JVG sucked. Mark Jackoff sucked. Just because ESPN still sucks, doesn’t mean the other two didn’t.
defeated_engineer
JVG was the only guy who would call out the refs on their bullshit on the broadcast. Loved the guy.
bigbossstepback
Wholeheartedly agree
ESPN BRING BACK JVG AND MARK JACKSON YOU COWARDS
sergechewbacca
Bring back JVG. Doris Burke is terrible.
dmavs11
I’m sure few will agree with me but…
Give me JVG back over Inside the NBA. The fact that people care about a halftime show where the guys don’t even watch basketball over the actual in game product amazes me.
Also, TNT turns down the crowd noise which impacts the viewing experience more than anything. I cannot imagine how terrible it’s going to be hearing Doris Burke in a Finals game. That’s going to ruin the product. Not a halftime show that I can get up during.
ClappedCheek
I refuse to listen to any broadcast with doris burkes “know-it-all-but-actually-know-nothing “voice in it.
haris501
Love JVG, hope NBC hires him
lopea182
> One concern ESPN had, according to executives briefed on their decision-making, was that Van Gundy would jump back into coaching, which he had flirted with for years.
> Van Gundy, though, never left during his 16 seasons with the network, while Rivers’ stay at ESPN was almost as short as Bill Belichick’s run as “HC of the NYJ.”
>While on the broadcasting job for ESPN, Rivers first started consulting with the Milwaukee Bucks in December, then left to become the team’s head coach in January, embarrassing ESPN after giving it a three-year commitment.
> By the All-Star break, Redick, who turns 40 in June, was moved in. He has had an incredible broadcasting run, making many millions as a podcaster and gambling spokesperson and through his ESPN game and studio work.
>But as evidenced by his latest venture, an inside-the-game podcast with LeBron James, Redick’s post-playing passion might mirror that of Rivers. His game analysis is more coach-like than conversational.
antieverything
I can live with the play-by-play (it is bad, don’t get me wrong) but the studio crew is one of the worst sports presentations I’ve seen in my life. They are spending so much money just to have their ESPN personalities on screen for about 12 minutes total, 5 minutes at halftime to talk about 3 seemingly random highlights then recite scripted lines before going back to commercial forever.
WillLOTR
Seeing a lot of knocks on Doris in this thread without any specific criticism. Can someone elaborate on what they don’t like about her on the call?
MasterTeacher123
He fell off anyway. Like he was the king of running a point into the ground
_Meece_
ESPN broadcasts have been horrendous for years now, go watch 2013 Finals with JVG and Mjax, then watch one of the last games with JVG and Mjax.
Doesn’t even feel like the same people, they lost their mojo. Personally I think a Doc, JJ and Breen team would’ve been good. Or swap JJ with RJ. That trio would be great. Burke’s a podcaster, she has no excitement for what’s going on. Just constant media talking points from her.
ESPN have cut so many corners, it’s infesting everything they do.
DJ_B0B
Not because JVG ranting about random garbage and trying to be a podcaster while NBA teams were playing 4th quarter playoff minutes was good. Just because they keep hiring/promoting even worse commentators.
Emotional-Chef-7601
Never understood the jvg hate. Mark Jackson was the terrible one.
I didn’t enjoy JVG but if the alternative is Doris Burke, please take me back.
GunnerRocket
Disney long ago eliminated the “personality” and decided to follow the “warm body” model where anyone can fill a role so long as they don’t veer off script too much and fit a specific character profile.
Jeff’s “cousins” and “own research” rants are goated.
No-Operation9423
2 team broadcast booths are superior to 3. It avoids people talking over each other (unless you are Tony Romo)
dedfrmthneckup
How about their decision to put Mike Breen, who literally calls Knicks games locally for MSG Network all year, on a Knicks series and ask him to pretend to be objective. Nothing against Breen personally, I love him as a play by play guy in the playoffs, but it was always going to be impossible for him not to talk more about the team he watches all year up close.
JFlizzy84
Idk about his actual commentary but my favorite NBA meme by far is the JVG vs Mark Jackson vs Mike Breen play-by-play memes
Professional-Arm5300
Ehhh JVG is unbearable. I still think it was a good idea to move on.
Atl-Fan_FTS
Oh so making us listen to “Milk stuck in throat” Doris annoying ass wasn’t good for ratings? No fuckin way?
BugO_OEyes
Yupp i miss van bundy so much
K9Marz919
Breen is goated. Doris Burke has a lot of knowledge about the game, but Christ is she boring and repetitive. Her favoritism is blatant and obvious. Just soul sucking to listen to
I think the best broadcasts are usually the 2 person ones we see on local broadcasts. The knicks, hornets, etc. Even my celtics (i know they homer) are more entertaining than whatever ESPN puts out.
