesome to the TNT's pair. With three
voices, particularly in a fast-paced game such as basketball, it often sounds as
if the analyst doesn't get to finish his thought.
So, you folks in Bristol will take care of that for me, right?