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Sports Media Watch
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Legler and Jefferson are rounding into form. I'm at the point where I don't feel like this is a downgrade from JVG/Jackson. The chemistry will *never* be what it was with Breen, JVG and Jackson. But it works in its own way.
Spurs on the brink of owning the two most painful losses in the history of the NBA Finals -- this and Game 6 in 2013.
Sports Media Watch
The only competitor might be FOX during the 2003 LCS. Those were eight unbelievable days. (Frankly, as I think about it, I probably still rank that ahead of this. That was off the charts.)
NBC deservedly gets a lot of praise for its sports production. But the eight best days of the sporting year have probably belonged to ABC. Always a risk of hyperbole after a game like tonight, but this might be the best multi-day stretch of live sports any network has ever had.
Ratings expectations: Celtics' 2008 comeback from 24 down against Lakers -- also in Game 4 of the NBA Finals -- declined 5% from the previous game. I would imagine the early rout would have to have impacted tonight's number.
In an alternate reality, Doc Rivers is working his third-straight Finals with ESPN/ABC. Those who know him as a coach might not be aware of just how highly regarded he is as a TV voice. But I honestly think ESPN might have ended up in a better situation.
Inflection is such a big part of play-by-play. Breen -- other than the obvious "Bang!" -- doesn't really have a way with words like an Ian Eagle. He conveys what a *really* big play is, as opposed to just a 'big play,' through incredulity. Definitely fit the bill tonight.
Breen has called some of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history -- Celtics over Nets in 2002 ECF, Celtics over Lakers in 2008 Finals, and tonight.
ESPN has Breen doing a sort of mini-tease after the intro. Now if they could have him, say, prerecord a slightly longer version that could run *before* the intro, we'd really be talking.
SMW is again on-site at Madison Square Garden with @derekfutterman.bsky.social providing updates here: www.sportsmediawatch.com/nba-finals-m...
