TNT’s broadcast without play-by-play man makes for interesting television

Silence is one of the most underrated talents in broadcasting and the best studio hosts and gamecallers understand this implicitly. (Pay attention to ESPN’s Dan Shulman calling a game or Fox’s Curt Menefee navigating a studio show and you’ll see it.) Kerr told USA Today prior to the game that he saw his role as the “point man leading us to breaks” and termed the broadcast as a “roundtable discussion.” He made it work early by ceding a lot of space to Webber (who is terrific) and Miller (who likes to talk). For long stretches Kerr opted not to call play-by-play but rather lead the analysts in discussions. It was reminiscent of a Summer League game broadcast and at times it was really refreshing, especially when the group broke down the offensive sets of the Thunder. The downside was the viewer was rarely given a signature moment — the crowd was far more electric than the announcers — and the context and specifics of the game (fouls, turnovers, points etc.) were ceded in lieu of conversation. For example, in the second quarter, Kevin Durant had a nasty block of Jarrett Jack. Had it been Kevin Harlan, the broadcaster would have produced a YouTube highlight. Instead, Kerr called as if it were a made free throw. (Kerr did have a nice call on Thabo Sefolosha’s three-pointer — he dropped a Marv Albert “Yes” — to beat the first half buzzer.)

If you want a grade, call the collective broadcast a B- or a C+, and give Kerr a higher grade given he showed you how versatile he is. It wasn’t revolutionary broadcasting — and the game was a dud in the second half which aided the broadcast given the action wasn’t compelling — but it was interesting television for a regular-season game. ESPN or Turner would be wise to try it again with different pairings, but only for the regular season.

Article Appeared @http://nba.si.com/2013/04/12/tnt-no-play-by-play-man-steve-kerr-chris-webber-reggie-miller/?eref=sihp

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *