We spent Friday talking about radio. It's only fair that we give a little time over the weekend to talk about the television crew.
The question is simple: What do you think of the Mikes (Barrett and Rice) and why?
I must confess that as a faithful League Pass watcher overall I am kind of disappointed with the television coverage of the NBA. I think it's generational as much as anything. In my mind games should be broadcast fairly impartially with excitement shown in tone and vocal modulation for good plays...especially when the home team makes them. I like it when broadcasters broadcast and let the fans root. Too many broadcasters try to create excitement instead of conveying the game, at least for my tastes.
That said I like Mike Barrett because he's fairly understated and has a nice way of describing things. He seems pretty down to earth over the air which is a good demeanor for Portland. He's obviously a fan but I guess I don't mind his rooting as much because it seems honest. But then again maybe every fan thinks their home TV guys are honest while other teams' are complete homers. Nevertheless Mike seems genuine, involved, and sometimes amusing. He's a good foil for Mike Rice who is truly in a class all his own. What that class is...that's anybody's guess, but there's sure nobody else like him anywhere in broadcasting.
So what do you think of our TV crew? Things they do great? Things they could do better? How about them as compared to the league in general? Give us your thoughts below.
By the way, after we get all done with this I'm going to talk more about the importance of non-player aspects of the NBA and these discussions will help inform that.
——Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
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