X_FlashPanther_X
I don’t care what random redditors said, I absolutely loved the trio of JVG, Mark and Mike. They were the staple, having done the finals so many years together. I enjoyed the broadcast almost as much as the game. I feel bad for Mike because he had the best chemistry with them compared to anyone this year.
mightyducks2wasokay
I want to just try out a series where the national broadcasts bring in each team’s local broadcast crew for home games in the playoffs. Or have each team’s local broadcast team get to call one national game per series
Idk. I think it would’ve be fun to go from a Burke and Breen MSG called game to a Chris and Quinn called game at Gainbridge.
Like, I’m fine if the broadcast team’s are slanted one way or the other… just as long as each team gets a turn with it
invertedearth
Q: Why can’t we have Hubie doing these games?
A: There ya go!
7cheeseburgers
The studio pregrame/halftime/postgame shows are terrible and I am sorry but Doris is just not a top tier color commentator. There has to be someone better for the top spot regardless of gender.
Dagrix
I loved JVG’s old-man-yells-at-clouds act because he was a curious mixture of based and funny most of the time.
Briskpenguin69
It was all about the Benjamins.
Ok-Assistant-2684
I know it’s sacrilege but Doris Burke is just not good on broadcasts, ESPN has always been a hype machine and that’s not changing, screaming A is annoying and their “analysts” are too
StephCurryInTheHouse
Its absolutely mind-boggling how much ESPN has deteriorated over the last 25 years. Maybe I was a naive kid, but I could and often did watch ESPN all day every day. The personalities were great, the shows were great, the analysis was decent. Now its 95% clickbait with maybe 5% genuine analysis. They the WWE of sports media while pretending to be real. I completely stopped watching all ESPN about 2 years ago except for actual sports broadcasts, tuning in right at game time and taking a break at halftime, and its been great. But yea, every time I see a game is on ESPN I get a little bit disappointed knowing even the in-game commentary that I’m forced to listen to is going to be trash. NBA much preferred on TNT.
grimace24
Breen is excellent in play-by-play. Who he’s paired with is the issue. Burke and Reddick don’t add any legit insight in to the action. As for the rest of the presentation on ESPN/ABC its awful. They do a terrible job breaking down games, ESPN does a terrible job promoting games besides bumpers (little ads on screen) on their programming. Remember when ESPN used to have commercials promoting games “This Tuesday, Kobe v. Lebron! Don’t miss the action at 8PM” They don’t do that anymore either.
TheRealTofuey
Who wrote this article, Jeff Van Gundys mom?
seasoned-veteran
Everyone’s hating on Doris but there’s really only two things I don’t like about her. The sound of her voice, and the things she says.
barbaraanderson
What’s wild is that their women’s basketball coverage is actually really good in comparison, especially they’re in studio team. They are probably the closest thing we will have to inside the nba once that ends next season.
Loose-Slice5386
Maybe they could get Stephen A. Smith to yell more? That should fix things.
InnerKookaburra
WTF wrote this?
Games have been so much better without JVG and Mark Jackson.
Richard Jefferson, Jamal Crawford, Reggie Miller, and Kevin Harlan have been especially good these playoffs.
rarestakesando
I think they just need an option where you can watch the game with no commentary. Like selecting the language in Netflix.
Headbandallday
JVG and Mark Jackson were terrible.
squaff
I personally didn’t mind his casting, but I recall people in this sub being adamant to get him off the air not too long ago. Crazy how people switch up after they see how bad it could really get. Well people, it could get worse, because now we’re stuck with Doris lol
Brick_HardCheese
This sub by and large hated JVG and Jackson, which I get but didn’t agree with. They were fun, and while the unrelated rants could get annoying it’s soooooo much better than Burke and JJ who sit in literal silence for long stretches. I think the article is a little too harsh on Breen though, there are times where he has to prod JJ to say fucking anything because it’s been like five minutes and he’s probably worried that the dude died or something. It’s total amateur hour.
CoyotesSideEyes
More Doris was always going to be a bad idea
penpen35
I partly think that ESPN got screwed once Doc Rivers decided to take the Bucks job. It was the obvious thing for ESPN – he was a coach, he was a commentator, and he communicates well. So that was a pretty solid plan, Breen and Rivers can work for a few years.
But then the Bucks job opened (even before that he was doing consultancy to the Bucks) and he jumped ship.
