National TV commentary

Right now I am watching an old playoff game between the Nuggets and Sonics in 1994, with Doug Collins and Van Wieren or something as commentators. Now what stands out how Collins on more than one occassion will judge or speak on calls made by referees.

There is one occassion where Mutombo blocks a shot, they call it goaltending and from the first replay it looks like a bad call. Doug says it's a bad call and it was a clean block. After the next dead ball they show the replay from another angle and Doug corrects himself and says it was a good call as it clearly showed the ball touching the backboard first.

There is another occassion, which can be seen at the 7.42 mark in the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTGk0WuZVoo&NR=1
Schrempf walks, Doug catches it and says he got away with it. He then asks himself how everybody saw it, except for the referee.

In today's NBA what strikes me and most people is how the commentators are no longer challenging the refs. Very rarely they will say there is a missed call.

It's like they are told what not to comment on and just ignore favourable whistles, no-calls, travelling and such. That's what bothers me the most in regards the NBA being rigged.

How many times have you seen in the last few years that there is an obvious mistake made by the ref, they show the replay and the commentators either do not comment on it as if they are blind which is the most frustrating or say the correct call was made when it clearly wasn't. The camera doesn't lie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y8CzEjNVJw

Listen to the way Doug talks in this sequence and in the video of the 1994 playoffs. It's very different, he's being defensive and taking a side whereas in the past he would call it as he saw it. Guaranteed had this happened in 1994, Doug would've said he should be ejected.

Now, he's not saying anything that could come back to him in case there is no ejection. There's a certain fear of repercussions and clearly they have an agenda. In this case, making the Lakers look good.

Now, do you guys agree that the commentary has changed and if so, why is that? Is it because Stern and the league office are instructing them what to do, which is what is often being done in the US with journalists who still have the freedom to decide if they follow the instructions.

Or is it because they have their own agenda and just do as they please, so in this case Doug is just a fan of the Lakers and that's why he's not all over Fisher.

Clearly, there are a lot more examples where referees especially during replay will agree with a bad call. If any1 can find a better example then please provide it.

JVG is the only one I would say that calls things as they are and challenge the referees and the rules. However, since he's known with the 2005 series and being fined of being one who challenges the status-quo, do you think the NBA just lets him since they can afford just one 'deviant'?

Please discuss

 

Ah come on, none of you get what i'm saying. Look at these playoffs where players get away with travelling on some key plays. Nobody picks them up, not even after seeing the replay for 2-3 times. Also listen to the difference in which Doug Collins calls the game in 1994 and now.