Favorite Stockton moment from last night?

[fairweatherfan]

I've been watching some of last night's game on TiVo over my lunch break, and realized that knowing the outcome, I was having nearly as much fun laughing at the clueless Dick Stockton as watching the Celtics win.  What's your favorite of the dozens of mistakes he made?

I think mine is when Big Baby dove on a loose ball in the paint, and made a Time-Out gesture while the backboard mic picked up him yelling "Time out!" Stockton, immediately after the whistle blew and the ref pointed to our bench to indicate the timeout: "The Celtics didn't call timeout, it should be a jump ball!  ...looks like the refs are saying there was a 20 second timeout."

[Celtic]

I was at the game last night so I didn't hear any of the broadcast, but I would really like to hear  some of these, as I find Dick Stockton to be painfully bad. Guys like him and Dick Enberg need to be pulled aside and told it's time to hang it up, the obviously aren't figuring it out on their own.

[Steve Weinman]

I've been watching some of last night's game on TiVo over my lunch break, and realized that knowing the outcome, I was having nearly as much fun laughing at the clueless Dick Stockton as watching the Celtics win.  What's your favorite of the dozens of mistakes he made?

I think mine is when Big Baby dove on a loose ball in the paint, and made a Time-Out gesture while the backboard mic picked up him yelling "Time out!" Stockton, immediately after the whistle blew and the ref pointed to our bench to indicate the timeout: "The Celtics didn't call timeout, it should be a jump ball!  ...looks like the refs are saying there was a 20 second timeout."

He was absolutely putrid last night, and claiming that the Cavs "stepped over the line" as opposed to committing a five-second violation was a fairly crucial late-game mistake, but my favorite was the following description of the Infuriated Infant flipping over Wally World and landing on his head:

"Szczerbiak...taken down by Davis."

Wally stood there.  Upright.  Davis wound up on the ground.  Odd narration.

-sw

EDIT: Also, fairweather, I'll also direct you to my sig for your entertainment, which has been present since Game 5 of the Atlanta series...what a mess.

[VINandTonic42]

Stockton is solidifying his status as the Joe Morgan of Basketball broadcasting

[furball]

I personally liked it when Joe Johnson went baseline last night.  I guess the Cavs are bringing in ringers to try to win.  

[fairweatherfan]

<snip>

EDIT: Also, fairweather, I'll also direct you to my sig for your entertainment, which has been present since Game 5 of the Atlanta series...what a mess.

Haha, TP for foresight...is that a relative of yours?

[KevinIsSars]

Is this the same guy who described Lebron's dunk in Game 4 as "having no regard for human life"? How can a dunk have no regard for human life?

[Redz]

There were a ridiculous amount of miscalls and oversights.  The only one I can think of off the top of my head was the 5 second call on Delonte's inbounds attempt.  He called "He must have stepped on the line."  Now, I realize that it was loud in there and hard to hear the whistle, but you had to anticipate by the situation and body language that 5-seconds was the call there.

In general, with all the broadcasts I'm really getting sick of action happening on the court that never receives comment because the announcers are still on another train of thought.  Give pause, say what happened on the current play, then finish your thought if you need to.  A good team knows when one needs to shut up for a second so the other can interject with a more immediately relevant call.

[Redz]

Is this the same guy who described Lebron's dunk in Game 4 as "having no regard for human life"? How can a dunk have no regard for human life?

That was Harlan. 

I think he's trying to take a page from the Pittsburgh Penguins dude.  "Well scratch my back with a hacksaw!"

[Lucky17]

Is this the same guy who described Lebron's dunk in Game 4 as "having no regard for human life"? How can a dunk have no regard for human life?

I think his exact words were "Lebron James, with no regard for human life." Still stupid.

I'm not sure which broadcast crew was been worse: the Stockton-Fratello 'lost in time' tandem (discussing the Cavs uniforms from the mid-90s? really?) or Kevin 'Hyperbole' Harlan and 'Smug' Collins. Can't we get Marv and Reggie just once? Please?

[Steve Weinman]

<snip>

EDIT: Also, fairweather, I'll also direct you to my sig for your entertainment, which has been present since Game 5 of the Atlanta series...what a mess.

Haha, TP for foresight...is that a relative of yours?

Thanks, fairweather.  Also known to some simply as The Guru, HW is indeed my father.  At this point in his career as a fan, he occasionally can't be bothered to know who's playing, much less who is announcing.  So when I mentioned Stockton's TA comment in our discussion during the Hawks series, I was stunned when he absolutely flipped out -- "Let me tell you a few things about Dick Stockton..."  I had no idea they had such a "history," but suffice it so say that there was plenty of bad blood being spewed about Stockton's earlier days in the business.

For The Guru's extended thoughts on Stockton, I'll direct you to the Daily Babble from after Game 5 against Atlanta: http://www.celticsblog.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2991&Itemid=189

An excerpt:

After three days of miserable discussion about what had gone wrong with this team in Atlanta, the conversation after Game 5 felt like a parade over the phone.  The Guru waited patiently for me to bring up his boys, taking the time in the interim to teach me of something previously left unmentioned -- his long-standing dislike of Dick Stockton.  He was in rare form: "When this guy came into this business, it was fairly evident that he had left journalism school and hopped into the booth without ever playing in, watching, going to or reading about an NBA game in any capacity.  The color guy would say something, and ten minutes later Stockton would regurgitate it.  He didn't know anything about basketball.  Did he call Tony Allen a tremendous offensive player tonight?  And was he watching the game at all?  There were at least three fouls that he called on Atlanta, which led me to wonder why the Hawks were presented with the ball immediately afterwards.  One of those times, he corrected himself.  On the other occasions?  Not so much.  I have to hand it to this guy; he's improved over the years.  Thanks to that improvement, he's now reached the point where I'll settle for calling him an out-and-out moron."

For a guy who usually couldn't be bothered to know what channel the game is on much less who the announcers are, to hear him thoroughly ripping a play-by-play guy was a rare treat.  It was an absolute pleasure, and it put me in hysterics.

-sw

[tb727]

He's a total imbecile.  He just collects his paycheck and gives no insight.  All of his descriptions are off.  It's like he doesn't want to be there. 

I would love nothing more than to see him fired or him announce he's retiring.

[jr_3421]

I gave up at the half and turned the volume down and just listened to music. I wasnt planning on doin it the whole game but im superstitious and the Celtics where on a roll! It is for this reason why I credit myself with the victory.

[Andy Jick]

Stockton is solidifying his status as the Joe Morgan of Basketball broadcasting

STRONGLY disagree...miller and morgan are an outstanding team on sunday night baseball for espn.

there is NO comparison whatsoever.

[Steve Weinman]

Stockton is solidifying his status as the Joe Morgan of Basketball broadcasting

STRONGLY disagree...miller and morgan are an outstanding team on sunday night baseball for espn.

there is NO comparison whatsoever.

TP, Andy.  Meant to address this earlier.  I still fail to understand the level of Morgan-hating that goes on out there, although my understanding is that it's related to his disdain for sabermetrics.  Love that team with Miller for Sunday nights.

-sw