On TNT's Thursday broadcast of the Thunder-Warriors game, the broadcast booth will have a completely different look: there won't be a play-by-play announcer as reported by USA Today.
Steve Kerr, Chris Webber, and Reggie Miller, all three of whom are analysts for NBA games on TNT, will be manning the booth, creating an innovative, interesting (and potentially disastrous) combination.
Kerr's description of his role in the booth is that of a "point man leading us to breaks. Maybe a little bit of a traffic cop if the game calls for it. It is more like three former players having a round table (discussion) almost during the game."
The idea apparently came about when Turner executives wanted to try something different and experiment with the game broadcast, realizing there really hasn't been any innovation in that field. So why not put three announcers together who know the game, even if one of them doesn't fit into the defined role that we've come to know and expect when watching sports? The pressure will definitely be on Kerr to facilitate discussion in a completely new role.
I'm really interested to see how this turns out tomorrow night. This could be something that's never spoken of again, with the trio continually stepping on one another and awkward silence taking over the broadcast. Then again, If it works, it could shape the way networks approach games in the future. This broadcast could have that vibe networks are often searching for of watching the game with your friends at the bar. From that aspect, it's worth attempting at least once to see what happens.
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About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.