The Best Thing to Do While Watching Basketball

As many people around here know, I watch NBA basketball.  A LOT of NBA basketball.  I've been doing this for a long time.  Baseball was too boring; too slow paced, too many foul balls, too many out of shape "athletes" (see Kruk, John).  Football was too barbaric; still don't know how many players are on a field at once, you only play one side (offense or defense) and their helmets make them practically invisible.  Hockey was flat-out unwatchable.

Over the years and countless NBA games I've watched, there has been one thing recently that I do that makes the games incredibly more enjoyable.  It's not listening to ANYTHING any of the pundits have to say.  This includes, but is not limited to: Jeff Van Gundy, Jon Barry, Mark Jackson, Stuart Scott, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, Marv Albert, Kevin Harlan, Matt Winer, Dick Stockton, Dick Versace, Reggie Miller, Rick Kamla, Brent Barry, Dennis Scott, Chris Webber, Kevin McHale, Mike Fratello, Steve Smith and especially Rick Fox.  It doesn't matter if it's NBA TV, TNT, ESPN, or ABC.  I don't care if it's another team's local announcers (Michael Smith, Norm Nixon) either.  Basically, they don't know any more than me or you know and there's no reason to listen to their opinion on something.




There are a few exceptions to this rule.  Mike and Tommy, including Mike's pregame interview with Doc and Jim Spanarkel on YES.  Mike and Tommy because I'm a Celtics fan; Spanarkel, because he's absolutely hysterical.

I don't listen to Sports Radio or watch pre-game shows or halftime shows.  My DVR is my best friend and I relish any and all opportunities to fast forward through their bullshit shenanigans.  I have a science down where I generally will start watching the game 45-60 minutes after tip-off.  This allows me to fast forward through all commercials and all their crap and by the end, I'm about up to live time.  It's amazing.

Who really cares what they have to say?  What a ridiculous job to look into sporting events and think you know any more about the game than me.  (Especially the sports radio clowns, taking weekday calls from the hundreds of thousands of unemployed to hear guys like Joe Benigno or Steve Somers give their opinions; in the words of ODB...)   I give former players or coaches the benefit of the doubt.  But people like Peter Vescey?  Or David Aldridge?  Or Mike Wilbon?  STFU.  Your opinion on said topics are worthless.  I'll watch the game and see the outcome develop instead of get your "insight" into the event.

So my advice for anyone out there who wants to make their NBA-watching experience more enjoyable: get a DVR and acclimate yourself with the fast forward button.  And remember, they don't know any more than you.