Also the national TVs, at least ESPN likes to carry certain narratives like this article says – Indiana doing well but they mostly focus on the Knicks likely because it’s a bigger market, like how most things revolve around LeBron and the Lakers normally.
radikraze
I know people hated JVG and Mark Jackson but I enjoyed them because listening to them talk about nonsense was at least entertaining to me most times. I don’t get that from anyone now. Dorris is boring nowadays, JJ feels like he’s not even there most of the time. I just instinctively block them out now and focus on what I’m watching
45 Comments
JVG sucked. Mark Jackoff sucked. Just because ESPN still sucks, doesn’t mean the other two didn’t.
JVG was the only guy who would call out the refs on their bullshit on the broadcast. Loved the guy.
Wholeheartedly agree
ESPN BRING BACK JVG AND MARK JACKSON YOU COWARDS
Bring back JVG. Doris Burke is terrible.
I’m sure few will agree with me but…
Give me JVG back over Inside the NBA. The fact that people care about a halftime show where the guys don’t even watch basketball over the actual in game product amazes me.
Also, TNT turns down the crowd noise which impacts the viewing experience more than anything. I cannot imagine how terrible it’s going to be hearing Doris Burke in a Finals game. That’s going to ruin the product. Not a halftime show that I can get up during.
I refuse to listen to any broadcast with doris burkes “know-it-all-but-actually-know-nothing “voice in it.
Love JVG, hope NBC hires him
> One concern ESPN had, according to executives briefed on their decision-making, was that Van Gundy would jump back into coaching, which he had flirted with for years.
> Van Gundy, though, never left during his 16 seasons with the network, while Rivers’ stay at ESPN was almost as short as Bill Belichick’s run as “HC of the NYJ.”
>While on the broadcasting job for ESPN, Rivers first started consulting with the Milwaukee Bucks in December, then left to become the team’s head coach in January, embarrassing ESPN after giving it a three-year commitment.
> By the All-Star break, Redick, who turns 40 in June, was moved in. He has had an incredible broadcasting run, making many millions as a podcaster and gambling spokesperson and through his ESPN game and studio work.
>But as evidenced by his latest venture, an inside-the-game podcast with LeBron James, Redick’s post-playing passion might mirror that of Rivers. His game analysis is more coach-like than conversational.
I can live with the play-by-play (it is bad, don’t get me wrong) but the studio crew is one of the worst sports presentations I’ve seen in my life. They are spending so much money just to have their ESPN personalities on screen for about 12 minutes total, 5 minutes at halftime to talk about 3 seemingly random highlights then recite scripted lines before going back to commercial forever.
Seeing a lot of knocks on Doris in this thread without any specific criticism. Can someone elaborate on what they don’t like about her on the call?
He fell off anyway. Like he was the king of running a point into the ground
ESPN broadcasts have been horrendous for years now, go watch 2013 Finals with JVG and Mjax, then watch one of the last games with JVG and Mjax.
Doesn’t even feel like the same people, they lost their mojo. Personally I think a Doc, JJ and Breen team would’ve been good. Or swap JJ with RJ. That trio would be great. Burke’s a podcaster, she has no excitement for what’s going on. Just constant media talking points from her.
ESPN have cut so many corners, it’s infesting everything they do.
Not because JVG ranting about random garbage and trying to be a podcaster while NBA teams were playing 4th quarter playoff minutes was good. Just because they keep hiring/promoting even worse commentators.
Never understood the jvg hate. Mark Jackson was the terrible one.
JVG should have been given a lifetime contract after this https://youtu.be/PXWOc_9L_h8?si=bpNDjnfL5MRkitnu
I didn’t enjoy JVG but if the alternative is Doris Burke, please take me back.
Disney long ago eliminated the “personality” and decided to follow the “warm body” model where anyone can fill a role so long as they don’t veer off script too much and fit a specific character profile.
Jeff’s “cousins” and “own research” rants are goated.
2 team broadcast booths are superior to 3. It avoids people talking over each other (unless you are Tony Romo)
How about their decision to put Mike Breen, who literally calls Knicks games locally for MSG Network all year, on a Knicks series and ask him to pretend to be objective. Nothing against Breen personally, I love him as a play by play guy in the playoffs, but it was always going to be impossible for him not to talk more about the team he watches all year up close.
Idk about his actual commentary but my favorite NBA meme by far is the JVG vs Mark Jackson vs Mike Breen play-by-play memes
Ehhh JVG is unbearable. I still think it was a good idea to move on.
Oh so making us listen to “Milk stuck in throat” Doris annoying ass wasn’t good for ratings? No fuckin way?
