For one rare Thursday, TNT has no NBA coverage (instead airing reruns of The Closer and Law and Order). Of course, this Thursday is Thanksgiving, the day when people gorge themselves on food while surrounded by family members they pretend to like. Also, its the day when people think about what they’re most thankful for.
Any NBA fan worth his salt is thankful for TNT. The cable network, which began televising NBA games in 1988, has taken the mantle as the lead network for NBA coverage since NBC was unceremoniously dropped in 2002. TNT NBA Thursday has the top NBA talent both in game coverage and in the studio. While ABC has had six different lead announcing teams in its first five years covering the NBA (and ESPN has had nearly the same amount), TNT has remained virtually stable, only making changes where absolutely necessary (i.e., replacing Mike Fratello, Hubie Brown and Jeff Van Gundy when they each returned to coaching). And while ABC’s NBA coverage has set record lows in ratings, TNT’s NBA coverage has set record ratings for cable (in 2004 for Game 6 of Lakers/Wolves and then again in 2005 for Game 7 of Pistons/Heat).
Why is TNT the gold standard of NBA coverage?
Play by play: Marv Albert and Kevin Harlan.
- Albert is the voice of the NBA, having called nine NBA Finals for network television (all with NBC) and having voiced some of the great moments in the history of the league. From Willis Reed’s comeback from injury in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to Michael Jordan’s game winner in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, Albert’s distinctive gravelly voice has become synonymous with the NBA. Prior to his 1997 sex scandal, he was cast in several basketball movies, including The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh and Eddie. Marv doesn’t just call basketball; to any New York Knicks fan or any NBA fan that grew up in the 1990s, Marv is basketball. (Unless you hate him. Then, it’s a different story.)
- Kevin Harlan is an energetic back-up voice for TNT, providing explosive calls for what are primarily West Coast games. Some complain that Harlan is overly excited and slightly insane; in my opinion, that can be a good thing. Harlan isn’t constantly shouting, like Dick Vitale, instead saving his screaming catchphrases (“Right between the eyes!” or “With no regard for human life!”) for big plays. Harlan is a fun backup, especially in close games at 1:00 am on the East Coast.
Analysts: Steve Kerr and Doug Collins.
- Steve Kerr works with Marv Albert and in his fourth year with TNT has grown into one of the most knowledgeable and entertaining color commentators in the business. Sometimes self-effacing in the vein of Mike Fratello and Jeff van Gundy before him, Kerr doesn’t provide quite the insight or understanding of a Hubie Brown or Doug Collins but does provide enough good analysis to be a strong lead analyst.
- Doug Collins is widely regarded as one of the best color commentators, although some disagree. With an almost eerie ability to predict plays before they happen, Collins almost seems to be in the minds of the coaches at times. Working with Kevin Harlan during most of the season and Marv Albert during the All Star Game and the Conference Finals, he is vastly superior to nearly everyone at ESPN/ABC. One problem: he and Steve Kerr sound exactly alike, making for some confusing moments when they work together.
Studio team: EJ, Kenny and Charles.
- Ernie Johnson, Jr. is the best studio host in the business, along with James Brown of CBS and Chris Fowler of ESPN. Johnson has been hosting TNT’s NBA coverage since 1988, running the show effortlessly — especially since the late-90s addition of Kenny Smith and then later Charles Barkley. Smith and Barkley have provided entertaining analysis, moreso than Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw at FOX (who are entertaining but not nearly as loose as their TNT NBA counterparts), and much more than Greg Anthony and Tim Legler (whose interaction and humor seem stilted at best).
- The trio can be seen each week on TNT’s lighthearted and informative postgame show, Inside the NBA. Sometimes joined by Magic Johnson or Reggie Miller, Johnson, Smith and Barkley do something that ESPN’s group (NBA or otherwise) can’t: debate issues naturally, without staring at the camera or having their opinions stated for them in captions at the bottom of the screen. Barkley and Smith’s debates lively enough that anyone watching knows that they keep on talking during the commercial breaks. And the humor is far from contrived (as opposed to ESPN’s NBA Shootaround, which at one point featured gutbusters such as “Fortune Tellers”, which featured Legler, Anthony and Stephen A. Smith dressed as psychics, making predictions). Sketches like “Who He Play For?”, where Barkley tries to guess what team a player is currently playing for, are funny enough to make staying up till 1:30 in the morning tolerable. And some events, like Barkley weighing himself or trying to hold his breath underwater, are so absurd that you can’t help laughing.
TNT is the best across the board. The only thing that could make its coverage better is if they hired John Tesh to play Roundball Rock before every commercial.
