What's the deal with ESPN?

[Steve Weinman]

They're always portraying C's as the bad guys. The bias they have against the C's makes me sick. All their commentators have beef against the Celtics. And now stirring up a fake controversy to get KG suspended. Even a blind man can see, KG was protecting a defenseless Pierce laying on the floor. What is their Deal?

The ESPN announcers and analysts, all of whom are strong individual personalities, are not in some sort of groupthink s conspiracy against the Celtics.

Yeah, what he said.

I must be the only one who likes Mike Breen.

You're not.

-sw

[RAcker]

I thought Hubie Brown spent more time than not gushing over the C's during tonight's game.  Mike Tirico seems pretty neutral to me, too.

Plus you can't ignore Ric Bucher, who has picked the C's to make the ECF.  All of the experts on ESPN.com picked the Celtics to win this series too.

I agree with you.  There are some that love us and some that don't on ESPN.  Hubie was loving on TA and Rondo tonight.  The only thing he missed was what actually hurt PP.  He mistakenly thought it was the play on the court and didn't see him snap his neck against the ref. 

We have to take the commentators that love us with the ones that don't.  I don't feel that the entire network dislikes the C's.  If anything, they love for them to be in the mix simply for the ratings nationally they get.

[CoachCowens]

I must be the only one who likes Mike Breen.

He is a New Yorker who grew up loving the knicks and hating the C's. He tries to mask his bias but every once in a while he can't help himself

[ChainSmokingLikeDino]

I must be the only one who likes Mike Breen.

He is a New Yorker who grew up loving the knicks and hating the C's. He tries to mask his bias but every once in a while he can't help himself

And he is the Knicks announcer (most of the time. Always fun to watch when Gus Johnson is filling in). So was Marv Albert and he is as good as it gets. I do think the NBA has suffered going to ESPN/ABC from NBC. I'll say it: I miss Marv calling the finals.

Also, ESPN/NBC spends way too much time self promoting and concentrating on entertainment, not the game itself. That is why one should hate ESPN, not because of "announcers bias" but their endless self promotion and focus away from the actual games.

[snively]

Mike Tirico is pretty painful.  Watches the game with his nose up in the air like Jim Breen.

I don't like these slick PR types as play-by-play.  The homier, radio style guys like Mike Gorman and Ralph Lawler, who are professional without treating everything as a production, are so much more likable. 

Dan Shulman's ok for the national guys.  Kevin Harlan and Marv Albert are cheesy enough not to hate.

[Steve Weinman]

Mike Tirico is pretty painful.  Watches the game with his nose up in the air like Jim Breen.

I don't like these slick PR types as play-by-play.  The homier, radio style guys like Mike Gorman and Ralph Lawler, who are professional without treating everything as a production, are so much more likable. 

Dan Shulman's ok for the national guys.  Kevin Harlan and Marv Albert are cheesy enough not to hate.

While I've made it clear in the past that I'm an avowed Breen booster, you caught my eye tossing Lawler into the discussion with Gorman.

Just wanted to second the vote of confidence for him, the one bit of personnel the Clips' organization seems to have gotten right over the years.  Gorman, Breen and Lawler easily make up my three favorite play-by-play guys.

-sw