Compliments, I think, always mean more when they come from someone who has little reason to give them. I like our announcers, but I also like it when I hear compliments for my team from the opponents announcers. And, clearly, I got carried away with this transcription, but here it goes anyway... If you read through all that, curious if any caught your eye, and what you thought of any particular quotes.
I like the Lakers announcing team a lot. They're very balanced, and I think their analysis of opposing players is fair.
Stu Lantz, the color guy, and Rick Adelman were drafted in the same year by the San Diego Rockets. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lantzst01.html http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/adelmri01.html
I was thinking this same thing after the game was over. The announcers were very complimentary of the Rockets. I thought they were very balanced when I expected them to clowning the Rox the whole time. I laughed out loud a couple of times, when one of the announcers said something like " The Rockets just have the Lakers completely confused right now in what they are going to do on the court." I guess I felt that the Lakers have always been the most confident team out there and for their own announcer to say that on this game meant volumes to me. It was just funny I guess. It was a great game, and I am very impressed with this team because they absolutely don't quit. I was worried at the beginning of the game that we were about to get blown out by 30. These Rockets are very entertaining and have a ton of grit.
Wow, great thread, thanks for putting in all that effort. Bill and Bull probably go months without making that many positive comments about opposing teams...
Brooks just beat them to the punch. Every loose ball the Rockets are getting. They are just out hustling them. They are just outworking the Lakers. that caught my eye especially ... its the Rockets' key to success and a tuff do for the entire marathon NBA season.
Thanks, Bob. I must admit, I did feel silly for typing so much. But it was a good way to relive the game. And I do think Bill often gets really quite complimentary about players on the other team. Bull also, but less so. And Drexler, well, I love it when he says great things like, "That guy is 5 for 8, he hasn't missed all night!"
How so? Bill and Clyde are two of the biggest homers in the league. I love them for it, but there's really no denying that they see all the games through Rocket goggles.
I hear them complimenting opposing players numerous times every game. Watch/listen to the next game with this in mind. Check out how many times they praise players like Nash, Hill, Stoudemire and on down the line, even some of the lesser known players. Bull is the biggest homer of them all but he, too, dishes out several compliments about opposing players each game.
wow, did stu lantz say all that? normally i can't stand listening to him, he's too biased. i liked this quote: Budinger is giving them a big lift. He has got nine point in thirteen minutes. i think they took noticed that chase didn't play in the first match up, having budinger was a big difference.
I'd definitely say Clyde is pretty even-handed, certainly moreso than the other two (notice I didn't throw his name in with Bill and Bull). But I think that's partly because it takes all of his effort just to put together a coherent sentence. Unlike Bill and Bull, Clyde's not eloquent enough to see something happen and quickly put a plausible homer-spin on it. He basically has no choice but to call things as he sees them.
To combine off what you are saying and what ico4498 said above, i think Budinger is the player who help significantly in giving AB a breather during the game. Without Budinger, we end up asking AB to do too much. Particualry Budinger and Lowry seems to be a great combo when AB is out of the game. Lowry and Landry works great, but adding Budinger keeps a deadly three point shooter on the floor.
Yes, I did notice you left out Clyde. Haha, Clyde. Interesting your take on Clyde. Instead of an IQ issue, I see it more that Clyde uses most, if not all, of his energies to be positive. Clyde, it seems, likes to be positive in the face of reality. And when what he says sounds ludicrous, Clyde seems to be amused by it and just laughs. I've met Clyde a few times, and what I found remarkable was how happy he seemed. And it wasn't off putting, and seemed genuine.
I should clarify, it's not that Bill and Bull never give opposing players compliments. It's that they just refuse to call things 50/50. It'll go something like: (blatant foul by us, referee blows whistle)
