May
26
WHY THE NBA ON NBC KICKS THE CRAP OUT OF THE NBA ON ABC/ESPN!
When I was a kid, Memorial Day Weekend meant two things besides being off on Monday.
• The school year was over in about two weeks and summer was just around the corner, as evidenced by the Memorial Day Weekend barbecues and the opening of swimming pools.
• I was going to watch a lot of quality NBA basketball.
Back in the good old days when the NBA was on NBC and not the joke that is ABC and ESPN, there would be four days straight of Conference Finals basketball on network television, with the action getting kickstarted with a Friday night game followed by afternoon specials on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Nowadays, the NBA has spread the playoffs so far out for television purposes that there is rarely this continuity in games.
For example, San Antonio and Utah last played on Tuesday night. While tonight would be a perfect time for ABC to air Game Three, we have to wait until tomorrow night. Sadly, that will be the only NBA game on network television this weekend as the NBA granted TNT exclusive rights to one of the Conference Finals series back in 2004. The NBA and ABC won’t even be showing Game Four on Memorial Day. While this would be a perfect time to show the game around 2:30 p.m. as people are barbecuing and preparing to eat, the game will be on ESPN at 9 o’clock Eastern. What a joke!
Sure, nearly everyone in the country has cable these days. Yet there used to be a different feel on Memorial Day Weekend when these games were on network television. Maybe I just feel that way because the Bulls were always playing back then when I was kid. But I still enjoyed watching the Memorial Day Weekend quadruple-header even when the Bulls’ dynasty ended. Unfortunately, it’s just not the same nowadays in terms of getting excited for these games. You can thank David Stern and television executives who have too much influence on when these games are played for deflating the air out of what used to be one of my favorite weekends for basketball viewing.
With that said, I thought I’d list my favorite and most hated games from past Memorial Day weekends when the NBA was on NBC.
Friday Night Lights
Favorite Game: 2002 Western Conference Finals, Game Three, Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers. Played at The Staples Center, the upstart Kings put it to the Lakers in Game Three of this classic series. The Kings ran the Lakers out of the building in the first half, before Los Angeles cut the score within single digits when Kobe Bryant went nutz at the end of the third quarter. Sacramento stemmed the tide in the fourth when Mike Bibby fed Chris Webber for an awesome lob dunk. With the victory, the Kings took a 2-1 lead and regained home advantage from the Lakers after losing at Arco Arena in Game One. Game Four of this classic seven-game series would be quite disappointing. Here’s a recap of the Kings-Lakers’ rivalry from earlier this decade (in your best interests, mute the sound).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsAu_6cDWlM]
Most Hated Game: 2001 Western Conference Finals, Game Three, San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers. I thought this was going to be a good series matching Tim Duncan and David Robinson versus Shaquille O’Neal, Bryant and the defending NBA champion Lakers. Los Angeles won the first two games of this series in San Antonio and then destroyed the Spurs in Games Three and Four. San Antonio was adjusting to the comeback of guard Derek Anderson, who had been a great free agent acquisition that year before suffering a dislocated shoulder in Game One of the second round series against the Mavs. The Lakers just blitzed the Spurs in Games Three and Four, with Duncan and Robinson looking like chumps against Shaq. Derek Fisher was unconscious from behind the three point line in these two games against the Spurs during the Lakers’ easy sweep. The Lakers would lose one game during the entire 2001 playoffs (Game One of the Finals against Philadelphia) en route to an amazing 15-1 postseason record and repeat. Watch the Lakers dominate the Spurs in 2001 (sorry for the terrible music).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjnwOnBbM0E]
Saturday Matinees:
Favorite Game: 1993 Eastern Conference Finals, Game Three, New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls. Never was I so nervous for a game in my life. The Bulls were going for the three-peat, but had fallen behind 2-0 to the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. New York had of course pushed the Bulls to seven games in the 1992 playoffs before being eliminated. With the three-peat on the line, the Bulls absolutely blitzed the Knicks in Game Three, despite a sub par effort from Michael Jordan. All of Chicago’s other starters (Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright and John Paxson) were tremendous in this game. The Bulls had the Knicks so frustrated in this game at the rocking Chicago Stadium that John Starks was “teed-up” in the first half for kicking the ball into the air. After this game, NBC’s Quinn Buckner predicted that the Bulls would not lose again in this series, and that’s what exactly happened. Jordan scored 50-plus in Game Four, the Bulls stuffed Charles Smith in Game Five, and then closed out the series in Game Six back in Chicago. The Bulls would of course beat the Suns in six games for the three-peat. Watch Jordan and the Bulls eliminate the Knicks in 1993, and see how much egg was left on the face of Charles Smith after Game Five.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnJw0pgUUEc&mode=related&search=]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fYGOArPxz8]
Most Hated Game: 1998 Eastern Conference Finals, Game Three: Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers. Chicago was going for its second three-peat in 1998 with its weakest team yet, but had jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Pacers. Game Three in Indianapolis was frustrating for several reasons. Earlier that day, I had been informed that I had won first place in an Italian American War Veterans’ essay contest on “What the Flag Meant to Me.” While a great honor, I had to go to a banquet in the Chicago suburbs that night to receive my award. Thus, my attention to this game was very sporadic as I had to get ready and put on a suit. From what I remember, Indiana played well this game but were certainly beatable. The Bulls were inconsistent in a game in which they could have put their foot to the Pacers’ collective throat. This series would of course produce a huge scare and go seven games.