Yupp i miss van bundy so much
Breen is goated. Doris Burke has a lot of knowledge about the game, but Christ is she boring and repetitive. Her favoritism is blatant and obvious. Just soul sucking to listen to
I think the best broadcasts are usually the 2 person ones we see on local broadcasts. The knicks, hornets, etc. Even my celtics (i know they homer) are more entertaining than whatever ESPN puts out.
I don’t care what random redditors said, I absolutely loved the trio of JVG, Mark and Mike. They were the staple, having done the finals so many years together. I enjoyed the broadcast almost as much as the game. I feel bad for Mike because he had the best chemistry with them compared to anyone this year.
I want to just try out a series where the national broadcasts bring in each team’s local broadcast crew for home games in the playoffs. Or have each team’s local broadcast team get to call one national game per series
Idk. I think it would’ve be fun to go from a Burke and Breen MSG called game to a Chris and Quinn called game at Gainbridge.
Like, I’m fine if the broadcast team’s are slanted one way or the other… just as long as each team gets a turn with it
Q: Why can’t we have Hubie doing these games?
A: There ya go!
The studio pregrame/halftime/postgame shows are terrible and I am sorry but Doris is just not a top tier color commentator. There has to be someone better for the top spot regardless of gender.
I loved JVG’s old-man-yells-at-clouds act because he was a curious mixture of based and funny most of the time.
It was all about the Benjamins.
I know it’s sacrilege but Doris Burke is just not good on broadcasts, ESPN has always been a hype machine and that’s not changing, screaming A is annoying and their “analysts” are too
Its absolutely mind-boggling how much ESPN has deteriorated over the last 25 years. Maybe I was a naive kid, but I could and often did watch ESPN all day every day. The personalities were great, the shows were great, the analysis was decent. Now its 95% clickbait with maybe 5% genuine analysis. They the WWE of sports media while pretending to be real. I completely stopped watching all ESPN about 2 years ago except for actual sports broadcasts, tuning in right at game time and taking a break at halftime, and its been great. But yea, every time I see a game is on ESPN I get a little bit disappointed knowing even the in-game commentary that I’m forced to listen to is going to be trash. NBA much preferred on TNT.
Breen is excellent in play-by-play. Who he’s paired with is the issue. Burke and Reddick don’t add any legit insight in to the action. As for the rest of the presentation on ESPN/ABC its awful. They do a terrible job breaking down games, ESPN does a terrible job promoting games besides bumpers (little ads on screen) on their programming. Remember when ESPN used to have commercials promoting games “This Tuesday, Kobe v. Lebron! Don’t miss the action at 8PM” They don’t do that anymore either.
Who wrote this article, Jeff Van Gundys mom?
Everyone’s hating on Doris but there’s really only two things I don’t like about her. The sound of her voice, and the things she says.
What’s wild is that their women’s basketball coverage is actually really good in comparison, especially they’re in studio team. They are probably the closest thing we will have to inside the nba once that ends next season.
Maybe they could get Stephen A. Smith to yell more? That should fix things.
WTF wrote this?
Games have been so much better without JVG and Mark Jackson.
Richard Jefferson, Jamal Crawford, Reggie Miller, and Kevin Harlan have been especially good these playoffs.
I think they just need an option where you can watch the game with no commentary. Like selecting the language in Netflix.
JVG and Mark Jackson were terrible.
I personally didn’t mind his casting, but I recall people in this sub being adamant to get him off the air not too long ago. Crazy how people switch up after they see how bad it could really get. Well people, it could get worse, because now we’re stuck with Doris lol
This sub by and large hated JVG and Jackson, which I get but didn’t agree with. They were fun, and while the unrelated rants could get annoying it’s soooooo much better than Burke and JJ who sit in literal silence for long stretches. I think the article is a little too harsh on Breen though, there are times where he has to prod JJ to say fucking anything because it’s been like five minutes and he’s probably worried that the dude died or something. It’s total amateur hour.
More Doris was always going to be a bad idea
I partly think that ESPN got screwed once Doc Rivers decided to take the Bucks job. It was the obvious thing for ESPN – he was a coach, he was a commentator, and he communicates well. So that was a pretty solid plan, Breen and Rivers can work for a few years.
But then the Bucks job opened (even before that he was doing consultancy to the Bucks) and he jumped ship.
Also the national TVs, at least ESPN likes to carry certain narratives like this article says – Indiana doing well but they mostly focus on the Knicks likely because it’s a bigger market, like how most things revolve around LeBron and the Lakers normally.
I know people hated JVG and Mark Jackson but I enjoyed them because listening to them talk about nonsense was at least entertaining to me most times. I don’t get that from anyone now. Dorris is boring nowadays, JJ feels like he’s not even there most of the time. I just instinctively block them out now and focus on what I’m watching