Sunday Breezes:
Most Memorable Game: 2000 Western Conference Finals, Game 4, Los Angeles Lakers versus the Portland Trail Blazers. OK. I was mad about this game. A superb Portland team featuring an unreal starting lineup of Damon Stoudamire in his prime, Steve Smith, Scottie Pippen, Rasheed Wallace and Arvydas Sabonis lost at home to the hated Lakers. Former Bull Ron Harper was tough from the field in this game, as the Lakers took both games in Portland for a 3-1 lead. This series would of course be a classic and one of my favorite of all time as Portland got it to Game Seven before blowing a 17 point second half lead. I’ve listed this game as my favorite because my cousin got engaged to her husband on this day, which also turned out to be her party for her college graduation. As for myself, I was feeling good about being out of St. Patrick High School in Chicago and off to the University of Illinois, and had a most memorable time at this graduation party. Here’s a recap of the series (mute the sound if you don’t want to listen to this terrible music).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY06eaFaplw&mode=related&search=]
Most Hated Game: 2002 Western Conference Finals, Game Four, Sacramento Kings versus Los Angeles Lakers. After the Kings took Game Three in Los Angeles for a 2-1 series lead, they jumped all over the Lakers in the first half of Game Four. Bibby, Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Hedo Turkoglu, Vlade Divac and Bobby Jackson were clicking on all cylinders as the Kings went up by more than 20 points. The game changed when Los Angeles’ Samaki Walker banked in a half-court three at the halftime buzzer. The Lakers fought back in the second half, but Sacramento held on until the final possession. With the Lakers on the verge of defeat after Kobe Bryant missed a layup, Divac tapped the ball out to Robert Horry, who stepped into a three at the top of the key and hit nothing but net as the final horn went off. On the verge of a 3-1 series lead and a certain NBA Finals’ appearance, the Kings were sent home at two games apiece. While the Kings would win Game Five at Arco on a late Bibby jumper, they would get hosed by the officials in Game Six in Los Angeles and of course drop Game Seven at home in overtime. The hated Lakers would sweep the Nets in the Finals for the three-peat. See Horry’s shot once again.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3FyJ7fag3Q]
Memorial Day Classics:
Favorite Game: 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, Game Four, Chicago Bulls versus Detroit Pistons. After getting denied by the Pistons in the playoffs for three straight seasons, the Bulls broke through in 1991 en route to the sweep and the franchise’s first NBA Finals’ appearance and title against the Lakers. After winning a tight Game Three at the Palace of Auburn Hills (which had been a nightmare to win at for the Bulls in the past), Chicago blew out Detroit in Game Four. Chicago was the superior team, and the Pistons were exposed for an aging team that only had its thuggery to rely on. Dennis Rodman slammed Pippen onto the baseline floor in this game, a cheap shot which required Pippen to get stitches. And in one of most classless displays in the history of professional sports, most of the Pistons walked off the court before the game was over rather than congratulating the Bulls. Isaiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer were most noticeable in this poor display of sportsmanship. The only Pistons who stuck around and congratulated the Bulls were John Salley and Joe Dumars. And you wonder why Dumars is a success as a GM and a human being while Isaiah is a complete joke. See for yourself below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mQwubKA3lc]
Most Hated Game: 1998 Eastern Conference Finals, Game Four, Chicago Bulls versus Indiana Pacers. Everyone moans about Michael Jordan’s disregard of Bryon Russell in Game Six of the 1998 Finals. And yet no one talks about Reggie Miller’s push-off of Jordan in this game. Leading 2-1 in the series, Chicago held the lead throughout Game Four. But Indiana didn’t quit and the game was tight to the very end. Chicago could have put the game away in the final seconds but Pippen clanked two free throws. Indiana called timeout and passed the ball in from half court. Coming off of a screen, Reggie Miller shoved Jordan out of the way. Specifically, Miller took both of his arms and threw them into the chest of Jordan, who was sent flying. How an offensive foul wasn’t called is beyond reproach, and Miller of course hit a game-winning three with 0.5 seconds left. The situation was made worse by the hooting and hollering of NBC’s Bob Costas, who said nothing about the push off and cast Miller as the greatest clutch player of all time. Chicago still almost won this game when Jordan’s desperation, bank shot three pointer off the glass rimmed in and out. The Bulls would blow out the Pacers in Game Five, lose in Game Six when Jordan slipped in the final moments, and require a massive comeback in Game Seven to win the series. With that said, this series shouldn’t have gone this long if the refs had called the obvious offense foul on Miller. Watch the push off here.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYKlaW5iFfs]
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